How do I create a bootable CD 1

[Antonimo]

I have been trying, without success, to create a CD with which to boot up the computer into DOS so that I can then use Ghost to create an image of a hard disk partition.

The BIOS allows for booting from the CD (the original Windows instalation CD boots up!)

I have a 3.5 floppy containing ntldr, NTDETECT.COM and boot.ini which will start the computer in DOS. I then have to swap floppies to use ghost.exe.

I would like to have a CD from which to boot containing the ghost program so that I do not have to use 3.5 floppies.

When I try to start the computer with the CD in the drive, I receive the message,

"Cannot load DOS! Any key to retry"

Can anybody explain why my CD is not working?

I used Nero to create the CD selecting "Boot CD" from the menu.

By the way, all of the hard disk partitions have NTFS formatting, if this makes a difference.

Help would be appreciated.

 

[Palagast]

Antonimo,

I suppose when you used the Nero wizard to create the bootable cd, at one point you had to insert your floppy to provide the bootable part of the cd? I'm not too sure if this works with windows nt/2000/xp bootdisks... Do you have a W9x bootable disk? If not, try

http://www.bootdisk.com

and download one there. Try it with that one.

Good luck!

 

[billy71]

Windows 2000 bootdisk will create 4. Best bet is to find a Windows 98 or ME boot disk. Good advice in the previous post.

 

[Antonimo]

Thanks to Palagast and billy71 and for their responses.

Palagest helpd to clarify in my mind the need for a bootable floppy in drive a:

I have suceeded in creating a bootable cd with the same contents as the floppy DOS boot disk.

I was limited to only being able to have the files that were on the floppy disk copy over to the CD. I would like to create the same bootable CD but with additional files for utilities etc.

Can anybody explain how I create the boot "image file" (in Nero with the extension *.ima) that can contain the files from the bootable floppy together with extra directories and files? When I tried, the CD was still bootable, but I could not find the additional files in DOS.

Thanks again,

 

[Palagast]

Antonimo,

I don't have Nero handy and I've only done this once so I might be a bit off, but as far as I know, you start a wizard, creating a bootable CD. At a certain point, Nero asks you to insert a bootable floppy disk (make sure this is a win9x one). When you do this, it copies the neccesary files to your cd et voilà.

 

[horqua]

Visit this link:

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

It's Part 1 of 2 parts that explains what you want to do. You'll have to search for Part 2 by searching on Langa and searching thru his articles on the same site.

Knock and the door will be opened to you; Seek and you will find; Ask and it will be given to you!

 

[Antonimo]

Hi horqua and thanks for the tip...

I have found the page you refer to, as well as part two at:

http://www.informationweek.com/story/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=10818064&pgno=1

I shall now spend a little time going though the information given in these articles and post my "results" soon

 

[bookouri]

Did you ever manage to create a boot CD? I've been going through those instructions... and several different "instructions" on how to make that boot CD but nothing has worked for me yet.

 

[Antonimo]

Hi bookouri,

I have the instructions sittong on my desktop. I have been snowed under for a couple of weeks. I should get to look at it witihin a couple of days.

I'll post the outcome