Mailing List Archive: syslinux.com: sector read error

syslinux.com: sector read error

Oct 29, 2007, 9:42 AM

Post #1 of 5 (3605 views)

Hello. I cannot install syslinux on my hard disk image. Steps to
reproduce the problem:

(1) Create a zeroed disk image with 800 tracks, 32 sides, and 63
sectors or 825753600 bytes
(2) Fdisk and format it with "format.com /S C:" from windows 98SE
boot disk.
(3) Copy syslinux (tested version 3.11, 3.20, and latest released) to
root.
(4) Run "lock C:" and press "Y" (why is this necessary?)
(5) Boot drive and run "syslinux c:"
(6) Get "sector read error"

I am using qemu 0.9.0. This works with disks having different
geometries.

If it's easier you can download the disk ready to boot at http://
devin.freeshell.org/syslinux-read-error.img.bz2

Thanks,
Devin Bayer

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Re: syslinux.com: sector read error [ In reply to ]

stappers at stappers

Nov 11, 2007, 10:26 AM

Post #2 of 5 (3425 views)

Permalink

Op 29-10-2007 om 16:42 schreef Devin Bayer:
> Hello. I cannot install syslinux on my hard disk image. Steps to
> reproduce the problem:
>
> (1) Create a zeroed disk image with 800 tracks, 32 sides, and 63
> sectors or 825753600 bytes
> (2) Fdisk and format it with "format.com /S C:" from windows 98SE
> boot disk.
> (3) Copy syslinux (tested version 3.11, 3.20, and latest released) to
> root.
> (4) Run "lock C:" and press "Y" (why is this necessary?)
> (5) Boot drive and run "syslinux c:"
> (6) Get "sector read error"
>
> I am using qemu 0.9.0. This works with disks having different
> geometries.

So it seems that some limit in geometry was encountered.
And that is reasonable in my opinion,
after all was syslinux designed to boot from floppy (1.2Mb).

> If it's easier you can download the disk ready to boot at http://
> devin.freeshell.org/syslinux-read-error.img.bz2

I seen no value in reproducing "going of limits"
(and I don't known what the limits are for syslinux)

> Thanks,
> Devin Bayer

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Re: syslinux.com: sector read error [ In reply to ]

devin at freeshell

Nov 11, 2007, 10:51 AM

Post #3 of 5 (3432 views)

Permalink

On Nov 11, 2007, at 18:26, Geert Stappers wrote:

> Op 29-10-2007 om 16:42 schreef Devin Bayer:
>> Hello. I cannot install syslinux on my hard disk image. Steps to
>> reproduce the problem:
>> [snip]
>> I am using qemu 0.9.0. This works with disks having different
>> geometries.
>
> So it seems that some limit in geometry was encountered.
> And that is reasonable in my opinion,
> after all was syslinux designed to boot from floppy (1.2Mb).

Being able to boot from floppies is just plain irrelevant. In
addition to booting floppies it is designed to boot from hard disks.
Clearest evidence: addition of ext2 and FAT32 support.

>> If it's easier you can download the disk ready to boot at http://
>> devin.freeshell.org/syslinux-read-error.img.bz2
>
> I seen no value in reproducing "going of limits"
> (and I don't known what the limits are for syslinux)

Syslinux can boot on much larger disks. I don't know what's causing
the failure but it has nothing to do with limits.

Thanks. Hopefully we can get this worked out. This is the most
basic syslinux usage and it's failing to even install.

-- Devin Bayer

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Re: syslinux.com: sector read error [ In reply to ]

hpa at zytor

Nov 11, 2007, 4:06 PM

Post #4 of 5 (3463 views)

Permalink

Geert Stappers wrote:
> Op 29-10-2007 om 16:42 schreef Devin Bayer:
>> Hello. I cannot install syslinux on my hard disk image. Steps to
>> reproduce the problem:
>>
>> (1) Create a zeroed disk image with 800 tracks, 32 sides, and 63
>> sectors or 825753600 bytes
>> (2) Fdisk and format it with "format.com /S C:" from windows 98SE
>> boot disk.
>> (3) Copy syslinux (tested version 3.11, 3.20, and latest released) to
>> root.
>> (4) Run "lock C:" and press "Y" (why is this necessary?)
>> (5) Boot drive and run "syslinux c:"
>> (6) Get "sector read error"
>>
>> I am using qemu 0.9.0. This works with disks having different
>> geometries.
>
> So it seems that some limit in geometry was encountered.
> And that is reasonable in my opinion,
> after all was syslinux designed to boot from floppy (1.2Mb).
>

For hard disk images, there should be no such limit. For *floppy*
images there is a 255-cylinder limit built into DOS.

syslinux.com might have bitrotted for all I know.

-hpa

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Re: syslinux.com: sector read error [ In reply to ]

stappers at stappers

Nov 12, 2007, 12:09 AM

Post #5 of 5 (3432 views)

Permalink

Op 11-11-2007 om 16:06 schreef H. Peter Anvin:
>
> For hard disk images, there should be no such limit. For *floppy*
> images there is a 255-cylinder limit built into DOS.
>
> syslinux.com might have bitrotted for all I know.

If I read that previous line correctly, it says
"patches are welcome"

I think parking it in the TODO list is a good thing,
mainly to get coding help.

Cheers
Geert Stappers

diff --git a/TODO b/TODO
index 93f3194..f3628aa 100644
--- a/TODO
+++ b/TODO
@@ -31,3 +31,9 @@
- COM32-based CLI.

- Rewrite the filesystems to run in protected mode C code.
+
+*** Reported bugs
+
+- syslinux.com, so the syslinux in the MS-Windows environment,
+ might have bitrotted regarding disk size.
+ (reported november 2007)

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