Re: [Freedos-user] Unable to install freedos in a VM

[Bart-Jan V. <ba...@vr...>]

On 06/13/11 22:28, Eric Auer wrote:

>> Isn't the whole point of installing an OS that you end up with a partition?
>>      
> It sounds very dangerous to modify the partition scheme
> of your host operating system (e.g. Linux) while that is
> running but has no influence on what is going on. So I
> strongly suggest to NOT use DOS to repartition your disk
> from inside the KVM. Instead, use for example GPARTED,
> as that will take care to remind you which partitions
> you have to unmount while moving things around. You can
> even use that to format FAT partitions, I think. About
>
>    
>> I've also tried feeding it a MSDOS partition (which isn't easy,
>> I doubt many are aware about kpartx), I do get a warning message:
>>      
> In what way is it hard and what is kpartx? Maybe we have
> to clarify whether you plan to install DOS on a diskimage
> or on your raw harddisk before discussing other details.
>
>    

I plan on running freedos in a Virtual Machine, so I have an entire 
Logical Volume set up as a Virtual Image for Freedos to install to. As, 
to my surprise, apparently Freedos seems to be unable to partition a 
hard disk from within the installer, I have to somehow get a partition 
table plus a FAT partition on the Logical Volume. The only way I know of 
doing that is by using fdisk on the Logical Volume and using kpartx to 
get Linux to recognize the partition I just put on to it, so I can use 
mkfs.msdos on it.

>>    - InitDiskWARNING: using suspect partition Pri:1 FS 06:
>>      
> Partition type 06 is FAT16 non-LBA. Because it is non-LBA,
> FreeDOS expacts your CHS values to make sense, usually in
> the way that a partition has to start and end at the start
> and end of a cylinder (CHS=?-1-1 to CHS=?-max-max)... You
> seem to have an ambiguity whether you have 16 or 255 heads
> but at least 63 sectors per track are consistent here...
>
>    

I've tried it again with partition type b. Same error message.

>> with calculated values 509-15-63 instead of    31-254-63
>> C: HD1, Pri[ 1], CHS=    0-1-1, start=     0 MB, size=     250 MB
>>      
> As said, you can also use LBA partition types, for example
> Win9x style FAT32 LBA partitions.
>
> Regards, Eric
>
>
>
> PS: Yes you can use a variety of FDISK variants from within
> DOS but as many things in DOS, they are not fool-proof and
> there is a significant risk that you break your other OSes.
>
> Just letting DOS "SYS" an already existing C: is much safer
> as the risk of breaking stuff is limited to other OS on C:,
> e.g. Win9x. You can even let Win9x and FreeDOS share C: :-)
>    

It's a very long time since I last ran DOS, but I'm positive I still 
remember those things. The only problem is that it doesn't make it that 
far...