[syslinux] mdiskchk and WinPE

Ady
Mon, 07 Jul 2014 01:41:13 -0000

> > Date: Sun, 6 Jul 2014 22:40:21 +0200
> > From: herbszt at gmx.de
> > To: sha0.miller at gmail.com
> > CC: syslinux at zytor.com; jml9904 at hotmail.com
> > Subject: Re: [syslinux] mdiskchk and WinPE
> >
> > Shao Miller wrote:
> > > On 7/6/2014 01:55, Ady wrote:
> > > >
> > > > I can see 1 branch in Shao's git repo that might be
relevant:
> > > >
> > > >   mdiskchk_win
> > > >
> > > > [quote]
> > > >
> > > > mdiskchk.exe will be the Windows counterpart for the DOS
version
> > > >   mdiskchk.com.  The purpose is to be able to scan low
memory for
> > > > instances
> > > >   of Syslinux' MEMDISK and report these instances'
parameters to a
> > > > user
> > > >   or batch file.
> > > >
> > > > Under Windows, we will use the pmem.sys driver to scan
physical
> > > > memory.
> > > >   If the driver is not installed, we will install it.
> > > >
> > > >
> > > >
> > > > This seems to be somewhat a work-in-progress
"compatible" with
> > > > Syslinux 4.06, YMMV.
> > > >
> > > > So you would need pmem.sys and mdiskchk.exe, to be tested
under WinPE
> > > > 32-bits.
> > > >
> > > > There is an additional branch in Shao's git repo,
"mdiskchk_winbin",
> > > > including a mdiskchk.exe binary for test (although no
pmem.sys).
> > > >
> > >
> > > Thank you, Ady.  I'd totally forgotten that this was all
completed.
> > > This mdiskchk.exe is true to its word: If the pmem.sys driver is
not
> > > installed, mdiskchk.exe will install it.  No need to go looking
for it;
> > > it's embedded. :)
> > >
> > > - Shao Miller
> >
> > Can you please take a look at my comment from Feb 2013 [1]?
> >
> > [1] http://www.syslinux.org/archives/2013-February/019511.html
> >
> > Sebastian
>
> Thus the rub: The exe seems to have disappeared from winbin as
> well. It's there, but downloads as a zero-byte file.

Downloads are not zero-byte.

The following are (somewhat rhetorical) questions, for your own
consideration.

Are you downloading a "snapshot" of the "head" of the
"mdiskchk_winbin" branch in Shao's git repo?

How are you expanding the content of the downloaded archive?

Are you using some security-related software (e.g. antivirus)? If you
are, there is a chance that the mdiskchk.exe binary is being blocked
(or stripped out or something similar). To be clear, this is not an
assumption; it could really be happening in this particular case of
mdiskchk.exe.

Regards,
Ady.

PS:
A: Because it messes up the order in which people normally read text,
especially the archives of mailing lists.
Q: Why is Top-posting such a bad thing?

"No one ever says, 'I can't read that ASCII(plain text) e-mail you
sent me.'"

@Gene, I hope it's OK.