VOGONS


First post, by piers

User metadata
Rank Newbie
Rank
Newbie

Hi folks, I thought I might share my DOS / Windows install bootdisk that I've been using for a while, i've spent the weekend tidying it up and ready to share and I hope others might find it useful. This is the first time I've shared it publicly so keen to here your feedback. I've already started making plans on rebuilding it (just for fun) but if anyone has any feature requests please do shout!

Some features:

Windows install
- Installs Windows 3.x, 95, 98, Me, NT 4, 2000 and XP.
- Pick the setup switches from a checkbox list before the installer starts. Skip ScanDisk, the CPU and coprocessor check, the memory check, the TSR check and more.
- Detects the disc and runs the correct installer.
- Can copy 95/98/Me install files to the hard disk first, so the CD is not needed for the rest of the install.
- Partition and format from the menu.
- Patched Windows 98 SE FDISK. Fixes wrong capacity on drives over 64 GB.
- Warns which Windows versions cannot read FAT32.

USB
- Four USB ASPI drivers: Panasonic 2.27, Novac, Medialogic, Iomega.
- Driver chosen from the boot menu.
- USB CD-ROM, USB flash drive and USB hard disk.
- UHDD disk cache. Safe on FAT32 and on large drives.

Network
- DHCP, FTP, HTGET and PING.
- Packet drivers for Realtek RTL8139, NE2000/RTL8029, Intel PRO/100 and 3Com 3C90x.
- Card chosen from a sub-menu.
- Fetch install files over HTTP from another machine.

Serial
- Serial console on COM1 or COM2, 9600 8N1.
- Selectable blind at boot, for a machine with no screen.
- Also switchable from the menu.
- XMODEM send and receive, with CRC-16.
- XMODEM built into the file manager F2 menu. Two keystrokes to send the highlighted file.
- Raw file copy to and from the port.

Hardware
- System details on the menu: CPU, RAM, BIOS date, motherboard and serial number.
- PCI and AGP device list with 2,157 vendor names, a subsection of the PCI list from Craig Hart
- CMOS save and restore, for backing up CMOS of machines with dodgy batteries
- Set date and time. Writes through to the CMOS clock.

Command line
- Enhanced DOSKEY. Command history on the arrow keys, tab completion for commands, paths and filenames autocomplete
- LS, LL and LW macros for sorted, paged and wide directory listings.
- HELP lists every command on the disk.

Interface
- Colour menu with a ticking clock and date.
- Volkov Commander 4.05 file manager.
- MS-DOS Editor.
- Scrolling text viewer.
- Fits one 1.44 MB floppy.

The attachment bootjack.png is no longer available

Posted to archive.org as well: https://archive.org/details/BOOTJACK

Reply 1 of 5, by igully

User metadata
Rank Member
Rank
Member

Hi piers,

Do you have a repository to find your own developed software? Is your own developed software freely distributable?

BTW, I really liked the presentation and layout of the menu you chose to implement. It is something different/refreshing.

Reply 2 of 5, by piers

User metadata
Rank Newbie
Rank
Newbie

Heya, no I don't have this on GitHub as it there's no real decent build process for it at the moment - it's scrappy bash scripts and and few very amateur asm files that I put together while learning a bit of x86 assembler years ago! There's also the external tools and MS bits that I'm really not sure how to deal with in a repo. I plan on rewriting the ui bits to make it more of a framework to allow any to create their own menu driven boot disk, once I've done that I'll release the source and write a guid of how to assemble all the parts. Thanks for your feedback, do let me know if you find any bugs! Also curious on compatibility if you do you use it.

Reply 3 of 5, by igully

User metadata
Rank Member
Rank
Member

No problem on GitHub being absent, I understand where you come from.
I like your idea a of a framework to allow anyone to create their menu driven boot disk.

I have not found a bug yet, but I only did a quick test. Will hopefully dig more into it.
I am using a 486DX4 100Mhz 16 MB RAM with a S3 Virge card at the moment.

May I redistribute freely your own developed software? Not asking for the other stuff, just what it is yours.

BTW, I have never seen on DOS an XMODEM implementation as tiny as yours!

Reply 4 of 5, by piers

User metadata
Rank Newbie
Rank
Newbie

Yep go nuts, any of my commands on the disk are fair game - feel free to share or redistribute as you like.

Reply 5 of 5, by igully

User metadata
Rank Member
Rank
Member

Thanks!