Boot disk with XP??

[chop]

How do you create a start/boot up disk in Windows XP? I am attempting to flash the bios on my board and need to make a boot disk.

If there is an easier way, please let me know. Any suggestions?? Thanks.

[rUfUnKy]

I believe if you have your puter set to load cdrom first in bios you can just use the disk (if its a full version disk)

[martyt]

XP has a very weird method of making an emergency recovery disk. I will try to explain this but you may have to try it yourself before you can appreciate how strange it is.

(Also you can make a bootable disk very easily - not an emergency recovery disk. To make a bootable disk go to My Computer. Right click on the A drive and choose format. Check the create an MS-DOS startup disk and you are done. And you thought DOS was dead with XP?)

The only method that I have found to make the emergency disk is within the backup program. XP has a more sophisticated version of the Veritas backup program than 95, 98 or ME contained. It still basically sucks compared to Veritas Backup Exec because it won't write to a CD without a packet writer program (like Direct CD or inCD) installed. And it won't span CD's even with a packet writer.

To find the backup program go to Programs-Accessories-System Tools-Backup. A screen will pop up offering three options. The bottom one is called Automated System Recovery Wizard. It allows you to copy your system to a tape or hard drive and - here is the weird part - at the end of the backup of your system it will prompt you to make an emergency floppy so that you can restore your XP!

It gets better and weirder!!

When I first tried to do this the backup failed. My system backed up to more than 4 compressed gigs of data. The maximum file size in FAT 32 is 4 gigs. Because the backup failed I wasn't allowed to make the emergency disk!!!!

So I deleted some unused files in c:\program files\ and I moved some MP3's to CD and then made the backup within the 4 gig limit. (I had done a fresh install of XP so the c drive wasn't all that full at the time of the backup.) The system that was backed up appeared to be the c drive only.

If I convert to NTFS I will be able to break the 4 gig limit.

Also note that Norton AV doesn't allow AV emergency disks in XP!!! So what is an XP'r to do?!?

Hope this helps explain the situation. After going through it all I never used the boot disk so I will put it on my list of things to do. Then I can compare it to the disk we could make with Win98. I imagine it will be quite different. I think it will act more like the emergency disk for Norton Ghost.

Does anyone have a version of Backup Exec that is compatible with XP? If so how do you like it?

[martyt]

And since I just reread the post I will also suggest you use a Win98 boot CD. That is what I for my brother when I recently helped him do a BIOS flash.

If you need one go to:

http://www.bootdisk.com/

[martyt]

And from www. bootdisk.com comes the followins links.

http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/release.asp?releaseid=33291

http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/release.asp?releaseid=33290

The first is for XP Pro and the second if for XP home.

[chop]

Thank you very much for the help.

[el]

Okay I thought this was wrong at first but I don't see how to make any boot disks with XP! weird indeed.

[Yodums]

There's a folder in your XP CD called something like extras .. and there will be some boot folder there's an application for you to make disks there.