On Jul 31, 2009, at 9:53 PM, Ryan Rix wrote:

> On Fri 31 July 2009 8:07:17 pm Trent Shipley wrote:
>> (Dell's site does recommend
>> updating the BIOS for my motherboard but their program won't run from
>> a CD and I couldn't figure out how to make a bootable DOS flash
>> drive)
>
> WHY doesn't it run from CD? What type of tool -is- it?
>

It wouldn't run from CD because it wanted to write back to the  
installation media.

> I've made a few before DOS boot flashes before. The easiest way is,  
> imo,
> http://www.fdos.org/bootdisks/ the OEM CD Builder assistant
> http://www.fdos.org/bootdisks/ISO/FDOEMCD.builder.zip <-- direct link
>
> 1) Extract that.
> 2) Add the DOS file to CDBTDSK/
> 3) Edit AUTORUN.BAT to autostart the DOS file you added.
> 4) Run wine bfi.exe -t=3 -f=CDROOT\isolinux\BTDSK.IMG -l=FDOEM - 
> b=BOOTSECT.FD
> CDBTDSK
> I've yet to find a bfi for GNU/Linux though it sounds like the  
> source /may/ be
> available from mkbtdsk.bat
> 5) Run mkisofs -o fdoem.iso -b isolinux/isolinux.bin -no-emul-boot - 
> boot-load-
> size 4 -boot-info-table -N -J -r -c boot.catalog -hide boot.catalog - 
> hide-
> joliet boot.catalog CDROOT
> That's one command, I took it out of makeiso.bat in that zip file.
> 6) download UNetBootIn from http://unetbootin.sf.net
> 7) Fire it up, select the ISO image you've created (fdoem.iso) and  
> your drive,
> and install the iso to your flash drive.
> 8) reboot and tell your BIOS to boot into that USB drive.
> 9) After Freedos loads, it will automatically run your BIOS utility.
>
> I can't guarantee this will work on $hardware or $software, but I've  
> done it
> before. I think the only variable is bfi, which may or may not work  
> in wine.
> You /could/ try ReactOS or that other one in a VirtualBox/QEMU  
> session, but
> YMMV FOR SURE!
>
> Ryan
>
> *disclaimer: This post may cause damage to your flashdrive. Back up  
> the MBR of
> the drive as unetbootin will edit it to make it bootable. These  
> directions
> worked for me, but will NOT work for you. if you are up to hacking  
> on it, feel
> free, otherwise, I'm not really providing any support for it. This  
> post may
> cause other damage, though I doubt it; if you manage to make this  
> work in
> GNU/Linux, my congratulations, elsewise, you probably won't have a  
> boot disk
> to work with at all, and no harm will be done, but I don't think I'm  
> going to
> help you make it happen. I'm just giving you the tools.
>
> -- 
> ---
> Ryan Rix
> (623)-826-0051
>
> quit   When the quit statement is read, the  bc  processor
>       is  terminated, regardless of where the quit state-
>       ment is found.  For example, "if  (0  ==  1)  quit"
>       will cause bc to terminate.
> 	-- seen in the manpage for "bc". Note the "if" statement's logic
>
> http://hackersramblings.wordpress.com | http://twitter.com/ 
> phrkonaleash
> XMPP: phrkonaleash@gmail.com          | MSN: phrkonaleash@yahoo.com
> AIM:  phrkonaleash                    | Yahoo: phrkonaleash
> IRC:  PhrkOnLsh@irc.freenode.net/#srcedit,#teensonlinux,#plugaz and
>      countless other FOSS channels.
> ---------------------------------------------------
> PLUG-discuss mailing list - PLUG-discuss@lists.plug.phoenix.az.us
> To subscribe, unsubscribe, or to change your mail settings:
> http://lists.PLUG.phoenix.az.us/mailman/listinfo/plug-discuss

---------------------------------------------------
PLUG-discuss mailing list - PLUG-discuss@lists.plug.phoenix.az.us
To subscribe, unsubscribe, or to change your mail settings:
http://lists.PLUG.phoenix.az.us/mailman/listinfo/plug-discuss