[syslinux] isolinux: Extremely broken BIOS detected

[Alexander Dick]

Tried another test install with the distributions in question using
anothe SCSI controller.

Adaptec AHA-2940AU
BIOS v1.34.2
Date 1998

The Adaptec controller boots Windows 98 SE fine.

The settings are similar to the AHA-2940UW controller:

IRQ 15, memory address I/O Port C000h

Plug and Play SCAM Support - disabled
Extended BIOS Translation for drives > 1 GByte - disabled
Host Adapter BIOS - enabled
Support Removable Disks under BIOS as fixed disks - disabled
BIOS Support for Bootable CD-ROM - enabled
BIOS Support for Int13 Extensions - disabled

The Windows 98 SE floppy boot disk POST messages and CD-ROM drive
access all indicate that the hardware is functioning normally.

This means that this is a software problem.

If making Linux boot floppies permits access to the CD-ROM for
installation like it's doing, again this is an issue with ISOLINUX and
not system BIOSes.

I purchased a new BIOS from http://www.esupport.com that cost me
$69.95 US for a motherboard that cost $64.00 US.  I haven't updated it
yet because the only problem with my setup is a software problem with
the detection mode from ISOLINUX under various Linux distributions. 
And just as a note, this problem is everywhere in all sorts of forums
and newsgroups,  This problem will have to be resolved one day because
computer systems now come without a floppy drive.

I sure would like bootable Linux CD-ROM success and so does the world.

I will be trying the ATAPI CD-ROM next and post the results.