Some DOS programs don't run "on" USB ?

[Ponch]

Hi everybody,

I have some old versions of PCCheck (hardware diagnostic I quite like) and a very surprising problem. That program is initially designed to run from a boot floppy (also originally including it's own OS). I've ran it on HDD booting DOS from HDD, on CD booting from CD (thus 100% read only) and hoped to be able to use it from USB key. Problem is, it loads drivers then freezes then complains two files are missing (there are about 10 files and a total of 600k, of course everything is there). Strange thing is... I boot from USB and I can launch it on the HDD or on the CD but not on USB !!?? It's not a question of folder name as I can run it from any folder, just not on the USB key.

I don't want someone to spend an hour on this, I can live with it, but if anyone knows about wat could cause this and has an easy workaround and a laugh, you're welcome.

[wimb]

Hi everybody,

I have some old versions of PCCheck (hardware diagnostic I quite like) and a very surprising problem. That program is initially designed to run from a boot floppy (also originally including it's own OS). I've ran it on HDD booting DOS from HDD, on CD booting from CD (thus 100% read only) and hoped to be able to use it from USB key. Problem is, it loads drivers then freezes then complains two files are missing (there are about 10 files and a total of 600k, of course everything is there). Strange thing is... I boot from USB and I can launch it on the HDD or on the CD but not on USB !!?? It's not a question of folder name as I can run it from any folder, just not on the USB key.

I don't want someone to spend an hour on this, I can live with it, but if anyone knows about wat could cause this and has an easy workaround and a laugh, you're welcome.

You might try to use it as a BootFloppy Image, which you place in folder images.

Use Existing BootFloppy Image or Use WinImage http://www.winimage.com/ to Save a DOS Boot Floppy Image.

In GRUB4DOS menu.lst you can make similar entry as:

title 3 - Floppy Image - MS-DOS  - UBCD Bart's Modboot
map (hd0,0)/images/msubcd.img (fd0)
map --hook
chainloader (fd0)+1
rootnoverify (fd0)

Boot USB-stick from boot.ini Menu and Select GRUB4DOS and Select your BootFloppy Image.

[Ponch]

You might try to use it as a BootFloppy Image, which you place in folder images.

It doesn't work. It boots and launches it but then stops saying "Could not find the program file", so same problem. Something must be hardcoded somewhere that accepts CDs, HDDs, FDDs but doesn't expect USB.

I don't think it's the way I made the .ima file as I did it succesfully for a biosupdate floppy.

Thanks anyway.

I used "Virtual Floppy Drive" for Windows (vfd), that allows you to mount a virtual floppy, so if you have an exe that can only write to floppy, it writes to the virtual floppy without problem. There you can get your files in A: exactly as if you had a floppy drive. You can have the drive stored either in RAM or stored/saved as IMA format on the real HDD. Cheers.

[jaclaz]

Something that you may also want to try is to use memdisk instead of direct grub4dos mapping:

http://www.boot-land.net/forums/?showtopic=3963

but if the program uses direct access of some kind, it won't work as well.

jaclaz

P.S.: by the way, what has this got to do with "Install XP from USB"?

[Ponch]

what has this got to do with "Install XP from USB"?

Nothing. But this forum is almost all about Wimb's tool and how it opens doors to easily do "plenty of things from USB".

And on a humorous note, for a few seconds I considered myself an insignificant but decisive contributor to the birth of this subforum when it appeared as a consequence of my post in the "historical" thread. B) Too bad I didn't make it to the credits . Cheers.