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Most people don't consider creating a Startup Disk until their
computer fails to start - then it's too late. A startup disk
will not start Windows, but it will start your computer in DOS.
The most common reasons for a computer not starting are
corrupted files, missing files, or configuration problems. You
can use a Startup Disk to replace the files or restore the
computers configuration.
If your operating system is Windows XP or Windows 2000, it isn't
bootable. With these systems, you use an Emergency Repair Disk
that works with the systems built-in repair functions. This
article focuses on Windows 9x/Me systems.
When you create a Startup Disk, Windows needs to gather some
important system files, so you may be required to insert your
Windows CD. To create a Startup Disk select Start | Settings |
Control Panel. Open the Add/Remove Programs utility and select
the "Startup Disk" tab. Click on the "Create Disk" button. You
will be prompted to insert a floppy disk into the drive.
=>Windows 95 Users
Note: If your operating system is Windows 95, you will be
missing one important file on your Startup Disk. When Windows 98
creates a Startup disk, it includes a generic IDE/ATAPI CD ROM
driver on the disk. Windows 95 does not. On the Startup disk you
will need a DOS "real-mode" driver, not the virtual device
driver used while running under Windows 95.
Windows 95 users will have to locate their CD ROM driver. At the
top of the C: drive, locate a file named config.sys and open it
in Notepad. A line in this file should identify the name of your
CD ROM driver. The drivers file name will end with a .sys
extension, for example NEC_IDE.SYS.
If you cannot determine the name of your real mode CD ROM driver
here, you may have to look on the floppy disk or CD ROM that
came with your Drive or check your computer manufacturers Web
site.
You will also need a copy of the DOS CD ROM driver called
MSCDEX.EXE. This file should be located in your WindowsCommand
folder. Place a copy of both of these files on your Startup disk.
Next, use Notepad to open the file config.sys on your startup
disk and add the following line, replacing the name of the
driver file shown with the actual name of your driver. Then save
the file.
DEVICE=A:NEC_IDE.SYS /D:MSCD001
Use Notepad to open the file autoexec.bat on your Startup disk.
If the disk does not have an autoexec.bat file, create one. In
the autoexec.bat file add the line shown below. Then save the
file.
MSCDEX.EXE /D:MSCD001
Now when you boot from the startup disk, your real-mode CD ROM
driver will automatically be installed, allowing you to read the
CD in DOS.
=> Copy These Special Files to Your Startup Disk
On all Windows 9x/Me systems you should copy the important
configuration files system.dat and user.dat from your Windows
folder to your startup disk. First make sure your system is
configured to show hidden files: In Windows Explorer View menu
select the View tab and check the Show All Files radio button.
The file system.dat is a database for your computer's hardware.
The file user.dat is a database for user settings. These two
files combine to form the elusive Windows Registry.
The configuration files config.sys, autoexec.bat (directly under
C:), win.ini and system.ini (in the Windows folder) are legacy
files for compatiblility with Windows 3.1. They are not required
for Windows 95 and higher, but if you find them on your computer
it may be because you are running some older 16 bit software. If
you find any of them on your computer, place a copy on your
startup floppy disk.
=> Test Your Startup Disk
When you have completed your Startup Disk, you should test it.
To do that, restart your computer with the floppy disk in the
drive. After your computer starts, you should end up with the A:
prompt on the screen. If it doesn't work, check the boot order
configuration in your computers BIOS setup. Make sure that the
floppy drive is the first boot device.
Windows 98 displays a menu allowing you to select to start with
or without CD support. It then creates a RAM drive and assigns
it the first avalable drive letter. Therefore, the drive
designation of your CD ROM drive may be different. The same
files available on a Windows 95 startup disk are then expanded
to the RAM drive.
Place any CD ROM disc in your CD ROM drive and type in D: (or
whatever letter is assigned to your CD drive). You should get
the D: prompt. If you get the D: prompt, type in DIR. You should
get a list of the contents of the CD in the drive.
If your Startup disk worked okay, you now have the capability to
start the computer from the floppy drive in DOS mode. You may
not totally understand how to use the files on your Startup Disk
to restore your computer, but a technician who helps restore
your computer will be glad you saved them.
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