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[James Miller <jamtat AT mailsnare.net>]

I reappropriated a CF (compact flash) disk yesterday for use as a hard
drive.  This is for a little router project I'm setting up.  I had a hell
of a time formatting that disk and making it bootable.  I was trying this
under vague recollections of things I'd read and commonsensical impulse.
I spent way more time on it than I should have, but finally did resolve
the problems, got the disk bootable, formatted and installed the OS (DOS:
the project I'm using is a Linux router, but it runs from a DOS/UMSDOS
file system).  In case anyone else plans on using CF as  bootable medium
for a computer, let me pass along some things I learned: 1) CF disks do
have c/h/s settings that must be discovered and, often, manually entered
into BIOS; 2) One should not use LBA on CF disks; 3) Once your BIOS has
the right settings, you'll be able to format the disk and install the
OS/make it bootable.  I did this by installing DOS on it.  One can also
make it Linux bootable, apparently most readily by using syslinux.  Here
is the address of a page that finally got me over the hurdle:
http://chinese-watercolor.com/LRP/hd/ .  The page gives instructions for
making a CF disk bootable with syslinux, and also has other helpful hints
and a number of utils (all M$Win-realiant, for whatever reason).  It also
has a table that gives c/h/s info for various sizes of CF - very
helpful.  You will most likely want to consult this page if you plan on
using CF as bootable media.  Though its main goal is to explain how to
install an LRP (Linux Router Project) distribution to CF, it has broader
interest.

Now, for my inquiry.  Having gotten DOS installed and made the CF disk
bootable, I'd like to make myself a little menu that times out after, say,
5 seconds, after which it boots the router (router.bat).  That will give
me a few seconds to get to a DOS prompt, should I need to.  I made myself
a timeout menu like that for a DOS/Basiclinux machine that I have which
has various Linux partitions I can boot to, but defaults to one after a
certain amount of time.  I could probably just cannibalize that menu for
the new project.  But one feature I'd like to have that I couldn't
implement on that timeout menu was a countdown timer.  In other words,
what I'd like to do is have a message appear onscreen something like:

The machine will boot to Freesco in 5 seconds X

In the place of the "X", there should be first a 5, then after 1 second a
4, then after another second a 3 - I think you get the idea.  When it
gets to zero it should invoke router.bat .  How is this countdown timer
done?  Thanks for any input on that.  Hope the above info may be helpful
to someone and save them the alnight vigil I just had trying to get CF
booting.

James