Recent posts

#1

Boot Managers / Re: Troubles with VMware ESXi

Last post by jackjohn - April 04, 2025, 04:09:04 AM

Hi,

I'm using VMware ESXi 7.x and connecting to VMs using the Remote Console (VM is running on a remote server, and the USB devices are connected locally in a Windows desktop). My virtual machines are configured to use USB 2.0 and the memory stick that I want to boot is connected using a USB 2.0 HUB (to overcome USB 3.x troubles).

Here my experience:

- When using UEFI mode in the BIOS of the VM, then the last version of PBM6-EFI (pbm6-efi-20230206.zip) doesn't boot. However, the ancient version pbm6-efi-20221104.zip boots. You can check it at https://www.plop.at/en/pbm6/blog.html searching for the "2022-11-04  -  PBM6 - EFI: ISO fix" and "The ISO did not work under VMware. It is fixed now." I don't know why this ancient version is fixed but not the current release. Any reason for it?

- When using BIOS mode in the VM, the PLOP boot manager boots, but the USB devices aren't detected. This is true with any version (including block breaker pbm6-20240301.zip). If I boot any LiveCD with the same configuration in the VM all USB drives are detected. However, the PLOP never display any of them. But it does in EFI mode with the same VM configuration. Any idea to fix this?

I really apreciate the effort of the developer of PLOP. This tool is impresive. And I hope you will continue improving it. But IMHO the ESXi support is a very valuable functionality, and now is partially broken. So, please fix it. Thank you.

Regards.

First off, welcome to the forum! It sounds like you're having quite the adventure with VMware and PLOP. It's a bummer that the latest version of PBM6-EFI isn't playing nice with your setup. Sometimes newer isn't always better, right?
As for the BIOS mode issue, it's a bit of a head-scratcher that the USB devices aren't showing up. A couple of things you might wanna try:
Check USB Compatibility: Make sure your USB settings in the VM are correctly configured. Sometimes toggling between USB 2.0 and 3.0 can help, even if you're using a hub.
VMware Tools: Ensure that VMware Tools is up to date in your VM. It can sometimes help with hardware recognition issues.
Try Different USB Ports: If you haven't already, plug your USB stick into different ports on your hub. Sometimes the port itself can be the culprit.
PLOP Settings: Dive into the PLOP settings and see if there's an option for USB device detection that needs to be enabled.
It's great to see you appreciate the work the PLOP devs are doing! Hopefully, they'll get the ESXi support sorted out soon. Keep us posted on your progress!

#2

Boot Managers / Re: Option ROM seems to have n...

Last post by jackjohn - November 15, 2024, 03:11:35 AM

Hi, I have a little bit of a problem creating a Award BIOS ROM for my asus pundit-s with onboard nic.
Plop doesn't seem to be hooked by the bios, regardless of the bios boot options I use.

This is the way i created the rom:
0. Downloaded plpbt-5.0.12.zip free iq test with instant results
1. Creating the rom.

Code Select Expand

plpbtrom -vendorid 0x14E4 -deviceid 0x4401 -INT18 plpbtrom.bin plpbt.rom
INT18  - is used because the bios explicitly states "Boot Other: Network (INT18h)"
But I also tried without.

2. I continue with acbrom and release my vga rom and epa logo. (Seems to work fine without)
3. inserting the rom:

Code Select Expand

acbdrom /NET plpbt.rom
4. Then I flash the file via aflash.
5. Reboot, System comes up, without plop

Some questions I have:
How can I determine what is happening?
How does a PCI device place its boot rom in C0000h-EFFFFh? (according to BIOSBootSpecs)
How can I determine which space in C0000-EFFFF is not used?

It seems Plop isn't loading. Check BIOS settings for network boot options and look for logs during boot. PCI ROMs use C0000h-EFFFFh, and tools like memmap can help check used memory areas. Consider seeking help in BIOS modding forums for more insights.

#3

Boot Managers / Re: Troubles with VMware ESXi

Last post by tynsa - October 01, 2024, 11:03:56 AM

The problem where pbm6-efi-20230206.zip does not boot under UEFI, but pbm6-efi-20221104.zip does, seems related to how VMware ESXi handles ISO images and EFI bootloaders. As noted on the Plop Boot Manager (PBM) blog, the 2022-11-04 version fixed a known issue where the ISO did not work with VMware. However, it seems that this fix may not have been carried over to later versions, or there could be a regression in the newer PBM6-EFI versions.

backrooms

#4

Boot Managers / Re: plop 5 boots from USB only...

Last post by tynsa - September 25, 2024, 04:24:18 AM

Hello,
I fought long and hard to get Plop bootmanager 5.0.14 working again. I have a quite old computer, Intel Q6600, mobo is MSI-Neo3-FR. The motherboard frequently boots some WinPE-usb-sticks too slow (Sergej Strelec, Hirens Boot cd etc.), so booting them takes more than 11 minutes.
My old solution was that I first booted PLOP from the first usb-stick, then used PLOP to boot the second usb-stick with the WinPE-stuff on it. This worked for a while, but mysteriously, it stopped working recently.

So, yes I am booting stick1-> PLOP menu -> "USB-boot" -> boot from stick 2 -> ventoy boot menu -> Sergej Strelec ISO (will now boot FAST!)

Well, I found out why it stopped working. I converted my old sticks from FAT32 to NTFS with the command  "conv x: /fs:ntfs" , but when you boot a PLOP boot menu usb stick from NTFS, the PLOP boot manager _will_ show up, but when you tell him to boot from USB, PLOP will scan for all USB devices and then freeze in the middle. The starfield will stop, the keyboard will be unresponsive, you can't do anything anymore.
snow rider 3d
Can you make PLOP work with NTFS again ?

If you're determined to keep the sticks in NTFS for their storage benefits, you can try using a different boot manager that supports NTFS better, such as:

Ventoy (since you're already using Ventoy for ISO booting): You could directly boot Ventoy from your first USB stick, which has strong NTFS support. This could eliminate the need for Plop altogether.

#5

Boot Managers / Re: himem.sys ERROR: Unable to...

Last post by tynsa - September 18, 2024, 11:05:55 AM

slope

I've found a workaround for my himem.sys issue. If I load the plop iso with Isoemu dos seems to work pretty well and is effectively as easy as loading it straight from the windows boot menu. Plus, to update to a new version of plop just overwrite the iso file with the new one.

I applied this tip and I found it to be a good, effective solution.

#6

Boot Managers / Re: Toshiba Satellite 2400 (Pe...

Last post by leastperson - September 04, 2024, 06:40:12 AM

Try to format the usb-stick with the WinSetupFromUSB program with the "Auto format it with FBinst" option enabled. And select the fat32 file system, the other parameters are by default.
drift boss

#7

Boot Managers / Re: Idea: write executables in...

Last post by Elmar - September 01, 2024, 21:24:16 PM

Thanks for you input.

Added in the new release 

#8

Boot Managers / Re: configure vmware workstati...

Last post by mariarivera - July 27, 2024, 09:15:03 AM

I want to try a lot of tutorials as given here windows tutorials (tutorial index) https://www.tenforums.com/tutorials/1977-windows-10-tutorial-index.html
So I need to prepare a lot of live USB sticks or USB sticks in the formats in which tutorials mention. Most of these tutorials that I want to try are windows installation media creation, creating recovery disks creating custom partitions etc. I want to try them first on virtual machines then want to try the steps on real hardware.
I read a tutorial here https://www.virten.net/2014/12/howto-usb-boot-a-vm-in-vmware-workstation-11/  for usb booting in VMware.
Here is how my virtual machine settings look like.

I power on the firmware and see the boot options

configure boot options

add boot options

No USB  boot options


So the question is how do I configure vmware workstation 15 so that I can boot using USB sticks.
I tried using plop boot ISO also
I downloaded from this page
https://www.plop.at/en/bootmanager/download.html
I downloaded package
https://download.plop.at/files/bootmngr/plpbt-5.0.15.zip/rice purity test   
tried putting it as an ISO to boot




I selected the plpt iso (which is probably plop boot manager ISO)


how to configue vmware workstation 15 to boot a virtual machine from a bootable usb drive.
There was no effect of using plpt boot ISO. What next can I try?
I am using Vmware Workstation 15 Pro 15.1.0 build-13591040.

To boot from a USB in VMware Workstation 15:

Connect USB: Plug in your USB drive.
Edit VM Settings: Go to Edit > Virtual Machine Settings.
Add USB Controller: Ensure a USB controller is added.
Select USB Drive: Under Removable Devices, choose your USB.
Boot from USB: Power on the VM, enter BIOS, and set USB as the first boot option.
If using Plop, load its ISO first, then select the USB option.

#9

Boot Managers / Re: PBM6 latest floppy image d...

Last post by tynsa - July 24, 2024, 03:58:55 AM

I've downloaded and It works perfectly!

geometry dash subzero

#10

Boot Managers / Re: Idea: write executables in...

Last post by billiardselder - July 23, 2024, 06:28:47 AM

This is probably also a good idea. I will try to do that and see how it goes.