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Booting OS from formatted hard drive? please help

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Warshed

Registered
Joined
Feb 20, 2003
Location
LA
Ok I have to format a drive, then transfer an OS into the drive without an operating system and then boot an OS from the formatted hard drive. My main problem is how the hell do I transfer the OS files into a formatted hard drive? Do I need to install dos and then create a boot disk and boot into dos and then get dos to recognize my CD-rom drive and then transfer the OS files? If so how do I get my computer to recognize my CD-rom drives in dos?
 
Erm... Just install an OS. That is going the long way around just popping the CD in, and booting up and installing...

Or did you mean something different? Coz that question is puzling me a little...
 
its not that simple in all cases...not every OS uses a bootable CD

what OS are you planning to install??

in most cases you can just insert a bootable floppy with the necessary files on it (the windows boot up disks work for windows....im gunna figure windows is what you are going with...)
and then go to the start OS with cd-rom support and then it installs some stuff....then when you get to a command prompt (a flashing cursor waiting for imput) you type in setup.exe (with the windows cd in the drive) and you are off...

if its XP (possibly 2k too, i dunno) you can just insert the cd in the drive before it boots up and it should detect it and start up setup

you will have to make sure you have the floppy or cd-rom drive BEFORE the hdd in the start up line in your BIOS....that will tell your computer which it wants to read first (if your hdd is read before your floppy or cd-rom is read, it will give you an error saying something like "no OS detected" but remember, it will give you that error in other cases too)

gl and have fun..... welcome to the forum and to the world of BYO! (building your own)

edit- heh, now that i think of it...i think win98 could even boot from the cd....i dunno anymore... lol
 
most new HDD comes with a program to copy an existing drive...
i think norton ghost do the same, and there are other softwares out there...
 
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