[syslinux] "isolinux.bin missing or corrupt" when booting USB flash drive in old PC

[Thomas Schmitt]

Hi,

Ady wrote:
>  http://repo.or.cz/syslinux.git/tree/HEAD:/diag 
> "handoff.bin

This does not look like it would tell much of the properties in question.
Nevertheless its print functions might be of interest for an isohybrid
diagnostic MBR.


> and at least 2 geodsp*.{bin,img(gz)}

I am now reading
  http://repo.or.cz/syslinux.git/blob/HEAD:/diag/geodsp/README

These programs could probably tell the perceived disk geometry factors
for cylinders and heads by the first line. I understand they also make
test reads of their own bytes in order to verify that addressing is
correct.

So yes, it would be interesting to see the output of geodspms.img
or geodsp1s.img. The README is unclear about which one should be
copied to the stick. Possibly one has to try both.

Next question is where a Debian user gets the images geodsp1s.img.xz
and geodspms.img.xz. "apt-file search geodsp" finds nothing on "jessie"
or "testing". Debian "wheezy" had them as:
  /usr/lib/syslinux/diag/geodsp1s.img.xz
  /usr/lib/syslinux/diag/geodspms.img.xz
I guess one would have to pull them out of the package available at
  https://packages.debian.org/wheezy/all/syslinux-common/download

Is there an official SYSLINUX URL where to get the images ?


> As I mentioned before, there is also "isolinux-debug.bin", but it is 
> not supported by isohybrid, AFAIK.

The problem is not in the El Torito image, except the fact that its
alleged first sector does not bear the magic number.
Of course, "isolinux-debug.bin" is not supposed to bear the magic number
of an isohybrid capable El Torito image at all.


Have a nice day :)

Thomas