network boot cd-rom

Good day to all -

Does anyone know how to create a network bootable CD-ROM without having access to a 3.5 floppy drive? Here’s my situation: I’ve been handed new laptops to image (Dell Inspiron 1100 series) and for some reason the purchaser did not want to include a standard 3.5 floppy drive. I have no idea why someone would intentionally perform such an IT travesty. Thus, all my knowledge of how to create network boot disks is down the drain. I’ve been using Norton Ghost to create network boot disks and then using Adaptec’s CD Creator to make bootable CD-ROMs from those 3.5 boot disks. I’ve been directed to many great sites on both the Norton software and on creating boot disks (they are en mass) but none have helped thus far.

I’ve even been creative and tried creating a network boot disk using a different computer, modifying its network.ini and protocol.ini files so they match the Inspiron 1100 specs, and placing the correct dos drivers on the disk. --- No go. Laptop freaks out on boot up and starts speaking gibberish...

Ghost does not seem to have an option to pull boot info from anywhere other than a floppy so all attempts there have failed.

So, has anyone ever built a network bootable CD-ROM before? Anyone? I’d be in your debt if you could share that knowledge with me…

Thanks to all…


Bart

 

Why a 'network boot' rather than a local bootable CD? Do the things have a CD drive?

 

good question..

Yes they have CD drives. I want to get a ghost image of the laptop's hard drive off the dumb thing so I can burn it to a CD. But, the only way to do this seems to be by creating a network boot disk (floppy) first, then, use the boot files from the floppy to create a bootable CD ROM. I have already created a bootable CD ROM so I could try to ghost one partition to the other. However, the laptop only has one hard drive and it doesn't look like norton ghost version 7.5 corporate edition supports dumping an image of one partition to another on the same hard drive. So, I'm at a loss. However, we are ordering USB external floppy drives for the dumb things which will make my life a lot easier.

Thanks,

Bart

 

Good idea.

Maybe next time the person who placed the original order will check with you to see if it's possible to support what he plans to buy.