[Coco] [Color Computer] Nitros9 Boot file

Gene Heskett gene.heskett at verizon.net
Thu Nov 23 08:18:55 EST 2006


On Thursday 23 November 2006 07:27, Mark Marlette wrote:
>Jim,
>
>Good work. Raises a question....
>
>Boisy - Is the bootfile allowed to be fragmented. I know we talked
>about it.????
>
>Mark
>www.cloud9tech.com
>
No Mark.  The bootloader has no idea what a filesystem is and just blindly 
loads $xxxx bytes starting at LSN$yyyyyy, with those 2 numbers being 
extracted from a direct read of LSN0.

>Quoting Jim Hickle <jlhickle at yahoo.com>:
>> Tonight I made 10 bootfiles -- started with one that
>> worked, added a bunch of modules, then removed them
>> until it would successfully boot.  So far, i've found
>> that os9boot of $8200 or less will allow a successful
>> boot.  And it will not boot if os9boot is $822F.
>>
>> I'm wondering whether the modules once in memory are
>> contiguous or there may be some gaps. Does the start
>> of a module have to be on a block or page boundary?
>>
>> I'll continue the experiment tomorrow. (The Lord
>> willing, of course.)
>>
>> -jim
>>
>> --- Boisy Pitre <boisy at boisypitre.com> wrote:
>>> I think Jim is hitting the size limitation of a
>>> bootfile.  I don't
>>> know the exact size, but once your bootfile gets
>>> beyond a certain
>>> point there is an issue.
>>>
>>> Jim, try removing your RS-232 module and pear down
>>> your bootfile down
>>> a bit.  Better yet, report the size in bytes of the
>>> bootfiles that
>>> are working and failing.  That will give us some
>>> clue as to the range
>>> of the size limit.
>>> --
>>> Boisy G. Pitre
>>> 337.781.3570 mobile
>>> email: boisy at boisypitre.com
>>> Website: www.boisypitre.com
>>>
>>> "If there is truth to the proposition that knowing
>>> the past helps us
>>> to understand the present, I believe there is at
>>> least as much truth
>>> to the proposition that what we know of the present
>>> is crucial to our
>>> understanding of the past.  What we have not
>>> ourselves experienced or
>>> observed we can at most only partially and
>>> imperfectly comprehend;
>>> and I suspect that there is much in history that is
>>> so remote from
>>> our own experiences or observations as to be largely
>>> beyond our
>>> understanding." - Kenneth M. Stamp
>>>
>>> On Nov 22, 2006, at 8:15 AM, Robert Gault wrote:
>>> > Jim Hickle wrote:
>>> >> I use the scripts from the current distribution.
>>> >> I made working boot disks in this order:
>>> >> 1. unmodified boot
>>> >> <snip>  We really need the actual bootlist not "I
>>>
>>> did this and
>>>
>>> >> then that" to
>>> >
>>> > debug a boot order list problem. In fact, I'm
>>>
>>> surprised that you have
>>>
>>> > one as I thought that was confined to the floppy
>>>
>>> disk system modules.
>>>
>>> >> 8. tried adding CDF modules. Tried moving RAM
>>>
>>> disk modules then
>>>
>>> >> took them out.
>>> >> Last item reported on boot is: i2xo
>>> >
>>> > Now that is exactly the type of info we need. i2xo
>>>
>>> means that the Init
>>>
>>> > module was found, entered os9p2 (krnl2), and tried
>>>
>>> to open the default
>>>
>>> > Init device. There actually should then follow an
>>>
>>> error code but if
>>>
>>> > the
>>> > system hung at this point, it suggests a problem
>>>
>>> with the type of
>>>
>>> > screen
>>> > used for /term.
>>> >
>>> > Is this on a real Coco or emulator? How much
>>>
>>> memory is available? Is
>>>
>>> > your /term a 32, 40, or 80 width screen? Are the
>>>
>>> matching drivers for
>>>
>>> > /term part of the boot file? If 40 or 80 width
>>>
>>> type /term, is
>>>
>>> > grfdrv in
>>> > the CMDS directory? The latter is a typical cause
>>>
>>> for failure at
>>>
>>> > i2xo in
>>> > the boot process.
>>> >
>>> >> Six attempts to reboot:
>>> >> 1. no furthur activity
>>> >> 2. screen goes blank
>>> >> 3. black & white checkerboard with green border
>>> >> 4. "Failed" message
>>> >> 5 & 6. screen filled with random text
>>> >> 7. screen of random text, then black border,
>>>
>>> white screen with a
>>>
>>> >> few blue & black vertical stripes and loss of
>>>
>>> vertical sync.
>>>
>>> >> Have to run off to work now, but will get ident
>>>
>>> of working and not
>>>
>>> >> working os9boot files.
>>> >>
>>> >> Thank you!
>>> >> jim hickle
>>> >
>>> > --
>>> > Coco mailing list
>>> > Coco at maltedmedia.com
>>> > http://five.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/coco
>>>
>>> --
>>> Coco mailing list
>>> Coco at maltedmedia.com
>>> http://five.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/coco
>>
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>> --
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>> Coco at maltedmedia.com
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-- 
Cheers, Gene
"There are four boxes to be used in defense of liberty:
 soap, ballot, jury, and ammo. Please use in that order."
-Ed Howdershelt (Author)
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message by Gene Heskett are:
Copyright 2006 by Maurice Eugene Heskett, all rights reserved.



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