[syslinux] how to create bootable FreeDOS HDD or USB flash drive?

[Kenneth J. Davis]

On Jun 27, 2012 1:12 PM, "Bernd Blaauw" <bblaauw at home.nl> wrote:
>
> Op 27-6-2012 0:27, Gene Cumm schreef:
>
>> On Tue, Jun 26, 2012 at 4:54 AM, Ady Ady <ady-sf at hotmail.com> wrote:
>
>
>>>> Should one add syslinux.cfg to the root of the "10MB1"? How should the
>>>> configuration file look like for DOS? Or is it possible to boot DOS
>>>> using syslinux?
>>
>>
>> chain.c32 should help.
>
>
> I'd suggest chain.c32 as well in this case, as you're populating your
imagefile with syslinux, thus avoiding the need to install a FreeDOS
bootsector. chain.c32 syslinux module contains enough bootstrapping code to
load the FreeDOS kernel.
>
> Alternatively you can try to create/save a FreeDOS bootsector as a file,
provided geometry info is correct as well.
> For Linux, scripts like "sys-freedos-linux" might do the trick
> (
http://www.ibiblio.org/pub/micro/pc-stuff/freedos/files/dos/sys/sys-freedos-linux/).
> This saved bootsector file would have to be referenced by syslinux.cfg:
>
> # load freedos.bss bootsector file, pointing to kernel.sys
> label dos
> kernel /freedos.bss
>
>
> I suppose for Linux already some tutorials exist for creating bootable
external devices. For Win32/64 lots of programs exist, like RUFUS, RMPREP
and UNETBOOTIN
>
> For installing DOS bootsector on Windows or DOS, the experimental SYS.EXE
binary [ http://www.fdos.org/kernel/sys/sys3.8pre.zip ] might do the trick.
>
> It appears to be a universal binary (interesting for non-Linux syslinux
installers???), but I don't know which areas it covers, haven't done
extended research yet.
> * DOS (16bit realmode, 8086+)
> * DOS (32bit protected mode, 80386+, DJGPP / HX extender? CWSDPMI?)
> * Win16 (Win3.xx)
> * Win32 (Win95/98/98SE/ME)
> * Win32 (NT3/NT4/2K/XP)
> * Win32 (Vista/7/8)
> * Win64 (XP/Vista/7/8).
> * ReactOS?
> * OS/2 and/or eComStation?

sys 3.8 is a dual DOS 16bit real mode version for DOS systems (untested but
may work on OS/2) and windows 32 exe for use on NT (4+ maybe earlier) with
9x support to be added before final release.  It has preliminary support
for generating syslinux menu option for freedos-user using a boot sector
though I will probably remove it.  After more testing I plan on chain.c32
being the preferred method (on my future releases at fdos) to boot the
freedos kernel.

>
> Bernd
>

Shameless plug, see
http://www.fdos.org/bootdisks/
for various boot disks including a 10MB HD image.

Jeremy