I've written a bootloader that runs a COM file which is in the root directory of the disk.
The problem is, the kernel (ie. the COM file) is all written in assembly and I would like to be able to write it in C++. Most of the time the bootloader starts, displaying it's loading text, then nothing happens (this is where the COM is meant to run)... This is really frustrating me as I do not want to write my operating system in assembly, chiefly because it is much more difficult to write in.
The bootloader source:
Code: Select all
; Mattise Boot Sector
; Assemble with NASM
bits 16
org 0x7C00
start: jmp short begin
nop
bsOEM db "Mattise1" ; OEM String
bsSectSize dw 512 ; Bytes per sector
bsClustSize db 1 ; Sectors per cluster
bsRessect dw 1 ; # of reserved sectors
bsFatCnt db 2 ; # of fat copies
bsRootSize dw 224 ; size of root directory
bsTotalSect dw 2880 ; total # of sectors if < 32 meg
bsMedia db 0xF0 ; Media Descriptor
bsFatSize dw 9 ; Size of each FAT
bsTrackSect dw 18 ; Sectors per track
bsHeadCnt dw 2 ; number of read-write heads
bsHidenSect dd 0 ; number of hidden sectors
bsHugeSect dd 0 ; if bsTotalSect is 0 this value is
; the number of sectors
bsBootDrv db 0 ; holds drive that the bs came from
bsReserv db 0 ; not used for anything
bsBootSign db 29h ; boot signature 29h
bsVolID dd 0 ; Disk volume ID also used for temp
; sector # / # sectors to load
bsVoLabel db "MATTISEOS " ; Volume Label
bsFSType db "FAT12 " ; File System type
begin: cli ; disable interrupts
mov [bsBootDrv],dl ; save drive number
mov ax,0x9000 ; put stack at 0x98000
mov ss,ax
mov sp,0x8000
mov cx,[bsTrackSect] ; update int 1E FDC param table
mov bx,0x0078
lds si,[ds:bx]
mov byte [si+4], cl
mov byte [si+9], 0x0F
sti ; enable interrupts
push ds
mov dl,[bsBootDrv] ; reset controller
xor ax,ax
int 0x13
pop ds
jc bootfail2 ; display error message
jmp _l1
bootfail2: jmp bootfail
_l1:
mov ax,0x0000
mov es,ax
mov ds,ax
mov si,MsgLoad ; display load message
call putstr
; find the root directory
xor ax,ax
mov al,[bsFatCnt]
mov bx,[bsFatSize]
mul bx
add ax,word [bsHidenSect]
adc ax,word [bsHidenSect+2]
add ax,word [bsRessect] ; ax holds root directory location
mov word [BootSig],ax
call checkroot
xor ax,ax
add ax,word [start]
add ax,word [bsVolID] ; sector number
add ax,word [BootSig]
sub ax,2 ; correction for a mis-calc
mov cx,word [bsVolID+2] ; number of sectors
mov bx,0x8000
mov es,bx
nextsector: push ax ; save registers
push cx
push dx
push es
xor bx,bx ; set zero offset
call readsect ; read a sector
mov si,MsgDot ; display a dot
call putstr
pop es ; restore registers
pop dx
pop cx
pop ax
mov bx,es
add bx,20h ; increment address 512 bytes
mov es,bx
inc ax ; read next sector
loopnz nextsector
mov ax,0x8000 ; set segment registers and jump
mov es,ax
mov ds,ax
push ax
mov ax,0
push ax
retf
checkroot:
push ax ; save registers
push bx
push cx
push dx
push si
push di
mov ax,0x8000 ; put root directory at 0x80000
mov es,ax
mov ax,32 ; AX = ((32*RootSize)/512) + 2
mul word [bsRootSize]
div word [bsSectSize]
mov cx,ax ; cx holds # of sectors in root
mov word [start],ax
mov ax,word [BootSig] ; get prev. saved loc. for root dir
r1: xor bx,bx
push cx ; save count
push ax ; save sector number
push es
push dx
call readsect
xor bx,bx
l_1: mov di,bx ; set address to check from
mov cx,11 ; check 11 bytes
mov si,FileName ; address of string to check with
repz cmpsb
je foundit
add bx,32 ; check next entry
cmp bx,[bsSectSize] ; end of sector?
je l_2
jmp l_1
l_2: pop dx ; restore registers
pop es
pop ax
pop cx
inc ax ; read next sector
loopnz r1
jmp bootfail
foundit: pop dx ; get these off the stack
pop es
pop ax
pop cx
mov di,0x1A ; get clustor #
add di,bx
push bx ; save bx for finding # of sectors
mov ax,[es:di]
xor bx,bx ; calculate sector #
mov bl,[bsClustSize]
mul bx ; ax holds sector #
mov word [bsVolID],ax
pop bx ; get location of directory entry
mov di,0x1C
add di,bx
mov ax,[es:di] ; put number of bytes in ax
xor dx,dx
mov bx,[bsClustSize] ; # of bytes / 512
div bx
inc ax
mov word [bsVolID+2],ax ; save number of sectors to load
pop di ; restore registers
pop si
pop dx
pop cx
pop bx
pop ax
ret ; return to caller
putstr: ; SI = address of string to display
lodsb
or al,al
jz short putstrd
mov ah,0x0E
mov bx,0x0007
int 0x10
jmp putstr
putstrd: retn ; return to caller
bootfail: ; display failure message
mov si,MsgBad ; display error message
call putstr
xor ax,ax ; wait for keypress
int 0x16
int 0x19 ; reboot
readsect: ; ES:BX = Location ; AX = Sector
mov si,[bsTrackSect]
div si ; divide logical sect by track size
inc dl ; sector # begins at 1
mov [bsReserv],dl ; sector to read
xor dx,dx ; logical track left in ax
div word [bsHeadCnt] ; leaves head in dl, cyl in ax
mov dh, [bsBootDrv] ;
xchg dl,dh ; head to dh, drive to dl
mov cx,ax ; cyl to cx
xchg cl,ch ; low 8 bits of cyl to ch, hi 2 bits
shl cl,6 ; shifted to bits 6 and 7
or cl, byte [bsReserv] ; or with sector number
mov al,1 ; number of sectors
mov ah,2 ; use read function of int 0x13
int 0x13 ; read sector
jc bootfail ; display error message
ret ; return to caller
FileName db "OSLOADERCOM"
MsgBad db "Could not boot!",13,10,0
MsgDot db ".",0
Newline db 13,10,0
MsgLoad db "Mattise Loading...",13,10,"Reading files",0
padding times 22 db 0
BootSig db 0x55, 0xAA
I've written a small C++ kernel once, couldn't do much, so I don't know how much help I'll be. 
