OSDev.org

Hello again. I am using BOCHS x86 Emulator and currently have a bootloader which can print text to a keyboard and do a check on the processor type. What I want to do is have my OS boot from a floppy and install itself on the HardDrive so I don't have to use the Floppy anymore.

Unfortunately I am a little blind on how to make the Floppy Image.

I now I need to jump to a different sector so I can load my kernel and not be limited to 512 bytes. So I want to know how to have multiple sectors on a Floppy Disk and create an image with the program WinImage. My goals for possibly the end of this year (I don't think that's being in over my head) is to have a working Kernel with basic Input and Output where I can program parts of my OS while it being booted (Not the main Kernel just have a strong API and be able to develop a modular Windowing system ) then again some of my theories may be wrong and I may be in way in over my head.

Please post some insight on this.

Regards,
Warrior

Terribly sorry for the Double Post but I don't think it would look good in an edit. I have decided to use GRUB as a bootloader mainly because I want to focus more on my Kernel and I am trying to set it up now. Thanks anyway.

Bootprog is a simpler loader, it loads a com/bin or mz exe file from a fat12 floppy or fat16 hdd, comes with full nasm code.
Get it here: http://alexfru.chat.ru/epm.html#bootprog

Warrior wrote: Terribly sorry for the Double Post but I don't think it would look good in an edit. I have decided to use GRUB as a bootloader mainly because I want to focus more on my Kernel and I am trying to set it up now. Thanks anyway.

That's a wise decision. Using GRUB, you don't need to worry too much about the structure of your floppy, since GRUB knows FAT12 (as it knows many other things). That means you can have additionnal bits loaded with your kernel (like partition manipulator program, formatting program, disk driver, etc) put in memory so that your kernel just has to give them the appropriate execution environment to run them.

Now, honestly, your "demo disk" will be asking the user to pick one free partition (***please, for the sake of your data, don't try to mess up creating partitions yourself. Let that to a well-known-working tool of another OS atm ***) where you'll be copying GRUB files and your own files ... That'd rather be the *last* thing i'd do due to its highly intrusive nature. You should make sure your HDD access routines are flawless first.