Mailing List Archive: ISOLINUX -- how many BIOSs don't support this?

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Hi,

The reason I ask, is that we (the Debian GNU/Linux CD creation team) are
currently contamplating switching to using some form of multi-boot to
allow our users the oppotunity to select which kernel to install Debian
with.

From reading the description of MEMDISK, you mention that there are
BIOSs that don't support ISOLINUX, and it would be really helpful if you
could tell us what the seriousness of the problem is, because we are
supposed to be releasing Debian GNU/Linux 3.0 in about 3 weeks, so
testing time is short.

Do you know how the standard multiboot feature of mkisofs comapres to
all of these? It's supposed to fail on some BIOSes, but in a way that
means that you still get to boot the first image. Can we do better than
that with the MEMDISK/ISOLINUX combo?

While I'm asking simple questions, do you happen to know how DVDs
compare on the bootability front?

Cheers, Phil.
--=20
Say no to software patents! http://petition.eurolinux.org/

|)| Philip Hands [+44 (0)20 8530 9560] http://www.hands.com/
|-| HANDS.COM Ltd. http://www.uk.debian.org/
|(| 10 Onslow Gardens, South Woodford, London E18 1NE ENGLAND

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On 7 Apr 2002, Philip Hands wrote:
> From reading the description of MEMDISK, you mention that there are
> BIOSs that don't support ISOLINUX, and it would be really helpful if you
> could tell us what the seriousness of the problem is, because we are
> supposed to be releasing Debian GNU/Linux 3.0 in about 3 weeks, so
> testing time is short.

I'm sure I have experience with fewer motherboards and bioses than
all those that HPA has gotten bug reports for, but my experience is
the opposite. We have had one system which did not work with El Torito
floppy emulation mode (aka syslinux) but it did work with El Torito no
emulation mode (aka isolinux). Other than that, all systems we build
have worked with either syslinux or isolinux. And so far, I have not
found a system which supported PXE which did not work with memdisk.

I'd like to offer my congratulations once again to HPA for a great
set of tools. In my opinion, I would suggest that you use isolinux
for your upcoming cdroms.

Jim