IsoLinux fails to load, no error messages

Try looking for help here if you are having problems with the Ultimate Boot CD.

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Random
Posts: 3
Joined: Sat Nov 01, 2008 4:39 am

IsoLinux fails to load, no error messages

#1 Post by Random » Sat Nov 01, 2008 5:02 am

I can not find this issue through search, but hopefully it is common enough to have an easy and quick answer.

Using UBCD411, Dell 8200, Windows XP Home SP3

PROBLEM: UBCD initializes, gets the message "ISOLinux 3.35 2007-01-08 Copyright (C)1994-2007 H. Peter Anvin". At which point it just sits there, for hours if I let it, without moving. There is NO activity on the cd-rom drive. No blinking lights, no further attempts to read disk, and after a minute or so it spins-down to a stop, exactly like it isn't doing anything (which it's not).

The ISO was in a self-extracting exe that extracted fine, so the ISO is fine. I have burned it at least three different times to both CDRW and CD-R, never higher than 4x burn using two different burning apps. The burned CD copies back to hdd without pausing or CRC, so contents appear to have burned-in w/o error and the disk reads clean. I have tried two different CDRom drives (one CD the other DVD/Combo), both jumpered to Master. The only other thing connected to the computer is the HDD I'm trying to work on. I have NEVER had a hard time booting a Linux Live-CD before, and the other Live-CD, boot-CDs and various Linux/Windows installation CDs I have all boot fine. This is not a media error, nor a drive error. It may be a BIOS error but I get past bios fine, it just hangs loading the disks OS so I don't think it is a bios error either.

The ONLY thing suspect, that I can think of, is the fact that CD drive and HDD are connected to the Secondary IDE channel on the Mainboard (Primary is blown out), but this does not stall-out any other bootable disks so I can't see how that would affect this one.

ANY help is appreciated, even if it is just detailed instructions on how to create a bootable CD w/o using UBCD using Freeware apps. None of the burning programs on my compy have a "make disk bootable" option, though they will all burn ISO. I know there has to be a way to make an ISO that will automatically bootable once burned, I just don't know how to do it. I only need one damn program off this disk, and would be happy to make my own bootable CD if I knew how.

Thanks for the help.

Icecube
Posts: 1278
Joined: Fri Jan 11, 2008 2:52 pm
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#2 Post by Icecube » Sat Nov 01, 2008 10:51 am

Try to update syslinux/isolinux.

Unpack the ubcd.iso
Use 7zip, winrar, ... to upack the iso.
Extract it to "c:\ubcd-extract\.

Download syslinux from http://www.kernel.org/pub/linux/utils/boot/syslinux/.

Extract the syslinux archive to "c:\syslinux\".

To update isolinux for the CD version
- Copy "c:\syslinux\core\isolinux.bin" to "c:\ubcd-extract\isolinux\".
- Copy "c:\syslinux\com32\menu\menu.c32" to "c:\ubcd-extract\isolinux\".
- Copy "c:\syslinux\com32\modules\chain.c32" to "c:\ubcd-extract\isolinux\"
- Copy "c:\syslinux\memdisk\memdisk" to "c:\ubcd-extract\isolinux\"

To update syslinux for the bootable USB key
- Copy "c:\syslinux\core\ldlinux.sys" to "c:\ubcd-extract\syslinux\".
- Copy "c:\syslinux\mbr\mbr.bin" and "c:\syslinux\ldloader.bss" to "c:\ubcd-extract\tools\ubcd2usb\".
- Copy "c:\syslinux\com32\menu\menu.c32" to "c:\ubcd-extract\syslinux\"
- Copy "c:\syslinux\com32\modules\chain.c32" to "c:\ubcd-extract\syslinux\"
- Copy "c:\syslinux\memdisk\memdisk" to "c:\ubcd-extract\syslinux\"

You can also update the vesamenu.cfg of slax.
- Copy "c:\syslinux\com32\menu\vesamenu.c32" to "c:\slax\boot\vesamenu.c32"

Remaster the iso:
If you don't know how to do it, see viewtopic.php?t=1343.


You also can download UBCD500 (beta 5), which has a new version of syslinux/isolinux.
viewtopic.php?t=1550

Random
Posts: 3
Joined: Sat Nov 01, 2008 4:39 am

#3 Post by Random » Sat Nov 01, 2008 6:48 pm

Icecube, thanks for the info. I downloaded the beta release since it had an updated version of the program I was aiming for, but now have a new problem.

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