A Bootdisk is a floppy disk you can use to boot ( start ) your computer, most boot disk's usually have some useful utilities like "FORMAT", "FDISK", "EDIT", "SCANDISK", and so on. I add my own Batch files so I can copy Autoexec.bat, Config.sys and Mscdex.exe which are needed when I install my CD-Rom Drivers from the A: prompt. Now that Windows Millennium has arrived on the shelf, our friends at Microsoft have REMOVED the SYS ( /s ) switch from the FORMAT command, The SYS or /s switch / command is what tells the FORMAT program to transfer the files needed to your Floppy disk or Hard Drive in order to make them Boot-able.   So this is the reason for my BootDisk page.Now a few points before we get on to making our boot disk's, 1. I like Windows Millennium But I don't like the way it stops users from controlling their own PC, ( what I mean is ) if I want to make a Bootdisk under WinMe so that I can FORMAT and copy the SYSTEM files to make my hard disk boot-able or install my own CD-ROM drivers or add my own device drivers to autoexec.bat or Config.sys then I should be allowed to do so, after all it is my Computer and once I've paid for my WinMe package I should be able to do what suits ME not Microsoft, 2. What benefit is there in REMOVING the /s switch ?, to the USER NONE, Does it improve WinMe? NO, Does it help the USER in any way? NO, Does it help Microsoft? Well maybe due to a lot more user's on the the HELPLINE at £1.00 p/min simply because they can't get into the guts of the system to correct the problem, or don't have a proper BOOTDISK to help them recover. 3. Yes you can make or should that be you HAVE to make a start up disk when installing WinMe, But if you have a problem and you can't get WinME to boot up, I found that while the Start up disk can run Scandisk, FIXIT and offer help, you have to end up running SETUP again, so I had a bright idea I will format the hard disk and reload it all in again, BUT this time I will be in control, So I typed in format c: /s only to be met with  So this time I typed in format c: with WinMe format only to find on rebooting the system a message to say there was NO system please insert the start up disk! Ha but this would mean WinMe would be in control of MY COMPUTER again. So after some thought I put my trusted Win98 boot disk in drive A: and rebooted the system, I then formatted my hard drive again with the /s switch and after another reboot my system was up and running again and I could now install MY CD-ROM drivers, I then reinstalled WinMe again. Now all this is fine if you know a fair bit about computers and their Systems But what if you were a novice, I reckon you would be reaching for the Phone and spending £1.00 p/min or calling out your Computer repair man at £20.00 per hour, so you can now see the need for a good BOOTDISK.4. The other problem with WinMe is that WinMe which is based on the Windows 9x kernel, can't access Real Dos-Mode! Or did you think that Windows Me architecture doesn't allow it? It seems that Microsoft simply decided to hide this option in Windows Me, for some unknown reason, However there is a patch for this but I will deal with that on another page. NOW I AM NOT SAYING don't use WinMe, In fact I am using WinMe at this very moment and apart from the points mentioned above I find it to be OK and have had no other problems with it, But why they had to deliver such a wound to DOS I will never know. BTW if you have any thoughts on the matter then send me your comments by E-Mail . Now lets get on to this BootDisk stuff, I have set the Bootdisk's out in 3 sections with a brief introduction, so select the Bootdisk of your choice from the links below. |