Unable to boot Porteus 5.0 rc3 in Legacy mode

[raja]

Ed_P, Windows 64 OS will have two Program Files folders in C drive. Program Files folder for 64 bit applications and Program Files x86 for 32 bit applications as users may install both and drivers will have to be different.

There is a statement in the syslinux install.bat file to look for this and decide to install the corresponding syslinux bootloader..

Our mission is to have syslinux bootloader in an USB drive which will boot "Porteus" x86x64 and i686.

Use the same usb drive and boot a i686 ISO. If it does, we do not have any problem.

We are not interested in booting windows 64 and 32 bit editions using sysliinux.

[Ed_P]

Ok. Thank you raja.

So what about the missing ldlinux.sys file?

You missed one to report ..creation of file 'ldlinux.sys' in syslinux folder. Syslinux64.exe copies this file after installing bootloader to G: Pl check.

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Microsoft Windows [Version 10.0.19043.1110]
(c) Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.

C:\Users\Ed>dir g:\boot\syslinux\
 Volume in drive G is PORTEUS
 Volume Serial Number is FE1A-6D02

 Directory of g:\boot\syslinux

08/06/2021  03:01 PM    <DIR>          .
08/06/2021  03:01 PM    <DIR>          ..
05/09/2020  11:24 PM             2,048 boot.cat
05/09/2020  11:24 PM            24,652 chain.c32
05/09/2020  11:24 PM                20 extlinux.conf
11/02/2020  05:53 AM         1,152,600 initrd.xz
07/03/2021  06:25 PM            40,960 isolinux.bin
07/03/2021  06:27 PM             2,048 isolinux.boot
05/09/2020  11:24 PM                20 isolinux.cfg
05/09/2020  11:24 PM           181,944 libcom32.c32
05/09/2020  11:24 PM            23,628 libutil.c32
05/09/2020  11:24 PM             1,248 lilo.conf
05/09/2020  11:24 PM            43,575 plpbt
06/28/2021  07:50 PM             3,212 porteus.cfg
05/09/2020  11:24 PM            92,713 porteus.png
05/09/2020  11:24 PM            46,909 pxelinux.0
05/09/2020  11:24 PM             1,352 reboot.c32
05/09/2020  11:24 PM                20 syslinux.cfg
05/09/2020  11:24 PM            26,684 vesamenu.c32
07/03/2021  06:18 PM         5,507,456 vmlinuz
              18 File(s)      7,151,089 bytes
               2 Dir(s)  30,364,729,344 bytes free

C:\Users\Ed>

[raja]

Since, it is a .sys file (system), windows will hide. It is there, otherwise the disc will not boot.

File Explorer has a facility to show all files, in option.If you change that temporarily, .sys files will be shown.

[Ed_P]

Since, it is a .sys file (system), windows will hide.

Valid point. But I still don't see it.

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Access denied - C:\windows\system32\win32k.sys
Access denied - C:\windows\system32\win32kbase.sys
Access denied - C:\windows\system32\win32kfull.sys
Access denied - C:\windows\system32\win32kns.sys

C:\Users\Ed>attrib -s -h  g:\boot\syslinux\*.sys /S

C:\Users\Ed>

But if I run Command Prompt as admin.

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Microsoft Windows [Version 10.0.19043.1110]
(c) Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.

C:\WINDOWS\system32>dir g:\boot\syslinux\*.sys
 Volume in drive G is PORTEUS
 Volume Serial Number is FE1A-6D02

 Directory of g:\boot\syslinux

08/06/2021  03:03 PM            69,632 ldlinux.sys
               1 File(s)         69,632 bytes
               0 Dir(s)  30,364,729,344 bytes free

C:\WINDOWS\system32>

Interesting.

Ok. Now back to the install on new unlabeled USB drives, that I'm working on.

Added in 1 day 23 hours 22 minutes 42 seconds:

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                        _.====.._
                      ,:._       ~-_
                          '\        ~-_
                            \        \\.
                          ,/           ~-_
                 -..__..-''   PORTEUS   ~~--..__

==--==--==--==--==--==--==--==--==--==--==--==--==--==--==--==--==


Installing Porteus to G:\boot
Make sure G: is the right partition before proceeding.

Press any key to continue, or kill this window [x] to abort...
Failed to move ldlinux.sys to destination directory: \G:\boot\syslinux
Failed to move ldlinux.c32 to destination directory: \G:\boot\syslinux
Installation finished successfully.
You may reboot your PC now and start using Porteus.
Please check the \boot\docs folder for additional information about
the installation process, Porteus requirements and booting parameters.

 Press any key to exit...

Any idea why the moves failed?

And I do have a c:\Program Files (x86) directory so syslinux64.exe is the culprit.

Added in 5 minutes 51 seconds:
Admin command prompt:

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Microsoft Windows [Version 10.0.19043.1110]
(c) Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.

C:\WINDOWS\system32>dir g:\boot\syslinux\ld*
 Volume in drive G is PORTEUS
 Volume Serial Number is FE1A-6D02

 Directory of g:\boot\syslinux

05/09/2020  11:24 PM           116,552 ldlinux.c32
               1 File(s)        116,552 bytes
               0 Dir(s)  30,364,614,656 bytes free

C:\WINDOWS\system32>

Added in 1 hour 23 minutes 12 seconds:
Never mind. I think I see what happened.

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                        _.====.._
                      ,:._       ~-_
                          '\        ~-_
                            \        \\.
                          ,/           ~-_
                 -..__..-''   PORTEUS   ~~--..__

==--==--==--==--==--==--==--==--==--==--==--==--==--==--==--==--==


Installing Porteus to G:\boot
Make sure G: is the right partition before proceeding.

Press any key to continue, or kill this window [x] to abort...

C:\Users\Ed\AppData\Local\Temp\7zE2EE6670>pause  1>nul

C:\Users\Ed\AppData\Local\Temp\7zE2EE6670>IF EXIST "C:\Program Files (x86)" GOTO 64BIT ELSE GOTO 32BIT

C:\Users\Ed\AppData\Local\Temp\7zE2EE6670>C:\Users\Ed\AppData\Local\Temp\7zE2EE6670\loader\syslinux64.exe -maf -d \G:\boot\syslinux G:
Failed to move ldlinux.sys to destination directory: \G:\boot\syslinux
Failed to move ldlinux.c32 to destination directory: \G:\boot\syslinux

C:\Users\Ed\AppData\Local\Temp\7zE2EE6670>if 0 == 0 goto Done

C:\Users\Ed\AppData\Local\Temp\7zE2EE6670>echo Installation finished successfully.
Installation finished successfully.

Interesting that the "Failed to move"s still produced "Installation finished successfully."

Added in 1 hour 52 minutes 27 seconds:
So the files did get copied.

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C:\WINDOWS\system32>attrib g:\*
A                    G:\USB_INSTALLATION.txt
     R               G:\ldlinux.sys
     R               G:\ldlinux.c32

C:\WINDOWS\system32>

Added in 6 hours 54 minutes 9 seconds:
Ok. This install.bat file works for creating a Porteus-installer-for-Windows.exe file, that works when using a Porteus ISO file to build a Porteus USB drive that boots in BIOS based and UEFI based 64bit machines .

install.bat

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@echo off
::  setlocal
  set n=0
  set ltrs=ZYXWVUTSRQPONMLKJIHGFEDCBA
 :Loop
    call set ltr=%%ltrs:~%n%,1%%
    set /a n=n+1
    if not exist %ltr%:\USB_INSTALLATION.txt if %n% lss 26 goto Loop
    dir %ltr%:\ 2>nul | find " 0 bytes free" > nul
    if %errorlevel% equ 0 goto Loop
    if %n% equ 26 (echo.
        echo  No Porteus USB drive found.
        goto pauseit)
:: endlocal 
:: set ltr=%ltr%

cd /d %ltr%:\boot
set drive=%cd:~0,1%
pushd ..
set folder=%cd:~3%
popd

echo.
echo                         _.====.._
echo                       ,:._       ~-_
echo                           '\        ~-_
echo                             \        \\.
echo                           ,/           ~-_
echo                  -..__..-''   PORTEUS   ~~--..__
echo. 
echo ==--==--==--==--==--==--==--==--==--==--==--==--==--==--==--==--==
echo.
echo.
echo Installing Porteus to %drive%:\%folder%
echo Make sure %drive%: is the right partition before proceeding.
echo.
echo Press any key to continue, or kill this window [x] to abort...
pause > nul

IF EXIST "%PROGRAMFILES(X86)%" GOTO 64BIT ELSE GOTO 32BIT

:64BIT
%~dp0syslinux64.exe -maf -d \%folder%\boot\syslinux %drive%:
if %ERRORLEVEL% == 0 goto Done
goto Error

:32BIT
%~dp0syslinux.exe -maf -d \%folder%\boot\syslinux %drive%:
if %ERRORLEVEL% == 0 goto Done
goto Error

:Done
echo Installation finished successfully.
echo You may reboot your PC now and start using Porteus.
echo Please check the \boot\docs folder for additional information about
echo the installation process, Porteus requirements and booting parameters.
goto pauseit

:Error
echo.
echo Installation failed.
echo Please ask for help on the Porteus forum: www.porteus.org/forum
echo and provide information about the filesystem type to which you are installing
echo and the partition layout for the device to which you are installing.
goto pauseit

:pauseit
echo.
echo  Press any key to exit...
pause > nul

:end

An error that showed up on the booted UEFI machine was selecting the "Reboot the system" menu option. It yielded a:

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Failed to load COM32 file reboot.c32
boot:

On the BIOS machine the menu option worked fine.

[raja]

You just wanted to remove "label".

You have messed up.

How will it find /boot/syslinux folder in your windows users directory.
hence the error.

Ed_p, please don't add confusion.

Developers, it is upto you to use my porteus-win.exe, by renaming to your convention, and replace the file in ISos. It is perfect.

No more interaction on this topic for me.

[Ed_P]

You just wanted to remove "label".

raja that's not true. I wanted a program to work with my install script, Creating bootable Porteus 5.0rc3 USB in Windows 10, which is a simple way for a new Windows user to create a bootable Porteus USB drive and experience Porteus. With the current Porteus-installer-for-Windows.exe the USB drive gets a vesamenu.c32 error booting on a BIOS machine. With your version it boots without the error.

New USB drives don't have labels. And the label of my used USB drive is "Porteus" and the label of the mounted ISO is "Porteus" so searching for just "label" in some cases it chose the mounted ISO as the output file. The "label" test while good doesn't work in all cases.

How will it find /boot/syslinux folder in your windows users directory.

I can assure you it does, the USB drive boots.

The heart of your version is the two syslinux files and the code when to use which one which is intact in my version.

Added in 1 day 3 hours 58 minutes 8 seconds:
raja from the booted USB drive. (so much easier to see than in Windows)

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guest@porteus:/mnt/sdb1/boot/syslinux$ ls -l ld*
-r-xr-xr-x 1 guest users 122308 Aug 10 00:16 ldlinux.c32*
-r-xr-xr-x 1 guest users  69632 Aug 10 00:16 ldlinux.sys*
guest@porteus:/mnt/sdb1/boot/syslinux$ 

Thank you.

Added in 1 day 2 hours 33 minutes 13 seconds:
Rebuilt the USB drive using the Porteus-CINNAMON-v5.0rc3-i586.iso and it boots on both the BIOS and UEFI 64 bit systems.

Added in 22 hours 11 minutes 6 seconds:
And the Porteus i586 USB system's boot menu comes up on the 32bit Windows 7 desktop BIOS machine. And the menu's Reboot option works.


Nice job raja.


Added in 51 minutes 11 seconds:
The Boot to the GUI desktop hangs on the INIT 4 command but that's a different topic.

[ncmprhnsbl]

thanks raja, the next ISOs will include your installer and thanks Ed, for testing

[Bicephale]

If still looking for Windows alternatives to Rufus then try YUMi which appears to be specifically pre-programmed to accomodate Porteus.

On legacy PCs it seems YUMi est ton ami!