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Load PLoP before booting the menu system (USB 2.0 speed)

Posted: Tue Jun 15, 2010 1:21 pm
by Icecube
I have a patch to allow the user (if he wants) to load PLoP before the menu system is displayed.
PLoP can add USB 2.0 speed to BIOSes that only support USB 1.1 (but the USB controllers support USB 2.0). This is only intended to be used from USB (Syslinux).
Something similar would be possible to do from grub4dos, but I only want to spend time on it, if someone is interested in it.

Any tests are greatly appreciated.

Don't use it if you have an USB keyboard. From the moment that PLoP has activated its USB driver, USB keyboards won't work anymore (unless you reboot), because PLoP only supports USB-HDD atm.

You can get the files from:
http://ubcd.stopspazzing.com/downloads/ ... h-plop.zip

Place syslinux.cfg in /boot/syslinux/
Place ifplop.c32 in /boot/syslinux/
Place plpbt.bin in /ubcd/boot/plop/

If you want to test it, change this part of the syslinux.cfg file:

Code: Select all

# Comment the next line if you want to run PLoP by default
DEFAULT main
# Uncomment the next line if you want to run PLoP by default
# DEFAULT plopcheck
to:

Code: Select all

# Comment the next line if you want to run PLoP by default
# DEFAULT main
# Uncomment the next line if you want to run PLoP by default
DEFAULT plopcheck
How does it work?
ifplop.c32 is a COM32 module for Syslinux that will detect if PLoPs USB driver (or CD driver) is loaded.
If it isn't loaded (first time you boot in SYSLINUX), it will boot PLoP.
PLoP will boot the USB drive again (with USB 2.0 speed).
Now the ifplop.c32 module detects the PLoP USB driver and will boot the menu system.

I wrote this module, just in case someone will find it useful. I got the idea after reading:
http://forum.plop.at/index.php/topic,165.0.html

PLoP 5.0.11-test2 is used (allows passing additional parameters):
http://forum.plop.at/index.php/topic,233.0.html
http://www.boot-land.net/forums/index.p ... etlastpost

The source code for the ifplop.c32 module, can be downloaded from:
http://git.zytor.com/?p=users/sha0/sysl ... 2301257dfc

Re: Load PLoP before booting the menu system (USB 2.0 speed)

Posted: Sun Jul 04, 2010 3:39 pm
by Icecube
ifplop.c32 is now included in syslinux-4.01.