[syslinux] memdisk operations FAIL to boot with Syslinux-4.02

[Gert Hulselmans]

Prof S W Damle wrote:
> Hello all
>
> I have installed "syslinux" as follows:
> Microsoft(R) Windows 98
>    (C)Copyright Microsoft Corp 1981-1999.
>
> C:\WINDOWS>format o: /s
>
> C:\WINDOWS>format o: /s
>
> WARNING, ALL DATA ON DISK
> DRIVE O: WILL BE LOST!
> Proceed with Format (Y/N)?y
>
>
> Checking existing disk format.
> Formatting 967.98M
> Format complete.
> System transferred
> Volume label (11 characters, ENTER for none)?
>
> 1,014,726,656 bytes total disk space
>       425,984 bytes used by system
> 1,014,300,672 bytes available on disk
>
>        16,384 bytes in each allocation unit.
>        61,908 allocation units available on disk.
>
> Volume Serial Number is 404E-16F4
>
>
> C:\WINDOWS>
>
> C:\WINDOWS> mkdir o:\syslinux
>
> C:\WINDOWS> cd c:\unzipped\syslinux-4.02\dos
>
> C:\Unzipped\syslinux-4.02\DOS> syslinux -d syslinux o:
>
> C:\Unzipped\syslinux-4.02DOS>
> Following is my syslinux.cfg:
>
> # DEFAULT vesamenu.c32
>  default vesamenu.c32 ~
> #PROMPT 0
> #TIMEOUT 100
> #ONTIMEOUT com32/menu.c32 ~
>
> MENU BACKGROUND biohzd.png
> MENU TITLE Bootable Menu
>
> #MENU COLOR element ansi foreground background shadow
> # see chart below
>
> #"foreground" and "background" are color codes in #AARRGGBB
> #     notation, where AA RR GG BB are hexadecimal digits for alpha
> #     (opacity), red, green and blue, respectively.  #00000000
> #     represents fully transparent, and #ffffffff represents opaque
> #     white.
> #
> #If any field is set to "*" or omitted (at the end of the line)
> #     then that field is left unchanged.
>
> #          element      ANSI        foreground background shadow
> #                                   #AARRGGBB #AARRGGBB none, std, all,
> or rev
> menu color screen       37;40       #ffffffff #00000000 none
> menu color border       30;40       #00000000 #00000000 none
> menu color title        1;36;40     #c00090f0 #00000000 none
> menu color unsel        37;40       #90ffffff #00000000 none
> menu color hotkey       1;37;40     #ffffffff #00000000 none
> menu color sel                30;47       #ff00ff00 #00000000 none
> menu color hotsel       1;7;30;47   #ffffffff #20ff8000 none
> menu color scrollbar    30;40       #40000000 #00000000 none
> menu color tabmsg       31;40       #90ffff00 #00000000 none
> menu color cmdmark      1;36;40     #c000ffff #00000000 none
> menu color cmdline          37;40       #c0ffffff #00000000 none
> menu color pwdborder      30;47       #80ffffff #20ffffff none
> menu color pwdheader      31;47       #80ff8080 #20ffffff none
> menu color pwdentry         30;47       #80ffffff #20ffffff none
> menu color timeout_msg  37;40       #80ffffff #00000000 none
> menu color timeout          1;37;40     #c0ffffff #00000000 none
> # menu color help       37;40       #c0ffffff #00000000 none # Original
>>(black), white
> menu color help         36;40     #c000ffff #00000000 none  # Modified
>>(black), cyan
> #menu color help         30;47       #80ffffff #20ffffff none  #Modified
>>(brown), white
> menu color msg07        37;40       #90ffffff #00000000 none
>
> #
> # Size of stuff
> #
> MENU WIDTH 80
> MENU MARGIN 10
> MENU PASSWORDMARGIN 3
> MENU ROWS 15
> MENU TABMSGROW 18
> MENU CMDLINEROW 18
> MENU ENDROW 24
> MENU PASSWORDROW 11
> MENU TIMEOUTROW 20
> MENU HELPMSGROW 22
> MENU HELPMSGENDROW -1
> MENU HIDDENROW -2
> MENU HSHIFT 0
> MENU VSHIFT 0
>
> #
> # main entries
> #
>
>  ##  menu label ^0. xxxx  -->This IS displayed
>
>
>  # Following IS Recomended:>boots MBR
>    label local-boot
>
> menu default
>
> menu label ^0. Boot local hard disk
>
> kernel chain.c32
> append hd0 0
> # verified boots mbr
>
> # this ALSO boots MBR:
> # LABEL  local
> #        MENU DEFAULT
> #        LOCALBOOT 0x80
>  #       APPEND -
>
> # this  boots WinXP/Win98/Win2000
> label Boot Hard Disk
>   menu default
>   menu label ^1. Boot WinXP/Win98/Win2000
>   kernel chain.c32
>   append hd0 1
> # verified  boots WinXP/Win98/Win2000
>
>
> LABEL cmdcons
> MENU LABEL ^2.cmdcons  =>Windows Recovery Console
> COM32 chain.c32  fs cmldr=cmldr
>   APPEND hd0 1 cmldr=cmldr
>
> LABEL grub4dos
> MENU LABEL ^3.grub4dos
> COM32 chain.c32  fs grldr=/grldr/grldr
>   APPEND file=/grldr/grldr
> # grub.exe & menu.lst on the device loads GUI
> # takes @ 1Min to load and then boots
> #verified boots grub4dos
>
>
> LABEL nu2-2
> MENU LABEL ^2. INSERT\partimage -->Tool to get LinuxPartition_UsbDrv Img
>
>  kernel /DiskImages/memdisk
>   append initrd=/DiskImages/BtInsUSB.img
>
> LABEL nu2-4
> MENU LABEL ^4. Partition Magic8  -->Universal partition manager
>  kernel /DiskImages/memdisk
>   append initrd=/DiskImages/Pm8.img
>
> LABEL nu2-5
> MENU LABEL ^5. Plpbt.
> KERNEL /ISOimages/memdisk
> INITRD /ISOimages/Plpbt.iso
> APPEND iso
>
> Thanks in advance
>
> Prof S W Damle
>
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Which exact error message do you get when booting a MEMDISK entry?

Are you sure you entered the correct paths to the files?
Add ls.c32 and add this to your configuration file:

LABEL dir
MENU LABEL display files in /ISOimages/
COM32 ls.c32
APPEND /ISOimages


The PLoP iso boots fine for me.
Adding 'raw' to the APPEND line of the MEMDISK booted images may help.

- Gert Hulselmans