How To Create USB Dos Boot Disk

 

As we know, if an USB can be boot, the boot file must locate at diskface 0 trace 0. So we cannot create a USB boot disk though simple copy. This article will use HPUSBFW to format USB.

 

1, You can find HPUSBFW in HP driver download website. it is contained in all HP's desktop or laptop "BIOS Update" installer , for example: http://h20000.www2.hp.com/bizsupport/TechSupport/SoftwareDescription.jsp?lang=en&cc=us&prodTypeId=321957&prodSeriesId=4138087&prodNameId=4137878&swEnvOID=1093&swLang=13&mode=2&taskId=135&swItem=ob-92523-1 .Download the installer "sp***.exe" then extract it though command following:

C:\Tools\sp52278.exe -e -fc:\tools –s 

 

You can see HPUSBFW.exe is under c:\tools folder.

 

2, we need prepare MS-Dos files: MSDOS.sys, IO.sys and COMMAND.com. you can find them in windows 98 system directory (I didn't try it). Or you can download MS-DOS 7.1 (IO.sys version which I use is November 28, 2003).

 

3, Connect your USB with Computer, run HPUSBFW, set like following picture:

 

D:\abc\MS-DOS is the path contains MS-DOS files, Click "Start".

 

Up to now, you success to create an USB DOS boot disk. Set "USB first" in your BIOS, then you can  enter DOS Command line interface.  Maybe you'd like to create menu which can choose program to run, like following picture. You need create Config.sys and AUTOEXEC.bat in USB root directory.

 

4, Config.sys is used to store the menu items and other system configuration. You can use "sysedit" or commandline tool "edit" to edit Config.sys, notepad.exe also work. See following context:

[menu]
menuitem=HELLOWORLD, Print Hello World.
menuitem=GHOSTXP, GHOST XP on partition C:
menuitem=COMMANDLINE, DOS COMMANDLINE

[HELLOWORLD]

[GHOSTXP]

[COMMANDLINE]

[COMMON]

LASTDRIVE = Z

 

"[menu]" block is used to define the menu. The menuitem syntax is:

menuitem= item name, display text

 

Every menuitem MUST have corresponding block, that is used to define the configuration for this menuitem. For example, if you need load CD-ROM driver for HELLOWORLD item:

[HELLOWORLD]
DEVICEHIGH=Vide-cdd.sys /D:MSCD001

 

(Make sure Vide-cdd.sys exist in your USB)

[COMMON] block will be used for all menuitem. Here we will not introduce the syntax of Config.sys in detail, it is easy to get more information from google.

 

5, Create AUTOEXEC.bat. AUTOEXEC.bat will run after choosing an item in menu. for example:

@echo off
CLS

REM when using USB-HDD or USB-HDD+
if EXIST C: set %LETTER%=C:
REM when using USB-ZIP or USB-ZIP+
if EXIST A: set %LETTER%=A:

if %config% == HELLOWORLD goto HW
if %config% == GHOSTXP goto INSTALLXP
if %config% == COMMANDLINE  goto END

:HW
ECHO Hello, World
goto END

:INSTALLXP
ECHO Will Ghost XP, all data will be lost on the partition.
pause
%LETTER%\ghost\ghost -clone,mode=prestore,src=%LETTER%\ghost\CDR00001.GHO:1,dst=2:2 -sure -fx
goto END

:END

 

%config% is the name of selected item which defined in config.sys. So, if you choose "Print Hello World.", "Hello, World" will be printed; choose "GHOST XP on partition C:", ghost will be excuted with arguments; choose "DOS COMMANDLINE", nothing will be excuted, enter comandline directly.

 

6, Copy utilities which you want to run under DOS to the USB. In above example, we use ghost.exe, so we need copy ghost.exe to [USB]\ghost folder.

 

Reference

http://h20000.www2.hp.com/bizsupport/TechSupport/Document.jsp?lang=en&cc=us&objectID=c02715961&jumpid=reg_R1002_USEN

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/232558

http://wenku.baidu.com/view/b630151ba8114431b90dd83b.html