System startup displayed on a terminal window

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dizt3mp3r
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Joined: Mon Jun 14, 2010 5:54 pm

System startup displayed on a terminal window

Post by dizt3mp3r »

One thing I always noticed by its absence in Windows was a system startup console window. Windows could be made to run in debug mode which displayed a lot of unfriendly and technical information but by default this is disabled. On the more mature systems I have used there was always a console attached to the main console port, in fact the system would often not boot without it. It provided verbose and useful information about the state of the system startup telling the administrator exactly where in the system startup the processor/system was currently engaged.

I have looked over the years for a simple tool for Windows to provide system logging to a console window but to little avail. The Windows system viewer allows you to view the various event logs when the system is running but viewing the contents of the log after the event isn't quite the same as a live window letting you know what is going on as it happens.

I know this is an additional functionality request, functionality that Windows does not have but I feel it might be useful for ReactOS to have such a console window that can be switched on. All the systems that I have used in the past had such a window, scrollable and sizable. Events were flagged to that console as they were written to the log. I suppose that window could be filtered for event types.

It is just a suggestion. I feel it might help with debugging, running and administration.
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Alahndro
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Re: System startup displayed on a terminal window

Post by Alahndro »

We have the option to display the debug info on the screen, often used when a serial port is not available. But this debug stream is very verbose and detailed.

But I conclude that some basic startup info would be nice, instead of the boot logo. ReactOS is as of yet primarily targeted at prof's and not noobs and idiots for which a boot logo is meant. I could display for example loading of kernel and startup of kernel drivers like usb, audio, etc and the current state of the session reached. The familiar file load screen of the safe mode is absolute useless as it only lists the loading files but not if the corresponding service could be started.

I'm thinking a little bit in the sense of the linux bootscreen. Somehow combined to the freeloader preload screen: Bootload - Kernelstart - Drivers prefetching/caching and then the successful started drivers and so on..

I also prefer to enable the verbose mode of the windows logon phase on all my machines.
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dizt3mp3r
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Re: System startup displayed on a terminal window

Post by dizt3mp3r »

Exactly. I'd like more than Windows gives us by default but not so that I am swamped by so much information that it makes the information useless , I don't mind the boot screen but some additional window where the data is displayed that I can move, resize and place it in a portion of the screen that is useful to me. I understand that the initial information will be windowless as the o/s and windowing subsystem has not been fully set up yet but such a window would be a useful option to enable for a normal boot.
Skillset: VMS,DOS,Windows Sysadmin from 1985, fault-tolerance, VaxCluster, Alpha,Sparc. DCL,QB,VBDOS- VB6,.NET, PHP,NODE.JS, Graphic Design, Project Manager, CMS, Quad Electronics. classic cars & m'bikes. Artist in water & oils. Historian.
MadWolf
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Re: System startup displayed on a terminal window

Post by MadWolf »

hi
maybe i am missing something but the reactos debug output on to screen you can not scroll up and down the log
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