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Syslinux & usb booting

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curaga at operamail

Nov 25, 2007, 2:59 AM

Post #1 of 11 (4482 views)
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Syslinux & usb booting

Hi

It looks to me there's some issues in the Linux implementation of syslinux (root ver, I don't have mtools).

When I used "syslinux -sf /dev/sda1", the stick was not bootable, it showed a black screen when booted, with a ";" appearing when I pressed a button.

The partition was marked active & bootable. And it was the only partition, and primary.

Then I did the same thing on XP, aka "syslinux -sf f:". And whatdoyouknow, it booted fine.

After using syslinux on linux "file -s /dev/sda" showed the same than right after formatting. But after using syslinux on Windoze it showed only "x86 boot sector", without all the mkdosfs id's.

So, why doesn't the linux version work properly?

Lauri

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tomas at slax

Nov 25, 2007, 4:28 AM

Post #2 of 11 (4348 views)
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Re: Syslinux & usb booting [In reply to]

I had similar problem in the past.
When set up in Windoz, the Flash Key was bootable.
When in Linux, nothing.

My problem was solved by 'cat mbr.bin > /dev/sda'
Simply said, if you write the bootloader (syslinux) to /dev/sda1
in Linux, it doesn't do anything unless you put a generic MBR code
to the MBR area of your device. Because MBR is read and executed
first, and then the MBR code looks for partitions and bootloader in sda1.

Syslinux in windows will write the MBR, but syslinux in Linux won't.
Hope this helps.

Tomas M

Lauri Kasanen wrote:
> Hi
>
> It looks to me there's some issues in the Linux implementation of syslinux (root ver, I don't have mtools).
>
> When I used "syslinux -sf /dev/sda1", the stick was not bootable, it showed a black screen when booted, with a ";" appearing when I pressed a button.
>
> The partition was marked active & bootable. And it was the only partition, and primary.
>
> Then I did the same thing on XP, aka "syslinux -sf f:". And whatdoyouknow, it booted fine.
>
> After using syslinux on linux "file -s /dev/sda" showed the same than right after formatting. But after using syslinux on Windoze it showed only "x86 boot sector", without all the mkdosfs id's.
>
> So, why doesn't the linux version work properly?
>
> Lauri
>

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curaga at operamail

Nov 25, 2007, 6:07 AM

Post #3 of 11 (4348 views)
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Re: Syslinux & usb booting [In reply to]

Hey Tomas

I thought about that too, but the syslinux docs clearly say I'd have to use the -m (mbr) switch in Windows to have it install the mbr, which I didn't (I used only -sf)

So, could it be syslinux does that without telling? Undocumented behavior ain't good..

> I had similar problem in the past.
> When set up in Windoz, the Flash Key was bootable.
> When in Linux, nothing.
>
> My problem was solved by 'cat mbr.bin > /dev/sda'
> Simply said, if you write the bootloader (syslinux) to /dev/sda1
> in Linux, it doesn't do anything unless you put a generic MBR code
> to the MBR area of your device. Because MBR is read and executed
> first, and then the MBR code looks for partitions and bootloader in sda1.
>
> Syslinux in windows will write the MBR, but syslinux in Linux won't.
> Hope this helps.
>
> Tomas M
>
>
> Lauri Kasanen wrote:
> > Hi
> >
> > It looks to me there's some issues in the Linux implementation of
> > syslinux (root ver, I don't have mtools).
> >
> > When I used "syslinux -sf /dev/sda1", the stick was not bootable,
> > it showed a black screen when booted, with a ";" appearing when I
> > pressed a button.
> >
> > The partition was marked active & bootable. And it was the only
> > partition, and primary.
> >
> > Then I did the same thing on XP, aka "syslinux -sf f:". And
> > whatdoyouknow, it booted fine.
> >
> > After using syslinux on linux "file -s /dev/sda" showed the same
> > than right after formatting. But after using syslinux on Windoze
> > it showed only "x86 boot sector", without all the mkdosfs id's.
> >
> > So, why doesn't the linux version work properly?
> >
> > Lauri

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hpa at zytor

Nov 25, 2007, 9:30 AM

Post #4 of 11 (4343 views)
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Re: Syslinux & usb booting [In reply to]

Tomas M wrote:
> I had similar problem in the past.
> When set up in Windoz, the Flash Key was bootable.
> When in Linux, nothing.
>
> My problem was solved by 'cat mbr.bin > /dev/sda'
> Simply said, if you write the bootloader (syslinux) to /dev/sda1
> in Linux, it doesn't do anything unless you put a generic MBR code
> to the MBR area of your device. Because MBR is read and executed
> first, and then the MBR code looks for partitions and bootloader in sda1.
>
> Syslinux in windows will write the MBR, but syslinux in Linux won't.
> Hope this helps.
>

It won't (unless you use -m), but if you partition the disk in Windows,
then I believe Windows will.

-hpa

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curaga at operamail

Nov 25, 2007, 11:49 PM

Post #5 of 11 (4346 views)
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Re: Syslinux & usb booting [In reply to]

> Tomas M wrote:
> > I had similar problem in the past.
> > When set up in Windoz, the Flash Key was bootable.
> > When in Linux, nothing.
> >
> > My problem was solved by 'cat mbr.bin > /dev/sda'
> > Simply said, if you write the bootloader (syslinux) to /dev/sda1
> > in Linux, it doesn't do anything unless you put a generic MBR code
> > to the MBR area of your device. Because MBR is read and executed
> > first, and then the MBR code looks for partitions and bootloader in sda1.
> >
> > Syslinux in windows will write the MBR, but syslinux in Linux won't.
> > Hope this helps.
> >
>
> It won't (unless you use -m), but if you partition the disk in Windows,
> then I believe Windows will.
>
> -hpa

Hi. I didn't partition it in Windows. It had the same partitions from the Linux try.

BTW, while you're listening, the documentation for Syslinux really sucks, most of the options aren't mentioned at all (only -s is)

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hpa at zytor

Nov 26, 2007, 9:23 AM

Post #6 of 11 (4342 views)
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Re: Syslinux & usb booting [In reply to]

Lauri Kasanen wrote:
>
> Hi. I didn't partition it in Windows. It had the same partitions from the Linux try.
>
> BTW, while you're listening, the documentation for Syslinux really sucks, most of the options aren't mentioned at all (only -s is)
>

Are you volunteering to fix it?

-hpa

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andrew at shopcusa

Nov 26, 2007, 3:37 PM

Post #7 of 11 (4346 views)
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Re: Syslinux & usb booting [In reply to]

Lauri Kasanen wrote:
>> Tomas M wrote:
>>
>>> I had similar problem in the past.
>>> When set up in Windoz, the Flash Key was bootable.
>>> When in Linux, nothing.
>>>
>>> My problem was solved by 'cat mbr.bin > /dev/sda'
>>> Simply said, if you write the bootloader (syslinux) to /dev/sda1
>>> in Linux, it doesn't do anything unless you put a generic MBR code
>>> to the MBR area of your device. Because MBR is read and executed
>>> first, and then the MBR code looks for partitions and bootloader in sda1.
>>>
>>> Syslinux in windows will write the MBR, but syslinux in Linux won't.
>>> Hope this helps.
>>>
>>>
>> It won't (unless you use -m), but if you partition the disk in Windows,
>> then I believe Windows will.
>>
>> -hpa
>>
>
> Hi. I didn't partition it in Windows. It had the same partitions from the Linux try.
>
> BTW, while you're listening, the documentation for Syslinux really sucks, most of the options aren't mentioned at all (only -s is)
>
>
Thank you for your offer of improving the documentation. It is greatly
appreciated. I am sure unified diffs would be preferred.

-Andrew

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curaga at operamail

Nov 27, 2007, 8:14 AM

Post #8 of 11 (4340 views)
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Re: Syslinux & usb booting [In reply to]

Hi

I only want to figure out why the Windows version did install a mbr, when it wasn't told to, as this is weird.

Recap:
- I tried in Linux, made the partition, marked active, formatted fat32, did a "syslinux-nomtools -sf /dev/sda1"
- it wasn't bootable, as I hadn't used the mbr.bin (which I now know, thanks to Tomas)
- then I tried on Win XP, using the same stick, without partitioning again
- I used "syslinux -sf f:", ie no -m switch.
- and the stick was bootable

So, can someone explain what happened here?

Thanks, Lauri

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hpa at zytor

Nov 27, 2007, 8:53 AM

Post #9 of 11 (4335 views)
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Re: Syslinux & usb booting [In reply to]

Lauri Kasanen wrote:
> Hi
>
> I only want to figure out why the Windows version did install a mbr, when it wasn't told to, as this is weird.
>
> Recap:
> - I tried in Linux, made the partition, marked active, formatted fat32, did a "syslinux-nomtools -sf /dev/sda1"
> - it wasn't bootable, as I hadn't used the mbr.bin (which I now know, thanks to Tomas)
> - then I tried on Win XP, using the same stick, without partitioning again
> - I used "syslinux -sf f:", ie no -m switch.
> - and the stick was bootable
>
> So, can someone explain what happened here?
>

There might have been an MBR on it from the factory. That is usually
the case.

-hpa

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curaga at operamail

Nov 27, 2007, 9:19 AM

Post #10 of 11 (4343 views)
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Re: Syslinux & usb booting [In reply to]

> Lauri Kasanen wrote:
> > Hi
> >
> > I only want to figure out why the Windows version did install a
> > mbr, when it wasn't told to, as this is weird.
> >
> > Recap:
> > - I tried in Linux, made the partition, marked active, formatted
> > fat32, did a "syslinux-nomtools -sf /dev/sda1"
> > - it wasn't bootable, as I hadn't used the mbr.bin (which I now
> > know, thanks to Tomas)
> > - then I tried on Win XP, using the same stick, without partitioning again
> > - I used "syslinux -sf f:", ie no -m switch.
> > - and the stick was bootable
> >
> > So, can someone explain what happened here?
> >
>
> There might have been an MBR on it from the factory. That is usually
> the case.
>
> -hpa

But it wasn't bootable right after using syslinux on linux?

Lauri

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hpa at zytor

Nov 27, 2007, 10:19 AM

Post #11 of 11 (4340 views)
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Re: Syslinux & usb booting [In reply to]

Lauri Kasanen wrote:
>>>
>> There might have been an MBR on it from the factory. That is usually
>> the case.
>>
>> -hpa
>
> But it wasn't bootable right after using syslinux on linux?
>

Then something either wiped the MBR, or the partition was not set active.

-hpa

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