[syslinux] booting from MS-dos disk. at home.nl

[H. Peter Anvin]

Bernd Blaauw wrote:
> (I *really* need to learn this list is configured for replying to sender 
> instead of the list itself..)
> 
> Dinesh P. schreef:
> 
>  > Hi there,
>  >              I am using memdisk with pxelinux, i have created ms-dos 
> boot disk from windows xp, but when i boot from it stops on starting....
>  >            what is the problem can anybody tell me..
>  >
> 
> please read Syslinux and Memdisk documentation, which tell you to add 
> 'raw' parameter. The diskette image that WinXP creates uses a Windows 
> Millennium kernel. Either the kernel or the bootsector used on it break 
> booting through Memdisk on purpose somehow.
> 
> I'll try to test if it's only the bootsector, as
> http://fdos.org/AutoIndex/index?dir=kernel/&file=SYS.dev.COM
> 
> is able to write a diskette bootsector for WinME.
> create the WinXP/ME bootdisk, then:
> SYS.COM A: A: /BOOTONLY
> 
> if the image works with Memdisk, then it's bootsector to blame.
> otherwise kernel, in which case you'd better use a Win98 image from 
> bootdisk.com or so (provided you have a license for it, ofcourse :) )

It's not, it's the kernel.  In particular, the WinME/XP kernel hooks INT 
15h, AH=87h and deliberately crashes the system (CLI; HLT) if it is 
invoked, thereby robbing the universe of the one "nice" way to access 
device space in high memory!

Thus, the WinME/XP version of DOS requires the "raw" or "bigraw" 
parameter, but will work that way.

	-hpa