Creating a bootable cd for recovery

Hi I have the 1st version of win98 and have lost my good scanreg backups, so I guess I'll have to over install Win98... I've almost been a week trying to get this laptop back. The integrity of the hard drive has been verified, so it's file corruption.

Since A:\ drive is broke and I can set up the bootup priority vs cd rom, hard drive, etc. Thought I would make a bootable cd with the startup disk info.......bit more complicated than I thought. Although I have the gun (UltraISO and Easyboot) I don't know how to pull the trigger . I've mapped the floppy, but after that ....I'm just not sure what to do.

I've made an image map of the floppy contents, and know where the files are, can select to make cd bootable, but I'm unclear, there's not a "make cd" like with easy cd creator. Does anyone know how this is done? thanks, Cyn

 

Pete, used cd creater, boot option and it asked for the floppy, which I had the emergency startup disk there, then I moved all the files over. CD creator created those the bootcat and bootimg files. Noticed that it didn't work on this working laptop, but the atapi cd rom didn't like it at all, the light kept blinking. I'm going back to the second link you gave me, it had the simplest info and plus I got some erraseable cd's . If you know why the errors right off, I'd appreciate you letting me know, thanks, Cyn

 

I downloaded the trial for Nero and on the 1st run, said the trial period had expired ???? I really don't have $99 for Nero right now.

Now once I make the floppy image, I DO copy all the startup disk files over don't I? The second trial failed too, seems the cd drives REALLY didnit like it , the drive kept blinking or the light stayed on. Thanks, Cyn

 

When you create a bootdisk like this it's not necessary to copy the files on the bootdisk to the cd. The two files (bootcat.bin and bootimg.bin) are all that's necessary. The bootimg.bin file is an image of the bootdisk in the floppy drive and the computer boots using this image file. If you create one this way, then boot from it and type dir at the a: prompt you'll see that all the files from the floppy are there.

Do you mean that the computer wouldn't boot from the cd or wouldn't burn the cd? I'd try EZCD again and this time try just burning the two files it puts on there (though it shouldn't matter if you copied the files there also) .

 

I used Nero to make a bootable CD. It required the floppy to be in the A: drive and then emulated ( I think that is the word ) it.

This may be what Zander is referring to.

I used the wrong floppy the first time so needed to do it twice but the CD can be used to boot any machine that can be booted from the CDROM.

And also ( with Nero anyway ) the CD can be setup so tha things like Norton DOS Utilities can be copied ( burned ) to it later

BillyBob

 

Hi, I just did that and the atapi cd just stays on after the bootup and windows booted from the hard drive.

The files were used from http://members.ozemail.com.au/~rossstew/drs/sec3.html#bk31

for bootable cd for atapi cd roms, didn't work, see that there's another post...hopefully...... cyn

 

Pete, Windows 98 1st ed installation cd :O( doesn't have boot option, Cyn

BTW, to Zander, can't boot from a cd as of yet, but I can burn those puppies right and left, just the wrong files so far

 

Same here. Only I used and original SUD the first time and not the one that I had modified in the CDROM department so it threw my CDROM letters way off.

In fact it ran just like a ........ boot disk.

Except MUCH faster.

BB

 

BillyBob, not sure what you mean, the first time, I just copied all the startup files to a cd, that didn't work, need the boot sector... what differece is there with atapi, toshiba, etc. scsi I underestand. The 2 laptops have atapi (the messed up one) and Toshiba on this one. Cyn

 

A mis-understanding here maybe ?

What we are referring to has nothing to do with the Windows CD.

What we are speaking about is making a CD from the Startup Disk that is made from within Windows AFTER windows is installed by going to control panel. Selecting Add/remove and the Startup disk tab.

I do not believe the bootable CD can not be BURNED. It needs to be created in a different way.

At least that is what I had to do. Just burning the files does not do it.

The Floppy is in the A: drive and the software sets up the CD from it.

BillyBob.

 

Just thought of something after reading through all this again. From the first post in this thread:

Are you using this computer or another one to make the cd? Your A: drive needs to work in order to make the bootable cd. If you are using a different one it sounds like you're missing a step somewhere. I'd just make my own boot disk to use for this if I were you. To do this, put a floppy (make sure it's a good one) in the drive and then open the control panel and then add>remove programs. Click on the startup disk tab. Once you've made it reboot the computer with the floppy in the drive and see if it boots from it (you may have to set your bios accordingly) . If it boots from the disk than boot back to windows, then put the bootable floppy you just made in the A: drive. Open EZCD and then go through the create bootable cd routine again. Again; you need not copy any files to the cd. All that's necessary is the bootcat.bin and bootimg.bin files. Once it's done, leave the cd in the drive cross your fingers , reboot (don't forget the bios settings) and see if it works.


If you want to add more files to the disk such as dos utilities, windows setup files etc. you can do this before you burn the cd. You won't be able to get at them from the a: prompt however. In order to be able to see or use any other files that are on the disk while in dos, you have to change drives at the command prompt. If for instance you copied the windows setup files and wanted to run setup you'd first boot the computer using the cd and when it stops at the a: prompt you'd then type E: (to do this you have to select cdrom support in the boot menu) . This is assuming your cdrom is drive E . When you do this, it will switch to the cd drive and your cd drive that was previously a: becomes E: . Are we confused yet? Now if you type dir at the prompt you'll see all the additional files you copied to the disk. If you copied your windows disk to the cd and wanted to run setup all you'd have to do is type the path to the setup file and windows setup would run.

 

BillyBob, not sure what you mean, the first time

If you are asking what I think you are:

By the first time I meant that I used the wrong startup floppy. ( one at least the wrong one for me ) I used the ORIGINAL instead of my modified one.

By modified it means I have NO Memu. Only one CDROM Driver instead of 6.

The readme file does not exist.

I can see on the screen that all files are being copied to the RAM Drive.

Several files have been added. ( deltree.exe, Xcopy.exe, Scanreg.exe and Mouse drivers have been added.

CDROM is set up to S: so that the RAMDrive does not change it. And neither does adding or removing HD partitions. And no matter which machine I boot with the CD the RamDrive never gets in the way of the CRDOMS.

Makes life A LOT easier.

BillyBob

 

I don't think so. At least I question that.

Even though it shows the A: prompt on the screen the CDROM itself will be the letter just above the RAMDrive. Which will be set by the MSCDEX.EXE line in the autoexec.bat.

For example If you have only C: drive the RAMDrive will be D: and CDROM will be E:

If you have C: D: E: partitions then the CDROM will be G:

This is just why I have /L:S ( instead of /L:%CDROM% ) on the MSCDEX line in the Autoexec.bat. It makes /L:S permanent and not a variable. It gets the CDROM up out of the way and is always the same no matter how many partitions I have ( up to R: anyway )

And all three machines and four version of Windows the CDROMS are S: permanently.

BillyBob

 

Don't mean to just jump in but see if this helps -

http://www.informationweek.com/story/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=10700681