[syslinux] Merging Mandrake 10.1 auto_install floppy with first CD of the same distro.

[Khan Mohamed Ashraf]

Hello,
I have been struggling for long with the above.
The purpose behind attempting the same is to have a handsfree install from
the first CD (bootable) including a customised kernel and application. There
will be no user intervention required whatsoever during installation. In
this regard this is what I am trying to do. At the end of a manual install
of the above distro I can create a auto install floppy that will duplicate
my manual install and it is handsfree. I would like this to run from the
first CD itself. In other words merge the auto_install floppy and the first
CD
To achieve this I edit the ISO of the first CD to achieve this. I've tried
including the contents of the auto install floppy within the 'isolinux'
folder of the first CD (bootable). The autoinstall floppy is syslinux based.
Therefore I replace the isolinux.cfg file with syslinux.cfg file from the
auto_install floppy to the 'isolinux' folder on the CD and rename it as
isolinux.cfg. I change the line
'append kickstart=floppy automatic=met:cdrom
initrd=cdrom.rdzramdisk_size=128000 root=/dev/ram3
automatic=method:cdrom acpi=ht vga=788
label vgalo to this'
'append kickstart=cdrom automatic=met:cdrom
initrd=cdrom.rdzramdisk_size=128000 root=/dev/ram3
automatic=method:cdrom acpi=ht vga=788
label vgalo'
this is to point kickstart to the cdrom so that it will read the
auto_install.cfg file from the auto_install floppy which I also include in
the 'isolinux' folder.
I save the ISO and on trying to boot from it it fails at the second stage
with the following messages
'error using auto_install'
'error reading file cdrom'
I am trying to do this using MS Windows tools such as MagicISO and
isobuster. This is because I find editing the Mandrake 10.1 first disk ISO
easier/quicker. I have seen hpa's http://syslinux.zytor.com/iso.php#how and
and would like to know if this is the only method to create a no-emulation
bootable linux cd ?
Thank you
Ashraf