Update: Using memory key as boot directory

[Leo Mauler]

I just wanted to let everyone know that the Compaq PC
I was going to boot using a USB memory key, turns out
not to support USB booting.  I was a couple of numbers
off on the Compaq serial number.

Fortunately, I've discovered an alternative: Compact
Flash cards.  Seems you can buy a Compact Flash
interface card which attaches like a regular expansion
card to your computer.  On one end you plug in a
Compact Flash card, and on the other end you plug in a
regular IDE cable.  The expansion card doesn't use a
PCI slot.  The card has jumpers to select Master/Slave
(no Cable Select I'm afraid) and you power it using a
regular floppy power connector.

Since /boot can fit into 50MB or less, I'm going to
make a 64MB Compact Flash card into the boot
directory.  This will let me use an 80GB hard drive in
a computer which has a 64GB hard drive limit BIOS.

This did get me to thinking about the whole concept of
putting huge hard drives into very old computers, as
Compact Flash completely masquerades as IDE.  Even if
the system doesn't boot USB, it will almost certainly
boot CF on an adapter.  This makes it a lot easier to
bring old hardware back into circulation with larger
new hard drives: instead of a 10 year old 1GB hard
drive for a /boot directory, you can use a 1 year old
CF Card.

I'm going to try booting from a CF Card on my old
laptop one of these days: it has an 8.4GB limit and I
have this nice 10GB laptop hard drive lying around, as
well as a PCMCIA CF Card adapter.


       
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