A very comprehensive USB drive system: Seeking help: grub boots FANX (a kind of LINUX) - China DOS Union Forum

FANX is a LIVE-CD LINUX. There are many CD versions on the Internet, and I have successfully entered it on my own machine's hard disk. Because FANX can be started under DOS using LOADIN, I now want to port FANX to a USB flash drive but find that it doesn't work. I wonder if FANX changes the USB flash drive into a path under LINUX like /dev/sda0 when it starts, and it's no longer the A or C drive. Later, I thought of starting the USB flash drive to enter DOS, and then using GRUB to call a well-made IMG floppy disk image. This image has USB drivers under DOS and a subst file, which is used to change the found USB flash drive letter to the A drive and then start it. But it didn't succeed either (LFS has realized this for USB flash drive LINUX, but it loads the USB driver after entering LINUX, and I haven't found the method yet). Then I thought that GRUB should be able to call the hard disk image IMG. So I copied the entire FANX directory into the IMG image. Maybe I didn't make this hard disk version of the IMG file bootable? (How to do it? I found a WIN98 hard disk IMG on the Internet, but GRUB didn't start it successfully. Please give me some advice.) I can't start it anyway. This IMG image is more than 200 MB. Which expert can give me some pointers? If this FANX can be started, my USB flash drive system will be completely completed. It includes a very comprehensive DOS system and tools: supporting local area network, Internet, various system maintenance tools, multimedia tools; several simple LINUX and graphical interface FANX (can surf the Internet, listen to music, watch movies, handle Chinese), and WINXPE (supports network card). I saw XPE with sound card and display driver not long ago, and I want to draw on it, but I haven't succeeded. I will do it when I have time.
I don't know which expert can help me solve the startup problem of FANX?

[ Last edited by minchengan on 2007-5-27 at 01:19 PM ]

GRUB boots LINUX without the need for an emulated disk.

Use

kernel (...)/.../.../vmlinuz ..........
initrd (...)/.../.../initrd
boot

and that's it.

Entertainment GEEXBOX

Starting fanx is as the non-point said

Mainly the parameter problem after kernel (...)/.../.../vmlinuz

An example

kernel (hd0,x)/fanx/boot/vmlinuz max_loop=255 init=linuxrc livecd_subdir=/fanx/ hdsubdir=/fanx/ load_ramdisk=1 prompt_ramdisk=0 ramdisk_size=15000 root=/dev/ram0 rw

My key issue is not here. Booting Linux with GRUB is simple, but that's not what I'm asking about. I mean booting Linux from a USB drive. Of course, I already know how to boot from a USB drive now. Actually, last time it was because of an issue with the USB drive. Fortunately, my unit has many USB drives, and after borrowing another one and testing, I found that FANX can be directly booted from DOS on a USB drive.

Originally posted by minchengan at 2007-5-30 12:23:
The key point of my question is not here. It is very simple to boot Linux with GRUB, but I'm not asking about that. I mean booting Linux from a USB flash drive. Of course, I already know how to boot from a USB flash drive now. Actually, last time it was because of the USB flash drive...

(hdx, y)

You can set this X and Y to the values of your USB flash drive, and then Linux can boot from the USB flash drive.

USB drives are not (hdX,Y). USB drives should be sda. The FANX boot has been solved. I used LOADIN to boot and it works directly on the USB drive.

This system is very good. Although I know very little about LINUX, it seems to be read-only? Can't save settings (layman, please forgive me). And the boot speed on the USB flash drive is really not good. I used a DOS and WinPE dual-boot disk GHOST image (USB flash drive boot), which is very easy to use. I found that its boot speed is simply amazing, much faster than the CD version of WINPE. Later I found out that it was making the system part into a CD image and putting it in memory (personal opinion, not sure if it's right). I thought if FANX could be processed like that, then the speed would be very fast too? Please experts do it. We such noobs don't know anything, just know baidu!!!!! Looking forward to it

The USB flash drive is not (hdX,Y), the USB flash drive should be sda.

What you said is the device representation of the USB flash drive under Linux. Your understanding of the GRUB device representation is wrong. Do not confuse the two different systems (or two different environments) of LINUX and GRUB.

If you start Linux before being in GRUB, then in the GRUB environment, it uses BIOS to access the USB flash drive. Therefore, whether it is a USB flash drive, a SATA hard drive, or a SCSI hard drive, in the eyes of GRUB, they are all the hard drive numbers (0x80) or floppy disk numbers (0x00) given by BIOS.

If your USB flash drive is regarded as a floppy disk by your motherboard BIOS, then it should be (fd0). If your USB flash drive is regarded as a hard drive by your motherboard BIOS, it is usually (hd0).

[ Last edited by 不点 on 2007-6-1 at 11:27 AM ]

yjq635: I don't know if FANX works, but I know Linux definitely works.

You use GRUB's kernel and initrd to load your kernel and ramdisk, and the speed will definitely not be slow.

Of course, the speed will be fast after the entire system is loaded into memory. But if you copy the content from the USB flash drive into memory, the speed will be slow. The slow startup of the system from the USB flash drive is due to this. And the old Mao Tao's WINXPE starts very quickly because it doesn't read all the data into memory, and the application programs are still placed on the CD or USB flash drive.

Originally posted by minchengan at 2007-7-4 10:42 PM:
The system will naturally be faster after all is loaded into memory, but if you copy content from the USB flash drive into memory, that speed is slow. The slow startup of the system from the USB flash drive is due to this. And Lao Maotao's WINXPE starts very quickly because it doesn't read all data into memory; applications are still placed on the CD or USB flash drive.

That's true. I still don't know everything, so please, experts, take the time to study it if you have the chance. I don't have that ability myself, at least not yet!

Floor1　minchengan	Posted 2007-05-27 13:15
中级用户　Posts 164　Credits 376
FANX is a LIVE-CD LINUX. There are many CD versions on the Internet, and I have successfully entered it on my own machine's hard disk. Because FANX can be started under DOS using LOADIN, I now want to port FANX to a USB flash drive but find that it doesn't work. I wonder if FANX changes the USB flash drive into a path under LINUX like /dev/sda0 when it starts, and it's no longer the A or C drive. Later, I thought of starting the USB flash drive to enter DOS, and then using GRUB to call a well-made IMG floppy disk image. This image has USB drivers under DOS and a subst file, which is used to change the found USB flash drive letter to the A drive and then start it. But it didn't succeed either (LFS has realized this for USB flash drive LINUX, but it loads the USB driver after entering LINUX, and I haven't found the method yet). Then I thought that GRUB should be able to call the hard disk image IMG. So I copied the entire FANX directory into the IMG image. Maybe I didn't make this hard disk version of the IMG file bootable? (How to do it? I found a WIN98 hard disk IMG on the Internet, but GRUB didn't start it successfully. Please give me some advice.) I can't start it anyway. This IMG image is more than 200 MB. Which expert can give me some pointers? If this FANX can be started, my USB flash drive system will be completely completed. It includes a very comprehensive DOS system and tools: supporting local area network, Internet, various system maintenance tools, multimedia tools; several simple LINUX and graphical interface FANX (can surf the Internet, listen to music, watch movies, handle Chinese), and WINXPE (supports network card). I saw XPE with sound card and display driver not long ago, and I want to draw on it, but I haven't succeeded. I will do it when I have time. I don't know which expert can help me solve the startup problem of FANX? [ Last edited by minchengan on 2007-5-27 at 01:19 PM ]

Floor2　不点	Posted 2007-05-27 16:48
银牌会员　Posts 1,115　Credits 2,491
GRUB boots LINUX without the need for an emulated disk. Use kernel (...)/.../.../vmlinuz .......... initrd (...)/.../.../initrd boot and that's it.

Floor3　barton	Posted 2007-05-30 11:29
中级用户　Posts 197　Credits 480　From 黄冈
Entertainment GEEXBOX Starting fanx is as the non-point said Mainly the parameter problem after kernel (...)/.../.../vmlinuz An examplekernel (hd0,x)/fanx/boot/vmlinuz max_loop=255 init=linuxrc livecd_subdir=/fanx/ hdsubdir=/fanx/ load_ramdisk=1 prompt_ramdisk=0 ramdisk_size=15000 root=/dev/ram0 rw

Floor4　minchengan	Posted 2007-05-30 12:23
中级用户　Posts 164　Credits 376
My key issue is not here. Booting Linux with GRUB is simple, but that's not what I'm asking about. I mean booting Linux from a USB drive. Of course, I already know how to boot from a USB drive now. Actually, last time it was because of an issue with the USB drive. Fortunately, my unit has many USB drives, and after borrowing another one and testing, I found that FANX can be directly booted from DOS on a USB drive.

Floor5　barton	Posted 2007-05-31 13:51
中级用户　Posts 197　Credits 480　From 黄冈
Originally posted by minchengan at 2007-5-30 12:23: The key point of my question is not here. It is very simple to boot Linux with GRUB, but I'm not asking about that. I mean booting Linux from a USB flash drive. Of course, I already know how to boot from a USB flash drive now. Actually, last time it was because of the USB flash drive... (hdx, y) You can set this X and Y to the values of your USB flash drive, and then Linux can boot from the USB flash drive.

Floor6　minchengan	Posted 2007-05-31 23:52
中级用户　Posts 164　Credits 376
USB drives are not (hdX,Y). USB drives should be sda. The FANX boot has been solved. I used LOADIN to boot and it works directly on the USB drive.

Floor7　yjq635	Posted 2007-06-01 09:59
初级用户　Posts 42　Credits 109
This system is very good. Although I know very little about LINUX, it seems to be read-only? Can't save settings (layman, please forgive me). And the boot speed on the USB flash drive is really not good. I used a DOS and WinPE dual-boot disk GHOST image (USB flash drive boot), which is very easy to use. I found that its boot speed is simply amazing, much faster than the CD version of WINPE. Later I found out that it was making the system part into a CD image and putting it in memory (personal opinion, not sure if it's right). I thought if FANX could be processed like that, then the speed would be very fast too? Please experts do it. We such noobs don't know anything, just know baidu!!!!! Looking forward to it

Floor8　不点	Posted 2007-06-01 11:25
银牌会员　Posts 1,115　Credits 2,491
The USB flash drive is not (hdX,Y), the USB flash drive should be sda. What you said is the device representation of the USB flash drive under Linux. Your understanding of the GRUB device representation is wrong. Do not confuse the two different systems (or two different environments) of LINUX and GRUB. If you start Linux before being in GRUB, then in the GRUB environment, it uses BIOS to access the USB flash drive. Therefore, whether it is a USB flash drive, a SATA hard drive, or a SCSI hard drive, in the eyes of GRUB, they are all the hard drive numbers (0x80) or floppy disk numbers (0x00) given by BIOS. If your USB flash drive is regarded as a floppy disk by your motherboard BIOS, then it should be (fd0). If your USB flash drive is regarded as a hard drive by your motherboard BIOS, it is usually (hd0). [ Last edited by 不点 on 2007-6-1 at 11:27 AM ]

Floor9　不点	Posted 2007-06-01 11:31
银牌会员　Posts 1,115　Credits 2,491
yjq635: I don't know if FANX works, but I know Linux definitely works. You use GRUB's kernel and initrd to load your kernel and ramdisk, and the speed will definitely not be slow.

Floor10　minchengan	Posted 2007-07-04 22:42
中级用户　Posts 164　Credits 376
Of course, the speed will be fast after the entire system is loaded into memory. But if you copy the content from the USB flash drive into memory, the speed will be slow. The slow startup of the system from the USB flash drive is due to this. And the old Mao Tao's WINXPE starts very quickly because it doesn't read all the data into memory, and the application programs are still placed on the CD or USB flash drive.

Floor11　yjq635	Posted 2007-07-05 10:16
初级用户　Posts 42　Credits 109
Originally posted by minchengan at 2007-7-4 10:42 PM: The system will naturally be faster after all is loaded into memory, but if you copy content from the USB flash drive into memory, that speed is slow. The slow startup of the system from the USB flash drive is due to this. And Lao Maotao's WINXPE starts very quickly because it doesn't read all data into memory; applications are still placed on the CD or USB flash drive. That's true. I still don't know everything, so please, experts, take the time to study it if you have the chance. I don't have that ability myself, at least not yet!