Hi there!
First a short introduction, so you can see where I'm coming from (or actually, the hardware I'm trying to use Plop boot manager on).
I have a Gateway Connected Touchpad (hereinafter referred to as GCTP).
It was developed back in y2000. Manufactured by Gateway Computer, sponsored by AOL.
It was a locked down system consisting on a TRANSMETA CRUSOE (x86 compat) TM4200 CPU, 64MB of RAM, USB 1.x, a MiniPCI slot, and a CF slot. Thanks to an IDE header, people in the modding scene liked to buy the $99 GCTP (often used on eBay) then solder an IDE header and run a 2.5" IDE laptop HD on it with Win98. Anything above Win98SE gave the unit the fits.
Also, the unit was notorious for NOT letting people get into the BIOS. Apparently the guys at Gateway LOCKED DOWN the BIOS so getting to the CMOS screen is not possible.
As a result, the unit can't change boot order, boot from USB (probably code isn't in the BIOS to begin with), or accept any Compactflash card larger than 512MB (probably due to hardcoded CHS/LBA settings).
Well, since the best I could get installed on a CF card what I thought of doing is installing PLOP on a 32MB CF, then using it to boot a Pen drive from USB 1.x (I will later add a USB 2.0 controller to the MiniPCI bus, but first things first(.
Well, it should work, except that I CANNOT SEE the PLOP menu.
Apparently Gateway set up the unit Bios so teh Gateway logo is left on the screen and all on screen messages are supressed. If you boot Win98 (say from a 2.5" HD) you only see the transition from the ("semi-graphics mode") Gateway bios logo to the Win98 logo, no text messages.
When you load Plop, however, you know PLOP has been loaded, IF you set it to use 80x50 text mode and no animation...
IF you set 80x50 mode with custom fonts, animation, 640x480, or anything higher, what Plop does is REBOOT the unit.
So definitely there's somethign about the way PLOP boot manager handles graphics switching that the GCTP BIOS doesn't like.
QUESTION: is there ANY way to have a "drastic screen clearing" code to the beginning of PLOP so that it makes 100% sure that the dreaded Gateway logo is erased and the display set to the basic text mode (80x25, like doing a "MODE CO80,25" from a dos prompt) BEFORE it loads the current code?.
Using VESA 1.0 calls would be advisable, I think, althought I'm not even sure this unit has VESA VBE calls in place (I could load dos and check, if you tell me what tools to use).
Thanks
FC