Subject: Re: proposed re-work / unification of boot block installation
To: None <tv@wasabisystems.com>
From: M. Warner Losh <imp@village.org>
List: tech-kern
Date: 03/12/2002 22:02:29
In message: <Pine.WNT.4.43.0203121040440.320-100000@todd>
            Todd Vierling <tv@wasabisystems.com> writes:
: ** arc **
: 
: ROM uses MBR, but I don't know specifics.

The ARC BIOS loads files off a file system.  The file system can be
either iso 9660 (for CDs) or FAT.  The FAT is described by an MBR.
Some older ARC machines can only load off the pre-win95 FAT, while
newer ones can load off of FAT with win95 extensions.

The ROMS are damn picky about the disks.  If you don't have the FAT
just right, then the BIOS gets confused (at least on my ARC machine).

It is likely best to think of ARC as a mips version of i386 IBM-AT.
It even has the 386 boot code in the MBR's :-).

Warner