Upgrade the BIOS without a FDD?

[blackturbokitty]

I want to upgrade my Dell Optiplex GX260 BIOS so that it can boot via USB Flash drive. Though every resource I can find tells me you need a blank floppy disk. I can't find floppy disks anywhere and far as I know they whent the way of the dinosores years ago. Does anyone have any idea how I can do this using a more modern method?

[jaclaz]

I want to upgrade my Dell Optiplex GX260 BIOS so that it can boot via USB Flash drive. Though every resource I can find tells me you need a blank floppy disk. I can't find floppy disks anywhere and far as I know they whent the way of the dinosores years ago. Does anyone have any idea how I can do this using a more modern method?

Sure, use a floppy image and boot from it through grub4dos.

(if you need help for this, èplease state which OS are you currently running)

Are you really sure that the Optiplex GX260:

1. does not support USB booting "as is"
   
2. an update to it's Bios exists enabling USB booting?
   

http://www.pchelpforum.com/windows-xp-2000/61442-optiplex-gx260.html

jaclaz

[blackturbokitty]

I actually saw that page when I was searching on the internet for how I could do this. Though other than that all I could find was tutorials telling me how to boot into DOS with a floppy disk, which I can't do since floppy disks arent available... I know that optiplex gx260 can support USB booting with a BIOS upgrade. It doesnt support it as is, I tried.

As for booting with the grub thingy, the OS I'm currently running on the Optiplex is Windows XP Proffesional. I wouldnt mind learning more about that method you mentioned.

[jaclaz]

As for booting with the grub thingy, the OS I'm currently running on the Optiplex is Windows XP Proffesional. I wouldnt mind learning more about that method you mentioned.

Get grub4dos from here:

http://code.google.com/p/grub4dos-chenall/downloads/list

you want LATEST NON ALPHA version, which is right now:

http://code.google.com/p/grub4dos-chenall/downloads/detail?name=grub4dos-0.4.5c-2012-02-27.7z&can=2&q=

grub4dos-0.4.5c-2012-02-27

Please take note (for the future) how:

1. grub4dos is NOT GRUB and is NOT GRUB2
   
2. ALWAYS cite EXACT version AND date of the one you are using when asking for help
   

From the zip file you only need to extract to ROOT of your C:\ drive:

1. grldr
   
2. menu.lst
   

Add an entry in your BOOT.INI to load grldr, as detailed here:

http://diddy.boot-land.net/grub4dos/files/install_windows.htm#windows1

Try booting and choose the grub4dos entry.

You will be presented with a number of choices (actually items in the "standard" menu.lst)

Press c to get to command line.

In it enter (assuming you stored the floppy image you need to boot from as C:\myfloppy.ima) and pressing [ENTER] at each line:

find --set-root /myfloppy.ima
map --mem /myfloppy.ima (fd0)
map --hook
root (fd0)
chainloader +1
boot

OR:

map (hd0,0)/myfloppy.ima (fd0)
map --hook
chainloader (fd0)+1
rootnoverify (fd0)
boot

Some explanation here:

http://diddy.boot-land.net/grub4dos/files/map.htm#image

map (without --mem parameter) maps the file and NEEDS a contiguous file, map --mem maps the image to Ramdisk and the image needs not to be contiguous, for your simple use using --mem parameter should be easier.

As well finding the file instead of hardcoding it's path to (hd0,0) (i.e. first partition of first hard disk) allows you more flexibility.

When experimenting it is always recommended to use Command line, but you can as well add an entry to menu.lst (it is a plain TEXT fle, that you can edit, kust like BOOT.INI with Notepad).

To add an entry you need to add to the above a title line and can (actually should omit) the final boot command, more details still in the mentioned grub4dos guide:

http://diddy.boot-land.net/grub4dos/Grub4dos.htm

An alternative to using the above method (if you somehow *need* to have NO modifications whatsoever to BOOT.INI) would be to use the Bios update floppy image as an El-Torito Floppy Emulation Image and burn with it a CD, this can be easily achieved with many tools, recommended is IMGBURN:

http://www.imgburn.com/

jaclaz

Edited March 15, 2012 by jaclaz

[blackturbokitty]

What is this grub4dos supposed to do? It appears that it's a boot loader.

[submix8c]

Very astute observation! Grub4DOS in the example given will load your floppy image from the USB into memory and boot it (as if it were a real floppy).

Now you have a Floppy Drive!!!

[jaclaz]

What is this grub4dos supposed to do? It appears that it's a boot loader.

I am happy that it is appearing as what it is (among other things).

Maybe first few lines of:

http://diddy.boot-land.net/grub4dos/Grub4dos.htm

Welcome to Grub4dos guide Version 1.4 (17th May 2009). A downloadable version of this guide in .htm format is available here. A .chm version is available here - both formats are compressed as .zip archives.

Grub4dos it is a versatile bootloader capable of dual/multi-booting DOS, Windows, Linux and other operating systems. It can be used to select which operating system to load when multiple operating systems are available. It can also be used to (chain)load an operating system when the existing bootloader or partition boot sector has become corrupted - however this will depend on the operating system you are booting.

were written to give this impression.

And possibly reading about the map command:

http://diddy.boot-land.net/grub4dos/files/map.htm

Grub4dos Guide - Map Command

The map command is used for disk emulation. It is one of the more complex commands available in Grub4dos - see here for grub4dos output when entering the command help map. Using the map command it is possible to -

• Boot Windows from a non-first hard disk
  
• Boot from hard disk images
  
• Boot floppy disk images on a floppyless machine
  
• Create virtual devices accessible from certain operating systems
  
• Boot from ISO images (note - experimental)
  

might have given a further hint on what it does in the example posted (BTW as a reply to someone that wanted to boot a floppy but had no floppies....)

jaclaz

[blackturbokitty]

Thanks. I think this should solve the problem.

[CoffeeFiend]

An alternative to using the above method (if you somehow *need* to have NO modifications whatsoever to BOOT.INI) would be to use the Bios update floppy image as an El-Torito Floppy Emulation Image and burn with it a CD, this can be easily achieved with many tools, recommended is IMGBURN:

http://www.imgburn.com/

That's pretty much what I do myself when the BIOS doesn't have a flasher built-in. I add the flasher & BIOS image to a very basic MS-DOS bootable floppy image then burn it with Nero with floppy emulation. Quick and easy to do, never had a problem. It's a waste of a disc though so if I did it more often I'd setup something on a USB key.

[Ponch]

every resource I can find tells me you need a blank floppy disk.

Have you tried running the 2nd file on Dell's site ??? ..."floppy-less" it should be.

[jaclaz]

It's a waste of a disc though so if I did it more often I'd setup something on a USB key.

and all these years I thought that CD-RW existed.....

Seriously, it is much more convenient to have it on a hd-like device (be it internal hard disk or USB stick) and load the thingy in ramdisk as it prevents possible issues with either a "bad burn" (CD) or "read error" (unfortunately not really UNcommon when using a real floppy disk).

jaclaz

[RJM]

They still exist. Pick your poison.

Floppy discs

http://www.google.com/#q=floppy+disk&hl=en&sa=N&tbs=cat:367,pdtr0:725889|730008,p_ord:p&tbm=shop&ei=zyxiT8GhH7OmsAKGuemjDA&ved=0CO8BELsNKAE&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.r_qf.,cf.osb&fp=c22360c520dea7c9&biw=1010&bih=570

Floppy diives

http://www.google.com/#hl=en&q=floppy%20drive&psj=1&um=1&ie=UTF-8&tbo=u&tbm=shop&source=og&sa=N&tab=wf&psj=1&ei=Ey5iT8viCIOGsgLLyYykDA&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.r_qf.,cf.osb&fp=37d6c39f99d009be&biw=1010&bih=570

Edited March 15, 2012 by RJM