[syslinux] stupid question

[Christian Marg]

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Hello..

Mike Brentlinger wrote:
> stupid question is... can i use syslinux, isolinux, memdisk or some
> combo there of to place a bootable cdrom iso image on the fat16
> partition and then have a boot menu with something to the effect of :
>
> 1) winxp as normal
> 2) bootable cd image thats on fat16 partition
> timeout : 30 secs to #1
> choose : [1|2] :

Plain and Simple: No.

The Problem here is that you want/need the 2nd choice to be an ISO
image. Although someone out there wrote an El Torito stack (possibility
to boot from the CD-Drive even if the Bios doesn't support it) - and I
don't know if someone has translated it into a syslinux-useable tool -
booting an ISO-*image* would need a CD-Drive Emulation.

Enter [The Problem]: Even if you'd rewrite the existing El-Torito-Stack
to work on an CD-Image, almost any Operating System would screw up on
the CD-Drive Emulation. Or you'd really need to go into it's guts and
write a driver for every OS you'd want to boot from a CD-Image...

Well, If you'd be able to manufacture a Microcontroller that
transparently emulates a CD-Drive, that also would also be a possibility
- - but probably out of our range of options...

Does it have to be an ISO image?
Easiest thing would be to "reverse-Engineer" the Iso-Image and use its
Parts to boot it somehow.

bye
Christian
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