[syslinux] syslinux fails to make a bootable USB stick in Slackware64-14.1 installer

Didier Spaier didier.spaier at epsm.fr
Wed Apr 16 14:15:38 PDT 2014


Running "syslinux -s /dev/dsb" during installation of Slackware64-14.1 (to make a bootable USB stick)  fails like this:

Error converting to codepage 850 Invalid argument
Cannot initialize 'S:'
Bad target s:/ldlinux.sys
syslinux: failed to create ldlinux.sys

But running the same command in the installed system succeeds.

In both cases we are using syslinux-4.0.6 (same syslinux binary in the initrd and in the installed system, checked with md5sum).

*But* the same command succeeds in the installer of Slackware-14.0 (syslinux 4.0.5).

I didn't find a clue with strace (output appended).

What should I do to investigate further, or where should I look at?

TIA,

Didier
-------------- next part --------------
execve("/bin/syslinux", ["syslinux", "-s", "/dev/sdb"], [/* 18 vars */]) = 0
brk(0)                                  = 0xfb1000
mmap(NULL, 4096, PROT_READ|PROT_WRITE, MAP_PRIVATE|MAP_ANONYMOUS, -1, 0) = 0x7f5949c3d000
access("/etc/ld.so.preload", R_OK)      = -1 ENOENT (No such file or directory)
open("/etc/ld.so.cache", O_RDONLY|O_CLOEXEC) = 3
fstat(3, {st_mode=S_IFREG|0644, st_size=5486, ...}) = 0
mmap(NULL, 5486, PROT_READ, MAP_PRIVATE, 3, 0) = 0x7f5949c3b000
close(3)                                = 0
open("/lib64/libc.so.6", O_RDONLY|O_CLOEXEC) = 3
read(3, "\177ELF\2\1\1\0\0\0\0\0\0\0\0\0\3\0>\0\1\0\0\0\220\36\2\0\0\0\0\0"..., 832) = 832
fstat(3, {st_mode=S_IFREG|0755, st_size=2098910, ...}) = 0
mmap(NULL, 3965536, PROT_READ|PROT_EXEC, MAP_PRIVATE|MAP_DENYWRITE, 3, 0) = 0x7f5949652000
mprotect(0x7f5949811000, 2093056, PROT_NONE) = 0
mmap(0x7f5949a10000, 24576, PROT_READ|PROT_WRITE, MAP_PRIVATE|MAP_FIXED|MAP_DENYWRITE, 3, 0x1be000) = 0x7f5949a10000
mmap(0x7f5949a16000, 16992, PROT_READ|PROT_WRITE, MAP_PRIVATE|MAP_FIXED|MAP_ANONYMOUS, -1, 0) = 0x7f5949a16000
close(3)                                = 0
mmap(NULL, 4096, PROT_READ|PROT_WRITE, MAP_PRIVATE|MAP_ANONYMOUS, -1, 0) = 0x7f5949c3a000
mmap(NULL, 8192, PROT_READ|PROT_WRITE, MAP_PRIVATE|MAP_ANONYMOUS, -1, 0) = 0x7f5949c38000
arch_prctl(ARCH_SET_FS, 0x7f5949c38740) = 0
mprotect(0x7f5949a10000, 16384, PROT_READ) = 0
mprotect(0x7f5949c3e000, 4096, PROT_READ) = 0
munmap(0x7f5949c3b000, 5486)            = 0
getpid()                                = 6081
open("/dev/sdb", O_RDWR)                = 3
fstat(3, {st_mode=S_IFBLK|0660, st_rdev=makedev(8, 16), ...}) = 0
pread(3, "\353<\220mkfs.fat\0\2\10\1\0\2\0\2\352{\370\20\0>\0\4\0\0\0\0\0"..., 512, 0) = 512
brk(0)                                  = 0xfb1000
brk(0xfd2000)                           = 0xfd2000
open("/tmp//syslinux-mtools-bR8yL6", O_RDWR|O_CREAT|O_EXCL, 0600) = 4
fcntl(4, F_GETFL)                       = 0x8002 (flags O_RDWR|O_LARGEFILE)
fstat(4, {st_mode=S_IFREG|0600, st_size=0, ...}) = 0
mmap(NULL, 4096, PROT_READ|PROT_WRITE, MAP_PRIVATE|MAP_ANONYMOUS, -1, 0) = 0x7f5949c3c000
lseek(4, 0, SEEK_CUR)                   = 0
write(4, "MTOOLS_SKIP_CHECK=1\nMTOOLS_FAT_C"..., 92) = 92
close(4)                                = 0
munmap(0x7f5949c3c000, 4096)            = 0
rt_sigaction(SIGINT, {SIG_IGN, [], SA_RESTORER, 0x7f5949688e50}, {SIG_DFL, [], 0}, 8) = 0
rt_sigaction(SIGQUIT, {SIG_IGN, [], SA_RESTORER, 0x7f5949688e50}, {SIG_DFL, [], 0}, 8) = 0
rt_sigprocmask(SIG_BLOCK, [CHLD], [], 8) = 0
clone(child_stack=0, flags=CLONE_PARENT_SETTID|SIGCHLD, parent_tidptr=0x7fffded44270) = 6082
wait4(6082, [{WIFEXITED(s) && WEXITSTATUS(s) == 1}], 0, NULL) = 6082
rt_sigaction(SIGINT, {SIG_DFL, [], SA_RESTORER, 0x7f5949688e50}, NULL, 8) = 0
rt_sigaction(SIGQUIT, {SIG_DFL, [], SA_RESTORER, 0x7f5949688e50}, NULL, 8) = 0
rt_sigprocmask(SIG_SETMASK, [], NULL, 8) = 0
--- SIGCHLD {si_signo=SIGCHLD, si_code=CLD_EXITED, si_pid=6082, si_status=1, si_utime=0, si_stime=0} ---
pipe2([4, 5], O_CLOEXEC)                = 0
clone(child_stack=0, flags=CLONE_CHILD_CLEARTID|CLONE_CHILD_SETTID|SIGCHLD, child_tidptr=0x7f5949c38a10) = 6084
close(4)                                = 0
fcntl(5, F_SETFD, 0)                    = 0
fstat(5, {st_mode=S_IFIFO|0600, st_size=0, ...}) = 0
mmap(NULL, 4096, PROT_READ|PROT_WRITE, MAP_PRIVATE|MAP_ANONYMOUS, -1, 0) = 0x7f5949c3c000
write(5, "\r\nSYSLINUX 4.06 \0\r\n\32\0\0\0\0\376\2\262>\257s\214o"..., 36864) = 36864
write(5, "\245/-Zg\27\4\243\0\0\0\0\0\0\0\0\0\0\0\0\0\0\0\0\0\0\0\0\0\0\0\0"..., 1024) = 1024
close(5)                                = 0
wait4(6084, Error converting to codepage 850 Invalid argument
Cannot initialize 'S:'
Bad target s:/ldlinux.sys
[{WIFEXITED(s) && WEXITSTATUS(s) == 1}], 0, NULL) = 6084
--- SIGCHLD {si_signo=SIGCHLD, si_code=CLD_EXITED, si_pid=6084, si_status=1, si_utime=1, si_stime=0} ---
munmap(0x7f5949c3c000, 4096)            = 0
write(2, "syslinux: failed to create ldlin"..., 39syslinux: failed to create ldlinux.sys
) = 39
exit_group(1)                           = ?
+++ exited with 1 +++


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