Omnibook 430- Other Operating Systems

[Bill (Smithville NJ)]

(12-26-2016 03:51 PM)Dave Britten Wrote:  Bill, what's your process for installing operating systems on the OB? I've got a 2.0 ROM card coming via ebay for use with my 300. I was assuming I would use VirtualBox on my desktop, mount the USB-attached CF card reader as the VM's hard drive (or something like that), and run the OS installation there. Is there a simpler or more effective way to do it? Also, what about drivers for the mouse and battery gauge when performing your own fresh installation of DOS 6.22 and Win 3.1? Do I need to extract those from my 1.1 ROM first, and install them by hand after switching to 2.0? (Not sure how/if that would work, given the 1.1 ROM is largely execute-in-place binaries.)

My end goal is to have DOS 6.22 with Win 3.1 running in 386-enhanced mode so I can have more conventional memory, and multitask multiple DOS programs. My 300 has 8 MB RAM, so I think it's up to the task.

Hi Dave,

I have sent you a PM.

I never tried a system 2.0 (ie, OB430) card in the OB-300. Not sure if it would work or not.

The method I used to install the operation systems on the Compact Flash for use in the OB-430 was the following:

CPM-86 -
Put the card in the OB-430. Boot to D-Drive. Have a CF card in the A slot with f-disk, format, etc on it. Fdisk the CF card in the C-drive. I was using a 32mb CF card, so, I created a 20MB partition. Them format that partition with Format /s. That leaves some space for the CPM partition.

Remove card, and put into older computer with IDE/CF adapter. Use a CP/M boot disk to boot into CP/M. Use HDmaint to create an 8 mb partion on the CF Card. Copy CP/M files to Card.

Put card back into OB-430 and boot up - it may boot to Dos or CP/M depending on which partition is set active. You can use utility SETBOOT to select a partition to make active.

Xenix - Use old computer again. Create a full set of Floppy Xenix 386 disks. Boot Xenix and install to CF Card. I also created a small 32mb Dos 3.2 partition so that I could copy files to/from the Xenix partition.

Slackware Linux 7.1 - This can be totally done on the OB430. I used a 4GB Microdrive. Fdisk and format standard dos partition - this will be 540mb - the maximum dos can do on the OB. Use a CF/USB adapter to copy the zip linux to the CF card. Also copy the install disks to a directory. You can then boot the zip Linux (UMBS file system). Once Linux is booted, you can use the Linux tools to create Linux native partitions on the remaining 3.5gb Microdrive space. The Zip slack system can be moved to the new partition. You can boot to dos, then boot Linux. You can then also install any other parts of the Operation systems from the install disks you had copied to the dos partition. Once Zip Linux has been moved to the Linux Partition, you can delete the files from the Dos side. You would use LOADLIN to boot from dos to the Linux Partition.

I never tried using VirtualBox to create the CF systems. It should work.

The big question is whether the OB-430 Rom Card will work in the OB-300. I don't think it will since I seem to remember that the OB-300 always boots from a boot loader on the OB-300 Rom card and that this boot loaded is not on the OB-430 card. If I remember correctly, the OB-300 does NOT boot from the boot sector on the CF card - but always from the ROM card, even when booting to the C-Drive.

I'll be interested in hearing what you discover.

Bill
Smithville, NJ