My winxp PC will boot to a DOS floppy but not run (e.g. if I need to install new partition image, Acronis requies reboot to DOS). I can read floppy files from within XP and even create a DOS start up floppy but when I reboot the system just hangs. Is there something missing from 'C' root that is stopping me running a DOS floppy? Everything else on the PC is fine (four separate wnxp partitons).
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Winxp will not boot to DOS
- Thread starter Quarkrad
- Start date
Are you talking about the real DOS, not the cmd you type from start or click as a shortcut, correct?
What type of partitions do you have set up? NTFS or FAT32? If this is the case, DOS will not install or work. DOS (The real kind) requires a FAT partition.
Secondly, how much memory do you have in your pc. DOS will only see a certain amount (640KB). Yes, I KNOW you can use more than the 640K, BUT you eithr need to add entries into your config.sys file, and/or use a 3rd party memory mananger such as QEMM. More than that and you MAY have problems. Finally, if you don't have video drivers for DOS, you may have problems.
What type of partitions do you have set up? NTFS or FAT32? If this is the case, DOS will not install or work. DOS (The real kind) requires a FAT partition.
Secondly, how much memory do you have in your pc. DOS will only see a certain amount (640KB). Yes, I KNOW you can use more than the 640K, BUT you eithr need to add entries into your config.sys file, and/or use a 3rd party memory mananger such as QEMM. More than that and you MAY have problems. Finally, if you don't have video drivers for DOS, you may have problems.
You have an issue with your DOS floppy. Try downloading one from and see what happens with it.
Ed Fair
Give the wrong symptoms, get the wrong solutions.
Ed Fair
Give the wrong symptoms, get the wrong solutions.
Can you run the DIR command from the A prompt? That might be about it for XP's Startup Floppy in a NTFS partitioned system. The 98 and ME Startup Floppy have a lot more tools included, plus support to access CD-ROM's, but still require FAT or FAT32 partitions on the hard drive.
How to Use the Fdisk Tool and the Format Tool to Partition or Repartition a Hard Disk
Limitations of the FAT32 File System in Windows XP
If Acronis has its own DOS boot request, it probably has some way of creating whatever you need from the program itself?
You will find the Acronis Forums here.
How to Use the Fdisk Tool and the Format Tool to Partition or Repartition a Hard Disk
Limitations of the FAT32 File System in Windows XP
If Acronis has its own DOS boot request, it probably has some way of creating whatever you need from the program itself?
You will find the Acronis Forums here.
- Thread starter
- #6
Thank you all for replying.
I am talking about real DOS - the inbuilt simulation (e.g. from CMD) works fine.
I downloaded and created a DOS 6.21 boot disk and restarting the PC it booted to the floopy, loaded the fles and I got the A: prompt. I typed dir/w and read all the files on the floppy. However, when I tried to switch to C or one of the other sectors DOS told me that the drives did not exist. So my PC can load and run DOS from a floppy but cannot read my PC drive drive. As a test I created a Partition Magic recovery floppy (actually there are two floopies)from within WinXP - restarted the PC and all I got on the (black) screen after booting to floppy 1 was Starting Caldera DR-DOS ..... (the PC hung at this point). What is supposed to hppen is floppy 1 load Caldera DOS and floppy 2 loads a DOS version of Partiton Magic. I opened config.sys in c:\ with notepad ad there was nothing in it - perhaps not supprising as the fle is 0KB. I have download QEMM bu tyet to create and load the floppies - will installing QEMM from the floppies (assuming I can read them) into C drive be OK as far as winXP in concerned? Is the answer somewhere to do wtj a command like himem.sys in my (empty) config.sys file?
I am talking about real DOS - the inbuilt simulation (e.g. from CMD) works fine.
I downloaded and created a DOS 6.21 boot disk and restarting the PC it booted to the floopy, loaded the fles and I got the A: prompt. I typed dir/w and read all the files on the floppy. However, when I tried to switch to C or one of the other sectors DOS told me that the drives did not exist. So my PC can load and run DOS from a floppy but cannot read my PC drive drive. As a test I created a Partition Magic recovery floppy (actually there are two floopies)from within WinXP - restarted the PC and all I got on the (black) screen after booting to floppy 1 was Starting Caldera DR-DOS ..... (the PC hung at this point). What is supposed to hppen is floppy 1 load Caldera DOS and floppy 2 loads a DOS version of Partiton Magic. I opened config.sys in c:\ with notepad ad there was nothing in it - perhaps not supprising as the fle is 0KB. I have download QEMM bu tyet to create and load the floppies - will installing QEMM from the floppies (assuming I can read them) into C drive be OK as far as winXP in concerned? Is the answer somewhere to do wtj a command like himem.sys in my (empty) config.sys file?
DOS does not know what a NTFS filesystem is!!!
to access a NTFS filesystem under DOS, you would need an application, such as NTFS4DOS...
or the FREE NTFS reader for DOS:
Ben
"If it works don't fix it! If it doesn't use a sledgehammer..."
to access a NTFS filesystem under DOS, you would need an application, such as NTFS4DOS...
or the FREE NTFS reader for DOS:
Ben
"If it works don't fix it! If it doesn't use a sledgehammer..."
- Thread starter
- #9
Sorry - I forgot the mention. My C partition is FAT32, the other three partitions are NTFS. I appreciate DOS will not see/read the NTFS partitions - I do not 'per se' what to read C drive. All I would like to do is to be able to boot from a DOS floppy (e.g. seagate tools to read/check your hard disk comes in the form of a floppy). Sometime back I tried to load an Acronis program that put a simple front end boot screen on the PC but having configured everything from the Aronis app in XP (in the FAT 32 partition) on reboot the PC hung with Starting Acronis Loader.... on the screen. Are we saying that on a FAT32 or NTFS partitioned winXP PC it is not possible to boot from a DOS recovery floppy such as Partiton Magic or Seagate tools? (I use Acronis True Image for windows - on my C FAT32 drive - which works fine. However, in the case where the PC has to reboot and re-install an image in 'DOS' mode my PC just hangs. I should re boot, load True Image, prior, to windows, in a sort of DOS environment and re install a saved image.
What type of drives do you have? If IDE, then a DOS boot disk should be able to access a FAT formatted drive. If SATA, then DOS may have issues seeing the drive unless BIOS is configured to allow SATA to run in some kind of legacy mode.
What version and build of True Image are you running?
When booted from a DOS disk, what does FDISK show for drives and partitions?
What version and build of True Image are you running?
When booted from a DOS disk, what does FDISK show for drives and partitions?
- Thread starter
- #11
Many thanks - I think you have cracked it - but I'm not sure if I can recover. Many moons ago when I created the HD it looks like I did not 'fdisk' a DOS partition. I have two HD's, the first with 4 x winXP partitions and another 2 part's used for storage. The second HD has five parts but no OS's - just storage.
HD 1 looks like:
C FAT32 winXP
E NTFS winXP
F NTFS winXP
G NTFS winXP
H NTFS storage
S NTFS storage
When I boot to a DOS disk and run FDISK(op 4) it reads
Partition Status Type Vol Label Mbytes System Usage
1 A NON-DOS 2000 0 100
% 2 NON-DO -25 829 1
00%
HD1 is 200GB so it looks right..... is my problem having no DOS partition? If it is - is it too late to correct this? Is it correct to assume I cannot use FDISK otherwise I will corrupt the existing partitions?
Is it possible to create a DOS partition and put in the correct files - what are they?
HD 1 looks like:
C FAT32 winXP
E NTFS winXP
F NTFS winXP
G NTFS winXP
H NTFS storage
S NTFS storage
When I boot to a DOS disk and run FDISK(op 4) it reads
Partition Status Type Vol Label Mbytes System Usage
1 A NON-DOS 2000 0 100
% 2 NON-DO -25 829 1
00%
HD1 is 200GB so it looks right..... is my problem having no DOS partition? If it is - is it too late to correct this? Is it correct to assume I cannot use FDISK otherwise I will corrupt the existing partitions?
Is it possible to create a DOS partition and put in the correct files - what are they?
Well, forget the DOS FDISK idea for the moment. It is not seeing your 200GB drive correctly...2000MB is only 2GB not the 200GB your drive has. I'm not sure where it is getting this data from. Do not try to do any partitioning with DOS at this point. You will guaranteed to hose your drive if you do.
Again, what type of drives are we dealing with, SATA or IDE? This is important from a DOS standpoint being able to see drives, let alone DOS partitions. Whether created through DOS or XP, DOS should be able to read/write FAT32 formatted partitions, but it must be able to recognize drives first.
And again, what version and build of True Image are you running?
Again, what type of drives are we dealing with, SATA or IDE? This is important from a DOS standpoint being able to see drives, let alone DOS partitions. Whether created through DOS or XP, DOS should be able to read/write FAT32 formatted partitions, but it must be able to recognize drives first.
And again, what version and build of True Image are you running?
- Thread starter
- #13
Thanks for your help. I made a typo - FDISK shows 2000MB. The two HDs are IDE device mangr shows the following double entries:
Intel(R) 82801EB Ultra ATA Storage Controllers
Intel(R) 82801EB Ultra ATA Storage Controllers
Primary IDE Channel
Primary IDE Channel
Secondary IDE Channel
Secondary IDE Channel
I have Acronis True Image V 9.0.0.2302. Yesterday I downloaded Seagate tools from the Seagate web site and made a floppy to check my HDs -again the PC just hung when it booted to A drive and tried t read the floppy. I wold have thought th egeneric DOS files on the Seagate flopp would be the sae as the DOS 6.21 floppy that I created today and can be read by my PC.
Intel(R) 82801EB Ultra ATA Storage Controllers
Intel(R) 82801EB Ultra ATA Storage Controllers
Primary IDE Channel
Primary IDE Channel
Secondary IDE Channel
Secondary IDE Channel
I have Acronis True Image V 9.0.0.2302. Yesterday I downloaded Seagate tools from the Seagate web site and made a floppy to check my HDs -again the PC just hung when it booted to A drive and tried t read the floppy. I wold have thought th egeneric DOS files on the Seagate flopp would be the sae as the DOS 6.21 floppy that I created today and can be read by my PC.
acewarlock
Technical User
Do as edfair said to do.
You have an issue with your DOS floppy. Try downloading one from and see what happens with it.
Ed Fair
Give the wrong symptoms, get the wrong solutions.
They aslo have Dos7
This is a Signature and not part of the answer, it appears on every reply.
This is an Analogy so don't take it personally as some have.
Why change the engine if all you need is to change the spark plugs.
You have an issue with your DOS floppy. Try downloading one from and see what happens with it.
Ed Fair
Give the wrong symptoms, get the wrong solutions.
They aslo have Dos7
This is a Signature and not part of the answer, it appears on every reply.
This is an Analogy so don't take it personally as some have.
Why change the engine if all you need is to change the spark plugs.
Will DOS7/Win95 read FAT32? I thought it was only Win98 and WinME that could read FAT32.
You could make a boot floppy from a Win98/WinME system. You can get those from bootdisk too.
Another problem might be your 200GB disk. I don't know what that translates to but if it works out to be a -ve number, a FAT32 system might not recognize it.
You could make a boot floppy from a Win98/WinME system. You can get those from bootdisk too.
Another problem might be your 200GB disk. I don't know what that translates to but if it works out to be a -ve number, a FAT32 system might not recognize it.
What does the "Sys C" command do in DOS?
Microsoft DOS sys command
Microsoft DOS sys command
acewarlock
Technical User
Are you asking him to Type sys c at the Dos command line???
if yes why?
This is a Signature and not part of the answer, it appears on every reply.
This is an Analogy so don't take it personally as some have.
Why change the engine if all you need is to change the spark plugs.
if yes why?
This is a Signature and not part of the answer, it appears on every reply.
This is an Analogy so don't take it personally as some have.
Why change the engine if all you need is to change the spark plugs.
HughLerwill
Programmer
From the DOS v5.0 manual (we don't seem to get 'manuals' any more!).
'Copies ms-dos system files and the ms dos command interpreter (COMMAND.COM) to the disk in a drive you specify.
Sys [drive1:][path] drive2:'
'Copies ms-dos system files and the ms dos command interpreter (COMMAND.COM) to the disk in a drive you specify.
Sys [drive1:][path] drive2:'
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