Gerry Hickman schreef:
I don't understand this statement. Do you mean to say "So this is _not_
a matter of just copying bootsectors". If it _is_ a matter of "just
copying bootsectors", why does it seem so difficult to make it work? We
just copy the boot sector and live happily ever after?
bootsectors are kind of harddisk-specific, or more properly:
geometry-specific. Install a bootsector from a 720KB floppy to a 1.44MB
floppy and it will no longer be bootable. Same goes for
harddisks/partitions.
Either a bootsector is installed, and then the geometry information is
patched in afterwards, or a bootsector is simply generated on-the-fly.
on a specific system, you can save and restore bootsector, luckily.
For fixed geometry, you can also save/restore bootsectors safely.
WinImage for example relies on this, and patches geometry info in if you
convert disk sizes.
Are you perhaps saying that when you run MS FORMAT, it does not just
simply copy a boilerplate boot sector, it actually creates one based on
the geometry of the drive you are formatting?
it's always changed, yes. One of both methods I mentioned, but it
doesn't matter which one.
Are you perhaps also saying that even if I got a boot sector to work,
and backed it up to bootsect.bin, that it might ONLY work on that exact
hard drive, not some other hard drive?
yes, but you can backup on each individual system. If disk partitioning
is exactly the same, then saving/restoring bootsector might work on
multiple systems.
Can you tell me where the /DUMPBS and /RESTORBS switches are documented?
I can't find them from the command line...
In sourcecode, SYS v3.6 is still under development :)
There's also /SAVEBS for creating a backup while replacing the
bootsector. Complex example:
SYS C: C: C:\BOOTSECT.BIN /BOOTONLY /SAVEBS C:\OLDBS.BIN /OEM:AUTO
*MS FORMAT, then run SYS C: /BOOTONLY /OEM:MS
this gets you a MS filesystem but with FreeDOS bootsector
I thought /OEM:MS was supposed to insert a _Microsoft_ bootsector?
Copyright issues..
Jeremy Davis, interim kernel developer, in some way crafted an open
source replacement bootsector which can actually succesfully load MS
systemfiles.
I wish Eric would build in an option into FORMAT for 'save a copy of
bootsector into memory, then restore it to disk after formatting'
This would let FD FORMAT function as a true MS FORMAT replacement when
used under the MSDOS operating system.
Same for SYS: an option to keep using the MS bootsector instead of
installing an (not always working) FreeDOS replacement bootsector for MS
system files.
Bernd
-------------------------------------------------------
SF.Net email is Sponsored by the Better Software Conference & EXPO
September 19-22, 2005 * San Francisco, CA * Development Lifecycle Practices
Agile & Plan-Driven Development * Managing Projects & Teams * Testing & QA
Security * Process Improvement & Measurement * http://www.sqe.com/bsce5sf
_______________________________________________
Freedos-user mailing list
Freedos-user@lists.sourceforge.net
https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/freedos-user
