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Hi all, I have this problem what bother me.

Imagine this.

Hardware is modern PC. (or almost such one)

CPU support CPUID instruction, this include last 80486 models and all next generations.
OS what not support CPU what miss CPUID.

Because the CPU requirements, match to some amount of RAM, And here we get ideas for some minimum amount of RAM. We can miss technologies like EDO-RAM and FPM-RAM. Think about SDRAM, DDR...

This additionally limit CPU support like to have may be MMX.

Remark: chipset, all is connected to it. You can not connect 8086 to DDR3. So when you put limitations for types of memory modules,You also put limitations to all rest elements here. And to the chipset correspond BIOS.


I care about different BIOS-es.
And I don't care for museum exhibits like i386.
Before years, I sell i386 for two euro after I buy i486 for 2.5 euro.
If someone can not buy this, how he pay consumed electricity?
My PC consume electricity for five euro per month.


So, here is the question.
When the PC boot, we try to go in OS, so faster so possible. And BIOS not so important. What it offer. Because missing can be done in OS.

Where the OS can be stored?

This modern hardware, I bet it'll be no capable to load OS from punch-cards. Like example.

I heard for odd bioses what load executables over serial port connected to audio cassette recorder.
Also people who made mainboards, have way to load executables over PS/2 keyboard port.
This functionality is available on some mainboards, I doubt to be available to all.
I don't know whether is available to modern mainboards.


Once again. If we already know this:

Floppy group: Floppy, floppy image stored on CD, DVD...
HDD group: IDE, SCSI, SATA...

There are and USB ways, including microsd card pluged in USB card reader.


While there are ways to transfer data to video tape, I do not expect to find OS on videotape.

Where the os can be?
I don't care for experiments like mouse with local memory, and transferring OS over PS/2 mouse cable. This is possible but nobody do that.

I bet ,soon, serial ports, parallel ports, ps/2 , infrared ports, all will go in the history, only USB, sound & video & lan. even joystick port on soundcards can be replaced with usb.


I like to have OS, what can be booted from everywhere.
Everywhere where BIOS can download OS.

And I like there to be evaluations for possibilities.
How possible is someone to try using LS-120 like boot device?
Is something famous if device what read some particular type of removable media have some count, and the pieces of removable media are only five times more. It's like you to have 1 FDD, but only five diskettes.


What BIOS support?

I'm not even sure what you're actually trying to ask. If you want to support hardware, find out how it works and then write a driver for that. Doesn't matter if the hardware is a hard drive, a tape drive, nonvolatile memory implemented using butterflies, or a coffee maker.

What a word jumble, all I picked up on was LS-120. I still use these, they come in ATAPI and USB varieties and most BIOS's are still capable of booting from them.

Are you asking if operating systems are bootable?

That mish-mash of words aside, there are OSes that act as bootloaders for other OSes (instead of BIOS) e.g. coreboot. They support pretty much all hardware your Linux would support.

Brynet-Inc wrote:What a word jumble, all I picked up on was LS-120. I still use these, they come in ATAPI and USB varieties and most BIOS's are still capable of booting from them.

I never see in front me ls-120.
But you use it, so my os must boot from this.

I'm talking exactly for this.

This that I no see ls-120, this not mean that nobody want to boot from ls-120.

I use google, but I have problem.
I can not write driver for hardware without specification and I can not find it if I do not know how is named.

So, you say me ls-120, and I google for this.

I just wonder, how much diskettes for ls-120 in size of 120MB you have?

So, I see cd,dvd... but this are not the only options to contain boot-loader. I wasn't see diskette for ls-120 in my life. (on photo in internet I see, but not in local pc shops, I'm from Bulgaria)

Widely used boot devices here (my home, my neighbours, my computer lab) are:
1.44 floppy, cd, dvd, PATA IDE HDD, sata HDD. Nothing else.
USB boot, not used.

You add need for support of ls-120, what else I have to support?

I like to create very simple OS, what can detect the hardware on what it work using standard & simple functions like CPUID, but not testing the behaviour after execution of commands like pop cs (this work differently on 8086, if work, we have 8086 CPU, I no like to make so complex OS, I know it, but I no need lose time for this)

And I like to boot from everywhere.

Resume , special purpose OS, only say what hardware I have & if it's difficult to recognize it, it to reply : 'not supported'

Today I see computer administrator in boarding school for children without parents. I offer to gift there three PC in the area of pentium 1 at 75MHz, he reply that this kids are pampered, rich businessmen gift much better computers like this one what I use in now (Athlon XP 2000+ ,1280MB RAM, ~300GB HDD, DVD...) and they'll no use this.


Here, people sent to trash bin anything with power of electronic calculator. I no need to recognize CPU got from trash bin, which one no support CPUID.

dozniak wrote:That mish-mash of words aside, there are OSes that act as bootloaders for other OSes (instead of BIOS) e.g. coreboot. They support pretty much all hardware your Linux would support.

Thank you for the idea, I'll just check about LILO and GRUB.
Is there other famous alternatives of LILO and GRUB?

m12 wrote:Are you asking if operating systems are bootable?

I plane my OS to be in size of range around 1MB. Thus, it can fit in single floppy diskette.
I plane there to be way to transfer it (install it) to various devices, but I like to start with this, not with searching for all unique hardware. After the OS expand among users and become famous, users will start to sent support claims that I no support them hardware, and I'll search to fix that. Firstly I start from boot everywhere, after I become popular, then I'll do detect everything from just a floppy diskette. But I here that people throw away floppies, so I have to support CD, DVD... This so, because ring 0 give me better options for detecting hardware and I no need to care for conflicts with other kernels. I plane to have own kernel, the OS will be really simple, something like AIDA32, everest... but not program , but OS. And after my OS will be no multitasking capable, I'll can make exact performance tests on the hardware.

I no need to made OS in two modules, one in floppy and one on CD, Bios boot floppy, floppy boot OS from CD, because the OS will be just single megabyte. I receive mainboard, I no need to attach two devices.

Meanwhile, I got information for Open source BIOS, I'll search for it and I will check what boot & from where it support.

If the user have OS what can boot something else, what the BIOS no support, this is my second priority. First priority is where BIOS can transfer control. second priority will be where LILO & GRUB can transfer control, now I'll read the manuals of LiLO & GRUB. Also the manuals for open source BIOS.

Finally I found how to ask my question. In most simple way.
I'll make OS, where it can be for it to receive control over hardware?
First level, from BIOS or firmware stored in hardware.
Second level, from LILO, GRUB or another famous software installed on may be thousands PC, and someone else to support it, not I.

After I know the NAME of location, I can google for it.

First, learn to speak English
Second, I don't know what you are asking.
Third, Any (good) OS should be able to control the hardware
Fourth, Do you know anything about computers?
Fifth, people buy floppies where you live in order to throw them away?