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 Yesterday, 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/

Ringding wrote on Yesterday, 12:45:

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

This is only source code, there are no binaries.

wierd_w wrote on Yesterday, 12:46:

I'd just see if loadlin would work first. […]
Show full quote

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/

I'm trying to boot DOS images not Linux, but I've tried anyway.

I've downloaded FLOPPINUX:
https://krzysztofjankowski.com/floppinux/
https://github.com/w84death/floppinux

Extracted the bzImage inside the disk image file and tried to boot the image using this command:

1loadlin bzImage root=/dev/hdb2 ro vga=3

But instead of loading the image, computer reboots. I have write the FLOPPINUX image to a diskette and boot from it using an USB floppy drive and it boots ok.

I just realized that there is an update for loadlin (version 1.6c). I'll try later to see if there is any difference.

ntalaec wrote on Today, 09:42:

This is only source code, there are no binaries.

Under bios/memdisk there is a binary.

Ringding wrote on Today, 09:46:

Under bios/memdisk there is a binary.

In this path there is a binary file named memdisk (without extension) which don't have MZ in the first bytes as executables do:

Yes, I know. It is an image to be loaded by a bootloader such as syslinux.

Ringding wrote on Today, 09:59:

Yes, I know. It is an image to be loaded by a bootloader such as syslinux.

And where can be downloaded Syslinux binaries for DOS?

Ah, now I see what you want. You cannot run them from DOS. You can use them to boot into DOS, though.

ntalaec wrote on Today, 09:54:

In this path there is a binary file named memdisk (without extension) which don't have MZ in the first bytes as executables do:

The attachment memdisk.png is no longer available

You seem pretty confused, bootloaders are bootloaders not windows/dos executables, they came BEFORE any OS, in that phase there isn't any DOS loaded, so there isn't any need to stick with dos conventions (like the MZ string).

Perhaps I don't understand why you gave up that easily on GRUB4DOS, a sample menu.lst is included in the package, the readme is reasonable clear, the web is plenty of documentation...

P.S. I missed your question about wcontig (it's a windows program, not part of grub4dos) a simple search would have told that in 2 seconds.

The Solutor wrote on Today, 10:15:

You seem pretty confused, bootloaders are bootloaders not windows/dos executables, they came BEFORE any OS, in that phase there isn't any DOS loaded, so there isn't any need to stick with dos conventions (like the MZ string).

Perhaps I don't understand why you gave up that easily on GRUB4DOS, a sample menu.lst is included in the package, the readme is reasonable clear, the web is plenty of documentation...

P.S. I missed your question about wcontig (it's a windows program, not part of grub4dos) a simple search would have told that in 2 seconds.

I'm just trying to boot a DOS floppy disk image with MS-DOS 6.22 loaded without modifing in any way my MS-DOS 6.22 installation.
I've tried GRUB4DOS but, with the commands I've used, the computer reboots and I asked what commands should I use it.

There is one program for DOS, Flopper, which can boot disk images, but I'm not able to use it in my system. Is there any other program or any other way to do it?

ntalaec wrote on Today, 10:36:

I'm just trying to boot a DOS floppy disk image with MS-DOS 6.22 loaded without modifing in any way my MS-DOS 6.22 installation.

It's just matter of editing/replacing your current config sys, something easily reversible.

I've tried GRUB4DOS but, with the commands I've used, the computer reboots and I asked what commands should I use it.

How you can hope it works if you didn't even manage to find the configuration file, let alone editing it properly?

Whatever you didn't tell anything about how old your pc is, can it boot something like hiren's boot cd?

If so, just use easybcd and the windows bootloader, then you can add your image(s) at will using an almost monkey proof GUI. It even defrags the image for you.

The Solutor wrote on Today, 11:17:

Whatever you didn't tell anything about how old your pc is, can it boot something like hiren's boot cd?

I'm using a Netbook with Intel Atom N280 and 1 GB of RAM. It does not have an internal floppy disk drive nor an internal CD-ROM drive. I only have an external USB floppy drive to use it. Also, I'm using an USB stick to boot from DOS. I can boot from the USB floppy drive but then, I have not access to the USB stick. If I boot from the USB stick I can use the USB floppy drive as A:.