does "bootfrom" boot option work in DSL?

Forum: Other Help Topics
Topic: does "bootfrom" boot option work in DSL?
started by: foo

Posted by foo on Dec. 06 2004,21:23

I've got an older Vaio picturebook that has no CD so I'm using Loadlin to run Knoppix and a Chinese verison of Knoppix localized for Taiwan called BV1AL off the hard drive. As they say, the poor man's install, but I'm using "bootfrom" to boot directly from the isos themselves copied directly onto the drives.

I can run both of those knoppixes from the isos using
bootfrom /deb/hda1/distro_name.iso

Unfortunately, I can't do the same with DSL which would really be more appropriate for this first generaion Vaio. I first used 8.1 and then tried 9.01 and both cut out during boot up saying that the iso wasn't mountable.
Now, each of these three different isos is being launched from it's own .bat file with Loadlin. Aside from the different path to the isos, I'm using the boot kernels from the respective distros. However, I'm using the same minirt24.gz for all of them.
As I mentioned, that works like a charm for the two Knoppixes. The Knoppix 3.6 vmlinux and minirt24.gz came off the disk and the vmlinuz for the Chinese iso came from an .img file hosted by the maintainer.
For DSL, I went to IBiblio and got the .img file. I think I used the same .img file. Maybe I should go grab an .img for 9.0 and see if that makes a difference.
Hmm, maybe that's the answer. I've read 8.1 had a few bugs.

Posted by clivesay on Dec. 06 2004,21:30

Yes, bootfrom works. You have to type 'dsl bootfrom' instead of 'knoppix bootfrom'

Chris

Posted by cbagger01 on Dec. 06 2004,23:02

bootfrom works if you use a DSL CD-R disk to bring up the boot menu.

Then chooce

dsl bootfrom=/dev/hda1/dsl_iso_name.iso

However, it does not work with the USB bootfloppy because all required utilities/modules are not included in the slimmed-down USB miniroot.

I replaced the USB miniroot with the one from the CD-R boot folder but it still doesn't work yet - at least not when using FreeDOS and loadlin to launch the operating system.