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Topic: Dos before Easyboot Loads< Next Oldest | Next Newest >
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Orochi Search for posts by this member.

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PostIcon Posted on: May 27 2010,23:27  Skip to the next post in this topic. Ignore posts   QUOTE
Hello there,

I currently have a bootable USB created with balder's easyboot USB script.

Is there a way to add an option to run dos from the grub4dos menu (menu.lst) not easyboot ?

Thanks.
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PostIcon Posted on: May 28 2010,04:59 Skip to the previous post in this topic. Skip to the next post in this topic. Ignore posts   QUOTE
@Orochi

Quote: ” Is there a way to add an option to run dos from the grub4dos menu (menu.lst)”
Yes there is :)
You can use a DOS-floppy-image. Choose from downloads HERE

Put DOS-floppy-image to the root of USB device (you can also create a folder and change path in menu.lst accordingly)
Insert these lines in “menu.lst”:

title Launch DOS
map --mem /dos.ima (fd0)
map --hook
chainloader (fd0)+1
rootnoverify (fd0)


Note1: DOS-floppy-image is named dos.ima in this example - as you can see in this path: “map --mem /dos.ima” (fd0)
Note2: It’s possible to launch DOS-floppy-images from EasyBoot in case you are interested (run dos.ima) :;):

regards balder

--------------
Download complete set of scripts including help file HERE
Note: Script collection updated 2019-05-19. Scripts mainly support EasyBoot_6.5 or later
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PostIcon Posted on: May 28 2010,14:22 Skip to the previous post in this topic. Skip to the next post in this topic. Ignore posts   QUOTE
balder thank you for responding. :)
Thanks balder. What would we do without you :)

Edited by Orochi on May 28 2010,14:43
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PostIcon Posted on: May 28 2010,14:45 Skip to the previous post in this topic. Skip to the next post in this topic. Ignore posts   QUOTE
@Orochi

Quote: “Does it have to be ima extension or grub understands imz and img extensions too?”

It doesn’t matter if you use ima or img as extension. But grub cannot launch all kinds of zipped files – but g-zipped works fine :D  
Use easyboot-cab.script to run g-zip to floppy image :;):  
Note: This doesn’t work “map --mem iso\dos.ima (fd0)”. Use this: “map --mem /iso/dos.ima (fd0)”. It is very important to start with “/” in path.

Quote: “I can't extract image from the installation”
You mean you can’t extract the downloaded exe-file ???
Yes you can if you have winrar installed.

Using winrar - I right-click to downloaded exe-file and choose “Extract to …”
Yes I know that you get some “Diagnostic message” - but floppy image is still extracted.

Quote: “What would we do without you”
He, he I’m getting old and wont bee around in the future – basically I’m replaceable :cool:

Regards balder

--------------
Download complete set of scripts including help file HERE
Note: Script collection updated 2019-05-19. Scripts mainly support EasyBoot_6.5 or later
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PostIcon Posted on: May 28 2010,15:32 Skip to the previous post in this topic. Skip to the next post in this topic. Ignore posts   QUOTE
balder thanks again for your time. :)

I edited my post because I was able to answer some of my own questions.
From the point of view of lunching dos from grub menu was a success.
However I have a different problem. I downloaded dos floppy image from here: http://www.allbootdisks.com/download/dos.html. I was able to boot fine into dos; however, I could only stay in drive A:, I could not get to my usb drive :(
I am guessing this is to do with the fact that dos doesn't read fat32 partitions or for that matter usb.
Is there a way to get an image file of dos or dos environment where my usb drive will be recognized.
The reason I am going through these troubles is because of afudos. Afudos is a program that lets you downgrade bios to a previous version.
I was not able to run afudos in dos environment after launching form usb, gru menu then easyboot then hiren then dos. Afudo told me to launch it in the pure ms dos or freedos environment. I do not have a floppy drive so I had to reformat my usb drive using HP Usb format utility. There i clicked on create Ms dos and pointed to the location of dos files. Only then I was able to boot from usb and downgrade my bios. I don't want to go back and worth erasing my usb every time I need to downgrade a bios, so I was thinking to add a pure dos into gub menu.

balder do you have any idea where I can get such image. I need something similar to what was created by the HP utility.

QUOTE
He, he I’m getting old and wont bee around in the future – basically I’m replaceable

You starting to sound like my dad :)
Some people are simply irreplaceable ;)
BTW where are your from?
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PostIcon Posted on: May 29 2010,04:48 Skip to the previous post in this topic. Skip to the next post in this topic. Ignore posts   QUOTE
@Orochi

Quote: ”dos doesn't read fat32 partitions”
Yes this is a correct conclusion.

Quote: ”any idea where I can get such image”
Actually no - I can’t pin point to such image what I can remember.

Quote: ”I was able to boot from usb and downgrade my bios”
You are doing everything 100% right - Well done!

Note: You can use ghost32.exe to quickly save a well working USB solution – basically use Ghost to “clone” and/or “image” USB.
When I have created such solution - for example setup WinXP from USB – I create an image of that USB to my archive. When needed I simply clone USB device with this image (takes less than 2 minutes) and I’m back “in business”. In fact, I even created a script to manage this, “easyboot-ghost.script”. You are recommended to use Ghost32.exe_version-8.
However you can run Ghost32.exe “manually” as well.
To “clone” or create “image” of a USB that holds your “afudos-arrangements” takes most likely less than 30 seconds!

Please note that it is extremely simple to launch DOS-floppy from EasyBoot (run floppy.img)
And then use easyboot-usb.script to directly launch created ISO from USB – but you still must format USB device with FAT-16 - otherwise DOS-floppy can’t recognize USB unit.
To solve this issue – test this:

1. Create menu in EasyBoot “run afudos.ima” (or afudos.img) - put afudos.ima in folder ezboot  – create ISO as usual.
2. Run easyboot-usb.script and point to created ISO-file. Unfortunately USB device is formatted to FAT32 so your DOS-floppy can’t be used in the right way at this point.
3. Copy everything from USB device to a temporary folder.
4. Right-click to USB device and choose to Format (important: check for “Fast-Format”)
5. Copy everything from temporary folder back to USB device.

Now you have a FAT-16 formatted USB device with your “afudos-arrangements” :)
This works as you only chose to run “fast format” to USB device. That will say – MBR-record is untouched.
Note: There are major disadvantages using FAT16 – read HERE
However - in your case - this is necessary to be able to take advantages of the DOS-floppy arrangements :O

Quote: “Some people are simply irreplaceable”
In this matter – I agree (especially you own father)
I can tell you that my grandchild is here for a while - and turning everything upside down for me. Two of my four USB sticks are gone - probably hided in some shoe (She loves shoes – only 15 months old). Sometimes the remote control to the TV-set is gone for days – guess who…? However this gives me some extra spare time for writing here on this forum :laugh:

I live in THIS part of the world :cool:

Example of nature scenes HERE - HERE and my birth town HERE

Take care :;):

Regards balder

Edited by balder on May 29 2010,12:51

--------------
Download complete set of scripts including help file HERE
Note: Script collection updated 2019-05-19. Scripts mainly support EasyBoot_6.5 or later
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PostIcon Posted on: May 29 2010,21:48 Skip to the previous post in this topic. Skip to the next post in this topic. Ignore posts   QUOTE
Hey balder,

Thank you for responding. After seeing the pictures I could not focus on the core of your message.
You live in a very beautiful place. For some reason I made an association that you live somewhere in Italy :) Oh well :D I was wrong.

SO i guess the reason I was able to use afudos after formatting with an HP USB Utility is because HP utility created a FAT16 partition rather than fat 32.

I think in my case it is easier simply to borrow or buy a 512meg usb stick, format it for fat16 and keep it just in case I need to downgrade my bios.

The other USB stick that was created with the help of your Easyboot USB script is 16GB, plus I keep various portable programs on it like Firefox, SKype and also work related stuff. So it is a bit inconvenient to constantly erase it and copy everything back on it again. Although I must admit, the ghost script trick simplifies life a lot. The problem is MBR. Because as far as I know ghost cannot save MBR. So if HP USB Utility while creating fat16 doesn't reconstruct MBR that the ghost method is perhaps the easiest.

Thank you again for your wonderful advice.

QUOTE
Sometimes the remote control to the TV-set is gone for days – guess who…?

Hahaha :D, Make sure it is not mouse and keyboard that disappear next time, otherwise we won't hear from you :)

Take Care Friend...
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PostIcon Posted on: May 31 2010,18:46 Skip to the previous post in this topic. Skip to the next post in this topic. Ignore posts   QUOTE
balder, forgot to ask you something. :)

When you back up your USB via ghost or any other partition software, do you do a raw also called 1:1 backup or just do normal backup?

thank you... :)
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PostIcon Posted on: Jun. 01 2010,08:52 Skip to the previous post in this topic. Skip to the next post in this topic. Ignore posts   QUOTE
@Orochi

Quote: ”or just do normal backup”

I use “normal” backup - creating image using simple switch  “-clone” (and compression “-Z2”).

This means that I in “option” use “Default” setting :)  
This works fine to USB stick\thumb-drives as you in normal case only have one partition and no unallocated space left on such USB-“disk”.

Regards balder

--------------
Download complete set of scripts including help file HERE
Note: Script collection updated 2019-05-19. Scripts mainly support EasyBoot_6.5 or later
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PostIcon Posted on: Jun. 01 2010,14:17 Skip to the previous post in this topic.  Ignore posts   QUOTE
Thank you balder :)
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