[arch-general] Help with making a bootable usbkey from arch for ssd drive firmware update

[Mauro Santos]

On 15-01-2013 22:35, Mike Cloaked wrote:
> On Tue, Jan 15, 2013 at 10:16 PM, Mauro Santos
> <registo.mailling at gmail.com>wrote:
> 
>>
>>> Running the "file" command on the boot2880.img file after loop mounting
>> it
>>> gives:
>>>
>>> # file /mnt/iso/boot/isolinux/boot2880.img
>>> /mnt/iso/boot/isolinux/boot2880.img: x86 boot sector, FREE-DOS Beta 0.9
>>> Bootloader KERNEL.SYS, code offset 0x3c, OEM-ID "FreeDOS ",
>> sectors/cluster
>>> 2, root entries 240, sectors 5760 (volumes <=32 MB) , sectors/FAT 9,
>> serial
>>> number 0x2b6112fe, label: "BOOTABLE   ", FAT (12 bit)
>>>
>>
>> This seems to be a FreeDOS floppy. If you can mount that image and have
>> a look inside you can probably find the firmware file itself, the
>> flasher program and probably the command used to launch it (look inside
>> autoexec.bat).
>>
> 
> I guess that is possible - though I would have to look up how to open up
> the img file.
> 

Have you tried to just mount that /mnt/iso/boot/isolinux/boot2880.img file?

Try with 'mount -o loop /mnt/iso/boot/isolinux/boot2880.img
/path/to/mountpoint'


> 
>>
>>
>> You could try downloading freedos, installing it to a usbkey and check
>> if it boots, if it does it is a matter of adding the flasher program,
>> the firmware file and launch it the same way it is launched in the
>> original image.
>>
>>
> I did try using unetbootin to make a freedos usbkey using freedos from the
> standard list in the available options within unetbootin but the key I
> prepared would not boot!  I don't know if it is critical to put the
> partition table into the key in a particular way - but I tried using
> gparted and making a standard msdos partition table followed by making a
> new partition which was fat32 with boot and lba labels. I have seen some
> articles which have the old 63 sector start point for the first partition
> on the usbkey - but again when I tried that the key would not get
> recognised by the arch system when I plugged it in.
> 
> So is there any magic incantation in formatting the usbkey in the first
> place before putting writing the MBR and placing the syslinux boot files
> and image files in the key?  If using grub2 via grub-install on the key is
> there any magic incantation for that ?  I guess if I can get freedos to
> boot on the key I may be closer to getting something going! (Or getting
> sysylinux to boot - either would be a solution)


I really meant installing freedos to the usbkey, no syslinux involved
there. You can probably do the install step from a virtual machine by
allowing it access to the whole usbkey. Then you just need to copy the
flasher program and the firmware file to the root and run it from there.


-- 
Mauro Santos