How boot to dos without floppy drive and no USB support in..

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I'm working on an older system, and can't get the floppy drive to work and
I want to boot to dos.
If I copy the contents of a boot floppy and burn a regular CD with it and
then tell the computer to boot from the CD, will it boot to dos?

Mike
 

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In article <BtWdnVSfBqOxGJneRVn-jg@comcast.com>, noone@nowheret.net
says...
> I'm working on an older system, and can't get the floppy drive to work and
> I want to boot to dos.
> If I copy the contents of a boot floppy and burn a regular CD with it and
> then tell the computer to boot from the CD, will it boot to dos?
>
> Mike
>
>
>
Does the old system have a workable windows install on HD? If so, you
should be able to press F8 just after the usual POST screens which
should then provide a menu of options, one of which is to boot to a DOS
prompt.

--
Pete Ives
Remove All_stRESS before sending me an email
 
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Pete,
Thanks for the F8 info, but I was wondering if
a "boot CD" could be made by copying the files
on a boot disk to a CD.
Mike

"Peter" <ivingtonAll_stRESS@fast24.co.uk> wrote in message
news:MPG.1d6e9b782f0a98f09897d1@news3.fast24.net...
> In article <BtWdnVSfBqOxGJneRVn-jg@comcast.com>, noone@nowheret.net
> says...
>> I'm working on an older system, and can't get the floppy drive to work
>> and
>> I want to boot to dos.
>> If I copy the contents of a boot floppy and burn a regular CD with it and
>> then tell the computer to boot from the CD, will it boot to dos?
>>
>> Mike
>>
>>
>>
> Does the old system have a workable windows install on HD? If so, you
> should be able to press F8 just after the usual POST screens which
> should then provide a menu of options, one of which is to boot to a DOS
> prompt.
>
> --
> Pete Ives
> Remove All_stRESS before sending me an email
 
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"Mike Hollywood" <noone@nowheret.net> wrote in message
news:iLednW2XYo-aB5neRVn-1g@comcast.com...
> Pete,
> Thanks for the F8 info, but I was wondering if
> a "boot CD" could be made by copying the files
> on a boot disk to a CD.
> Mike

"Nero" provides this capability. Some other CD-burning programs do
not. I've used Nero to do this, and it works. You can either
replicate your bootable DOS floppy as a CD, or create a
(Nero-licensed) DR DOS (Caldera) boot CD. Nero provides both options.
 
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No. The system would also need a DOS CD-ROM driver to recognize the drive.

--
DaveW



"Mike Hollywood" <noone@nowheret.net> wrote in message
news:BtWdnVSfBqOxGJneRVn-jg@comcast.com...
> I'm working on an older system, and can't get the floppy drive to work and
> I want to boot to dos.
> If I copy the contents of a boot floppy and burn a regular CD with it and
> then tell the computer to boot from the CD, will it boot to dos?
>
> Mike
>
 
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"Mike Hollywood" <noone@nowheret.net> wrote in message
news:BtWdnVSfBqOxGJneRVn-jg@comcast.com...
> I'm working on an older system, and can't get the floppy drive to work and
> I want to boot to dos.
> If I copy the contents of a boot floppy and burn a regular CD with it and
> then tell the computer to boot from the CD, will it boot to dos?
>
> Mike
>

The computers BIOS has to be capable of booting from the CD to be able to
use the disc. You can't just copy the files you have to make it bootable.
Nero and CD Creator are capable of this.
 
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In article <BtWdnVSfBqOxGJneRVn-jg@comcast.com>, Mike Hollywood says...
> I'm working on an older system, and can't get the floppy drive to work and
> I want to boot to dos.
> If I copy the contents of a boot floppy and burn a regular CD with it and
> then tell the computer to boot from the CD, will it boot to dos?
>
In NERO for example, create a bootable CD and use a bootable floppy as
the source image. It'll then boot the CD the same as the floppy would
work. Just remember to include CDROM drivers.


--
Conor

If Pac-Man affected us as kids, we'd all be running around in darkened
rooms, munching magic pills and listening to repetitive electronic
music.
 
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In article <eU3Ne.103985$zY4.20947@tornado.ohiordc.rr.com>, T Shadow
says...

> The computers BIOS has to be capable of booting from the CD to be able to
> use the disc.

So that's every PC since 1995 then.


--
Conor

If Pac-Man affected us as kids, we'd all be running around in darkened
rooms, munching magic pills and listening to repetitive electronic
music.
 
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"Conor" <conor.turton@gmail.com> wrote in message
news:MPG.1d6ee66f623ac17f98a7d0@news.individual.net...
> In article <eU3Ne.103985$zY4.20947@tornado.ohiordc.rr.com>, T Shadow
> says...
>
> > The computers BIOS has to be capable of booting from the CD to be able
to
> > use the disc.
>
> So that's every PC since 1995 then.
>
>
> --
> Conor
>
Your definition of old doesn't go before1995?
 
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In article <Mc5Ne.104477$zY4.60974@tornado.ohiordc.rr.com>, T Shadow
says...

> Your definition of old doesn't go before1995?
>
Way before but booting from CDROM wasn't universally suppported before
then.


--
Conor

If Pac-Man affected us as kids, we'd all be running around in darkened
rooms, munching magic pills and listening to repetitive electronic
music.
 
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Mike Hollywood wrote:

> I'm working on an older system, and can't get the floppy drive to work and
> I want to boot to dos.
> If I copy the contents of a boot floppy and burn a regular CD with it and
> then tell the computer to boot from the CD, will it boot to dos?
>
> Mike
>
>

Why do you want to boot to DOS?

If you're trying to install a system on it and have another PC around, put
the hard drive in it as slave, make it bootable, and copy the O.S. setup
files (from the CD) to it. Then put it back in the old PC, boot it, and
install from it's own hard drive.
 
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Mike Hollywood wrote:
> I'm working on an older system, and can't get the floppy drive to work and
> I want to boot to dos.
> If I copy the contents of a boot floppy and burn a regular CD with it and
> then tell the computer to boot from the CD, will it boot to dos?
>
> Mike
>
>

Just google for how to make a bootable cd using your burning software.
Copying the contents of a boot floppy to a cdr is insufficient.

--
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hospital following this resulted in a serious illness. I now need a bone
marrow transplant. Many people around the world are waiting for a marrow
transplant, too. Please volunteer to be a marrow donor:
http://www.abmdr.org.au/
http://www.marrow.org/
 
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"Mike Hollywood" <noone@nowheret.net> wrote in message
news:iLednW2XYo-aB5neRVn-1g@comcast.com...
> Pete,
> Thanks for the F8 info, but I was wondering if
> a "boot CD" could be made by copying the files
> on a boot disk to a CD.
> Mike

Try http://www.bootcd.info/ . They have about everything you need to make
bootable media.


Ed
 
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> Why do you want to boot to DOS?
>
> If you're trying to install a system on it and have another PC around, put
> the hard drive in it as slave, make it bootable, and copy the O.S. setup
> files (from the CD) to it. Then put it back in the old PC, boot it, and
> install from it's own hard drive.
>

That is almost too damn easy David.........:) Forgot all about it. I was
looking at my backup array last week and saw a folder with the cd setup
files there and couldn't for the life of me figure out why I put them there.
Getting old is a bitch.........:)

Ed
 
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In article <BNydnaf7m-aWjJjeRVn-qQ@comcast.com>, DaveW says...
> No. The system would also need a DOS CD-ROM driver to recognize the drive.
>
WRONG.


--
Conor

If Pac-Man affected us as kids, we'd all be running around in darkened
rooms, munching magic pills and listening to repetitive electronic
music.
 
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Ed Medlin wrote:

>>Why do you want to boot to DOS?
>>
>>If you're trying to install a system on it and have another PC around, put
>>the hard drive in it as slave, make it bootable, and copy the O.S. setup
>>files (from the CD) to it. Then put it back in the old PC, boot it, and
>>install from it's own hard drive.
>>
>
>
> That is almost too damn easy David.........:)

I like 'easy' ;)

> Forgot all about it. I was
> looking at my backup array last week and saw a folder with the cd setup
> files there and couldn't for the life of me figure out why I put them there.

Hehe. The other reason is they're there for installing/removing features
and devices without having to pull out the CD (and I like to keep the
original in a safe, secure, 'scratch free' place).

Not a big deal for most folks but I'm constanting hacking around with some
of these machines testing things and it saves a lot of time in that case.

I also have some 'dedicated' boxes with no CD drive so I do the hard drive
install trick fairly often.

> Getting old is a bitch.........:)
>
> Ed
>
>