Any way to restart to MS-dos prompt without floppy?

[TaylorD]

I dont have my floppy drive for my laptop with me and I need to restart in MD-DOS mode to update some firmware.
Is there any other way to do this?

Thanks
-TD

 

[LiLithTecH]

Press F8 when Windows starts loading and choose
Command Prompt only.

That way nothing else gets loaded to interfere with the
firmware updating.

 

[TaylorD]

I have WinXP home, and theres no option for command prompt only.

theres "safe mode with command prompt" but that brings me to the WinXP login screen also.

 

[LiLithTecH]

That will work.

It only loads the Keyboard, Mouse, Video, IDE, and Default
System Services, so you should be ok.

 

[TaylorD]

even though it takes me to windows and not a command prompt?

 

[TaylorD]

oh well, it didnt work...

ill have to wait till i can get my floppy again

 

[Demon-Xanth]

If you go to debug or advanced startup, you can select "recovery console" which is another way of saying "command prompt". Other than that you can make a bootable CD.

 

[spyzdope]

Making a bootable CD would probably be the easiest way, IF your bios is new enough to give you the option of booting from the CD-rom, and if you've got access to another computer with a burner and a floppy drive. With easy cd creator 3.5 (probably similar for any other burning program) you just copy the contents of a boot disk to the hard drive, and burn it to CD... just make sure to select ISO 9660 (or something like that) and check the box for "make bootable". Then reboot with the CD in the drive, and it should work.

Of course, if you don't have access to another computer, it doesn't help you at all right now.

 

[joinT]

if you have a Win98 CD, you can insert it, boot from it, CANCEL the installation & it'll take you to cmd prompt.

 

[Usher]

If you are running winxp there is no true dos anymore. Also if you formated your hard drives to NTFS, you will not be able to see them if you boot to dos with a win98 boot disk.

Usher

 

[LiLithTecH]

Did anybody but me actually read the Question?

He did not have a Bootdisk and was only trying to do a Firmware update.

WinXP Home Edition is the only OS that does not allow you to boot to a Command Prompt.