Hi,
I've started to work through the book "Writing DOS Device Drivers" and I got stuck at assembling the SimpleDriver.asm
If you don't know the book, the whole code is below.
I've searched the forum but I didn't find anything.
Although I find it hard to believe that such a thread doesn't exist somewhere here.
This is the code (it's supposed to only make a beep sound)
;************************************************************
;* This is a simple Device Driver *
;************************************************************
;************************************************************
;* INSTRUCTING THE ASSEMBLER *
;************************************************************
cseg segment para public 'code'
simple proc far
assume cs:cseg,es:cseg,ds:cseg
;************************************************************
;* MAIN PROCEDURE CODE *
;************************************************************
begin:
;************************************************************
;* DEVICE HEADER REQUIRED BY DOS *
;************************************************************
next_dev dd -1
attribute dw 2000h
strategy dw dev_strategy
interrupt dw dev_int
dev_name db 'SIMPLE$ '
;************************************************************
;* WORK SPACE FOR OUR DEVICE DRIVER *
;************************************************************
rh_off dw ?
rh_seg dw ?
msgl db 07h
db 'The Waite Group Simple Device Driver! '
db 0dh,0ah,07h,'$'
;************************************************************
;* THE STRATEGY PROCEDURE *
;************************************************************
dev_strategy:
mov cs:rh_seg,es
mov cs:rh_off,bx
ret
;************************************************************
;* THE INTERRUPT PROCEDURE *
;************************************************************
dev_int:
cld
push ds
push es
push ax
push bx
push cx
push dx
push di
push si
mov al,es:[bx]+2
cmp al,0
jnz exit3
rol al,1
lea di,cmdtab
mov ah,0
add di,ax
jmp word ptr[di]
cmdtab label byte
dw init
;************************************************************
;* YOUR LOCAL PROCEDURES *
;************************************************************
initial proc near
lea dx,msgl
mov ah,9
int 21h
ret
initial endp
;************************************************************
;* DOS COMMAND PROCESSING *
;************************************************************
init: call initial
jmp exit2
;************************************************************
;* ERROR EXIT *
;************************************************************
exit3: mov es:word ptr 3[bx],8103h
jmp exit1
;************************************************************
;* COMMON EXIT *
;************************************************************
exit2:
mov es:word ptr 3[bx],0100h
exit1: mov bx,cs:rh_off
mov es,cs:rh_seg
exit0: pop si
pop di
pop dx
pop cx
pop bx
pop ax
pop es
pop ds
ret
;************************************************************
;* END OF PROGRAM *
;************************************************************
simple endp
cseg ends
end begin
; program end
MASM32 gave the following errors:
error A2006: undefined symbol : begin
error A2148: invalid symbol type in expression : begin
It's not a spelling error, so what is it?
Thanks in advance,
Earnie
You need to get rid of the "simple proc/simple endp" pair as they will make the "begin" symbol local to the PROCedure, either that or make begin public.
The code was designed for MASM 5.1, you can assemble it with MASM 6.xx by using the /Zm command line option.
ie ML /Zm simple.asm
How do I make it public?
Quote from: Earnie on July 15, 2010, 07:28:32 PM
How do I make it public?
Use "begin equ $" instead of "begin:", or Use MASM 5.1 or Use MASM 6.xx with /Zm or get rid of the PROC/ENDP pair.
A) Getting rid of the pair
That caused an additional "error A2008: syntax error : begin" at the location where I mentioned begin the first time.
B) begin equ $
Caused only one error: "error A2148: invalid symbol type in expression : begin" at the location where I mentioned begin the second time.
I just wrote "begin equ $" instead of "begin :"
Thanks for the help so far, but what now? :-( Is there a chance without installing another version?
BTW, I'm using the MASM32 SDK from masm32.com and I'm assembling in the program qeditor.exe
this should work:
begin = $
...
end OFFSET begin
Quote from: Earnie on July 15, 2010, 08:02:28 PM
A) Getting rid of the pair
That caused an additional "error A2008: syntax error : begin" at the location where I mentioned begin the first time.
Ok, well no errors here with MASM 6.14
ml -Fl -c test31.asmTEST31.ASM
;************************************************************
;* This is a simple Device Driver *
;************************************************************
;************************************************************
;* INSTRUCTING THE ASSEMBLER *
;************************************************************
cseg segment para public 'code'
assume cs:cseg,es:cseg,ds:cseg
;************************************************************
;* MAIN PROCEDURE CODE *
;************************************************************
begin:
;************************************************************
;* DEVICE HEADER REQUIRED BY DOS *
;************************************************************
next_dev dd -1
attribute dw 2000h
strategy dw dev_strategy
interrupt dw dev_int
dev_name db 'SIMPLE$ '
;************************************************************
;* WORK SPACE FOR OUR DEVICE DRIVER *
;************************************************************
rh_off dw ?
rh_seg dw ?
msgl db 07h
db 'The Waite Group Simple Device Driver! '
db 0dh,0ah,07h,'$'
;************************************************************
;* THE STRATEGY PROCEDURE *
;************************************************************
dev_strategy:
mov cs:rh_seg,es
mov cs:rh_off,bx
ret
;************************************************************
;* THE INTERRUPT PROCEDURE *
;************************************************************
dev_int:
cld
push ds
push es
push ax
push bx
push cx
push dx
push di
push si
mov al,es:[bx]+2
cmp al,0
jnz exit3
rol al,1
lea di,cmdtab
mov ah,0
add di,ax
jmp word ptr[di]
cmdtab label byte
dw init
;************************************************************
;* YOUR LOCAL PROCEDURES *
;************************************************************
initial proc near
lea dx,msgl
mov ah,9
int 21h
ret
initial endp
;************************************************************
;* DOS COMMAND PROCESSING *
;************************************************************
initx equ $
init: call initial
jmp exit2
;************************************************************
;* ERROR EXIT *
;************************************************************
exit3: mov es:word ptr 3[bx],8103h
jmp exit1
;************************************************************
;* COMMON EXIT *
;************************************************************
exit2:
mov es:word ptr 3[bx],0100h
exit1: mov bx,cs:rh_off
mov es,cs:rh_seg
exit0: pop si
pop di
pop dx
pop cx
pop bx
pop ax
pop es
pop ds
ret
;************************************************************
;* END OF PROGRAM *
;************************************************************
cseg ends
end begin
; program endTEST31.LST
Microsoft (R) Macro Assembler Version 6.14.8444 07/15/10 15:17:49
test31.asm Page 1 - 1
;************************************************************
;* This is a simple Device Driver *
;************************************************************
;************************************************************
;* INSTRUCTING THE ASSEMBLER *
;************************************************************
0000 cseg segment para public 'code'
assume cs:cseg,es:cseg,ds:cseg
;************************************************************
;* MAIN PROCEDURE CODE *
;************************************************************
0000 begin:
;************************************************************
;* DEVICE HEADER REQUIRED BY DOS *
;************************************************************
0000 FFFFFFFF next_dev dd -1
0004 2000 attribute dw 2000h
0006 0041 R strategy dw dev_strategy
0008 004C R interrupt dw dev_int
000A 53 49 4D 50 4C 45 dev_name db 'SIMPLE$ '
24 20
;************************************************************
;* WORK SPACE FOR OUR DEVICE DRIVER *
;************************************************************
0012 0000 rh_off dw ?
0014 0000 rh_seg dw ?
0016 07 msgl db 07h
0017 54 68 65 20 57 61 db 'The Waite Group Simple Device Driver! '
69 74 65 20 47 72
6F 75 70 20 53 69
6D 70 6C 65 20 44
65 76 69 63 65 20
44 72 69 76 65 72
21 20
003D 0D 0A 07 24 db 0dh,0ah,07h,'$'
;************************************************************
;* THE STRATEGY PROCEDURE *
;************************************************************
0041 dev_strategy:
0041 2E: 8C 06 0014 R mov cs:rh_seg,es
0046 2E: 89 1E 0012 R mov cs:rh_off,bx
004B C3 ret
;************************************************************
;* THE INTERRUPT PROCEDURE *
;************************************************************
004C dev_int:
004C FC cld
004D 1E push ds
004E 06 push es
004F 50 push ax
0050 53 push bx
0051 51 push cx
0052 52 push dx
0053 57 push di
0054 56 push si
0055 26: 8A 47 02 mov al,es:[bx]+2
0059 3C 00 cmp al,0
005B 75 1C jnz exit3
005D D0 C0 rol al,1
005F 8D 3E 0069 R lea di,cmdtab
0063 B4 00 mov ah,0
0065 03 F8 add di,ax
0067 FF 25 jmp word ptr[di]
0069 cmdtab label byte
0069 0074 R dw init
;************************************************************
;* YOUR LOCAL PROCEDURES *
;************************************************************
006B initial proc near
006B 8D 16 0016 R lea dx,msgl
006F B4 09 mov ah,9
0071 CD 21 int 21h
0073 C3 ret
0074 initial endp
;************************************************************
;* DOS COMMAND PROCESSING *
;************************************************************
0074 = 0074 initx equ $
0074 E8 FFF4 init: call initial
0077 EB 08 jmp exit2
;************************************************************
;* ERROR EXIT *
;************************************************************
0079 26: C7 47 03 8103 exit3: mov es:word ptr 3[bx],8103h
007F EB 06 jmp exit1
;************************************************************
;* COMMON EXIT *
;************************************************************
0081 exit2:
0081 26: C7 47 03 0100 mov es:word ptr 3[bx],0100h
0087 2E: 8B 1E 0012 R exit1: mov bx,cs:rh_off
008C 2E: 8E 06 0014 R mov es,cs:rh_seg
0091 5E exit0: pop si
0092 5F pop di
0093 5A pop dx
0094 59 pop cx
0095 5B pop bx
0096 58 pop ax
0097 07 pop es
0098 1F pop ds
0099 C3 ret
;************************************************************
;* END OF PROGRAM *
;************************************************************
009A cseg ends
end begin
; program end
Quote from: Earnie
B) begin equ $
Caused only one error: "error A2148: invalid symbol type in expression : begin" at the location where I mentioned begin the second time.
I just wrote "begin equ $" instead of "begin :"
ml -Fl -c test33.asmTEST33.ASM
;************************************************************
;* This is a simple Device Driver *
;************************************************************
;************************************************************
;* INSTRUCTING THE ASSEMBLER *
;************************************************************
cseg segment para public 'code'
simple proc far
assume cs:cseg,es:cseg,ds:cseg
;************************************************************
;* MAIN PROCEDURE CODE *
;************************************************************
begin equ $
;************************************************************
;* DEVICE HEADER REQUIRED BY DOS *
;************************************************************
next_dev dd -1
attribute dw 2000h
strategy dw dev_strategy
interrupt dw dev_int
dev_name db 'SIMPLE$ '
;************************************************************
;* WORK SPACE FOR OUR DEVICE DRIVER *
;************************************************************
rh_off dw ?
rh_seg dw ?
msgl db 07h
db 'The Waite Group Simple Device Driver! '
db 0dh,0ah,07h,'$'
;************************************************************
;* THE STRATEGY PROCEDURE *
;************************************************************
dev_strategy:
mov cs:rh_seg,es
mov cs:rh_off,bx
ret
;************************************************************
;* THE INTERRUPT PROCEDURE *
;************************************************************
dev_int:
cld
push ds
push es
push ax
push bx
push cx
push dx
push di
push si
mov al,es:[bx]+2
cmp al,0
jnz exit3
rol al,1
lea di,cmdtab
mov ah,0
add di,ax
jmp word ptr[di]
cmdtab label byte
dw init
;************************************************************
;* YOUR LOCAL PROCEDURES *
;************************************************************
initial proc near
lea dx,msgl
mov ah,9
int 21h
ret
initial endp
;************************************************************
;* DOS COMMAND PROCESSING *
;************************************************************
init: call initial
jmp exit2
;************************************************************
;* ERROR EXIT *
;************************************************************
exit3: mov es:word ptr 3[bx],8103h
jmp exit1
;************************************************************
;* COMMON EXIT *
;************************************************************
exit2:
mov es:word ptr 3[bx],0100h
exit1: mov bx,cs:rh_off
mov es,cs:rh_seg
exit0: pop si
pop di
pop dx
pop cx
pop bx
pop ax
pop es
pop ds
ret
;************************************************************
;* END OF PROGRAM *
;************************************************************
simple endp
cseg ends
end begin
; program endTEST33.LST
Microsoft (R) Macro Assembler Version 6.14.8444 07/15/10 15:21:27
test33.asm Page 1 - 1
;************************************************************
;* This is a simple Device Driver *
;************************************************************
;************************************************************
;* INSTRUCTING THE ASSEMBLER *
;************************************************************
0000 cseg segment para public 'code'
0000 simple proc far
assume cs:cseg,es:cseg,ds:cseg
;************************************************************
;* MAIN PROCEDURE CODE *
;************************************************************
0000 = 0000 begin equ $
;************************************************************
;* DEVICE HEADER REQUIRED BY DOS *
;************************************************************
0000 FFFFFFFF next_dev dd -1
0004 2000 attribute dw 2000h
0006 0041 R strategy dw dev_strategy
0008 004C R interrupt dw dev_int
000A 53 49 4D 50 4C 45 dev_name db 'SIMPLE$ '
24 20
;************************************************************
;* WORK SPACE FOR OUR DEVICE DRIVER *
;************************************************************
0012 0000 rh_off dw ?
0014 0000 rh_seg dw ?
0016 07 msgl db 07h
0017 54 68 65 20 57 61 db 'The Waite Group Simple Device Driver! '
69 74 65 20 47 72
6F 75 70 20 53 69
6D 70 6C 65 20 44
65 76 69 63 65 20
44 72 69 76 65 72
21 20
003D 0D 0A 07 24 db 0dh,0ah,07h,'$'
;************************************************************
;* THE STRATEGY PROCEDURE *
;************************************************************
0041 dev_strategy:
0041 2E: 8C 06 0014 R mov cs:rh_seg,es
0046 2E: 89 1E 0012 R mov cs:rh_off,bx
004B CB ret
;************************************************************
;* THE INTERRUPT PROCEDURE *
;************************************************************
004C dev_int:
004C FC cld
004D 1E push ds
004E 06 push es
004F 50 push ax
0050 53 push bx
0051 51 push cx
0052 52 push dx
0053 57 push di
0054 56 push si
0055 26: 8A 47 02 mov al,es:[bx]+2
0059 3C 00 cmp al,0
005B 75 1C jnz exit3
005D D0 C0 rol al,1
005F 8D 3E 0069 R lea di,cmdtab
0063 B4 00 mov ah,0
0065 03 F8 add di,ax
0067 FF 25 jmp word ptr[di]
0069 cmdtab label byte
0069 0074 R dw init
;************************************************************
;* YOUR LOCAL PROCEDURES *
;************************************************************
006B initial proc near
006B 8D 16 0016 R lea dx,msgl
006F B4 09 mov ah,9
0071 CD 21 int 21h
0073 C3 ret
0074 initial endp
;************************************************************
;* DOS COMMAND PROCESSING *
;************************************************************
0074 E8 FFF4 init: call initial
0077 EB 08 jmp exit2
;************************************************************
;* ERROR EXIT *
;************************************************************
0079 26: C7 47 03 8103 exit3: mov es:word ptr 3[bx],8103h
007F EB 06 jmp exit1
;************************************************************
;* COMMON EXIT *
;************************************************************
0081 exit2:
0081 26: C7 47 03 0100 mov es:word ptr 3[bx],0100h
0087 2E: 8B 1E 0012 R exit1: mov bx,cs:rh_off
008C 2E: 8E 06 0014 R mov es,cs:rh_seg
0091 5E exit0: pop si
0092 5F pop di
0093 5A pop dx
0094 59 pop cx
0095 5B pop bx
0096 58 pop ax
0097 07 pop es
0098 1F pop ds
0099 CB ret
;************************************************************
;* END OF PROGRAM *
;************************************************************
009A simple endp
009A cseg ends
end begin
; program end
it has been a while since i wrote one of these, but one thing i do remember...
the strategy and interrupt routines are typed FAR
that means the RET instructions need to be RETF's
you can either specify RETF, or make the PROC's FAR...
dev_strategy PROC FAR
mov cs:rh_seg,es
mov cs:rh_off,bx
ret
dev_strategy ENDP
the assembler places a RETF automatically if it is a FAR PROC
all the RET's for the interrupt routine need to be FAR, as well
EDIT - also - i am not sure that a device attribute of 2000h is valid - as i said - it's been a while - lol
i think that makes it a block device
as i recall, if bit 15 is set, it is a character device
someplace, i have written a ram-disk and an ansi.sys driver - let me see if i can find them
Quote from: Earnie
or the help so far, but what now? :-( Is there a chance without installing another version?
BTW, I'm using the MASM32 SDK from masm32.com and I'm assembling in the program qeditor.exe
Be aware that you are attempting 16-DOS device drivers, which most of us haven't had to spend time on for 15 years.
MASM32 is a 32-bit package, and MASM 6.14 expects to be building 32-bit apps, linking with a 32-bit linker.
You will need to use the ML -c option to force it to compile(assemble) only, and use the 16-bit linker (LINK16.EXE in \MASM32\BIN).
Microsoft (R) Segmented Executable Linker Version 5.60.339 Dec 5 1994
Copyright (C) Microsoft Corp 1984-1993. All rights reserved.
Usage:
LINK
LINK @<response file>
LINK <objs>,<exefile>,<mapfile>,<libs>,<deffile>
Valid options are:
/? /ALIGNMENT
/BATCH /CODEVIEW
/CPARMAXALLOC /DOSSEG
/DSALLOCATE /DYNAMIC
/EXEPACK /FARCALLTRANSLATION
/HELP /HIGH
/INFORMATION /LINENUMBERS
/MAP /NODEFAULTLIBRARYSEARCH
/NOEXTDICTIONARY /NOFARCALLTRANSLATION
/NOGROUPASSOCIATION /NOIGNORECASE
/NOLOGO /NONULLSDOSSEG
/NOPACKCODE /NOPACKFUNCTIONS
/NOFREEMEM /OLDOVERLAY
/ONERROR /OVERLAYINTERRUPT
/PACKCODE /PACKDATA
/PACKFUNCTIONS /PAUSE
/PCODE /PMTYPE
/QUICKLIBRARY /SEGMENTS
/STACK /TINY
/WARNFIXUP
I'm gonna look at all this tomorrow (or the day after that, tomorrow is a busy day).
It's sleeping time for me now.
I'll be back.
See ya
Quote from: dedndave
the assembler places a RETF automatically if it is a FAR PROC
all the RET's for the interrupt routine need to be FAR, as well
EDIT - also - i am not sure that a device attribute of 2000h is valid - as i said - it's been a while - lol
i think that makes it a block device
as i recall, if bit 15 is set, it is a character device
Indeed, not sure this is a very good example of a driver, the "MS-DOS Programmer's Reference" might be a better source, or the "Advanced MS-DOS Programming: The Microsoft Guide for Assembly Language and C Programmers"
Most of mine were orders of magnitude more complex, with all the procedures defined independently/explicitly. And while MS-DOS (newer versions) will load .SYS files that are .EXE (MZ) files internally, they probably should be zero based (/TINY ?) because they were relatively flat (lacking multiple segments) as you typically put discardable initialization code at the back of the driver and truncate the size down. As I recalled I used MASM 5.x or TASM to build them.
here ya go - old-time stuff :P
one of each - a character device and a block device
i take no responsibility for appearance - lol
I put the original SimpleDriver.asm in the masm32\bin\ folder and tried
ml -Fl -c SimpleDriver.asm
Again, error A2008 and error A2006.
I then assembled the modified version
begin = $
...
end OFFSET begin
with the same command and it worked. I'm not sure though what "begin = $" actually does.
as the assembler generates code, it increments the "program counter" to keep track of the address
in masm, "$" inserts the current program counter value
begin = $
sets the value of the label "begin" to the current program counter address
"=" is similar to "EQU", except that values assigned with "=" may be re-assigned (altered)
values assigned using "EQU" are permanent and may not be re-assigned
it's also less typing :lol
in your code, "OFFSET begin" and "begin" should return the same thing
we usually use a code branch label for the END directive
code branch labels are similar....
start:
;some code here
end start
oh - another way is to use PROC to generate the code label
_main PROC
;main program
_main ENDP
END _main
also - DOS device drivers are a special case
the entry is always 0, even though there is no executable code at 0 (similar to ROMable code)
you might try...
END 0
or just
END
EXE2BIN will only accept entry point values of 0 or 100h
Thanks so far, but I can't test the code. I use Virtual PC to emulate DOS 6.22 and for that I need an .iso file. I wanted to include my driver.sys in the DOS6.22.iso but it didn't work. Problem is someone else though:
I loaded the DOS6.22.iso into WinImage and extracted it.
I didn't change anything.
Just loaded the whole folder into InfraRecorder (free burn software) and created another DOS6.22.iso
I then loaded the DOS6.22.iso into Virtual PC and restarted.
DOS did not load (which it did with the original DOS6.22.iso).
Do I have to use a special program to create the .iso ? Is there an easier way to develop and test a DOS driver?
I take it I have to emulate it or else I could damage something.
EDIT: I just noticed that the new file is only half the size of the original. Of course it didn't work.
creating a floppy is probably the easiest way - provided you have a floppy drive
if the iso has to be bootable (like a CD image), you might try googling "El Torito"
i have managed to manipulate an .iso file... so far so good...
I loaded it into Virtual PC and DOS started like it always did !
My config.sys only reads "DEVICE=DRIVER.SYS" now.
And nothing happens.
hard to say exactly what the problem is
but, post the code, and i'll have a look at it
oh - i take it you are creating a flat binary file, somehow
i used EXE2BIN.exe
OK, seems that the whole assembling process didn't work, although I thought it did
SimpleDriver.asm
;************************************************************
;* This is a simple Device Driver *
;************************************************************
;************************************************************
;* INSTRUCTING THE ASSEMBLER *
;************************************************************
cseg segment para public 'code'
simple proc far
assume cs:cseg,es:cseg,ds:cseg
;************************************************************
;* MAIN PROCEDURE CODE *
;************************************************************
begin = $
;************************************************************
;* DEVICE HEADER REQUIRED BY DOS *
;************************************************************
next_dev dd -1
attribute dw 2000h
strategy dw dev_strategy
interrupt dw dev_int
dev_name db 'SIMPLE$ '
;************************************************************
;* WORK SPACE FOR OUR DEVICE DRIVER *
;************************************************************
rh_off dw ?
rh_seg dw ?
msgl db 07h
db 'The Waite Group Simple Device Driver! '
db 0dh,0ah,07h,'$'
;************************************************************
;* THE STRATEGY PROCEDURE *
;************************************************************
dev_strategy:
mov cs:rh_seg,es
mov cs:rh_off,bx
ret
;************************************************************
;* THE INTERRUPT PROCEDURE *
;************************************************************
dev_int:
cld
push ds
push es
push ax
push bx
push cx
push dx
push di
push si
mov al,es:[bx]+2
cmp al,0
jnz exit3
rol al,1
lea di,cmdtab
mov ah,0
add di,ax
jmp word ptr[di]
cmdtab label byte
dw init
;************************************************************
;* YOUR LOCAL PROCEDURES *
;************************************************************
initial proc near
lea dx,msgl
mov ah,9
int 21h
ret
initial endp
;************************************************************
;* DOS COMMAND PROCESSING *
;************************************************************
init: call initial
jmp exit2
;************************************************************
;* ERROR EXIT *
;************************************************************
exit3: mov es:word ptr 3[bx],8103h
jmp exit1
;************************************************************
;* COMMON EXIT *
;************************************************************
exit2:
mov es:word ptr 3[bx],0100h
exit1: mov bx,cs:rh_off
mov es,cs:rh_seg
exit0: pop si
pop di
pop dx
pop cx
pop bx
pop ax
pop es
pop ds
ret
;************************************************************
;* END OF PROGRAM *
;************************************************************
simple endp
cseg ends
end OFFSET begin
; program endI typed this in masm32\bin
ml SimpleDriver.asm SimpleDriver.objAnd I got this:
QuoteObject Modules [.obj]: SimpleDriver.obj+
Object modules [.obj]: "SimpleDriver.obj"
Run File [SimpleDriver.exe]: "SimpleDriver.exe"
List File [nul.map]: NUL
Libraries [.lib]:
Definitions File [nul.def]:
SimpleDriver.obj(SimpleDriver.asm) : error L2025 : initial : symbol defined more than once
SimpleDriver.obj(SimpleDriver.asm) : error L2025 : simple : symbol defined more than once
LINK: warning L4021 : no stack segment
There were 2 errors detected
Quote from: Earnie on July 20, 2010, 06:29:14 PM
Thanks so far, but I can't test the code. I use Virtual PC to emulate DOS 6.22 and for that I need an .iso file. I wanted to include my driver.sys in the DOS6.22.iso but it didn't work. Problem is someone else though:
I loaded the DOS6.22.iso into WinImage and extracted it.
I didn't change anything.
Just loaded the whole folder into InfraRecorder (free burn software) and created another DOS6.22.iso
I then loaded the DOS6.22.iso into Virtual PC and restarted.
DOS did not load (which it did with the original DOS6.22.iso).
Do I have to use a special program to create the .iso ? Is there an easier way to develop and test a DOS driver?
I take it I have to emulate it or else I could damage something.
EDIT: I just noticed that the new file is only half the size of the original. Of course it didn't work.
Earnie to boot from image (or ISO) you need not only files from disk (image of floppy) but and boot-sector for ISO-image. Open floppy image in WinImage, and select menu "Image->Boot Sector Properties" Click Save. Select the name and place for boot sector and save it.
In ISO-burning software burn the files as bootable image, as bootsector select saved in WinImage sector. Make the emulation of floppy ON.
I don't know InfraRecorder, I use Nero. So - find all options manually, I cannot advice something in InfraRecorder :(
P.S. Maybe, today I cannot answer to you questions, if it be happen. Don't umbrage.
well - i see a few issues with the code
mostly matters of preference :P
i haven't fully examined it to see if it correctly communicates with the DOS request header structure
also - i have long lost my documentation on the request header, although - some of it i remember - i can probably find it online
one thing i think you may be having trouble with is the file format, itself
the linker is going to generate an EXE file
in order to load that as a DOS device driver, i think the correct extension is .HEX - i forget
i have never used this format for DOS drivers, as there is no advantage to it - only disadvantages
it is much simpler to generate a flat binary named as .SYS
this is very similar to generating a tiny model (.COM) program, except the entry point for a driver is 0 (100h for .COM)
as with .COM programs, .SYS device drivers must have no relocatable elements and must fit into a single 64 Kb segment
as i recall, EXE2BIN came with most versions of DOS
in any event, it is a little program that essentially strips off the EXE header from a file and renders the executable part as a "raw" binary
EXE2BIN MyDriver.exe MyDriver.sys
this will create the .SYS file from the .EXE file
with older versions of EXE2BIN, i think the output extension had to be .BIN - i don't recall :P
Quote from: Earnie
I typed this in masm32\bin
ml SimpleDriver.asm SimpleDriver.obj
Because masm will pass the SimpleDriver.Obj down to the linker, and thus the linker will get SimpleDriver.obj TWICE. The syntax would presumably be ML SIMPLEDRIVER.ASM
Personally, I'd be using 8.3 naming for DOS drivers (ie simple.xxx), and it will assemble/link like this
\masm32\bin\ml -c simple.asm
\masm32\bin\link16 /TINY simple.obj,simple.sys;Although I'm pretty sure DOS 6.22 will load EXE type driver files.
clive, I followed your advice. No errors so far, but the driver doens't do anything (apparently).
config.sys
DEVICE=HIMEN.SYS /testmen:off
FILES=30
BUFFERS=20
[b]DEVICE=simple.SYS[/b]
DEVICE=cd1.SYS /D:banana
rem DEVICE=cd1.SYS /D:banana /:1f0,14
rem DEVICE=cd1.SYS /D:banana /:170,15
rem DEVICE=cd1.SYS /D:banana /:170,10
rem DEVICE=cd1.SYS /D:banana /:1e8,12
rem DEVICE=cd1.SYS /D:banana /:1e8,11
rem DEVICE=cd1.SYS /D:banana /:168,10
rem DEVICE=cd1.SYS /D:banana /:168,9
LASTDRIVE=Z
That's my config.sys. I can't see anything happening (additiionally to what is supposed to happen) when I load the .iso into Virtual PC.
The driver is supposed to make a single beep.
yah - i think they put the EXEC loader in before config.sys around DOS 3 :P
still - never played with it - don't want to advise how to do it - lol
here is a do-nothing DOS device driver that should work
notice, it must be EXE2BIN'ed into a flat raw binary file
_TEXT SEGMENT WORD PUBLIC 'CODE'
ASSUME CS:_TEXT
ORG 0
HEADER:
DD -1
DW 2000h
DW STRAT
DW INTRP
DB 'NULL$$$$'
RHAPTR LABEL DWORD
RHAOFS DW ?
RHASEG DW ?
STRTEST DB 'Test Device Driver Loaded',7,0Dh,0Ah,24h
;--------------------------------------
STRAT PROC FAR
MOV CS:RHAOFS,BX
MOV CS:RHASEG,ES
RET
STRAT ENDP
;--------------------------------------
INTRP PROC FAR
PUSHF
PUSH DS
PUSH ES
PUSH AX
PUSH BX
PUSH CX
PUSH DX
PUSH BP
PUSH SI
PUSH DI
PUSH CS
POP DS
ASSUME DS:_TEXT
MOV DX,OFFSET STRTEST
MOV AH,9
INT 21h
CLD
LES DI,RHAPTR
ADD DI,3
MOV AX,100h
STOSW
ADD DI,8
STOSB
MOV AH,AL
STOSW
MOV AX,CS
STOSW
POP DI
POP SI
POP BP
POP DX
POP CX
POP BX
POP AX
POP ES
POP DS
POPF
RET
INTRP ENDP
;--------------------------------------
_TEXT ENDS
END HEADER
If it doesn't do anything, how do I know it's working?
What puzzles me is that there is no error, even if I write "simple2.sys" (the file doens't exist) in the config.sys.
It's like the line "DEVICE=simple.sys" is ignored. If that line were to be executed, there would have to be that beeping sound.
well - the driver i posted will display "Test Device Driver Loaded"
but, that's about all it does
it sets the request header status word to 100h (status = done)
it sets the number of devices installed to 0 (i think that's the number of block devices - can't remember)
it sets the release address to CS:0
you can add a 7 in there if you want audible feedback - may not be a bad idea
oh - i forgot to put an assume directive in there - let me update the previous post
i also added the BEL character for audible confirmation
the device ought to work
the main purpose is to test your setup
if my "null$$$$" device works, and yours does not - that tells you your code is amiss
if neither device works, it tells you there is something else wrong
in case you're having troubles, i assembled the driver
i also converted it with EXE2BIN
see attached...
ok - i cobbled together an HTML of command codes, request header format, status bits, and error codes
see attachment
also, i found this d/l of several DOS device driver examples with source :bg
http://www.programmersheaven.com/download/1399/Download.aspx
Thank you, dedndave!
I tried your driver and it didn't work either. Then I erased the config.sys, saved the DOS6.22.iso and loaded it into Virtual PC.
Exactly the same outcome as before. Something is very wrong here.
Now it gets interesting. I loaded the DOS6.22.iso into ULTRAISO and erased every file in it.
I saved the file under DOS6.22b.iso and loaded it into Virtual PC.
DOS gets loaded !
And the .iso still has about 1.5 MB. Also when I open it with ULTRAISO is shows 0 MB.
i use 2 freeware programs for working with ISO's
7-zip is a program that i use to extract files from ISO's
it will even create a [boot] folder with the boot-strap code in it
it will not, however, tell you how the boot code is stored - you have to know what type of boot is being used
CdBurnerXP is the program i use for creating ISO's
it should show you how the image is made, and allows you to set up the newly created ISO the same way
i am not familiar with booting into the VM you are using
but, there are at least 4 possible types of bootable images
1) standard bootable CD
2) windows bootable CD - like ms uses on their windows distribution CD's
3) el torito bootable - somewhat similar to a DOS floppy boot, only applies to CD's
4) DOS floppy boot
we could add one more type to the list - the kind that are supposed to boot, but don't - lol
there are many of these CD's floating around out there :lol
the CdBurnerXP website has the settings for all bootable CD's in their documentation pages
http://cdburnerxp.se/help/Intro/faq
maybe some of that info can help you
another approach would be to use VmWare instead of VirtualPC :P
when you tried my driver, did you use the .SYS file from the attachment ?
Yes, I used your .sys driver file.
And I added changed the config.sys from my DOS6.22.iso to "DEVICE=NULL.sys".
that should work, so long as the file was in the root directory :P
the issue seems to be your setup
keep plugging - i am sure you'll get it
The file was in the root directory.
Oh, i'm gonna be so happy when this thing finally works :dance:
in the config.sys file, it is best if you can specify an absolute path for device driver files
device=a:\null.sys
the reason is - if a device driver file is not found, some versions of DOS don't report any error - they just don't load the driver
if you specify an absolute path, you remove any doubt
of course, you have to substitute the appropriate drive letter\path
also, things were a little simpler under win98
you could still use config.sys to load 16-bit drivers
not sure that would work with win2k+ - probably not so well
but, if you have a win98 machine around, you can use it for testing
Quote from: dedndave
also, things were a little simpler under win98
you could still use config.sys to load 16-bit drivers
not sure that would work with win2k+ - probably not so well
but, if you have a win98 machine around, you can use it for testing
No NT, W2K and XP will not touch DOS drivers, NTLDR will pick up custom SCSIPORT driver (NTBOOTDD.SYS) which will take over once the INT13H or EL TORITO BIOS support is not needed/usable.
You can however format DOS boot floppy discs with NT, W2K and XP, the latter being a Win98 Emergency Boot Disc. Check the "Create an MS-DOS startup disk" in the format dialog.
Ok, and the driver works with CONFIG.SYS using the single line "DEVICE=SIMPLE.SYS"
The boot screen (from a USB floppy with boot disc formatted as described above) looks like this :
Starting..
The Waite Group Simple Device Driver!
A:\>
there ya go, Earnie - your driver works :bg
i think you just made his day, Clive - lol
Quote from: dedndave on July 21, 2010, 08:07:35 PM
in the config.sys file, it is best if you can specify an absolute path for device driver files
device=a:\null.sys
the reason is - if a device driver file is not found, some versions of DOS don't report any error - they just don't load the driver
if you specify an absolute path, you remove any doubt
of course, you have to substitute the appropriate drive letter\path
I'm gonna try that tomorrow. Hopefully it'll work or I'll at least have a new error to work with, considering that the file was fine when clive tested it.
Good night everyone, it's sleeping time again in my part of the world
Not sure what your final application is, there can't be much demand for learning DOS drivers these days. (Perhaps there is a gold mine out there somewhere for DOS, OS2, Windows VxD, PMD, SCSIPORT, filter, drivers. I'd be interested in hearing from anyone with a commercially viable projects/opportunities)
Anyhow I wish you well in your endeavors.
-Clive
Hi,
Not a gold mine, but eCS (eComStation) is the follow-on
to OS/2 and there is some development being done. I
_think_ some work is being done on device drivers.
Regards,
Steve N.
Then again, I wouldn't have expected to be banging on legacy 68020/68881 code and hardware, and FORTRAN compilers in 2010 either. Or how awful the 68K machine code coming out of the compiler is....
I want to learn it from the bottom up, that's all. I got frustrated with high-level programming and wanted to do something more low-level.
How did you 2 test the simple.sys ? Do you use a DOS emulation ? Perhaps there is an easier way for this.
i think Clive tested it with a DOS boot USB floppy
Quote from: Earnie
How did you 2 test the simple.sys ? Do you use a DOS emulation ? Perhaps there is an easier way for this.
I guess emulation might be viable, I just rebooted the machine and it loaded DOS from the boot floppy. In this case a USB floppy, but I have other boxes with floppy drives internally. The machine could also boot for a bootable CD, but that requires more steps.
OK, I don't want to do this. Too afraid I'm gonna damage something.
lol - fear is a good thing - it keeps you from doing stupid shit
but, if you want to write software, you are going to learn to deal with it at some point
device drivers are probably easiest to test with a floppy
but under vm, i would think you'd be pretty safe
imagine how the guy must have felt that wrote the first "format" command :P
Quote from: dedndave on July 22, 2010, 12:55:25 PM
imagine how the guy must have felt that wrote the first "format" command :P
I guess that depends on who owned the computer :bg
Quote from: dedndave on July 22, 2010, 12:55:25 PM
device drivers are probably easiest to test with a floppy
If i make an image of the whole computer, could I really kill my system so that it won't be accessible anymore?
Quote from: Earnie on July 22, 2010, 03:28:07 PM
Quote from: dedndave on July 22, 2010, 12:55:25 PM
device drivers are probably easiest to test with a floppy
If i make an image of the whole computer, could I really kill my system so that it won't be accessible anymore?
Just be sure to understand what you are trying to do and make sure you have backups of anything important.... Dont write and test low level code on your companies work servers (in fact you're probably best off testing on the 10 year old heap of junk in the garage if you're not sure what you're doing)
:dance:
I changed my approach and booted from a floppy disk.
Tested the simple.sys and the null.sys
Both worked!
:dance:
a floppy is much simpler, huh
one common problem with a buggy device driver is - it will hang
if that happens, you just take the floppy out and you're back in business :bg