Re: Re: [Freedos-user] Installing FreeDOS on E:?

[Eric A. <eric@CoLi.Uni-SB.DE>]

Hi,

> Subject: Re: [Freedos-user] Installing FreeDOS on E:?

> If you want a copy of the detailed installation for MS-DOS (which
> requires manually copying files to the USB stick), let me know.  I
> hope to have it updated for FreeDOS soon.

would be nice, yes, can you upload it yourself by copying and pasting
it into the FAQ (linked from freedos.org start page) or by announcing
the URL of it in a FAQ entry? Then everybody can add FreeDOS-specific
comments later :-).

> > >The FreeDOS installer appears to absolutely insist
> > >on writing a boot sector and some other stuff
> > >to C: even if you request an installation to
> > >something like E:\fdos.

Yes, the idea is that the BOOT will go through C: but the FILES can
be on any drive letter (except kernel and fdconfig sys, that is).
You can manually run SYS E: if you know that some other boot loader
will take care of doing the BOOT through "what is called E: at the
moment when the installer runs" (but might become A: or C: later,
because you will plug the target harddisk into another PC, or will
be booted through some other boot loader like Lilo or Grub).

Maybe the installer should have a prompt "do you only want the FILES
on E: or are you sure that you will later be able to BOOT from what
is now called E:?". That prompt could also point to some text file
which explains things in more detail. The prompt itself should be
SHORT. Something like: A few BOOT files will have to be installed to
C: - press N now if you want the files to stay on the drive of %fdosdir%
if you are sure that you know how to boot from the %fdosdir% drive.

> > >I can do a "SYS E:" and get the USB stick to boot.

Cool, with normal FreeDOS sys? If not, you can try some tools for
Windows or Linux as described in the FAQ, for example my "create
boot sector for arbitrary FAT drive from Linux" tool (you have to
copy the kernel and other files manually, not done by my tool).

http://www.coli.uni-sb.de/~eric/stuff/soft/specials/sys-freedos-linux.zip
(useful for USB sticks - if you have no DOS USB drivers, you can run my 
SYS in Linux, and when you BOOT from the USB stick, the BIOS will do the
driver work for DOS...)

Eric