[syslinux] Any way to boot a CD if no BIOS support & CD-ROM is not 100% standard?

[Nazo]

On 11/22/05, Bernd Blaauw <bblaauw at home.nl> wrote:
> Nazo schreef:
> >> Why a kernel+initrd when all what is needed is code to boot from CD-ROM?
> >> IIRC does have the FreeDOS project such technique.
> >>
> Sorry, all we have for FreeDOS is SBM ported/converted into a com32 module.
> How about GRUB or the ReactOS bootloader (FreeLDR) ?
>
> http://odin.fdos.org/odin2005/
> contains a 1.44MB disk image (freeldr.img) which boots FreeDOS, then
> GRUB (actually GRUB4DOS).
> To my knowledge, GRUB has an option to specify "(cd)" and I think it
> contains some Eltorito code.
> Also, the SBM's eltorito code was never separated (made standalone) from
> its project.
>
> For such an ancient laptop, LinuxBIOS also won't help as an opensource
> BIOS replacement.
> No idea if there are still companies that create custom BIOS
> > Code to boot from a CD-ROM?  You mean such as SBM?  I WANT code to
> > boot from a CD-ROM, that's what I said earlier.  Like I said already,
> > kernel+initrd is a bit of an awkward solution and I really would
> > prefer to boot the CD directly like I'm used to, complete with a nice
> > little isolinux+menu setup and all, but, right now I can't even boot a
> > really simple CD.  As for freedos, I'm not clear on what you're
> >
> Storing kernel + initrd (on diskette or harddisk) might be enough to
> gain access to your Linux disk in the cdrom drive.
> > through one of those loaders designed to load from within an OS.  I've
> > never been a fan of the idea of loading an os from within another os.
> > Bad enough just doing a frontend like Windows.  A DOS based solution
> > would be more awkward than kernel+initrd.
> >
> perhaps. Fact is, as long as DOS is in realmode without memory managers
> and TSRs loaded, you could use LOADLIN or GRUB.
> > It's too bad you can't get chain.c32 to do it or something.  That
> > would solve everything...  Isn't there anything out there besides SBM
> > though?  SBM doesn't really look like it's exactly seeing active
> > developement anymore, and I prefer projects that are alive and
> > breathing, not old and stagnant -- at least, when I can help it and
> > get a choice.
> SBM died a few years ago indeed. However, it's the best (though more
> often doesn't than that it actually works) available option so far.
>
> Bernd
>
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>

Ok, I'm not very familiar with GRUB.  I've always been a lilo person
until I found out just how wonderfully syslinux suits all my needs.  I
never really used grub except insofar as when a distro defaulted to it
and didn't give me a choice (then I just replaced it later anyway, so
I just used it once or twice at that.)  I'm going to look more into
the possibility that perhaps it will be able to boot a CD-ROM.  If I
can get it working right, it'd make a lovely little universal boot
floppy.

As for the custom BIOS, well, I don't know how far such things go --
seems like all I've ever seen are the occasional hack to enable hidden
options or unlock certain features that are locked in the normal BIOS.
 Regardless, the only way I'd get any kind of updated BIOS for this
ancient laptop would pretty well involve a lot of money.  Something
which I don't have.  There's no way someone would be maniac enough to
do it just out of the goodness of their heart.  Besides, probably only
Toshiba themselves could design a bios that works exactly right on
this system (laptops of that era were pretty specialized and you can't
just toss any old Phoenix bios or something in there.)  I wouldn't
laugh at that suggestion if it were a more modern laptop -- even if it
were just two years older I might think seriously about the idea, but,
after a couple of years of trying to get some vague hint of support --
even so much as just the basic utilities that were supposed to come
with it -- I've learned that there's really little doubt about the
fact that this laptop is just plain too old.


On 11/22/05, H. Peter Anvin <hpa at zytor.com> wrote:
> Nazo wrote:
> >
> > It's too bad you can't get chain.c32 to do it or something.  That
> > would solve everything...  Isn't there anything out there besides SBM
> > though?  SBM doesn't really look like it's exactly seeing active
> > developement anymore, and I prefer projects that are alive and
> > breathing, not old and stagnant -- at least, when I can help it and
> > get a choice.
> >
>
> Useful projects that go stagnant are usually crying out for someone to
> step in and help out or take over.
>
>         -hpa
>
I agree, but, don't look at me to do it.  I know jack when it comes to
programming such complex things.  Actually, I don't even know jack, I
just know that his first name is jack.  d-: