Re: [Freedos-devel] Getting ready for FreeDOS 1.2

[Eric Auer]

Hi Maarten,

> I got an error when trying to format a floppy in Virtualbox (which is
> a completely logical error). It was a int 0x13 write error. But after
> that the system hangs. It is 'fatal' but I would think fatal for that
> piece of software. So can't it go back an try to go to [a prompt...]

> Command used: "Format A:" I used an image (.img) as floppy disk. So
> it can't format it. That's why the error exists.

It is potentially possible to format a floppy image, but that depends
on the abilities of VirtualBox. In particular, you could do a format
without low-level formatting. As "FORMAT /?" already suggests, please
use the debug option and report the displayed messages. Here is one
example from running FORMAT in DOSEMU:

> C:\>format /d b:

> [DEBUG]  FORMAT 0.91v, selected drive B:
> [DEBUG]  Sector buffer at 2CD2:6770, track buffer at 2CD2:6B70
> [DEBUG]  Skipped ASSIGN check for diskette drive.

>  Insert new diskette for drive B:
>  Press ENTER when the right disk is in drive...

> [DEBUG]  Checking whether we need low-level format.
> [DEBUG]  Test-reading boot sector.
> [04]*[04]*[04]*[04]#[DEBUG]  Error code: 0xB
>   Boot sector unreadable, disk not yet formatted

> [DEBUG]  Current Disk Drive Parameter Table Values at 0070:0119:
> [DEBUG]  [DDPT] Step Rate: 240 msec  Head Unload:96 msec  DMA Flag Bit:  0
> [DEBUG]  [DDPT] Head Load:   4 msec  Post Rotate:  2035 msec  Sector Size: 512
> [DEBUG]  [DDPT] SECTORS PER TRACK:  18  (Gap:  27  Data: 255  Format Gap: 108)
> [DEBUG]  [DDPT] Fill Char: 0xF6  Head Settle: 15 msec  Motor Start: 1000 msec

> C:\>echo %errorlevel%
> 53

In the example, the drive B: does not exist in the simulation. The
FreeDOS kernel would do some "DJ mechanism" support, but that would
not mean that a physical drive exists. So the following is virtual:

> C:\>dir b:
> Remove diskette in drive A:
> Insert diskette in drive B:
> Press any key to continue ...

One good way to "format" a disk image of a virtual box disk would
be to do "FORMAT /Q /U A:" which means quick (no low level format,
just reset FAT and root directory) and un-undoable (no attempt to
save data for later UNFORMAT).

See also FORMAT /Z:longhelp instead of the usual FORMAT /? for a
long list of additional, possibly obscure, options of our FORMAT.

Cheers, Eric :-)

PS: I have not tried if FORMAT A: would work in DOSEMU because that
would mean that I have to restore my virtual A: contents afterwards.



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Re: [Freedos-devel] Getting ready for FreeDOS 1.2

[netraam70]

Hi!

I got an error when trying to format a floppy in Virtualbox (which is a 
completely logical error). It was a int 0x13 write error. But after that the 
system hangs. It is ‘fatal’ but I would think fatal for that piece of software. 
So can’t it go back an try to go to C:\ (floppy drive was A:\ )? Or do a 
reboot? That would be far more logical than halting the CPU.

Command used: “Format A:”
I used an image (.img) as floppy disk. So it can’t format it. That’s why the 
error exists.

Maarten

Van: Jerome E. Shidel Jr.
Verzonden: zaterdag 15 oktober 2016 23:17
Aan: Technical discussion and questions for FreeDOS developers.
Onderwerp: Re: [Freedos-devel] Getting ready for FreeDOS 1.2

Hello Tom,


On Oct 15, 2016, at 12:27 PM, Tom Ehlert  wrote:
[…]
I can understand that you - as a user of the BIOS standard US keyboard -
have little understanding of the size of the problem.

we had recently a discussion about turkish keyboard layout.

to make you more aware of the problem, try to put

KEYB TR,,KEYBRD2.SYS /ID:440

for this http://ascii-table.com/keyboard.php/440 keyboard, into
AUTOEXEC.BAT.

Now try to edit AUTOEXEC.BAT and put REM into front of the KEYB line.

No need. I have used linux distributions that did not correctly map the keyboard
when US was selected or when logged in remotely. So, I know the pain of using 
a console that does not match your keyboard. But, this has been rare and I have 
never needed to mess around with it under DOS.


Unfortunately, I don’t see support for DE or EO in mkeyb 0.41. I do see NL and 
FR.



So, unfortunately I just can’t add this to the installed main config file:



if %LANG% == “EN” goto NoKeyb
mkeyb %LANG%
:NoKeyB

language != keyboard.

Ya, I know. It would be nice though. But, alas it is not practical. Let’s just 
consider US English Language. Just a couple possibilities, QWERTY, DVORAK,
Windows, Macintosh, 88-Key, 101-Key and so on and on.


even as a german user, I always have used, use, and will use a US
ASCII keyboard. Similar for NL, and the UK keyboard is different from
US ASCII.

That is exactly why I feel that automatically setting the keyboard is just as 
bad as not setting it.


you will have to add an additional dialog for keyboard selection.

I don’t know if that is going to happen or not. We really are getting down to 
being
a couple days from releasing RC1. This topic should have been brought up
several months ago when development of FDI became mostly idle and only
minor package changes for the release started being applied.

I don’t know wether or not Jim will give the OK to add that for non-US language 
installations. Depending on when I get an answer from him, I may not have 
sufficient time to implement it. 

All of that being said, It would not be difficult to add it to FDI. It has been 
designed to 
be expandable and fairly easy to add additional functionality and prompts. I 
will
probably be able to scrape up a few spare minutes to implement an additional
installer prompt for non-US language keyboard selection. Just depends on
what Jim decides and when.

Jerome

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