Error: Invalid Value

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smiddy

Joined: 31 Oct 2004
Posts: 557

smiddy 01 Nov 2011, 01:40

This code gets an error on the TIMES line: Error: Invalid Value.:

Code:

SmiddyOS:

file 'SMIDDYOS.SYS'

.End:

        TIMES 2048 -( $ - SmiddyOS )         DB 0    ; Aligns SmiddyOS (a file is aligned after its actual size)

However, this code works:

Code:

BootRecordVolumeDescriptor:

    db 0                                           ; Volume descriptor type
    db "CD001"                                     ; Standard identifier
    db 1                                           ; Volume descriptor version
    db "EL TORITO SPECIFICATION",0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0 ; Boot system identifier ("a-characters", sort of)
    db 0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0       ; Boot identifier ("a-characters")
    dd (BOOTCatalog - CDROMImageStart) / 2048      ; Absolute pointer to first sector of boot catalog (this is a sector number)
;    times 1973 db 0                                ; Unused

    TIMES 2048-($-BootRecordVolumeDescriptor)    DB 0                       ; Aligns Boot Record Volume Descriptor

.End:

I assume because I'm using the file and FASM isn't keeping track of the location when a binary file is brought it. Can someone confirm this? I can hard code this, but would prefer to do it at compile time.

01 Nov 2011, 01:40

revolution
When all else fails, read the source

Joined: 24 Aug 2004
Posts: 20335
Location: In your JS exploiting you and your system

revolution 01 Nov 2011, 01:45

What is the size of SMIDDYOS.SYS? Is it greater than 2048 bytes?

You can use and here also:

Code:

times (2048-($-label)) and 0x7ff db 0

01 Nov 2011, 01:45

smiddy

Joined: 31 Oct 2004
Posts: 557

smiddy 01 Nov 2011, 02:48

Yep, 61 KiB-ish.

So a similar thing to the last one, keeping the boundaries straight then, thanks I'll keep that in my mind from this point forward. Smile

01 Nov 2011, 02:48

revolution
When all else fails, read the source

Joined: 24 Aug 2004
Posts: 20335
Location: In your JS exploiting you and your system

revolution 01 Nov 2011, 05:03

smiddy wrote:

Yep, 61 KiB-ish.

... keeping the boundaries straight then ...

Well you were trying to do times with a negative count: 2048-(61000) = -58952
fasm sees -58952 as 0xFFFFFFFFFFFF19B8

01 Nov 2011, 05:03

Madis731

Joined: 25 Sep 2003
Posts: 2139
Location: Estonia

Madis731 01 Nov 2011, 06:21

@smiddy: You are trying to "Aligns Boot Record Volume Descriptor"
You just need to use align 2048

Code:

SmiddyOS:

file 'SMIDDYOS.SYS'

align 2048
.End: ; depending where you want this .End to point

01 Nov 2011, 06:21

revolution
When all else fails, read the source

Joined: 24 Aug 2004
Posts: 20335
Location: In your JS exploiting you and your system

revolution 01 Nov 2011, 06:31

align generates byte values of 0x90. Not quite the same as db 0.

01 Nov 2011, 06:31

smiddy

Joined: 31 Oct 2004
Posts: 557

smiddy 01 Nov 2011, 11:52

Madis731 wrote:

@smiddy: You are trying to "Aligns Boot Record Volume Descriptor"
You just need to use align 2048
Code:
SmiddyOS:

file 'SMIDDYOS.SYS'

align 2048
.End: ; depending where you want this .End to point
    

For the file itself, to generate the right length of the file itself, the

Code:

.End:

needs to come before the alignment.

Code:

(SmiddyOS.End - SmiddyOS) ; Generate the file length

Which is in the directory entries in the directory above... Smile

revolution: thanks, the slow learning curve is upon me. Very Happy

01 Nov 2011, 11:52

Tomasz Grysztar

Joined: 16 Jun 2003
Posts: 8353
Location: Kraków, Poland

Tomasz Grysztar 01 Nov 2011, 12:13

revolution wrote:

align generates byte values of 0x90. Not quite the same as db 0.

OS developers seem to like .balign. Proudly presented as macro solution.

01 Nov 2011, 12:13

smiddy

Joined: 31 Oct 2004
Posts: 557

smiddy 01 Nov 2011, 21:13

Thanks Mr. Grysztar! I'll leverage that for sure. Smile

01 Nov 2011, 21:13

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