Hi Bernd, > On Jan 17, 2025, at 10:02 AM, Bernd Böckmann via Freedos-devel > <freedos-devel@lists.sourceforge.net> wrote: > > >> Am 17.01.2025 um 15:28 schrieb Paul Dufresne <dufres...@zoho.com>: >> >> Fdisk does not add a valid partition signature when creating a partition? > > The first sixteen sectors of a newly created partition are filled with value > 0xf6. So there is no valid volume boot record after the partition is created. > >> You means that is the job of format to add the partition signature? > > > Correct. > >> But thinking about it, I realize that before fdisk, there were no valid MBR >> signature... after fdisk there is one, so it is indeed BIOS job to launch >> MBR. > > > Correct. > >> Still... I don't see why 1.3 would not write "partition signature != 55AA" >> after fdisk reboot... and rather boot with CDROM menu. > > Maybe the 1.3 installer does not make a partition active and the BIOS is > smart enough to detect this? Can you FDISK it to see if there is an active > partition? > > Or better yet, can you please test the following: After partition is created > under the 1.4-RC1 installer, issue an > > FDISK 1 /deactivate > > on command line and see if the CD-ROM boot occurs? > > Bernd
The Primary FreeDOS Installer does not set the partition to “active” until very late in the install process. It performs this action after all packages have been installed during the “transferring system files” stage. This is done intentional to prevent the “non-bootable hard disk partition” issue which can occur on some machines if set before the OS is installed. If the disk is having a partition set as active before this time (during auto-partitioning), then there has been some sort of change in FDISK that will need fixed. The Floppy Edition Installer is a completely different installer and does things a little different. After partitioning and rebooting, it first transfer the system boot files (Kernel and FreeCOM). Then, it activates the partition and is followed by the installation of packages. Although the installers do things differently and in a different order, neither activate the DOS partition until after rebooting. :-) Jerome _______________________________________________ Freedos-devel mailing list Freedos-devel@lists.sourceforge.net https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/freedos-devel
