Howto retrieve the bios boot device

i am trying to retrieve the bios boot device used on startup. not what the kernel reports in /proc/sys/kernel/real-root-dev but the actuall bios device. i know on boot when "int 19h" is called, DL holds this info (0x80, 0x81, etc) , but i have no idea if/were i can retrieve this easily. i can code a small asm program to read the cmos data (in 71h) but i think there might be a simpler/native way todo it. any ideas?
thanks.

tnx man.
i know its gonna be x86 only, but thats ok - as long as Arch is i686, its fine with me
i looked at the syslinux MBR sources (thats what im using on my livecd) and saw it does save DL on startup, but doesnt retrieve it to users' use. so i might make a patch to add the DL as a parameter to the command line something like "BIOSBOOTDEV=0x80". the problem is with USB - i didnt understand how it uses the MBR - some docs said it doesnt need to have MBR installed, and i got confused by that - if no MBR is installed, how can i retrieve my lovely DL ? so, im gonna leave this for now until im gonna tackle with the liveusb version, then i'll know some more...
i decided reading the cmos data from cmos area using "in 71h" is REALLY bad cause each bios stores the cmos-data in a diff format and in a diff location... i got crazy with shifting bits to get the info from AMI bios... so MBR hacking will be my best bet.

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Last edited by shrubuntu (2012-12-27 15:03:26)

DSpider wrote:
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I have read your post on how your desktop computer is having a difficult time booting into Windows, and I would be happy to assist you in this matter!
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Please re-post with the results of your troubleshooting, and I look forward to your reply!
Regards
MechPilot
I work on behalf of HP
Please click “Accept as Solution ” if you feel my post solved your issue, it will help others find the solution.
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Figure 8: Example of a Boot screen
Boot-time Diagnostic screen
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While I am a HP employee, I am not an expert on all our products. When I offer advice, I'm not speaking for HP.
Make it easier for other people to find solutions, by marking my answer “Accept as Solution” if it solves your problem.
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This question was solved.
View Solution.

Hi,
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Howto retrieve the bios boot device

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