My project isn't going that well...
After trying other ways to boot, I finally formatted an "MSDOS Boot Floppy" on Windows XP, updated the config.sys, installed the two SYS files on the diskette, and DOS still can't find the test file on a 32MB FAT 16 partition on a known-good USB stick.
# cat /media/floppy/config.sys
device=USBASPI.SYS /w /v
device=DI1000DD.SYS
Here's what I get from the config.sys invocation on DOS boot ---
Starting...
ASPI for UHCI/OHCI USB mass-storage Version 1.07
Copyright(C) 2001 NOVAC Co.,Ltd.
Controller : UHCI VID8086_PID7112
Base I/O :FCE0h
Base Memory : 00000h
====================================
=== Connect the target device to USB port. ===
=== Press [ENTER] to continue ===
====================================
USBASPI : Target USB device not found.
DI1000 ASPI DISK Driver Ver 2.00
Copyright(C)2001 NOVAC Co.,Ltf.
ASPI Manager not installed.
A:\>
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Tried plugging in USB stick both before booting and after prompt, above. No difference.
All this on hardware that boots the DSL boot floppy, which then boots DSL from USB.
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Also tried using balder10 single-disk version of FreeDOS. Doesn't see USB stick and FreeDOS clears screen before typing a long prompt, thus removing all config.sys info. (Real helpful...)
Also tried pendrive linux methods --
http://www.pendrivelinux.com/2007/11/21/use-a-floppy-to-boot-usb-pendrive-linux/wget
http://pendrivelinux.com/downloads/pdlfloppy.img.gzgzip -dc pdlfloppy.img.gz | dd of=/dev/fd0
GRUB could not locate boot files on known good USB stick, so their USB driver support not adequate
Using the GRUB command line "find" command manually, I couldn't the files either
Finally found out that Ubuntu Intrepid no longer loads floppy support. Must "modprobe floppy" to use drive now. (Ubuntu keeps surprising me, frequently in less than pleasant ways.)
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I'm going to google around, but I'm pretty much out of ideas. The built-in USB support in the syslinux(?) on the DSL boot diskette appears to work with my hardware, while the DOS add-on drivers don't. I'm not sure that there's any way around that other than to boot DSL and use it to install TC on an internal CF disk or HDD.
Suggestions?