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OS/2 Shareware BBS: 8 Other
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08-Other.zip
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CLONBOOT.ZIP
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READ.ME
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1991-12-17
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BOOT.BIN
Name: BOOT.BIN
Author: John Bridges is the author of GRASP, a fine graphics-based slide show/software
demo authoring and display application and can be reached on CompuServe
under ID# 75300,2137. He has gratiously agreed to contribute this utility as freeware.
Description:
BOOT.BIN is a replacement for the OS/2 floppy diskette boot sector. Its use will allow
many clones to boot OS/2 from a 3.5" 1.44mb HD diskette in Drive A:
Compatibility:
Tested on a Cheetah cAT 386 with Award v3.03 386 BIOS using OS/2 ver 1.3SE, 1.3EE,
OS/2 v2.0beta at levels 6.149 and 6F.167. OS/2 Installation diskettes patched with the
replacement boot sector remain bootable on MicroChannel IBM PS/2s as well. May
work for other BIOS versions and systems.
Files Included:
BOOT.BIN 512bytes 09-24-91 modified boot sector
BOOT.ASM 2841 09-26-91 modified source code
OLDBOOT.BIN 512 09-23-91 IBM boot sector
OLDBOOT.ASM 2598 09-24-91 disassembled IBM source
READ.ME This file
Discussion:
The BIOS used in many AT clone systems forces the diskette drive parameters for
Drive A: to be 15 sectors regardless of whether a 5.25" 1.2mb HD drive or 3.5" 1.44mb
HD drive is installed. Even though settup may allow a 3.5" drive to be specified as
Drive A:, the system will still force the sectors to be 15.
This is not a problem for DOS because code is included which patches the drive
parameters in memory while DOS loads.
OS/2 does not include this 'correction' which is only applicable to clones since IBM
never made an AT with a 3.5" drive A:, and all PS/2s use the correct drive parameters.
The most common result is that the OS/2 Installation diskette will begin loading OS/2,
then hang before the IBM logo screen is reached, often reporting the error message
"Sector not found". This happens as OS/2 attempts to load sector 13 on the first track
of the diskette.
The file BOOT.BIN is a complete replacement for the 3.5" HD diskette boot sector and
contains a short assembly language routine which patches the drive parameters. In
order to keep the file length to 512 bytes (one sector), it was necessary to alter the
language (but not the function) of one of the boot error messages.
This boot sector replacement is ONLY required to create an OS/2 bootable diskette.
Once OS/2 is installed it is not needed unless additional OS/2 boot diskettes are
desired, and these can be created via a simple DISKCOPY of a patched boot
diskette.
Installing BOOT.BIN:
Using a sector editor such as Norton's DISKEDIT.EXE, simply copy BOOT.BIN into
the first sector of the first cylinder on a formatted 3.5" HD diskette. Below are detailed
"HOW TO" instructions using Norton Utilities ver 6.0 DISKEDIT as an example:
Steps:
1. Using DOS, make a DISKCOPY of the OS/2 Installation diskette and label it OS/2
Clone Installation Diskette.
2. Copy BOOT.BIN to a temporary subdirector. (E:\temp in this example)
Quick method using NU DISKEDIT:
3a. at a command prompt: diskedit e:\temp\boot.bin {loads BOOT.BIN into editor}
enter following keystrokes at each prompt: Alt-W,p,enter,enter,enter,enter,Ctrl-Q.
Detailed method:
3b. Start NU 6.0 and load the modified boot sector into memory:
e:\nu6\diskedit e:\temp\boot.bin
or start DISKEDIT, Alt-F e:\temp\boot.bin {enter}
or start DISKEDIT, Object, File, e:\temp\boot.bin {enter}
4. Select Tools, Write (or Alt-W or Alt-T-W) from the menu to bring up the
Write Options dialog box.
5. Click on or enter P to select the Physical Sectors radio button option and click
on OK or press the enter key.
6. At the prompt "Select the physical drive to write object to" highlight the option
"Floppy drive A:" and click on OK or press the enter key.
7. Accept the default Physical sectors of "Cylinder 0, side 0, Sector 1" by clicking
on OK or pressing enter.
8. At the "Warning!" prompt, be sure you are writing BOOT.BIN to Side 0, Cylinder 0,
Sector 1 on Floppy Drive A:. If correct, click on OK or press enter.
9. All done! quit diskedit by ALT-Q-Q or Ctrl-Q.
See if the OS/2 Clone Installation diskette will now boot in your drive A:. If you still get a hang
or install failure, you have a different problem not addressed by this patch.
**************
Code contributed to the public domain by permission of John Bridges.
This READ.ME written and included at John's request.
P. Eskildsen 12/91.
**************