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how to reverse modboot?
Posted: Tue May 20, 2008 6:53 pm
by pio
The dos bootdisks are using modboot. Some parts of these bootdisks (drivers and such) I would like to use on my own customized bootable devices and extract the binarys and the commands.
If I open a modboot configuration file it`s very very big. Most commands are about decompression and error handeling. Can`t find out what the important parts are (where drivers really get loaded).
If such as modboot disk has been build... Can it be reversed to get simple dos configuration files back?
Posted: Wed May 21, 2008 12:18 am
by Icecube
See
http://www.nu2.nu/bootdisk/modboot/ on how to build your own modboot disk.
The decompression and error handling are a part of the modboot disk core. It was made so that is was easily to add drivers and programs in a cab file (for more storage).
No offense, but try to search the next time on google or another search engine first. The link is the first result from there.
Posted: Wed May 21, 2008 5:26 am
by pio
I don`t want to create my own modboot disk. I wanted to export drivers of modboot to use them on my own dos customized installation.
Icecube wrote:No offense, but try to search the next time on google or another search engine first. The link is the first result from there.
No offense also. I don`t think my question can be found on google yet.
For example I download some nice premade bootdisk like for example the network bootdisk
http://www.nu2.nu/bootdisk/network/. There are many more nice bootdisks, like from ubcd project.
I want to extract all needed exe/com and config.sys/autoexec.bat to get this functionality also on my own dos customized installation.
But if I look into the config files it`s very hard to extract anything from there. One batch is calling another batch and every batch is very long.
Posted: Wed May 21, 2008 11:41 am
by Icecube
What does an basic MODBOOT boot disk look like?
Path Description
\bin Contains the needed tools for MODBOOT to operate:
* xmsdsk.exe for creating a ramdisk
* extract.exe for unpacking cab files
* himem.sys, emm386.exe and ifshlp.sys used by config.sys
* modboot.cab, holds kbfl.com, modboot.bat, run.bat and unpack.bat
\level0 All *.cab files in this folder will be expanded but nothing will be executed
Typically used for expanding programs that are needed by programs in a higher level.
Also known as "the level of no autorun"!
\level1 All *.cab files in this folder will be expanded, if the .cab file has an \autorun.bat it will be executed. When finished control returns back to modboot.
Typically used for expanding and running/installing programs that are needed by programs in a higher level.
\level2 Same as level1.
\level3 The first .cab file found in this folder will be expanded and if an \autorun.bat exists it will be run. Control will not be returned to MODBOOT!
Typically used to expand and run the final application, for example an end user menu.
This level should contain only one .cab file!
Also known as "the level of no return"!
\diskid.txt Contains a short description about the bootdisk in plain text. It is displayed during boot.
\lib Just a storage location (will not be unpacked by MODBOOT). Can be used to store .cab files that will be unpacked when needed
If you want a certain driver, extract the appropriate cab file from /level1, /level2 or /level3 and run the autoexec.bat that was in the cab file from your own script. Modboot just runs this autoexec.bat when it has unpacked the cab file after it has checked several things. Maybe you have to adjust the paths in the autoexec.bat file.