Boot Software...

[Teq]

Has anyone seen software that can boot to CD from within an operating system?

What I'd like to do is this:

Put in a bootable CD... run a proggy (DOS or Win) that will ditch the current operating system and boot to the CD without resetting the computer.

Any info or links would be appreciated...


--->It ain't better if it don't work<---

 

[CompSci]

Virtual PC for OS/2

Enables running MS Windows 98/Nt/2000/Xp, Linux and other opperating systems from the OS/2 desktop!

Google "Virtual PC for OS2" - I think its Innotek that has done the work for IBM and sells the software.

I've seen it work and it works very well. Progressive Ins company uses the software for a wild mix of production applications from different opperating systems - runing on a single box (or group of clustered servers)...

It ain't cheap - but does do exactly what your looking for...

 

[Javic]

At my job we use <A HREF="http://www.vmware.com/" target="_new">VMWare</A> which allows you to run multiple copies of an OS and different OS' on one machine/server. I've had 8 separate virtual servers running on one machine before, all running full apps and with their own static IP. Basically each virtual server is seen as a separate IP on the network, so to anyone that doesn't know better, it seems like a real physical server. Works very well. Each server has it's own separate "build" as well, so they don't all have to be configured the same. The combinations are pretty much unlimited as to what you can have running.

 

[Teq]

Actually no... I'm not looking to run one OS virtually over another.

What I'm looking for is true "boot to CD" tool that doesn't rely upon the BIOS to do it.

I have 3 uses for this:

1) I have a bunch of systems I'd like to reload with Win2k but don't want to mess with 4 boot floppies. I'd much rather just have a custom CD with this little tool on it so I can launch the win2k "clean" installer from within other versions of windows.

2) Loading self-booting diagnostics from CD on machines that may not start back up if reset. (and won't that be a nice thing to have!)

3) Running MS-DOS from CD for various testing and management tasks.


LILO is as close an example as I can give. It is a windows tool that will unload windows completely from memory and launch Linux. Linux then completetly takes over the system and runs just like you'd booted into it. Problem is it <i>only</i> boots to linux and only on hard disks. I need it to boot to whatever is on the CD, it can't be OS specific.

Bootable CD-ROMS have have boot sectors, just like hard disks do. All I really want to do is jump to CD and activate that boot sector. Whatever OS or self-booting code is on the CD should then completely take control of the system, exactly like you booted to the CD.



--->It ain't better if it don't work<---

 

[Teq]

Thanks for the suggestion... but VMware is not quite what I need.

See my second message on this thread for a little more detail...

Also, picture this...

You have 158 machines to upgrade from WinME to win2k/sp3

You've slipstreamed SP3 and set up an unattended clean install to reformat the drive and reload the OS from scratch but only about half of the machines have a BIOS that will boot to CD.

<b>OOPS</b>

Now you have a problem... running 4 boot floppies on 80+ machines will add more than 20 hours to the job which really eats up your profits.

<i>Wouln't it be nice if...</i>
You could put the CD in the drive, click an Icon on the CD itself and let it do it's thing?


I do know about the win2k "Upgrade" installer... but it does not let you reformat the hard disk and it only has limited support for unattended installs.




--->It ain't better if it don't work<---

 

[GhostKat]

the closest I have seen to what you want was in the old days when I used QEMM. It had the ability to restart dos as if the computer had rebooted but without actually rebooting the computer fully. Don't think they make that capability anymore.

GK<P ID="edit"><FONT SIZE=-1><EM>Edited by ghostkat on 04/15/03 06:09 PM.</EM></FONT></P>

 

[Javic]

How about booting to a usb device, such as one of those pen drives? That IS possible, and the capacity is far greater than 4 floppies. The only problem that I would see here is if not all your machines have a USB port, which would make them pretty old. I haven't personally tried this, but I've heard from people who have and they say it works pretty well. But, you do have to have the USB port set up in your boot sequence in BIOS.

May not work for you, but atleast its another alternative. Or, instead of booting OUT of windows and onto the CD, possibly onto the USB device?

 

[Teq]

Believe me... any computer that won't boot to a CD is not going to boot to a USB device.



--->It ain't better if it don't work<---

 

[zwaarst]

maby, i am wrong, but you can start your win2K instalation from win98, even win311. ore do i miss the point completly

<font color=red>duk-tape is like the force, it has a bright side and a dark side, and it keeps the universe together.</font color=red>

 

[Teq]

Yes you can, there's an icon on the factory disks for just that purpose... but it's an <i>upgrade</i> install that does not boot to the CD or give you full access to unattended installs and it tries to maintain as much of the old setup as possible.

What I need is a similar icon that launches the BOOT SECTOR of the CD, ditching windows altogether and starting whatever OS or self-booting software is on the cD. Win2k was an <i>example</i> I want it for other uses as well... launching diagnostics, booting DOS, firing up linux installers etc.



--->It ain't better if it don't work<---