Subject: Re: booting on DC's that can't read CDs
To: Lucas Cornelisse <lucas@trunks.dhs.org>
From: Greg Gonnerman <greg_gonnerman@yahoo.com>
List: port-dreamcast
Date: 01/22/2001 12:57:29
--- Lucas Cornelisse <lucas@trunks.dhs.org> wrote:
> Hey guys, 
> 
> Just a thought about DC's that won't be able to boot
> from CD's:
> <stuff deleted>

You've brought up some interesting ideas.
Unfortunately, as Marcus as already noted, all of
these options would require firmware changes in order
to work.

Anyone who is really into amateur software development
and wants to boot NetBSD on a DC should really just
buy a used console that predates this change. 

I suspect the pirates will eventual figure out a way
around this boot restriction though. They'll probably
either:

1) Crack the GDROM format - write their own CD-R drive
firmware, drivers, and apps to burn GDROM formated
CDs.

2) Rewrite or Reinstall the firmware - with the right
tools, it might not be too hard to reinstall downrev
firmware which boots from a CD-R, or to decompile and
rewrite the firmware to accomplish the same task.

In any case, I doubt that the NetBSD/DC community will
ever grow larger than the total number of used DC's
that are available at any one time. So I don't see
this as being much of an issue for anyone on this
forum.

Regards,

Greg







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