unable to boot as user

Hello.

That is intended behaviour for bootoff but since you don't use bootoff...

Yep, I can see something similar here.

Agreed that it is confusing, but
I don't see any clear logic to handle this setuation.
What I can propose is only the attached hack. Does it fix your problems this time?

@@ -891,6 +891,12 @@
     else dp->rdonly = dp->wantrdonly;
   }
 
+  if (!FDISKS && use_bootdisk) {
+  /* if we don't have any configured floppies, we have to use bootdisk instead */
+    memcpy(&disktab[0], &bootdisk, sizeof(bootdisk));
+    FDISKS++;	/* now we have one */
+  }
+
   /*
    * Open hard disks
    */

@@ -1011,10 +1017,9 @@
   int checkdp_val;
 
   disk = LO(dx);
-  if (disk < FDISKS) {
-    if (!disk && use_bootdisk)
-      dp = &bootdisk;
-    else
+  if (!disk && use_bootdisk)
+    dp = &bootdisk;
+  else if (disk < FDISKS) {
       dp = &disktab[disk];
     switch (HI(ax)) {
       #define DISKETTE_MOTOR_TIMEOUT (*((unsigned char *)0x440))

Hello,

Yes, thank you. Why you are considering it a hack? I.e., what, in your opinion, would be a "clean" solution?

With best regards,
Baurjan.

I was just thinking: isn't $_vbootfloppy *intended* to be used with bootoff, so it needs access to a "real" floppy?

If you want to use A: permanently as a file you ought to be able to specify something like

$_floppy_a ="atapi:/path/to/image"

I am not sure if that that works now (I saw several ioctl's in disks.c, except for "atapi" where it reads #sectors/track etc. from the boot sector).

Bart

This is exactly what I've meant in
http://marc.theaimsgroup.com/?l=linux-msdos&m=102424304029792&w=2 by saying "intended behaviour for bootoff" in an attempt to explain why I patched the documentation rather than the code.

This works if I boot from c:. "dosemu -A" gives "Disk I/O error".

With best regards,
Baurjan.

P.S. Please cc to me, I'm not subscribed.