[syslinux] SYSLINUX GRUB and booting logical partitions on USB drive

[greenfinch]

> You install the MBR in the MBR (obviously), then you install 
> syslinux/extlinux in a partition.  Use fdisk (or parted, or a similar 
> program) to mark the partition which contains your primary 
> syslinux/extlinux active.
>
> To run chain.c32, put entries in your config file like:
>
> # Windows CE/ME/NT on partition 1
> label cement
> 	menu label ^Windows CE/ME/NT, a very dense operating system
> 	kernel chain.c32
> 	append hd0 1
>
> _______________________________________________
>
>   
New test results:

As I am not able to boot logical partitions with GRUB LEGACY, I tried to 
use SYSLINUX,
as you adviced.

test setup:

- 4GB Flash drive
- syslinux 3.63
- Installed mbr.bin to MBR of the stick
- Partitioning of the USB-stick with GPARTED, using system rescue cd

sdb1   Primary fat32 ~ 100MB
sdb2   Primary fat32 ~ 300MB
sbd3   Primary fat32 ~ 150MB
sdb4   Extended partition ~ 150 MB
sdb5   Logical partition ~ 150MB

- I've tried to keep the partitions small to avoid some problems I've read like
accessing partitions beyond 1024 MB.


* sdb1 has the boot flag

- Damn Small Linux (DSL) was downloaded an unzipped
(zip-file dsl-4.2.5-embedded)
- The content of the zip-file was copied to sdb1, sdb2, sdb3 and sdb5
  in order to check, whether I can boot from these partitions.
- sdb1, sdb2, sdb3 and sdb5 were made bootable by syslinux -f /dev/sdbx (x is 1, 2, 3 and 5)
- updated syslinux.cfg file in the root of sdb1:

LABEL hd0_0
KERNEL chain.c32
APPEND hd0 0

LABEL hd0_1
KERNEL chain.c32
APPEND hd0 1

.....

LABEL hd0_7
KERNEL chain.c32
APPEND hd0 7

This labels were added, to try out the booting from all sdbx partitions.

- Now the USB flash drive is bootable
- After reset, the SYSLINUX prompt appeared, and I tried to boot from the stick using the following labels:

hd0_1 -> successfully booting damn small linux from sdb1 -> o.k.
hd0_2 -> successfully booting damn small linux from sdb2 -> o.k.
hd0_3 -> successfully booting damn small linux from sdb3 -> o.k.
hd0_4 -> SYSLINUX stucks -> o.k. because external partition, not bootable
hd0_5 -> message 'Requested logical partition not found' -> not o.k. because logical partition exists!
hd0_6 -> message 'Requested logical partition not found' -> o.k. because partition does not exist!


- Why is the logical partition not found?
- Is SYSLINUX really able to boot logical partitions?
- Did I make a mistake in one step?


Thank you for your help.

greenfinch