[Coco] Booting Nitros9.

[Robert Gault]

Doug,

There are several ways to boot NitrOS-9 on a hard drive. Most require complex handling of the 
allocation map so that OS9Boot and the "Basic T34" kernel don't get damaged and/or fragmented.

However there is a very simple method which I use with a CoCoSDC image and is used with the 
emulators on a PC in the form of a .vhd which has both OS-9 and Basic partitions.

With CoCoSDC, I have a .vhd set to mount in D#0 and SDCEXP.DSK set to mount in D#1 via
startup.cfg on the SD card. On the SDCEXP.DSK, my AUTOEXEC.BAS file is:
10 DRIVE2, #2,0 :DRIVE3, #3,0
20 PRINT"SELECT BOOT OR SDCDOS"
30 INPUT A$:IFA$=""THEN30
40 IFA$="B" THEN RUN at 6

The above set Drivewire to slots 2&3, RUN at 6 mounts a HDBDOS ROM which I burnt on the CoCoSDC, and 
with HDBDOS mounted AUTOEXEC.BAS on the BASIC drive#0 of the .vhd gets run. That is a menu in which 
I can start NitrOS-9 on the .vhd.
The important thing is that the kernel and the OS9Boot file are on a Basic .dsk on the .vhd drive. 
When I Cobbler NitrOS-9, I work on the disk on the Basic partition NOT on /DD of NitrOS-9. That 
means there is never fragmentation or problems keeping T34 intact.
Now that means you need a new driver and descriptor which I call VEmuDsk and V0. With dmode, I can 
change STP from 0-$FF enabling me to access any of the 256 drives in the Basic partition on the .vhd .

Robert

Doug Fraser wrote:
> Hi guys,
>
> I have a question.  Is it possible to flash a Nitros9 boot kernel to a bank on the CoCoSDC like the Burke n Burke did with the XT-rom?
>
> As using cobbler,  os9gen, kwikboot etc doesn't work on hard drive partitions, it seems to me that if a flash image similar to the XT-Rom placed in one of the flash banks could solve this issue. Has anyone done this, and what steps did they take?
>
> Doug Fraser
>
> Sent from Samsung tablet
>