Opened 6 years ago
Closed 6 years ago
#17371 closed enhancement (duplicate)
Option to disable NIC option ROM
| Reported by: | wbpayne | Owned by: | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Component: | network | Version: | VirtualBox 5.2.2 |
| Keywords: | pxe option rom | Cc: | |
| Guest type: | all | Host type: | all |
Description
I would like to request that an option be added to disable the NIC boot rom.
Background: I run a couple of really old operating systems on VirtualBox, namely Windows 98SE and DOS 6.22 plus Windows 3.1. EMM386 cannot allocate a page frame because of the fact that the NIC option ROM is mapped at E200. I also have problems maximizing the amount of UMBs available because of this. Even if the NIC is disabled, this option ROM is still mapped. I think an option to disable network boot and the option ROM would be a worthwhile addition to VirtualBox.
Change History (2)
comment:1 by , 6 years ago
comment:2 by , 6 years ago
| Resolution: | → duplicate |
|---|---|
| Status: | new → closed |
Looks like a duplicate of #10022. Closing.
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VirtualBox does NOT have NIC option ROM in the usual sense. It has a 'LAN-on-motherboard' style support for network booting, i.e. it is considered part of the extended system BIOS. Of course many things are doable (like conditionally ripping out this part of the system ROM), but I wonder why you can't get the basics working. Many others managed to get all sorts of old DOS/Windows versions working without too much trouble. Yes, with all the EMM386/HIMEM rubbish.