Jump List Simple Boot Disk Downloads Running Windows from a Floppy boot Making a boot disk for DOS/Windows 3.x Making a Windows 95 Startup Disk Making a Windows 98 Startup Disk Adding an Iomega ZIP Drive to your Startup Disk What should be in the CONFIG.SYS and AUTOEXEC.BAT files Getting more files on your bootdisk (compression) Links to other sources for bootdisks and information

Startup Disk/Boot disks       Once your system is operating correctly you should make a Startup Disk. Windows 95 and later makes that pretty easy. However, it may be missing some very important files. Windows 98 Startup Disks are more complete. But in some instances, they are inadequate also.       A Startup Disk is not a backup of your system. It is only a tool to get your system running so you can make repairs. If you do not have a Boot Disk and your computer becomes un-bootable, you are in trouble.       Windows 95 and 98 normally install from a CDROM. Windows 3.x normally installs from floppy disks. You cannot access the files on any of these if you have no way to boot the computer. The exception may be Windows 98 where some are on Bootable CDROMs. But you have to have a computer capable of CDROM Boot to take advantage of that.

 

Copying Files Does Not A Boot disk Make       Making a boot disk is not simply copying files to a disk. The Boot files are located in a specific area of the disk and the Boot Sector of the disk identifies the disk as bootable and calls up those boot files.       When a computer boots with MS-DOS it first loads the file: IO.SYS This file gives the computer its instructions for interpreting data. Then that file calls up the: MSDOS.SYS This file continued the programming before Window 95 was introduced. Since then it has become just an INI file, similar to the CONFIG.SYS and AUTOEXEC.BAT files. The last required file is: COMMAND.COM This provides a language for you to use that you understand, and it translates it into the language that the computer understands. It is, therefore, called the command interpreter.       On versions before Windows 95, if the AUTOEXEC.BAT is not present, the system will ask for the time and date at boot. The IO.SYS of Windows 95 and later accomplishes the functions of that file.

 

Windows 98 Startup Disk       The Windows 98 Startup Disk has a boot menu which allows you to choose to load or not load the CDROM. When you choose "CD-ROM Support" from the menu, various drivers are tested to try to find one that will works with your CD-ROM. If it succeeds, that driver as well as the MSCDEX.EXE are loaded in conventional memory. If you are installing Windows, the install may fail due to lack of memory because of these drivers. The Conventional memory will be 550k or less.       With the modificaions I recommend here, you can load the CD-ROM and a parallel port ZIP Drive and have 624K of available Conventional memory. I got that result on a Packard Bell 386x25 (16mb ram), a Packard Bell 486x75 (8mb ram), and a Tyan Tomcat III pentium 200. I set the disk to load all of the drivers high. When you create a Startup Disk with Windows 98 the following files are copied to the floppy: aspi2dos.sys aspi4dos.sys aspi8dos.sys aspi8u2.sys aspicd.sys autoexec.bat btcdrom.sys btdosm.sys command.com config.sys drvspace.bin ebd.cab extract.exe fdisk.exe findramd.exe flashpt.sys himem.sys oakcdrom.sys ramdrive.sys readme.txt setramd.bat I recommend adding the following 2 files: emm386.exe mem.exe       I have had memory errors, and have read of others who also had these errors, when using this boot disk. But Microsoft did not include the MEM.EXE on the disk. So you can't begin to determine how your memory is being used.       Microsoft also did not put EMM386.EXE on the disk and use it. When you select "CD-ROM Support" from the boot menu on the disk, the drivers for the CDROM must load in conventional memory. This can leave insufficient memory for the Windows Installation program. By using the EMM386.EXE the drivers can be loaded in High Memory, leaving almost all of the Convention memory for the installation.       Additionally, you should copy the MSDOS.SYS to the disk as a backup. That file will have to be renamed so as not to interfere with the copy that is already on the disk. To copy the files to the disk, at the DOS prompt type: a: copy c:\windows\emm386.exe copy c:\windows\command\mem.exe attrib -r -h -s c:\msdos.sys copy c:\msdos.sys a:\msdos.--- attrib +h +s c:\msdos.sys       Now you need to edit the CONFIG.SYS file to make the memory manager operational. I recommend using the EDIT command as this will be all that is available if Windows won't start. So it helps to get familiar with it while things aren't hecktic. To open that in Windows, select Run from the start menu. Type EDIT and press Enter. In the Edit utility press the Alt key and select Open. Type: a:\config.sys Press Enter. In the file add: device=emm386.exe noems [menu] menuitem=CD, Start computer with CD-ROM support. menuitem=NOCD, Start computer without CD-ROM support. menuitem=HELP, View the Help file. menudefault=CD,30 menucolor=7,0 [CD] device=himem.sys /testmem:off device=emm386.exe noems device=oakcdrom.sys /D:mscd001 device=btdosm.sys device=flashpt.sys device=btcdrom.sys /D:mscd001 device=aspi2dos.sys device=aspi8dos.sys device=aspi4dos.sys device=aspi8u2.sys device=aspicd.sys /D:mscd001 [NOCD] device=himem.sys /testmem:off [HELP] device=himem.sys /testmem:off [COMMON] files=10 buffers=10 dos=high,umb stacks=9,256 devicehigh=ramdrive.sys /E 2048 lastdrive=z       This disk creates a RAMDRIVE to store the DOS files on. On this disk they are compressed into a CAB file so they take up about half the space they normally would. This leaves enough space for several different CDROM drivers. This allows it to load the CDROM and still have all the files you need to operate.       While you could change the "DEVICE=" to "DEVICEHIGH=" for the CDROM drivers (which are all of those following the "RAMDRIVE.SYS" line in the "[CD]" section), some drivers in some systems will not work in high memory. There should be enough memory with these settings for the installation. Save this by pressing Alt, File, Save.       Now open the AUTOEXEC.BAT by pressing Alt, File, Open and typing: a:\autoexec.bat Move down to the line: %ramd%:\MSCDEX.EXE /D:mscd001 /L:%CDROM% If it isn't already as follows, change it to read: LH %ramd%:\MSCDEX.EXE /D:mscd001 /L:%CDROM% Save this by pressing Alt, File, Save. Now, Test the disk.

 

Windows 95 Startup disk To make a startup disk with Windows 95, click Start, Settings, Control, Add/Remove Programs, Startup Disk. This will require the Windows 95 Install CD or the Install CAB files if you have them somewhere else (such as the hard drive). You will need a formatted Floppy disk (if it has files, they will be erased). This will create a Bootable disk with most of the files in the next section on it. It, however, will not have drivers for your CDROM drive. So you must add those as outlined in the next section. This disk will only start the computer. You will not be able to run Windows 95/98 when booted from it. Continue to the next section to make it more usable.

 
 

Making a Boot disk with DOS       You generally can only make a boot disk with the same operating system version that the computer making the disk bootable is operating from. In other words, you cannot make a DOS 6.0 boot disk if the computer was booted with DOS 5.0. There are, of course, exceptions.       With the computer booted you can do this from DOS mode or in a DOS window while Windows is running. Put a blank, formatted disk in the floppy drive. While the disk could be in drive B, these instructions will be for drive A. Type: C: SYS A: Wasn't that hard. Now the computer should boot when that disk is in the A drive. Of course more is needed.       Now, you must add files that you need on that disk. If you are running a version of DOS up to DOS 6.22, most of the files you need are in the C:\DOS directory. If you are running Windows 95 or later, they will be in the C:\WINDOWS\COMMAND directory (called a folder in Windows 9.x). If you have DOS 6.22 or older, substitute "\WINDOWS\COMMAND\" with "\DOS\" in the following. If you used Windows 95 to make a Startup Disk, these file should be on that disk already. Type the following at the DOS Prompt: A: copy c:\windows\command\attrib.exe copy c:\windows\command\chkdsk.exe copy c:\windows\command\command.com copy c:\windows\command\config.sys copy c:\windows\command\debug.exe copy c:\windows\command\drvspace.bin copy c:\windows\command\edit.com copy c:\windows\command\fdisk.exe copy c:\windows\command\format.com copy c:\windows\command\himem.sys copy c:\windows\command\regedit.exe copy c:\windows\command\scandisk.exe copy c:\windows\command\scandisk.ini copy c:\windows\command\sys.com copy c:\windows\command\uninstal.exe The following are Hidden files, which can be viewed with DIR /A or DIR /ah, should be there: ebd.sys io.sys msdos.sys If IO.SYS and MSDOS.SYS are not there, the disk is not Bootable.       Windows 9.x also includes UNINSTALL.EXE which has no use in an OEM installation. And if you did not save a previous version when you upgraded, it will not be needed. So you can delete that to make more space on the disk. If you are using DOS 5.0 or less, you need the following to make the EDIT.EXE work: copy c:\dos\qbasic.exe The following files should also be copied: copy c:\windows\command\mem.exe copy c:\windows\command\mscdex.exe       The following files can be found in the C:\WINDOWS\ directory of all versions of Windows. Copy the following also: copy c:\windows\emm386.exe For Windows 9.x do the following: attrib -r -h -s c:\msdos.sys copy c:\msdos.sys a:\msdos.--- attrib +h +s c:\msdos.sys This is a backup of that file just in case it gets damaged.       If you have a CDROM drive or a ZIP drive or a device of that type you need the DOS driver for that on the disk as well. If you know what that driver is and where it is, copy that driver to the floppy also. To find out the CDROM driver (if one is installed), type the following: c: cd c:\ edit config.sys Now look for a line which will resemble this: device=c:\cdrom\cdrom.sys /d:idecd001 The directory, filename and driver alias (idecd001) may be different. If you can find it, copy it to the floppy.

 

Making the disk do more than just boot       Now you want the disk to load the drivers you need so you can repair or reload the programs. This applies to DOS and Windows 95 specifically. But the Windows 98 Startup disk can use some enhancements too. Go back to the DOS Prompt. Type: a: edit config.sys It may have data already in it. Make sure it has the following: device=himem.sys device=emm386.exe noems dos=high dos=umb lastdrive=z shell=command.com /e:1024 devicehigh=cdrom.sys /d:idecd001 Save that file by pressing Alt, File, Save. Now open the AUTOEXEC.BAT if it is there. In that file you should have: echo off path=a:\ prompt=$p$g lh mscdex.exe /d:idecd001 /l:z /v lh guest letter=y       The last line is for loading a ZIP drive if you have one. So, of course you can skip that if you don't have a ZIP drive or don't think you will need access to it in an emergency. With the "letter=y" the drive should load as Y drive, the highest I have gotten it to go in DOS.       The line just above that loads the CDROM if you have that. The switch "l:z" assigns the drive letter Z to the CDROM drive. This is so the drive letter will not change if you add hard drives or partition them. The "/v" switch shows the settings when it loads so you can see that it did load. Now, Test the disk.

 

Getting more files on your bootdisk (compression)       The Windows 98 Startup disk stores many of its files in a compressed file. A RAMDRIVE is created from memory and those files are decompressed onto that virtual drive. You can use this same method if all the files you want on you boot disk won't fit on a 1.44mb disk.       You will need the DOS PKZIP and PKUNZIP files to do this. These are available for download from PKWARE. During the boot you will have two groups of files. The bootfiles and Driver files which must be on the disk in an uncompressed format. The others are program files that can be compressed. Note: Different operating systems use substantially different amounts of disk space. Using an older operating system such as DOS 5.0 (118669 bytes) can leave far more space for other files than Windows 98 (316279 bytes). So using an operating system that meets the minimum requirements for what you want to run can leave more disk space for other files. Depending of the devices you will have running you will need: io.sys Required boot file command.com Required boot file. Third party command processor such as NDOS can be substituted). msdos.sys Required boot file himem.sys Required Memory Manager (can be substituted with third party manager). emm386.exe Required Memory Manager (can be substituted with third party manager). ifshlp.sys Optional driver needed if running a NETWORK. ramdisk.sys Required to create virtual drive. I prefer RAMDISK. findramd.exe Required file is using Microsoft's RAMDRIVE. pkunzip.exe Required to UN-ZIP the compressed files. config.sys Required to load the drivers and memory managers. autoexec.bat Required to unpack and set up the programs. ansi.sys Optional driver that allows me to decorate the DOS screen a little. cdrom.sys Correct name of CDROM driver (optional). aspippm1.sys Correct name of IOMEGA ZIP driver (optional). nibble.ilm Correct name of IOMEGA ZIP driver (optional). ZIPFILE.ZIP Required file containing all compressed files needed. The above required files must be on the boot disk. All the rest of the files can be packed into the ZIP file. Depending on the compressibility of the files and how much space is used by the uncompressed files, you can get 2.0 to 2.5mb of files on a 1.44mb disk. Among the files you may compress are: mscdex.exe to make the CDROM (if used) operational. guest.exe to make the ZIP Drive (if used) operational. You can include DOS files such as: attrib.exe choice.com deltree.com doskey.exe fdisk.com format.com mem.exe sys.com xcopy Add whatever tools you want available. If you set up a NET card for DOS access, you can include those files as well. You can also create another batch file stored in the ZIP file that will prompt for a second, third or more floppy disk. I use this method for loading RAMWIN from floppy disks.       The CHOICE.COM might be on the floppy and copied to the RAMDRIVE if you need interactive choices before the files are copied to the RAMDRIVE. Again, duplication wastes space.       The config.sys file is pretty much the same as a normal disk. device=himem.sys /testmem:off device=emm386.exe noems files=10 buffers=10 dos=high,umb stacks=9,256 lastdrive=z devicehigh=ramdrive.sys /E 2048 devicehigh=oakcdrom.sys /D:mscd001 devicehigh=ASPIPPM1.SYS /INFO FILE=NIBBLE.ILM SPEED= 1 If you use the Microsoft RAMDRIVE.SYS to provide the virtual drive, that line must be added to the config.sys file. The above line will create a 2mb ramdrive, which uses that much Upper Memory, coincidentally. You can change the size to your requirements.       The autoexec.bat unzips the files to the ramdrive. If you use Uberto's Ramdisk, it is created here and you can assign a drive letter to it. I prefer R: for "Ramdisk" or V: for "Virtual". Assigning a high drive letter prevent interferance with hard drive letters if there are changing partitions. Thus when the autoexec.bat file unzip the ZIP file, you don't have to search for the correct drive letter.       This autoexec.bat file would look like this: echo off xmsdsk 2000 r: /y pkunzip zipfile.zip r:\ r: copy a:\command.com copy a:\pkunzip.exe set comspec=r:\command.com set path=r:\ lh mscdex.exe /d:mscd001 /l:z lh guest letter=Y net logon /y next.bat       In the above, the ZIPFILE.ZIP is whatever name you give to the file. You can also have multiple ZIP files to unpack. Using the CHOICE.COM, you can have an interactive menu to select which ZIP files you want to unpack. If you packed the ZIP file with directory structures (PKZIP -rP zipfile r:\*.*) you would change that line to: pkunzip -d zipfile.zip r:\ to recreate the directory structure.       "copy a:\command.com" saves space as it doesn't have to exist in the ZIP as well as on the floppy disk. This is also true for PKUNZIP if you will need to use that after the files are copied from the floppy disk.       "set comspec=r:\command.com" and "set path=r:\" make the system run from the Ramdrive instead of the floppy disk. That will speed things up.       "lh mscdex.exe /d:mscd001 /l:z" loads the CDROM as drive Z (you can change that) if the driver was loaded in the config.sys file and the MSCDEX.EXE is in the ZIP file. "lh guest letter=Y" loads a ZIP drive as drive Y if the GUEST.EXE is in the ZIP file and the correct ZIP driver was loaded by the config.sys file.       "net logon /y" will load a net card provided the correct files needed are in the ZIP files and the IFSHLP.SYS was loaded in the config.sys file.       "next.bat" calls that batch file (you can use another name) from the RAMDRIVE to carry out other instructions. This could be a script for unpacking other floppy disks if there were too many files to fit on a single floppy disk.       If you use Microsoft's RAMDRIVE.SYS to create the virtual drive, you will need FINDRAMD.exe (used on the Windows 98 Startup Disk) or an equivalent program, to find the letter of the RAMDRIVE. Then the UNZIPPING and file copies must include the the variable directing them to the ramdrive.       That autoexec.bat file would look like this: echo off set RAMD= set CDROM= a:\findramd if errorlevel 255 goto no_ramdrive if not errorlevel 3 goto no_ramdrive goto do_shift :loop if errorlevel %1 goto no_shift :do_shift set cdrom=%2 shift shift if not %1*==* goto loop goto no_ramdrive :no_shift set ramd=%2 if "%RAMD%"=="C" goto c_drive goto success :no_ramdrive echo The RAMDRIVE could not be created. :success pkunzip zipfile.zip %RAMD% %RAMD% copy a:\command.com copy a:\pkunzip.exe set comspec=%RAMD%command.com set path=%RAMD% lh mscdex.exe /d:mscd001 /l:z lh guest letter=Y net logon /y next.bat       I use this type of disk to load NETCARD access at DOS. I can have different sets of card drivers for different LAN cards and choose which to load from a menu. The disk can also have drivers for different types of ZIP drives. The Windows 98 Startup Disk has drivers for several types of CDROM's. That flexibility came from the use of RAMDRIVES and compressed files.

 

IOMEGA ZIP DRIVES If you store files on a ZIP disk that you may need to repair Windows you can add some of the following to the Startup Disk to make that accessible. If you have a ZIP Drive, it will need some of the following files: ASPIIDE.SYS ASPIATAP.SYS ASPI8DOS.SYS ADVASPI.SYS ASPIPC16.SYS ASPI1616.SYS ASPIPPM1.SYS ASPIPPM2.SYS NIBBLE.ILM NIBBLE2.ILM GUEST.EXE GUEST.INI       The problem is you may not have room on the disk for all of those files. Only 3 or 4 of these are needed for your drive. But different computers use different drivers. If you have an external drive, you can skip the ASPIIDE.SYS and ASPIATAP.SYS. These are for IDE drives. If you have an SCSI type drive you will probably need ASPIPC16.SYS ASPI1616.SYS. Parallel Port drives need ASPIPPM1.SYS or ASPIPPM2.SYS. And either NIBBLE.ILM or NIBBLE2.ILM is needed for use with SCSI and Parallel Port Drives.       You can find your specific needs by booting in DOS Mode. Load the ZIP drive using the DOS drivers (GUEST.EXE). Now type: MEM /C /P You should see one of the above drivers listed (in addition to GUEST.EXE). Now look in the GUEST.INI file (EDIT GUEST.INI if you are in the directory where that file is). Look for the line that has that driver name. That file (or files) on that line is the only one(s) you need.       You can do away with the GUEST.INI by copying that line into the CONFIG.SYS file before or after the CDROM driver line. Replace the "ASPI=" with "DEVICEHIGH=". Now the correct driver will be loaded in high memory without testing all of the drivers. Now Edit the AUTOEXEC.BAT. Put the command: LH GUEST.EXE LETTER=Y somewhere before the MSCDEX.EXE line. The MSCDEX is a little smaller. You have a better chance of getting both in to High Memory if GUEST.EXE is loaded first. As an example, if the driver in memory is.       Incidentally, these commands work the same if you are setting up a ZIP Drive for use at DOS mode in normal operation.

 

Test The Disk       Next step is to test the disk. So, put the disk in the A drive and restart the computer. The A drive should light up and remain on for several seconds. Then you should see messages changing as the drivers load. When the process finishes, you should see A:\> on the screen. If the computer booted normally, the BIOS is most likely set for CDROM boot or C drive first boot. You will need to make changes there if that is the case.       Now put a data CD such as the Windows 95 install CD in the CDROM drive. After it has had time to read the disk, type: DIR Z:\*.* You should see as list of the files on that disk.       Now, if you have a ZIP drive, put a ZIP disk with data on it in that drive and type: DIR Y:\*.* You should see a list of files on that disk. At the prompt type: mem /c /p You will see a list of drivers loaded. Mscdex.exe should be in High Memory. You will see a report of conventional memory (Largest Executable Program).       If these test worked, you have an operational Startup disk. Remove the disk and move the lock tab, in the corner of the disk, to the loack position. You should be able to see through that hole. Put the disk in a safe place for that rainy day.

 

Running Windows From A Floppy Disk       When a disk is made bootable with the SYS.COM command (Windows 95/98), a virtually empty MSDOS.SYS is created on the target drive. This is especially bad if the target is your C drive and you don't have a backup copy of it.       If you copy the C:\MSDOS.SYS to the floppy disk (replacing the one on the floppy), you can boot the computer and run Windows while booted from a floppy disk.       Generally, Windows 3.x will run if the memory managers are loaded by the boot disk. Unless the AUTOEXEC.BAT file has a command to start it, you will have to change to the C:\WINDOWS directory and type WIN to run it.       In all of these instances Windows will not run if the problem is in Windows. This is one way to run different versions of Windows on the same hard drive without a boot manager.

 

I hope this helps you. If this doesn't quite click with you, you can try other authors. They also surely have experiences different from my, other machines and different versions and combinations of programs. Go to my Information Hub where you can find links to other sites and other information.

 

Other Sources Murf's Garage Boot Disk Page, a source for bootdisk links and information on creating your own bootdisk. Using FindCD.exe and customizing usage (from rossstew). Other Boot CD information. BOOTDISK.COM, A starting point for a variety of sources. BootDisk Project by Powerload. DOS 3.3 & up boot disks. User-Friendly Computing Downloads, a download page with a variety of boot disks for Windows 95 and up, as well as other utilities. Windows Bootdisk on the Cyber tech Help page.       When you download these files, you must use the downloaded file to create a boot disk. This means that you run the EXE file you downloaded on any computer with a blank floppy disk in the A drive. Copying the files to the floppy will not make it bootable. This is done by the program file you downloaded.       Some of these create the disk when you run them and others may give you on-screen instructions as to how to use the program.

 

Rawrite       This utility writes a Disk Image to a Floppy disk. The batch file I included with the Disk Images of the boot disks is designed to use this file.       It can be downloaded at some of these sites: Index of /ripcord/rawrite Index of /pub/dos/rawrite Index of /pub/slackware/slackware-8.0/bootdsks.12 Index of /pub/OpenBSD/2.9/tools

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Updated May 14, 2002