[syslinux] vesamenu partly broken in 3.70?

[H. Peter Anvin]

lurker wrote:
> On 21/07/08 03:44, H. Peter Anvin wrote:
>> You're right, and there is likely to be an unrelated problem.  Since you 
>> didn't give any specific details about your systems it's hard to know.
> 
> Well, just tell me what you need and I'll post it. The systems are very
> different: my stationary computer is an Athlon64 using a GeForce4 ti4400
> video card whereas my laptop is a Pentium M with the Intel 915GMS chip
> set using its integrated video card. I don't see much possibility for an
> intersecting hardware incompatibility issue there. Is there some other
> piece of hardware that possibly could be relevant?

BIOS.

> If no one else have this problem when booting from USB memory sticks
> (which I assume is the case) I guess the issue is in how I have set up
> syslinux, but I'm completely at loss what I've done wrong, especially
> since it works with prevoius versions.

No, I suspect there is a subtle bug.

If you'd be willing to send an image of the failing USB stick, I can try 
to reproduce it and see if I can debug the problem.

>> It would help if you could try 3.71-pre15, and if that doesn't work, try 
>> to narrow it down to a specific prerelease between 3.63 and 3.70 which 
>> breaks your machines.
> 
> The problem still occurs in 3.71-pre15, and also in 3.70-pre1. 3.64
> works, but I couldn't find any release between it and 3.70-pre1 to
> narrow it down further. Is there any other place than the kernel.org
> repo where I can download the releases in-between?

Not directly, but if you're willing to use the "git" tool you can use 
the "git bisect" tool:

git clone git://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/boot/syslinux/syslinux.git
cd syslinux
git bisect start
git bisect good syslinux-3.63		# Last good version
git bisect bad syslinux-3.70-pre1	# First bad version

make spotless
make
<install syslinux on your USB stick>
<test>

git bisect <good,bad>

<repeat until finished>

	-hpa