Recent Posts

91

Boot Managers / using plop as a program started by a ms-dos bootable floppy disk

« Last post by floppyloadsusb on May 05, 2019, 22:32:55 PM »

hi there,

i have used plop boot manager so far to boot usb pendrives on 1 computer. it works great. it's mainboard and bios won't start from usb, only optical, hdd/sdd (i used an adapter to connect s-ata ssd's to the ide-port it's the digitus s-ata ide adapter https://www.digitus.info/de/produkte/computer-zubehoer-und-komponenten/computer-zubehoer/io-karten/ds-33150-1/ ) and floppy. it's easy to boot from dvd but i don't want to burn everytime a new DVD-RW i prefer using a pendive, it's just faster and easier on newer machines. the one pc is using an athlon xp cpu non-sse1 1 gb ram 32-bit lubuntu windows xp dual boot. since there is no need for floppy anymore, i use it with plop boot manager to boot usb pendrives and it works flawlessly. i don't like it throwing away working stuff.

i have another pc, strange thing. using a BTX case won't be produced anymore the floppy drive was faulty i couldn't format it under windows xp (it has only windows xp pro at the moment). the new floppy drive allows writing and formatting and even creating a ms-dos bootable floppy also it seems that installling plop boot manager this way https://www.plop.at/de/bootmanager/mbrinstall.html#fatinst works but it simply don't show up. i also used the floppy from the frist pc but plop boot manager won't show up. maybe this floppy drive is also faulty? no. i created a ms-dos bootable floppy and put plpinst.com and plpinstc.com both and the floppy and could start them. but the screen text won't help me because it's only possble to install plop on hdd from there. is there a possibility to start plop boot manager like a dos-program from ms-dos (or even free dos)?

maybe supergrub on floppy will help me. i will try that too for the future.

it's indeed some rubbish idea that i am doing i mean i could just boot everything from usb but since i had great experience with plop on floppy on the first pc i would like to give all floppies and floppy drives a chance to be used as a global boot manager.

the captcha codes are hardcore here.

92

Boot Managers / Using micro SD to boot Windows 10 on Nextbook

« Last post by frggyone212@yahoo.com on April 27, 2019, 01:54:45 AM »

I am no kind of programmer, just a middle aged mom with time on her hands and wanted to see if I could... I am trying to upgrade a Nextbook NXW10QC32G from Windows 8.1 to 10.  My terminology may not be correct, but I hope you can follow my train of thought.  First, not enough storage on the tablet to do a traditional download for the upgrade.  I came across this website:  https://www.groovypost.com/howto/howto/create-a-windows-bootable-install-sd-card-or-usb-flash-drive/ and have successfully followed the path to creating the bootable micro SD.  Problem is, the detachable keyboard no longer works, so I am unable to use the F2 key on start up to boot Windows 10 from the micro SD.  I cannot figure out another way to accomplish this.  So, I am looking for any way to get my HOURS of diligence to pay off.  I don't know if your 'Plop' software would help, but thought it worth a shot to post here in hopes that someone would see and offer me a possible solution.  ANY suggestions are welcome....

93

Boot Managers / Re: Plop not detecting OS on external SSD or Flash Drive (formatted as MBR)

« Last post by Golffies on April 25, 2019, 15:22:18 PM »

Hello !

I went a little deeper into the issue of USB ports and hubs. I would have liked to have given a more precise answer in the case you were describing.

Each USB controller has a roothub, to which several physical ports can be connected by the same bus; all ports connected to the same controller will then have to share the bandwidth of the same bus.

Motherboard designers adopt a more efficient design, and choose to connect the USB ports to different controllers, when they are available on the chipset, in order to provide dedicated bandwidth for each port, or for each group of two ports for example.


All this to confirm that the "hubs" you see on your machine are quite normal, these are the roothubs through which the ports are connected to the controllers, and they are found on all machines. They should not prevent the Plop's boot manager from working.

94

Boot Managers / Re: bootmanager missing

« Last post by Golffies on April 25, 2019, 15:07:38 PM »

Hello !

I guess you are talking about Plop's boot manager, not Grub's, aren't you? I answer to you under the assumption.

Generally speaking, after having lost Plop's boot loader, because it became overwritten in the MBR by Window's one, the fix is easy to do: reboot your host from Plop's boot CD, follow the usual procedure to install Plop on the MBR, restart once again from the HDD et voilà! Plop's MBR loader is smart enough to find back its binary code and past settings from the first 32KB clusters on the HDD, where for historical reasons there is no regular data written here. At that point, you should have got back the Plop splash screen which you are familiar with.

As you said to have installed a new OS on the host (not sure to understand which one, kubuntu or W7), your partition settings in Plop's boot manager setup might have to be adapted to the new environment.

Hope this helps.

95

Boot Managers / Re: Windows 7 USB Error

« Last post by Golffies on April 25, 2019, 14:53:17 PM »

Hello !

You have been facing the problem for 5 years now. We find your question asked in 2014 on a Windows forum.

BR - bradserio - Installing win7 from usb
Hi.  Is anyone out there familiar with Linex?  I am trying to install win7 from usb but 'boot from usb' is not an option.  Tried PLOP but got error message: plpa20!  Now I'm trying Knoppix but don't know what to do.  Yes, I contacted Knoppix.  No answer yet.  TYVM.

When does the error message appear at startup? Are you sure it comes from Plop? After the error message, can you go back without restarting the machine?

I ask these questions because I don't know this error message. Elmar, the author, could tell us more perhaps.

As a general rule, I don't like to answer next to the question. But in your case, in order to solve a problem that has been unresolved for so long, I suggest installing an IDE/PATA DVD drive on your desktop, to install Windows without requiring a boot from the USB port.

My two cents.

96

Boot Managers / bootmanager missing

« Last post by fernand on April 14, 2019, 16:29:01 PM »

Hi everybody,

I've a problem to start my kubuntu os. My host is a win 7 home edition and i install
a kubuntu in a dual bootsystem. After installing kubuntu I don't see anymore the bootmanager
so that I can only start windows 7 home premium. What can I do to install the bootmanager
again so that I can choose between windows 7 or kubuntu.
Many thanks for your help.

Fernand   

97

Boot Managers / Windows 7 USB Error

« Last post by cbkoch13 on March 23, 2019, 17:51:23 PM »

I have an old desktop whose BIOS does not boot from a USB. I have trying using PLOP to install Windows 7 from a USB and keep getting the error 'plpA20!'. I did not get this error when booting Ubuntu from a USB. Any suggestions?

98

Boot Managers / Re: Plop not detecting OS on external SSD or Flash Drive (formatted as MBR)

« Last post by Golffies on March 20, 2019, 14:35:19 PM »

We may have at least one first answer. From the doc:

PlopKexec is based on a Linux Kernel and can load only other Linux kernels!


It explains why you cannot boot Windows from the PlopKexec boot manager.

Coming back to your assumption that your motherboard makes use of an embedded USB hub, which prevents you from successfully booting with the Plop (regular) boot manager, it might worth to be double checked. Your USB controler(s) may present more than one bus. But we may be wrong at concluding this is an embedded "hub". According to my limited practical knowledge, each "bus" is hard linked to selected USB ports (the type A female sockets which we plug our devices to), and the device number is non relevant, assigned on the fly, each time we plug-unplug-replug a device, whatever the USB port/socket chosen. For instance, two USB ports on the right rear may be linked to bus #3 and two others on the left rear may be linked to bus #2. It is the way they are soldered on the motherboard which commands to which bus they belong. However, I am not sure there is an "internal hub" here.

You may give a try to the Plop boot manager once more.

99

Boot Managers / Re: Plop System Requirements For 486

« Last post by Elmar on March 15, 2019, 11:56:49 AM »

Hello,

minimum is 18 MB RAM.

Best regards
Elmar

100

Boot Managers / Plop System Requirements For 486

« Last post by 486er on March 13, 2019, 12:47:37 PM »

I tried to install Plop 5.0.15 using a floppy disk by using an image writer so the floppy is correct but after install (the installer says it installed correctly) I choose number 9 to reboot but it freezes/hangs after my DDO software is loaded, DDO - Dynamic Drive Overlay to enable a larger HDD on a 486, I thought it was the DDO software so I did a test with another HDD without DDO and it hangs as well. Ive got a 486DX2 66MHz with 16MB ram what is the system requirements for Plop ive looked for it but I cant find it. I have tried text mode too but it still hangs.