Creating a DOS bootdisk from Win2K

Mitzi

Diamond Member
Aug 22, 2001
3,775
1
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Hi,

A total newbie question but got me stumped! How can you create a standard DOS bootdisk from Win2K?

I DO NOT want to create the setup disks, just a standard boot disk.
 

AndyHui

Administrator Emeritus<br>Elite Member<br>AT FAQ M
Oct 9, 1999
13,141
17
81
Strictly speaking, since Win2K doesn't have DOS, you can't.

You can try this, but if you are still having problems, simply download a bootdisk from www.BootDisk.com.
 

Mitzi

Diamond Member
Aug 22, 2001
3,775
1
76
Thanks, I've just downloaded one from bootdisk.com which I'll keep as a backup.

I needed one yesterday so I could flash the BIOS on my new board, I found one eventually in a mountain high pile of old discs. I was just a little worried because if that disc died/got lost and I needed one in future I would be stuck.
 

obenton

Platinum Member
Oct 11, 1999
2,012
0
0
You can use w2k to copy DOS files to your DOS or win9x formatted floppy. You just can't format the floppy using w2k, because w2k format will change the floppy's boot sector so that, if it's used as a boot floppy, it will want to turn boot control over to w2k's ntldr instead of to DOS's io.sys.
 

Muse

Lifer
Jul 11, 2001
40,576
10,027
136


<< You can use w2k to copy DOS files to your DOS or win9x formatted floppy. You just can't format the floppy using w2k, because w2k format will change the floppy's boot sector so that, if it's used as a boot floppy, it will want to turn boot control over to w2k's ntldr instead of to DOS's io.sys. >>

Seems pretty dumb to me that they won't give you a way to boot from a floppy. I have some W95 boot disks, but if I only had W2k, I'd be out of luck without downloading something from the WWW. Why can't MS give the user a way to flash their BIOS, etc? A way to run DOS utilities from outside W2k? It's a common need.