Dear Janusz

I've not been able to look too far yet but I'll make a few comments.

1. smartdrv does appear to be a legal download http://webinstituteforteachers.org/resources/software/BOOTDISKS-FOR-GHOSTING...

is hosted by the University of Chicago

2. From memory freedos boots to X: when launched from the grml disk. I'll try to reproduce your problem of moving to a: or c: when I've got time.

3. It is some time since I've used SBM but you may have to hide other drives to see the FAT32 partition as the first partion of the first hard drive. In grub you would use the map command to make it look like (hd0,0)

4. It is another learning curve but grub4dos is a customisation of grub for Windows with certain enhancements such as looking for bootable partitions and loading them automatically. Again I am not well versed in its use.

5. The legality of dos boot disks may be difficult to say but msdos is no longer supported and I think mscdex (? I think that was the name, MS cd driver) waspreviously given away by microsoft themselves.

6. A brief look at Nlite has me thinking it is a procedure allowing you to manipulate what you paid for and I cannot imagine how it would be illegal.

7. Up to Win XP it is usually best when dual booting to install Windows first and then Linux because XP is too stupid to be aware of other operating systems - hence the necessity of 3 above.

All for now Moss

On Sat, May 02, 2009 at 04:54:01PM +0200 or thereabouts, Mgr. Janusz Chmiel wrote:

Dear syr,

I Am deeply and highly appreciating Your kind approach to me. I Am very, very glad, that there are several Linux live CDS, because those live CDS and installable Linux distros can be used like a standalone operating systems. And, this is also very remarkable, those operating systems, if they are including NTFS3g driver, can help people with no sight to rescue important data, if those data are not accessible because of corrupted Windows Xp or even Windows Vista installations. I Am trying to convince core developers of Linux distros, if they would enable special boot option, which would forcing The most complex HAL related algorithms, while special application is communicating with BIOS and is searching for plug and play devices to search only USB sound cart and ignore all integrated or PCi connected sound carts. Why? It is inpossible to make live CD, which would include all awaylable sound carts. There is too many various sound manufacturers throught out The world. So my wisch is to neable visually impaired users to choose autodetection algorithms, which would only search sound devices throught The USB port. But it will probably stay only my dream. Visually impaired user would become a fully valuable system administrator, because he or she could access all computers with USB ports. Eventhough there is theoretical possibility, that there would also be problems with other hardware, for example with some of integrated chips on The mother board for example, one of those chips, which can be rewieved by using Windows XP control panel, device manager and by using system devices group.

But detecting USB sound cart would enable visually impaired users, that specified USB sound carts would be usable on every computer with USB port.

I will try to discuss it with author of father of all Linux distro, with MR Klaus Knopper. He developed very complex knoppix and HAL algorithms, i will looking forward to his opinion.