Bochs-2.4.5

[KusaNoKaito]

Bochs (pronounced "box") is a portable x86 and x86-64 IBM PC compatible emulator and debugger mostly written in C++ and distributed as free software under GNU Lesser General Public License. It supports emulation of the processor(s) (including protected mode), memory, disks, display, Ethernet, BIOS and common hardware peripherals of PCs.

Many guest operating systems can be run using the emulator including DOS, several versions of Microsoft Windows, BSDs, Linux, Xenix, AmigaOS, Rhapsody and MorphOS. Bochs can run on many host operating systems, like Windows, Windows Mobile, Linux and Mac OS X

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[mahaju]

I am new to this and this looks interesting
could you please post details on how to use this?
I tried to run puppy (Version lupu-511.iso) in Boschs but can't get it to work
I have tried editing the "bochsrc.bxrc" of the supplied dlxlinux OS, but can't seem to get it to work

Specifically, when I right click on "bochsrc.bxrc" --> Debugger --> Edit the properties of Disk & Boot --> ATA Channel 0 --> First HD/CD on Channel 0 and browse for the "lupu-511.iso" under Path or physical device name, I get the message on the PANIC dialogue box "ata0-0 disk size doesn't match specified geometry" while in the Device field it shows [HD ]

I am completely new to this and have no idea how this works so I need detailed steps of configuring this software. Please post them if you have them or direct me to some helpful webpage

Thanks in advance

[KusaNoKaito]

There is this helpful tutorial on the project's website.

Bochs is a tricky one, the best way to learn it is just to play around with the examples.

Also it does not work with all iso,s and boot images and it doesn't seem to work the same way in every computer.

(you don't have to add the ".bxrc" at the end of your bochrc)

To boot most iso,s I use a bochrc like the example below, if you want to try it just change the "c.iso" to the name of the iso you are trying to boot.

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ata0-master: type=cdrom, path="c.iso", status=inserted
boot: cdrom

[mahaju]

Hello
I deleted everything in the boschrc file and copied your two lines of code and it seems to work (at least puppy image tries to boot). But I have some questions. The simulations seems to stop (actually, perhaps it is in some sort of internal infinite loop, as the IPS count keeps increasing and a small section labeled CD-0:M in the status bar keeps blinking green) but nothing seems to happen after this screen (I have attached a screenshot). Moreover, after a while the simulation screen seems to get cleared as the message pair

unknown register 0x179
unknown register 0x17a

continues to appear repeatedly after long gaps
What should I do? Should I download some older puppy image files or is there any other configuration changes that I may make?

Also, in the second line of the simulation screen it says Searching for puppy files on disk and it says "Done". Is it actually detecting the .sfs file that I have in another drive from a frugal install? I don't think that's possible but I'm asking you just to be sure. By the way, which puppy image do you use?

Thanks for your help

[mahaju]

Sorry to post another message so soon, but I have been trying this with ReactOS, Slax and dsl (Damn Small Linux), and non of them seem to work. Each one seems to exhibit a problem of it's own type. What should I do?

[amigo]

I'd use qemu instead -it is more reliable, easier and will run faster as well.
My first experience with linux was with it running inside MacBochs, but I wouldn't fool with it now that there is qemu.

[mahaju]

Hi thanks for your replys
I found another software called VMWare Player
The link is somewhere in the puppy forums but I can't quite remember where
However I think a Google search for "VMWare Player" should bring it forward
I have found it works quite well and fast on my computer (3.2GHz P4 with 1.49GB RAM) running Win XP Profession Version 2002 and SP2. I have successfully run Puppy (lupu-511), ReactOS, Slax, Damn Small Linux and an Ubuntu version. However, I think the Ubuntu version is somewhat optimized for VMWare and I'm not sure what would be the performance level on the real Ubuntu or other bigger distros such as Fedora or Red Hat, or any version of Windows. However like I said above, it very comfortably runs less resource hungry distros like Puppy.
I would also like to try qemu. If you have any information about it then please share it here

Thanks

[KusaNoKaito]

Hello
I deleted everything in the boschrc file and copied your two lines of code and it seems to work (at least puppy image tries to boot). But I have some questions. The simulations seems to stop (actually, perhaps it is in some sort of internal infinite loop, as the IPS count keeps increasing and a small section labeled CD-0:M in the status bar keeps blinking green) but nothing seems to happen after this screen (I have attached a screenshot). Moreover, after a while the simulation screen seems to get cleared as the message pair

unknown register 0x179
unknown register 0x17a

continues to appear repeatedly after long gaps
What should I do? Should I download some older puppy image files or is there any other configuration changes that I may make?

Also, in the second line of the simulation screen it says Searching for puppy files on disk and it says "Done". Is it actually detecting the .sfs file that I have in another drive from a frugal install? I don't think that's possible but I'm asking you just to be sure. By the way, which puppy image do you use?

Thanks for your help

I've never tried to boot puppy with any kind of virtualisation program, with a frugal install already on my hard drive, so I don't really know if it's trying to use the .sfs on your drive. (that probably would not happen if you where using virtual box)

I have however had problems with puppy live CDs using the sfs files on my hard drive, there is a easy solution: before the CD or ISO begins to load the OS type "puppy pfix=ram" and that should stop it from searching for any .sfs on your HDD.

Hi thanks for your replys
I found another software called VMWare Player
The link is somewhere in the puppy forums but I can't quite remember where
However I think a Google search for "VMWare Player" should bring it forward
I have found it works quite well and fast on my computer (3.2GHz P4 with 1.49GB RAM) running Win XP Profession Version 2002 and SP2. I have successfully run Puppy (lupu-511), ReactOS, Slax, Damn Small Linux and an Ubuntu version. However, I think the Ubuntu version is somewhat optimized for VMWare and I'm not sure what would be the performance level on the real Ubuntu or other bigger distros such as Fedora or Red Hat, or any version of Windows. However like I said above, it very comfortably runs less resource hungry distros like Puppy.
I would also like to try qemu. If you have any information about it then please share it here

Thanks

I personally have never used qemu, but it can be found here. (I'm gonna try to compile it, if I succeed, I'll post a .pet)

[mahaju]

I have however had problems with puppy live CDs using the sfs files on my hard drive, there is a easy solution: before the CD or ISO begins to load the OS type "puppy pfix=ram" and that should stop it from searching for any .sfs on your HDD.

Also, Puppy can be made to look for the sfs file in specific locations using the parameter pmedia
The details can be found here
http://pupweb.org/wikka/BootParms?show_comments=1

Hope this helps someone

[linuxcbon]

I tried Bochs 2.6 on windows with

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boot: cdrom
ata0-master: type=cdrom, path="C:\LINUX\precise-5.4.90.iso", status=inserted

It boots puppy then it stops at "Making the filesystem usable... depmod". Bochs errors are

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[CPU0 ] RDMSR: Unknown register 0x179
[CPU0 ] RDMSR: Unknown register 0x17a