[Trlog] Thumb drives, DOS and TR

[kd4d at comcast.net]

Hi Joe:

There are two potential gotchas with this approach.

1.  It is darned near impossible to install the boot code to
the flash device under Windows, AFAIK (As Far As I Know).
The device is unlikely to show up under the BIOS, so you can't
just boot from a floppy and do it under DOS unless the BIOS 
assigns a drive letter. 

Windows won't permit writing boot code to a flash device.  
There are a few ways to do this.  One is to use a utility from a 
company called Wind River, but I don't know of any way to
do it practically for the average computer user.

2.  The computer BIOSs that I am aware of on normal desktops
and laptops won't boot from PCMCIA flash cards.  Most of the
new ones will boot from USB sticks, though.   It's the Windows
device recognition that provides the drive letter, not the BIOS
(in the cases I'm aware of).

I'd love to be proven wrong on these two points if anyone
knows how to do it.  I am a few years out of date on this, but
I researched it pretty thoroughly in 2000 for a work project.

73,

Mark


> I noticed this exchange and it occurred to me that the same thing might be
> possible using a CompactFlash memory card in a USB Reader or PCMCIA card
> slot. It might be interesting to try as an alternative.
> 
> Joe, W5ASP
> ----- Original Message ----- 
> From: <kd4d at comcast.net>
> To: "Pete Smith" <n4zr at contesting.com>; <trlog at contesting.com>
> Sent: Wednesday, November 10, 2004 5:50 PM
> Subject: Re: [Trlog] Thumb drives, DOS and TR
> 
> 
> > Hi Pete:
> >
> > Great.  I also have DOS on a USB stick and it works on both of my
> > new computers that I have tested!  Kinda neat.
> >
> > I'm working on documenting the procedure to create a
> > bootable DOS CD that will allow you to boot DOS on a computer
> > that doesn't have a USB port or a floppy drive.  The issue there
> > of course is where do you store the log?
> >
> > 73,
> >
> > Mark, KD4D
> >
> >
> > > Stopped in at Staples today and bought a 128 MB Sony thumb drive, on
> sale
> > > for $14.98 after rebate.  Plugged into my Dell XP Home computer, booted
> up
> > > on a DOS 7 (Windows 98) floppy, and I now have the functional equivalent
> of
> > > a DOS partition, with the added  benefit of portability.
> > >
> > > I realize that not all BIOSes will recognize all thumb drives, but this
> was
> > > what I'd call a low-cost experiment, and it works!
> > >
> > > Thanks to everyone who encouraged me to pursue this.
> > >
> > > 73, Pete N4ZR
> > > The World HF Contest Station Database
> > > was updated 20 Oct 2004
> > > 2796 contest stations at
> > > www.pvrc.org/WCSD/WCSDsearch.htm
> > >
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> 
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