protofan@motcid.UUCP (Mike S. Protofanousis) (02/01/91)
Occasionally my brother would like to use some DOS applications while I am away from my computer which is running ESIX. I would like to give him the following instructions: 1. Turn on computer monitor. 2. Press ALT-F1. 3. Turn off the modem only if the lights aren't flashing. 3. Type 'autodown' 4. Wait for a minute until it says 'Press any key to reboot', then press a key. What I would like is someone to tell me what commands need to go into the 'autodown' script which would do an fdisk to the dos partition and then do an immediate powerdown (without prompting for confirmation). Is this possible? -- Mike Protofanousis msp@pronet.chi.il.us uunet!motcid!protofan
jjohnson@peyote.cactus.org (Jeff Johnson) (02/02/91)
In article <4620@cocoa7.UUCP> protofan@motcid.UUCP (Mike S. Protofanousis) writes: >Occasionally my brother would like to use some DOS applications >while I am away from my computer which is running ESIX. > >I would like to give him the following instructions: [stuff deleted] >Is this possible? What you really want is the bootmenu package posted here a couple of months ago by Gordon W. Ross (gwr@linus.mitre.org). It lets you choose the partition to boot from a menu or to set a timeout and boot the default partition. I have been running it on my Esix system for four months now without a problem. It comes with its own version of fdisk that lets you install a new boot sector with the menu or timeout. The DOS version has a problem with int=16bits instead of int=32bits, but I used the Unix version. I have patched the DOS version, but it isn't complete yet. Here is the README from the package: | BOOTMENU is a hard-disk primary bootstrap program which allows | boot-time selection of the boot partition. | | BOOTAUTO is similar to BOOTMENU but allows both unattended reboot | and the ability to override the automatic selection of the active | partition at boot-time. (I used to call this version boot-hdp). | | BOOTMENU cannot do an unattended reboot but is very small and | (as a result) will not be clobbered if you use the SpeedStor | disk formatting/diagnostics program. (Notes about SpeedStor's | usage of the primary boot sector are in the file SStor.txt). | | PFDISK is a replacement for both DOS and UNIX fdisk programs. | This replacement is distinguished for its ability to put | an arbitrary binary image into the primary boot sector without | clobbering an existing partition table. PFDISK has no boot | program built-in, but allows you to take the boot program | from a file. At least one of the boot program file such as | BOOTMENU must be available to PFDISK if it is expected to | initialize a newly formatted disk. Unlike MSDOS fdisk, | PFDISK correctly handles partition entries which extend | beyond cyl 1023. Unlike UNIX fdisk, PFDISK is not confused | about the difference between highest-usable-cylinder-number | and (beginning-cylinder plus number-of-cylinders). | | Documentation included: | | The file bootmenu.doc explains how to install and use the new | boot programs. The file pfdisk.1 is manual entry in nroff format, | and pfdisk.doc is a formatted manual for those without nroff. | | How to compile: | | To build pfdisk, edit the Makefile to uncomment the appropriate | line (i.e. SYS=i386) and type "make". | | The boot program binaries are distributed as simple HEX encoded | text files. The (included) program hex2bin will convert them | for the benefit of those without the MASM (DOS) assembler. | | Related packages (distributed separately): | | The MSDOS-FIX package contains patches for MSDOS 3.3 to allow it to | use the first 1024 cylinders of a hard disk when the disk controller | BIOS has installed disk parameters showing more than 1024 cylinders. | Note that this patch is designed for use on PC/AT compatible disk | controllers that have a BIOS parameter override feature, such as the | RLL and ESDI controllers by Adaptec and Western Digital. | The MSDOS-FIX package has been posted: | | Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc | Subject: MSDOS 3.3 patch for >1024 cyl hard disk | Date: 6 Sep 90 16:12:35 GMT | | The ESIX-BOOT package contains patches to make ESIX (Everex Systems | SysV/386) boot from an inactive partition. Normally, ESIX will refuse | to boot unless its partition is marked as active. These patches allow | one to configure the partition table such that bootmenu will always | present its boot menu (no partition marked active). | This package should be seen in comp.unix.i386 by mid October (after | it is updated to include fixes for Rev.D as well as Rev.C). | | Gordon W. Ross (M/S E095) | internet: gwr@linus.mitre.org | The MITRE Corporation | uucp: (backbone-host)!linus!gwr | Burlington Road | Day-phone: 617-271-3205 | Bedford, MA 01730 (U.S.A.) | -- Jeff Johnson 10926 Jollyville #1420, Austin, TX 78759 Computer Consultant (512) 343-0675 (512) 750-UNIX jjohnson@peyote.cactus.org {uunet|uiucuxc}!cs.utexas.edu!peyote!jjohnson
stevewa@upvax.UUCP (Steve Ward) (02/02/91)
In article <4620@cocoa7.UUCP> protofan@motcid.UUCP (Mike S. Protofanousis) writes: >What I would like is someone to tell me what commands need to >go into the 'autodown' script which would do an fdisk to >the dos partition and then do an immediate powerdown (without >prompting for confirmation). > >Is this possible? I don't know if you can feed information to the sys V fdisk program, but I do know that DOS will boot successfully off a floppy and will be able to recognize drive C: on your hard disk even though it's not the boot partition. Perhaps it'd be easier to just set up a DOS boot floppy with the CONFIG.SYS, AUTOEXEC.BAT, etc from your hard disk and have your brother boot from that...then he'd just have to use the normal shutdown command. Steve -- | Steve Ward Jr. appears courtesy of | stevewa@upvax.UUCP | | Univ. of Portland, Portland, OR | !tektronix!upvax!stevewa | | (insert disclaimer here) | upvax!stevewa@tektronix.TEK.COM | | --If all else fails, try: tektronix.TEK.COM!upvax!stevewa@uunet.uu.net |
rsj@wa4mei.UUCP (Randy Jarrett) (03/01/91)
In comp.unix.sysv386 you write: >Occasionally my brother would like to use some DOS applications >while I am away from my computer which is running ESIX. >I would like to give him the following instructions: >1. Turn on computer monitor. >2. Press ALT-F1. >3. Turn off the modem only if the lights aren't flashing. >3. Type 'autodown' >4. Wait for a minute until it says 'Press any key to reboot', > then press a key. >What I would like is someone to tell me what commands need to >go into the 'autodown' script which would do an fdisk to >the dos partition and then do an immediate powerdown (without >prompting for confirmation). >Is this possible? >-- >Mike Protofanousis >msp@pronet.chi.il.us >uunet!motcid!protofan At work we have quite a few laptops that the sales people use. These are setup with 60MB of dos and 140MB with Interactive. They need to change back and forth with this system and what I have setup for them is a dos boot diskette. The important things to to are in setting up the autoexec.bat and config.sys on the boot disk. In the config.sys file make sure that all drivers that are loaded have complete path such as 'device=c:\dos\vdisk.sys' and that you include 'comspec=c:\command.com'. In the autoexec.bat file you also need to make sure that anything that calls an external program uses complete path and the last thing in the file is 'c:'. With this setup you only have to have your brother run shutdown, and put the boot disk in the drive. When the system comes up he will be in dos and everything will work properly (hopefully). -- Randy Jarrett WA4MEI UUCP ...!{emory,gatech}!wa4mei!rsj | US SNAIL: P.O. Box 941217 PHONE +1 404 493 9017 | Atlanta, GA 30341-0217