Re: [Freedos-user] Concept behind RUFUS
Thanks for the explanation, Jeremy. Perhaps I was looking for a more technical discussion than the average user, but your mail was exactly what I was looking for. Aitor On Sun, 19 Mar 2023 at 00:48, Kenneth Davis wrote: > On Sat, Mar 18, 2023, 2:11 PM Aitor Santamaría wrote: > >> Hello, >> >> To those that have used/experience with RUFUS: what is the concept behind >> it? >> I don't get a clear picture of how this software operates, either reading >> the site or the wikipedia: >> >> It makes "bootable USB" and supports "a variety of ISO", so >> (a) does it make truly bootable drives, like "SYS D:", where the drive >> gets a OS file (rewritable) distribution, after transferring the files to >> the drive (mimicking a INSTALL)? >> > > kinda, yes > > (b) copies the ISO into the drive, and somehow mounts the ISO file and >> boots from there, thereby creating a read-only in memory drive? >> > > no, during creation it reads the files from image and copies them to the > writable FAT or NTFS formatted disk. Similar to if you formatted and SYS > drive, then mount CD image, copy files to disk. Unless it is in dd mode, > then it's more of a disk image sector by sector copy to the USB drive - > this allows filesystems on the drive that Windows does not read or write to > but requires the image already be setup to be bootable from a USB disk. > > (c) ... >> >> Thanks in advance, >> Aitor >> >> __ >> > > Rufus can be used as a dd or rawrite tool for Windows to USB drives. It > can also convert isolinux based CD images to boot from USB while keeping > their options intact. There are some special handling for creating Windows > install media. And to bring it back to FreeDOS, it includes latest FreeDOS > kernel and command.com from FreeDOS distribution enabling creating DOS > bootable USB disks easily. I use it and will copy over latest kernel build > to boot on real hardware. > > Basically you start it, select either FreeDOS or an ISO image, the USB > drive you want to make bootable, it clears/creates the partition table, > formats the drive, writes boot sector, copies all the files over, replaces > isolinux with syslinux and voila bootable disk. Or it works like > rawriye/dd and copies image file directly to disk but then the image must > already include boot sector to work. There are some safety checks so you > don't overwrite non-removable drives and lots of other details I am > glossing over. The author is very approachable and patient with users and > does an excellent job developing it (its open source so easy to follow its > development). > > Jeremy > >> ___ > Freedos-user mailing list > Freedos-user@lists.sourceforge.net > https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/freedos-user > ___ Freedos-user mailing list Freedos-user@lists.sourceforge.net https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/freedos-user
Re: [Freedos-user] Concept behind RUFUS
On Sat, Mar 18, 2023, 2:11 PM Aitor Santamaría wrote: > Hello, > > To those that have used/experience with RUFUS: what is the concept behind > it? > I don't get a clear picture of how this software operates, either reading > the site or the wikipedia: > > It makes "bootable USB" and supports "a variety of ISO", so > (a) does it make truly bootable drives, like "SYS D:", where the drive > gets a OS file (rewritable) distribution, after transferring the files to > the drive (mimicking a INSTALL)? > kinda, yes (b) copies the ISO into the drive, and somehow mounts the ISO file and > boots from there, thereby creating a read-only in memory drive? > no, during creation it reads the files from image and copies them to the writable FAT or NTFS formatted disk. Similar to if you formatted and SYS drive, then mount CD image, copy files to disk. Unless it is in dd mode, then it's more of a disk image sector by sector copy to the USB drive - this allows filesystems on the drive that Windows does not read or write to but requires the image already be setup to be bootable from a USB disk. (c) ... > > Thanks in advance, > Aitor > > __ > Rufus can be used as a dd or rawrite tool for Windows to USB drives. It can also convert isolinux based CD images to boot from USB while keeping their options intact. There are some special handling for creating Windows install media. And to bring it back to FreeDOS, it includes latest FreeDOS kernel and command.com from FreeDOS distribution enabling creating DOS bootable USB disks easily. I use it and will copy over latest kernel build to boot on real hardware. Basically you start it, select either FreeDOS or an ISO image, the USB drive you want to make bootable, it clears/creates the partition table, formats the drive, writes boot sector, copies all the files over, replaces isolinux with syslinux and voila bootable disk. Or it works like rawriye/dd and copies image file directly to disk but then the image must already include boot sector to work. There are some safety checks so you don't overwrite non-removable drives and lots of other details I am glossing over. The author is very approachable and patient with users and does an excellent job developing it (its open source so easy to follow its development). Jeremy > ___ Freedos-user mailing list Freedos-user@lists.sourceforge.net https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/freedos-user
Re: [Freedos-user] Concept behind RUFUS
Hi, RUFUS is basically dd for Windows babies. Best regards, Michał W dniu 18.03.2023 o 19:10, Aitor Santamaría pisze: Hello, To those that have used/experience with RUFUS: what is the concept behind it? I don't get a clear picture of how this software operates, either reading the site or the wikipedia: It makes "bootable USB" and supports "a variety of ISO", so (a) does it make truly bootable drives, like "SYS D:", where the drive gets a OS file (rewritable) distribution, after transferring the files to the drive (mimicking a INSTALL)? (b) copies the ISO into the drive, and somehow mounts the ISO file and boots from there, thereby creating a read-only in memory drive? (c) ... Thanks in advance, Aitor ___ Freedos-user mailing list Freedos-user@lists.sourceforge.net https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/freedos-user ___ Freedos-user mailing list Freedos-user@lists.sourceforge.net https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/freedos-user
Re: [Freedos-user] Concept behind RUFUS
Hi, Since this is a FreeDOS group, I'm going to assume this is the operating system you want to boot. I believe that you can create a working FreeDOS installation on USB, however I can't test it this evening, as I am busy doing other testing, of an alcohol based nature! I'd say give it a go. What's the worse that can happen? On Sat, 18 Mar 2023, 18:12 Aitor Santamaría, wrote: > Hello, > > To those that have used/experience with RUFUS: what is the concept behind > it? > I don't get a clear picture of how this software operates, either reading > the site or the wikipedia: > > It makes "bootable USB" and supports "a variety of ISO", so > (a) does it make truly bootable drives, like "SYS D:", where the drive > gets a OS file (rewritable) distribution, after transferring the files to > the drive (mimicking a INSTALL)? > (b) copies the ISO into the drive, and somehow mounts the ISO file and > boots from there, thereby creating a read-only in memory drive? > (c) ... > > Thanks in advance, > Aitor > > ___ > Freedos-user mailing list > Freedos-user@lists.sourceforge.net > https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/freedos-user > ___ Freedos-user mailing list Freedos-user@lists.sourceforge.net https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/freedos-user
[Freedos-user] Concept behind RUFUS
Hello, To those that have used/experience with RUFUS: what is the concept behind it? I don't get a clear picture of how this software operates, either reading the site or the wikipedia: It makes "bootable USB" and supports "a variety of ISO", so (a) does it make truly bootable drives, like "SYS D:", where the drive gets a OS file (rewritable) distribution, after transferring the files to the drive (mimicking a INSTALL)? (b) copies the ISO into the drive, and somehow mounts the ISO file and boots from there, thereby creating a read-only in memory drive? (c) ... Thanks in advance, Aitor ___ Freedos-user mailing list Freedos-user@lists.sourceforge.net https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/freedos-user
