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"Main program starting... Copied isosel database."


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#1 taa

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Posted 03 March 2013 - 05:34 AM

Firmware 1624, service code 5C4D-857D-2F4A-C827

 

I'm attempting to install FreeDOS 1.1 on a PC so I can flash the BIOS. I booted from the FreeDOS install .iso and created a 100mb partition on the harddrive using Fdisk. After exiting Fdisk, it did a reboot (as expected). I didn't get isosel again (not sure if I should have), and the screen is now frozen at showing:

Main program starting...
Copied isosel database.

A ctrl-alt-delete doesn't do anything, and cycling the power eventually takes me to the above screen again. The stick has been set to read-only since I started doing these steps.

 

UPDATE: I guess I didn't wait long enough the first time. After cycling the power and getting the same message, it's now showing:

Main program starting...
Copied isosel database.
Handshake 1 failed...
DiskReadSector error in int13 function 2. Code: 0000

 

 

What should I do?


Edited by taa, 03 March 2013 - 05:43 AM.


#2 Wonko the Sane

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Posted 03 March 2013 - 12:29 PM

Basically you don't need (and you actually don't want) to "install" Freedos anywhere (for updating a BIOS).

The standard procedure is to use a floppy (real) or a floppy (image).

Using Isostick, you can use the floppy image inside an El-Torito floppy emulation .iso image.

 

More generally (see your other post here: http://reboot.pro/to...witch-behavior/ ) you appear to believe that booting, and booting *any* Operating System on *any* PC is a sort of "exact science".

Unfortunately :( it is not :frusty:, if I am allowed a comparison it is:

booting:exact science=alchemy:chemistry

:w00t:

 

The "core reason" is that there are so many "flaky" BIOSes around that any motherboard may behave in some way differently from another, compare with FAQ #10 on the everyday more outdated page here (but this part is still valid):

http://jaclaz.alterv...SB/USBfaqs.html

to see examples of what queer behaviours you may encounter.

The controllers on the USB stick (actually the firmware on them) could be another cause, particularly in the Isostick case which is a particularly complex device and relatively "young"

 

:cheers:
Wonko



#3 elegantinvention

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Posted 04 March 2013 - 07:40 PM

@taa, It sounds like this may be the timeout bug with isosel -- do you by chance have lots of files (>1,000) on your isostick?

Updating to r1677 beta may fix it for you.

 

If you DO have lots of files and r1677 beta does not fix it for you, I am afraid you will have to wait until this is done: https://trello.com/c/UsPtBWxZ


If you do NOT have lots of files and r1677 beta does not fix it for you, then it is probably a bug in isostick firmware or a strange quirk with your BIOS.



#4 taa

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Posted 05 March 2013 - 12:44 AM

do you by chance have lots of files (>1,000) on your isostick?

 

Thanks for getting back to me. I have 19 files in two folders ("Operating Systems" and "System Recovery") on the isostick. Four of those files end in .0 and .1 in order to handle 2GB file size limit (I used iso-manager for these).

 

I have put the isostick in my Mac computer so there are also some normally hidden Mac-related files on the 'stick also:

01/05/2013  12:32 PM             4,096 ._.Trashes
01/05/2013  12:32 PM    <DIR>          .fseventsd
01/05/2013  12:32 PM    <DIR>          .Spotlight-V100
01/05/2013  12:32 PM    <DIR>          .Trashes
01/05/2013  12:55 PM    <DIR>          config
01/05/2013  01:12 PM    <DIR>          Operating Systems
01/05/2013  01:04 PM    <DIR>          System Recovery
               1 File(s)          4,096 bytes
               6 Dir(s)  45,368,410,112 bytes free

I updated to r1677 but have the same issue when attempting to boot. It is several minutes before the "Handshake" and following errors appear.

 

I had the "code" wrong before but I'm not able to edit my original post, so here's the correction of "0000" to "0080":

Main program starting...
Copied isosel database.
Handshake 1 failed...
DiskReadSector error in int13 function 2. Code: 0080
If you do NOT have lots of files and r1677 beta does not fix it for you, then it is probably a bug in isostick firmware or a strange quirk with your BIOS.

 

OK, for now I'll use a normal CD/DVD install process for what I'm trying to do.



#5 elegantinvention

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Posted 05 March 2013 - 01:11 AM

Thanks for the information, it does indeed sound like an isostick firmware bug.

 

If you have some time, would you mind installing the attached firmware on your isostick for testing?

To install it, unzip the attached file then run the firmware updater. Instead of selecting firmware from the list, click "Choose Local File" and navigate to the firmware .bin file. Click Apply Update as per usual.

 

This firmware will create a crash dump file (DUMPnnnn.BIN) if the isostick firmware crashes. Please be sure your read-only switch is in the read/write position before testing with this firmware, so that it can write the crash dump file.

If the firmware crashes, there will be a pause (up to a few minutes), then the LED will either blink slowly (on 1 second, off 1 second, repeat forever), or rapidly.

- A rapid blink indicates the crashdump was written successfully. Unplug the isostick and plug it in somewhere it works, then please send me the dump file for analysis :)

- A slow blink indicates it failed to write the crashdump file. Check that the switch is in the read/write position (red side visible) and try again.

- If five minutes pass after the error appears and the LED is not blinking, then the firmware did not crash. Please let me know if this is the case, as it may still indicate a firmware problem, just a more stubborn one.

 

Please note: The dump file contains a full RAM dump from the isostick's processor, which may contain buffered data from your microSD card. If there is any really sensitive data on the card, you might want to overwrite it or use a different card when performing this test.

Attached Files



#6 taa

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Posted 05 March 2013 - 03:02 AM

I will continue this as a support ticket.






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