[syslinux] Failure booting CD on elderly gateway

[H. Peter Anvin]

On 08/28/2009 09:31 AM, Lee Winter wrote:
> The current Debian distribution (AKA "lenny") install CD verstion "netinst"
> for i386 fails on an elderly gateway (details below) with the following
> message:
> ------------------
> ISOLINUX 3.71 Debian-2008-09-06 isolinux: Loading spec packet failed, trying
> to |<-- screen wrap
> wing it ...
> isolinux: Failed to located CD-ROM device; boot failed.
> See http://syslinux.zytor.com/sbm for more information.
> ------------------
> 
> The CD media appears to be working because I have used it to install on
> other systems.  The machine appears to be working (in some sense) because I
> cannot get it to fail when using DOS and mscdex.  In fact under DOS I can
> see the contents of the CD's filesystem (although I only did a cursory
> test).
> 
> I changed the CD drive (from a Mitsumi FX120T to an Acer CD-912E/ATK) and
> got the same result.  I changed all of the BIOS settings that might possibly
> affect the CD BIOS and got the same result.  So it appears to me that there
> is a severe incompatibility between the machine and SYSLINUX.
> 
> The machine is a Gateway P5-133 model BATC with BIOS version 1.00.03.CN0T
> (cn<zero-not-oh>t).  Thre is no BIOS update available (that I can find).
> 

There were a number of BIOSes from that era that simply could not boot a
no-emulation CD-ROM correctly.

The URL that is printed in the message has some suggestions for mitigation.

	-hpa