Re: DOS .exe file support

Re: DOS .exe file support

[Michael Kallas]

Hi,

Harry Kalogirou <harkal@gmx.net> schrieb am 29.04.02:
> Hi,
>  I wonder from the first time I let my eyes on this project, what the
> EXE file support in the kernel configuration means?  I simply don't see
> any way of running a DOS .EXE executable in ELKS. Maybe if it was a COM
> file but even then we should emulate all the DOS _system_ calls. Am I
> missing something bigger here, or we should just remove it from the
> tree?
If this should be considered for being implemented any time, I suggest
having a look at http://www.freedos.org because FreeDOS is in beta stage
now already for quite a while and is quite advanced.
They even have FAT32 support now (but no LFN yet) and they also
support swapping.
Maybe ELKS could be something like a multitasking environment able to
execute linux/elks and DOS programs?

Best regards
Michael
-- 
All thoughts are free, Who can ever guess them?
Die Gedanken sind frei, Wer kann sie erraten?

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Re: DOS .exe file support

[Alan Cox]

> > file but even then we should emulate all the DOS _system_ calls. Am I
> > missing something bigger here, or we should just remove it from the
> > tree?
> If this should be considered for being implemented any time, I suggest
> having a look at http://www.freedos.org because FreeDOS is in beta stag=

I think it ought to go in the bitbucket.

> now already for quite a while and is quite advanced.
> They even have FAT32 support now (but no LFN yet) and they also
> support swapping.
> Maybe ELKS could be something like a multitasking environment able to
> execute linux/elks and DOS programs?

On such a small memory machine you'd use a lot of resources to do that
and make a nasty mess in other bits of the kernel. Seems better to let
FreeDOS do its job well

Hard drive problems?

[Dan Olson]

Last night I hooked up my IBM and tried downloading the latest ELKS.  I
think I ended up with 1.0 pre 4 as I got an access denied message tring to
get the latest version.  I boot up and get the following:

Loading Init
hd: error: AX=0x0
BIOS HD:I/O error
dev 380, sector 260
init panic

ELKS..

login:

I login as root and get everything between "loading init" and "ELKS"
above, then "no shell!"  Here's the catch, I have no hard drive, and the
boot process correctly detects my drives.  Here's what I do have, should
it be of any help:

IBM PCXT 640K RAM
NEC V20
VGA video
1.44M floppy with "comb" image
no other boards aside from FDC and VGA

I booted .83 which was on the disk before my latest download, and it
worked fine.

	Dan

Re: Hard drive problems?

[pauln]

On Fri, May 03, 2002 at 08:13:54AM -0700, Dan Olson wrote:
> Last night I hooked up my IBM and tried downloading the latest ELKS.  I
> think I ended up with 1.0 pre 4 as I got an access denied message tring to
> get the latest version.  I boot up and get the following:
> 
> Loading Init
> hd: error: AX=0x0
> BIOS HD:I/O error
> dev 380, sector 260
> init panic

OK - this may be the bioshd stuff.  Try turning it off in your kernel.

System has no hard drive (CONFIG_HW_NO_HARD_DRIVE) [Y/n/?] y

I had problems with stalling with a dodgy HD, sometimes detected.

Then just do make boot  from elkscmd and use the packaged root floppy.  

I'm unsure how well elkscmd is making comb image at the moment

Paul

Re: Hard drive problems?

[Harry Kalogirou]

Την Παρ, 03-05-2002 στις 18:54, ο/η pauln@truemesh.com έγραψε:
> On Fri, May 03, 2002 at 08:13:54AM -0700, Dan Olson wrote:
> > Last night I hooked up my IBM and tried downloading the latest ELKS.  I
> > think I ended up with 1.0 pre 4 as I got an access denied message tring to
> > get the latest version.  I boot up and get the following:
> > 
> > Loading Init
> > hd: error: AX=0x0
> > BIOS HD:I/O error
> > dev 380, sector 260
> > init panic
> 
> OK - this may be the bioshd stuff.  Try turning it off in your kernel.
> 
> System has no hard drive (CONFIG_HW_NO_HARD_DRIVE) [Y/n/?] y
> 
> I had problems with stalling with a dodgy HD, sometimes detected.
> 
> Then just do make boot  from elkscmd and use the packaged root floppy.  
> 

No this has nothing to do with the hard drive. The floppy disk is just
one of the _good_ ones...

dev 380 is /dev/fd0

Get a good floppy disk and try again...

Harry




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Re: Hard drive problems?

[Dan Olson]

> > > Loading Init
> > > hd: error: AX=0x0
> > > BIOS HD:I/O error
> > > dev 380, sector 260
> > > init panic

> No this has nothing to do with the hard drive. The floppy disk is just
> one of the _good_ ones...
>
> dev 380 is /dev/fd0
>
> Get a good floppy disk and try again...

Okay, that's good to know.  I just assumed that the "hd" in the error
message refered to hard drive.  The disk was okay when .83 was on it, but
I'll definetly try it again.  Thanks!

	Dan

Re: Hard drive problems?

[Harry Kalogirou]

Την Παρ, 03-05-2002 στις 20:49, ο/η Dan Olson έγραψε:
> 
> Okay, that's good to know.  I just assumed that the "hd" in the error
> message refered to hard drive.  The disk was okay when .83 was on it, but
> I'll definetly try it again.  Thanks!
> 
> 	Dan
> 

They don't make floppies like they used too! :). Most of floppies today
are for one use...

Harry



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Re: Hard drive problems?

[Blaz Antonic]

> They don't make floppies like they used too! :). Most of floppies today
> are for one use...

Yes indeed :) It's funny though, 3.5" floppies (with higher density than
5.25" ones) always get corrupted much faster - i have tons of 5.25"
floppies here and vast majority of them works fine after all these years
of collecting dust.

Blaz Antonic

Re: Hard drive problems?

[Riley Williams]

Hi Harry.

> They don't make floppies like they used too! :). Most of floppies
> today are for one use...

More often than not, that "use" consists of opening the wrapping on the
box they're in, at which point the floppies become irretrevably damaged...

Best wishes from Riley.

Re: Hard drive problems?

[Dan Olson]

> They don't make floppies like they used too! :). Most of floppies today
> are for one use...
>
> Harry

Guess I was pushing my luck with two uses :)  I'll try to put a fresh
format on the disk and try again, or just dig up another disk.  I guess I
have plenty of 360k disks around too, wouldn't hurt to use the origional
IBM full height drive!

	Dan

Re: Hard drive problems?

[pauln]

On Fri, May 03, 2002 at 08:05:19PM +0300, Harry Kalogirou wrote:

> 
> No this has nothing to do with the hard drive. The floppy disk is just
> one of the _good_ ones...
> 
> dev 380 is /dev/fd0

doh - serve me write for posting an answer without thinking :)

Need to remember the device numbers for elks...

Paul

Re: DOS .exe file support

[Harry Kalogirou]

Την Παρ, 03-05-2002 στις 09:37, ο/η Michael Kallas έγραψε:
> Hi,
> 
> Harry Kalogirou <harkal@gmx.net> schrieb am 29.04.02:
> > Hi,
> >  I wonder from the first time I let my eyes on this project, what the
> > EXE file support in the kernel configuration means?  I simply don't see
> > any way of running a DOS .EXE executable in ELKS. Maybe if it was a COM
> > file but even then we should emulate all the DOS _system_ calls. Am I
> > missing something bigger here, or we should just remove it from the
> > tree?
>
> If this should be considered for being implemented any time, I suggest
> having a look at http://www.freedos.org because FreeDOS is in beta stage
> now already for quite a while and is quite advanced.
> They even have FAT32 support now (but no LFN yet) and they also
> support swapping.
> Maybe ELKS could be something like a multitasking environment able to
> execute linux/elks and DOS programs?
> 

ELKS will never be able to run .EXE files. Even if we emulate all the
DOS system calls, the memory model is different. To that add that most
of DOS programs - if not all - use directly the hardware and that is
imposible to multitask on an 8086. DOS programs do all sorts of _wild_
things with the machine (from hooking to interupts, to reprogramming
timers chips, etc) , that require the program be the only thing running.

About the swap thing you say, I don't see how they can swap out. Maybe
they implement it in a _might work, might crash_ way.

Harry


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DOS .exe file support

[Harry Kalogirou]

Hi,
 I wonder from the first time I let my eyes on this project, what the
EXE file support in the kernel configuration means?  I simply don't see
any way of running a DOS .EXE executable in ELKS. Maybe if it was a COM
file but even then we should emulate all the DOS _system_ calls. Am I
missing something bigger here, or we should just remove it from the
tree?

Harry

Re: DOS .exe file support

[Riley Williams]

Hi Harry.

> I wonder from the first time I let my eyes on this project, what the
> EXE file support in the kernel configuration means? I simply don't
> see any way of running a DOS .EXE executable in ELKS. Maybe if it
> was a COM file but even then we should emulate all the DOS _system_
> calls. Am I missing something bigger here, or we should just remove
> it from the tree?

I have to admit that I've wondered about that myself, and to be honest,
I don't even see how we could begin to emulate the DOS system calls to
start with.

My personal feeling is quite simple: If it doesn't work, at least move
it under EXPERIMENTAL until we can sort out what to do with it.

Best wishes from Riley.