How do I install IBM PC Xenix 1.0?

[vlad557776]

Hi.

Recently I was installing IBM PC Xenix 1.00 on 86box using a Trigem 286M config (standard IBM PC/XT/AT never work for me). The farthest I could get at the installation is the initial boot from the HDD, where after hd /xenix it reboots back to the bootloader prompt.

How can I get past this?

[TheCollector1988]

What hard disk controller were you using on the IBM PC/XT/AT (and on the Trigem one)?

[vlad557776]

I used the standard IDE controller.

Offtopic Comment

Happy late birthday, TheCollector1988!

[TheCollector1988]

Well, in the XT, use a MFM/RLL controller and try again, note that the chs geometries in those controllers are limited, so, as a precaution, use a CHS of 615/4/17 (20MB).

[vlad557776]

I tried. XENIX's FDISK refuses to work on the Trigem with MFM controller, and XT 286 and AT doesn't even boot the kernel.

[TheCollector1988]

Well, as I said, use a pure 8088 XT with a MFM/RLL controller.

[zde]

Is this the same Xenix which only works on select few 286 systems with old HDDs?

The whole process was described very well with all the gory details and patches long ago here.

Maybe it would be good for someone who would repeat it to share resulting image, though.

It doesn't look like an obvious process to me at all.

[vlad557776]

Managed to get it to work on VirtualBox. TheCollector1988, the classic XT refused to work and said "Missing operating system". After recreating the HDD, it booted into... BASIC. Same issue with Generic XT clone. Maybe that's because of 5.25 1.2MB floppies?

zde, thanks for the link. I'm going to release my OVA in a few days.

[Winins]

XT boots into BIOS BASIC when there is no boot floppy/hard disk (correct me if I am wrong)

[vlad557776]

Correct. Still, don't know why it booted into BASIC instead of XENIX bootloader.

[AlphaBeta]

Maybe that's because of 5.25 1.2MB floppies?

Definitely. XT supported at most 5.25" 360k drives.

[vlad557776]

Hey, just installed Xenix 2.0 on PCem with the exact same config. No panics, no unexpected reboots. 86box doesn't work sometimes.

1.0 says: /boot not found.

[Marek Brunda]

"... (standard IBM PC/XT/AT never work for me)... "

IBM PC XENIX 2.0 works fine on IBM PC/AT in PCem. You have to select [286] IBM AT, FDD 5,25" 1,2MB, [MFM] AT Fixed Disk Adapter and CGA graphics. Create disk Type 5. To configure PC you have to download this diagnostic floppy http://www.minuszerodegrees.net/softwar ... s_2.07.zip. Unpack it and boot from it. It starts a confoguration guide, don't remember to set the correct disk type (5). Then insert Xenix Install diskette and run setup.

"1.0 says: /boot not found."

Yes - this is a problem with floppy drive timeouts during an installation process (some files don't copy to HDD). Unfortunately, I didn't find a reason.

Finally, after rebooting XENIX from HDD, you have to install the rest of the system:

# cd /
# tar xvf /dev/fd0 (for every DISKx and SDKx floppy)