[kpratte]

How does the !Multiboot User added boot options work? It says to press CONFIG but I get an error message saying that no configuration tool available.

What I'm trying to do is add two additional boot floppy images to the first boot menu. I tried editing the files in \plugin\Multiboot-003\z_custom and made changes like the memtest86 and ntfs4dos but I keep getting error messages that the two .IMA files can't be found.

Is there any docs on how to do it?

- Ken

[hilander999]

kpratte, on Jun 7 2006, 04:22 PM, said:

How does the !Multiboot User added boot options work? It says to press CONFIG but I get an error message saying that no configuration tool available.

What I'm trying to do is add two additional boot floppy images to the first boot menu. I tried editing the files in \plugin\Multiboot-003\z_custom and made changes like the memtest86 and ntfs4dos but I keep getting error messages that the two .IMA files can't be found.

Is there any docs on how to do it?

- Ken

We hoped to have the config portion of this ready for the release, but it's not completed yet.
It's a pretty basic setup that most people should be able to figure out. In the future it will be even easier.

What images are you trying to add?
Are they standard floppy boot images?
(These need to be saved in uncompressed format.)

[hilander999]

If you look at this plugin....

\plugin\Multiboot-003\z_custom\custom_bcdw.ini

Place the .img files in the \images sub-folder.

ENABLE the plugin.

EDIT custom_bcdw.ini to reflect the boot options you want to display.

There are a few example in the ini file.

:								; ... Insert your boot options here ...
;\Images\memtest.img; Memtest86 (BCDW)					   ; ^ Example of floppy images using

IMAGE TO RUN ; Program description ; ^displays info an bottom ;(Special codes for linux, ect...)

One more example of floppy image usage is...

\Images\myimage.img ; myprogram ; ^ what myprogram does.

[kpratte]

That was too easy... I was so close too. No biggie on the having a GUI to do it, it wasn't that hard.

The only thing that is odd is that now there are two "... Insert your boot options here ..." items.

- Ken

This post has been edited by kpratte: 07 June 2006 - 05:49 PM

[mbarnes]

Hi

Here is an example of the tail end of my bcdw.ini

You can add the image of any bootable 1.44 / 2.88 floppy disk - I use WinImage from www.winimage.com (shareware)
BUT the programs must be capable of running on write protected media.
Hitachi DFT and PowerMax refused to run on write protected floppy or CD image which is why I used the CD ISO version.
Sansung's disk test program hutil also needs to write a log file (there does not seem to be a cd ISO version).

You can examine the bartpe\bcdw\bcdw.ini file and edit it manually if necessary before re creating the ubcd4win / pebuilder ISO

These images were already on my pebuilder cd so moving them to the \images folder makes them available to boot from or to create floppy disks if necessary

regards
Mike Barnes

[MenuItems]
C:\					; Boot from drive C:				; ^ Load Operating System from Hard Disk C: (bypass this CD)
\i386\setupldr.bin	; Launch "Bart's P.E. Windows Enviroment V3.1.10a"; ^ Runs a pre-installed Windows environment, loaded with diagnostic tools.
:reboot				; REBOOT							; ^ Reboot PC

:			; ... Insert your boot options here ...
\Images\memtest.iso	; Memtest86+ 						; ^ Test RAM (memory) for errors - V1.65 - Nov 2005
\images\dbanb.ima	; Darik's Boot and Nuke - V 1.07 Beta; ^ WARNING DBAN will  delete ALL the contents of hard disk - 10/05/2006
\images\ntpaswd.bin	; Offline NT Password & Registry Editor; ^ Edit NT,2000 or XP Registry or Local Admin Passwords [PNordahl - 03/03/2005]
\images\seatool.ima	; SeaTools Disk Diagnostics			; ^ Seagate's Hard Disk Diagnostics (ATA/SATA/SCSI)- V3.02.04 - Nov 2005
\images\dft-ibm.iso	; Hitachi Drive Fitness Test 		; ^ Hitachi and IBM Hard Disk Diagnostics (ATA/SATA/SCSI) - V4.07
\images\wd-dlg.ima	; Western Digital DLG 				; ^ WD Data Life Guard Diagnostics (EIDE/ATA) - V5.04f - 12/2005
\images\fujitsu.ima	; Fujitsu Disk Test					; ^ Fujitsu FJDT (ATA) Hard Disk Diagnostics V 6.61 - Feb 2004
\images\pwrmaxen.iso; PowerMax Disk Test				; ^ Maxtor Quantum (ATA) Hard Disk Diagnostics V4.22 - Dec 2005
\images\dos98se.ima	; MS-DOS Win98SE boot disk			; ^ Windows 98 SE Emergency boot disk - 1999
\images\xpntldr.ima	; Win XP emergency boot loader 		; ^ bypass corrupt boot.ini or ntldr files - look for \Windows on c: d: e: ..

[hilander999]

kpratte, on Jun 7 2006, 06:48 PM, said:

That was too easy... I was so close too. No biggie on the having a GUI to do it, it wasn't that hard.

The only thing that is odd is that now there are two "... Insert your boot options here ..." items.

- Ken

Well, I completely re-wrote my multiboot at this last minute to make it easy to understand & allow configuration to be done through "Appearance" plugins to allow for different looks without manually editing the files.

Edit the custom_bcdw.ini file & change the : to a ; & you will not have the duplicate entry.

You can easily make an idvidual plugin for each image you are adding if you like by following the examples already included in the download.

Glad you got it sorted out.


@All
if you have tools that you feel should be included in the menu, & want to write plugins
(anyone can do this, it's simple) for the multi-boot setup, please post them here for concideration.

@mbarns
What other methods can we use for floppy images so that they are writable?
I know there is ways to do this, but can't think straight right now. I'm thinking isoemu & memdisk or something along this line might work.

We tried to get "partition logic" to work but have not figured it out, & think it might not be compatable with BCDW. Looks like a cool program though.

[smiley]

kpratte, on Jun 7 2006, 10:48 PM, said:

The only thing that is odd is that now there are two "... Insert your boot options here ..." items.

Me too, but I changed the first to "Options" and commented the second out....
Looks fine now

[mbarnes]

Hi

I think I have solved the problem using images of bootable dos floppy disks where programs must write to disk.
The disk can be a ramdrive disk.

I took a Windows 98 SE Emergency startup disk.
This includes drivers for SCSI cdroms ATA cdroms a ramdisk driver, then uncompresses files into ramdrive

I removed scsi drivers and other un neccessary files. I simplified config.sys
I modified autoexec.bat to copy samsungs hutil.exe hard disk diagnostics to ramdive before starting hutil
Then used winimage to create samsung.ima

example config.sys and autoexec.bat follow

regards

Mike Barnes

config.sys

device=a:\dos\himem.sys /v
files=32
buffers=20
dos=high,umb
stacks=9,256
devicehigh=a:\dos\ramdrive.sys /E 4096
lastdrive=z
rem device=a:\dos\display.sys con=(ega,,1)
rem country specific  to set date / time format
country=044,437,a:\dos\country.sys

autoexec.bat

@ECHO OFF
echo.
echo  Windows 98 DOS StartUp Disk
echo.
echo  Samsung SpinPoint ATA Hard Disk Diagnostics
echo.
echo.
echo.

PATH=A:\DOS;A:\

rem  country specific keyboard settings
a:\dos\KEYB UK,437,A:\DOS\KEYBOARD.SYS

set EXPAND=YES
SET DIRCMD=/O:N
set LglDrv=27 * 26 Z 25 Y 24 X 23 W 22 V 21 U 20 T 19 S 18 R 17 Q 16 P 15
set LglDrv=%LglDrv% O 14 N 13 M 12 L 11 K 10 J 9 I 8 H 7 G 6 F 5 E 4 D 3 C
cls
call setramd.bat %LglDrv%

SET PATH=%RAMD%:\;a:\dos\;a:\

copy command.com %RAMD%:\ > NUL
set comspec=%RAMD%:\command.com

set temp=%RAMD%:\
set tmp=%RAMD%:\

rem mouse wants to write a mouse.ini file  and mouse may not be needed
rem if mouse is needed copy to ramdrive before starting mouse
rem copy a:\dos\mouse.com %ramd%:\

copy a:\samsung\hutil.exe %RAMD%:\ > NUL

copy a:\samsung\hutil200.cfg %RAMD%:\ > NUL

:EXT

echo The Samsung diagnostic tools were successfully loaded to drive %RAMD%.
echo.
echo.
pause

%RAMD%:
rem MOUSE

hutil

note setramd.bat calls findramd.exe to find ramdisk drive letter (files were on the win98 se startup floppy disk)

[mbarnes]

Further to my previous post about using a Windows 98SE Emergency Boot disk

I realised I had edited setramd.bat as it would fail if drive C: (FAT or FAT 32) dis not exist

regards

M Barnes

-----

@echo off
set RAMD=
set cdrom=

echo.
echo   Searching for ramdisk drive letter
echo   This may take a few minutes. Please wait ...
echo.

a:\findramd

if errorlevel 255 goto no_ramdrive

if not errorlevel 3 goto no_ramdrive

goto do_shift

:loop
if errorlevel %1 goto no_shift

:do_shift
set cdrom=%2
shift
shift
if not %1*==* goto loop
goto no_ramdrive

:no_shift
set ramd=%2


goto success

:no_ramdrive
echo.
echo   The Windows 98 startup disk could not create a temporary drive for the 
echo   diagnostic tools. This may be because this computer has less than the  
echo   minimum required extended memory
echo.
echo   Hard Disk diagnostics test must be abandoned
echo.
echo   reboot computer (reset button  or Ctrl + Alt + Del)
echo.
echo.
pause
exit

:success