Needs a V20, or an 80186.

A more versatile option is to use syslinux's memdisk, at least for systems with cdrom or usb boot.

https://wiki.syslinux.org/wiki/index.php?title=MEMDISK

You can pass memdisk as a 16bit kernel image, with the disk image and image geometry data, passed as the initrd string and the kernel parameters string, respectively.

It can then be fired from a DOS prompt using something like LiLo.

The system will 'softboot' on the virtualized floppy, after the image has been copied into ram.

wierd_w wrote on 2026-09-12, 14:28:

Needs a V20, or an 80186.

Yes, I have noticed that.

wierd_w wrote on 2026-09-12, 14:28:

A more versatile option is to use syslinux's memdisk, at least for systems with cdrom or usb boot. […]
Show full quote

A more versatile option is to use syslinux's memdisk, at least for systems with cdrom or usb boot.

https://wiki.syslinux.org/wiki/index.php?title=MEMDISK

You can pass memdisk as a 16bit kernel image, with the disk image and image geometry data, passed as the initrd string and the kernel parameters string, respectively.

It can then be fired from a DOS prompt using something like LiLo.

The system will 'softboot' on the virtualized floppy, after the image has been copied into ram.

I Googled this but don't find any binaries for DOS of MEMDISK and LiLo. Do you know any?

Thread from 2 years ago: Re: Advanced booting in DOS - help needed

eM-!3 wrote on 2026-09-14, 15:33:

Thread from 2 years ago: Re: Advanced booting in DOS - help needed

I have downloaded GRUB4DOS but I'm unable to make it work.

The Readme.txt refeers to a config file which I don't know what it should content.
GRUB --config-file="root (hd0,0);chainloader +1"

I can just load GRUB.EXE without this file, and it appears a menu in which I can select a command line. In Readme there is an example on how to boot a floppy disk:
map --mem (hd0,0)/floppy.img (fd0)
map --hook
chainloader (fd0)+1
rootnoverify (fd0)
map --floppies=1
boot

But I'm trying to copy the image to a RAM drive (drive D:) and I have change it to hd1,0 but system hangs.

Do you know how to use GRUB4DOS?

The config file is usually called

menu.lst

And it's usually located in the GRUB folder
Remember that the images must be not fragmented (use wcontig to check/defrag single files)

The Solutor wrote on Today, 10:41:

The config file is usually called […]
Show full quote

The config file is usually called

menu.lst

And it's usually located in the GRUB folder
Remember that the images must be not fragmented (use wcontig to check/defrag single files)

I'm not using the Linux version but the DOS port from here:
https://sourceforge.net/projects/grub4dos/fil … ub4dos%200.4.4/

There is no wcontig.exe and no menu.lst in the zip file but there is a config.sys which I suppose it's the DOS version of menu.lst:

1rem load grub.exe before emm386.exe
2device=grub.exe --bypass --time-out=5 --config-file="color black/cyan yellow/cyan;timeout 60;default 0;title find and load NTLDR of Windows NT/2K/XP;find --set-root /ntldr;chainloader /ntldr;title find and load CMLDR, the Recovery Console of Windows NT/2K/XP;find --set-root /cmldr;chainloader /cmldr;write 0x7C03 0x63646D63;write 0x7C07 0x00736E6F;title find and load IO.SYS of Windows 9x/Me;find --set-root /io.sys;chainloader /io.sys;title floppy (fd0);chainloader (fd0)+1;rootnoverify (fd0);title find and boot Linux with menu.lst already installed;find --set-root /sbin/init;configfile /boot/grub/menu.lst;title find and boot Mandriva with menu.lst already installed;find --set-root /etc/mandriva-release;configfile /boot/grub/menu.lst;title back to dos;quit;title commandline;commandline;title reboot;reboot;title halt;halt;"
3
4device=c:\windows\himem.sys
5device=c:\windows\emm386.exe

What commands should I type to boot disk1.img from D:?

Config sys is a DOS file configuration

I'm not familiar with the version you got, that seem meant to be launched from dos rather than booted directly, but still just read the readme file

If no options present, GRUB.EXE simply uses

(hd0,0)/menu.lst

ntalaec wrote on 2026-09-14, 10:49:

I Googled this but don't find any binaries for DOS of MEMDISK and LiLo. Do you know any?

https://www.kernel.org/pub/linux/utils/boot/syslinux/6.xx/

I'd just see if loadlin would work first.

You just fire that from the commandline, feed it memdisk as the kernel, and the disk image as the initrd.

(Found in the .tgz file here)
https://mirrors.slackware.com/slackware/slack … urce/a/loadlin/