pfranz: Can you please tell us where exactly is example of calling VESA from protected mode? couldn't find it...

pfranz, looking over the code has been a little difficult, but I will give it more time. My problem is that I have no floppy drive. So, I'm using SYSLINUX to load the code into memory from a USB drive - which is FAT32 formated. SYSLINUX has many different ways to load files: COM, COM32, RAMDISK, etc. My first try was to just load HwTest as a ramdisk, but this didn't work.

Currenty, I'm going to remove the sector loading from the bootsector and create a flat file which SYSLINUX can load all at once into memory...like a large bootsector.

To vid:
It's in the module BIOSinit.asm, where all protected mode BIOS interfaces are initialized (VESA, APM) and tables (BIOS32, PCI ...) are sought.
To bitRAKE:
Yes, it's not very easy for anyone who is not in my mind, since I enjoy using tricks to reduce the number of source instructions. Strange way of amusing you say? Yes, you have to be patient ... If you take the time to read README.TXT it should be easier.
Of course I know that a lot of computers nowadays haven't got the floppy, that's why I made a procedure to write a bootable CD. I think that EVERY machine can boot EITHER from floppy OR from CD. The script is MAKECD.BAT, you should already know if you read README.TXT.
If you want to try another boot device, remember that my bootloader works with every device supporting INT13 floppy emulation (USB should, but I'm not sure), but for CD some slight modifications are required, so probably for USB too. See the sources and MAKECD.BAT

pfranz: Got it, thanks a lot.

Do you think it would be possible to create 16bit selector in windows driver, and call BIOS using it?

Hmm, theoretically it might be possible to create a 16bit pmode selector and use it, possibly with TSS iobitmask fuddling around... but of course this wouldn't work in 64bit mode, so it's a bit useless

I know very little about Windows programming, especially driver programming. I didn't even think it could be possible to use such low-level procedures in Windows ...