[syslinux] isolinux: Extremely broken BIOS detected

[H. Peter Anvin]

Alexander Dick wrote:
> 
> Hikarunix (version unknown)
> --------------------------
> Installation successful. CD-ROM 1 & 2 - OK
> 
> MS Windows 98 SE
> ----------------
> Installation successful
> 
> MS-DOS (Win98SE boot disk)
> --------------------------
> FDISK successful, partitions created, formatted
> 

No idea about Hikarunix, but Win98 uses the floppy emulation mode of CD 
booting.

> 
> I also saw on zytor.com and elsewhere that this is an issue with the
> BIOS and that it needs to be updated.  I saw that persons did update 
> and had no change with the errors. I also found the thread "ISOLINUX 
> fails at boot on Award BIOS v6.00PG" @ 
> http://www.zytor.com/pipermail/syslinux/002863.html and a similar 
> thread at http://bugzilla.redhat.com.  A BIOS update concerns me 
> since only ISOLINUX is having a problem and not some other CD's 
> that installed correctly.
> 

See above.


> So I Have Some Questions...
> Why do both HIRAKUNIX and Microsoft Windows 98 Second Edition install
> but none of the other ISOLINUX bootable CD's don't?
> 
> If certain files need to be on certain tracks of the ISO burn, will
> this be posted at bugtraq so that those who make the ISO's do it
> right for isolinux?

No.  It'll be incorporated into mkisofs.

> Is there a web page or text file that lists what the isolinux error 
> codes mean?

They're not isolinux error codes; they're BIOS error codes.  Try Ralf 
Brown's Interrupt List.  Error 01 is invalid function; it means that the 
BIOS is simply not responding to the El Torito command set.

> Will isolinux-debug.bin be the default for the next version of
> ISOLINUX so I don't have to build custom CD's for those times 
> the install may or may not fail?

No, but you're welcome to encourage people to use it instead of 
isolinux.bin.

> Will warnings about certain system BIOSes be posted at
> syslinux.zytor.com/iso.php?

If I get enough.

> Will a help page be added to zytor.com that shows users how to create
> floppy boot disks now that the images and rawrite are no longer included 
> on the latest LINUX distributions?

No; it's distribution specific.

> Does isolinux default with the message, "Extremely Broken BIOS
> Detected" when the sense commands bring back an answer the probe 
> doesn't understand?
 >
> Or, does the isolinux probe automatically post this error if the BIOS
> is not on the list?

It prints this message when the BIOS doesn't respond to the standard 
commands.

> What exactly is the probe isolinux getting wrong so I can alert the
> Phoenix/Award BIOS people for the
> correct fix?

In this case, it looks like it gets the whole El Torito "no emulation" 
commandset completely wrong; it looks like it doesn't respond to it at all.

	-hpa