Hello.

I want to make a USB Flash Disk bootable.
I tried copying FreeDOS' floppy image to my flash disk, but it didn't seem to work.
I also tried copying the created files from a windows formatted floppy with the "Create MS-DOS boot floppy" option enabled, but that also didn't work.

Do I need to format my flash disk with "a special way" to make it bootable?

Or maybe, do I need to do something like that?


Also, I dont know whether the USB device is first in the boot order, and I cant check that since the BIOS is password protected.
But I think it is because when I leave it on the USB slot and then restart my computer, my flash disk's activity light will light on for a sec twice: Once before the computer starts detecting IDE drives and once after "Verifing DMI Pool Data" is done... (I know that some MBs don't show that, but this MB does )

So, how can I make my flash disk bootable?


Thanks.

UPDATE: I have managed to make my flash disk bootable.
Now I have problems installing Hiren's BootCD as you can see here.

Help would be appriciated

Well, To get into your bios pop out that little battery in your pc  for 10mins(The one near the bottom usually) as long as you have no settings you dont mind getting rid of. Then try again and it should be unprotected.

All this does it reset your CMOS settings

quote:

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Originally posted by Nathan
All this does it reset your CHMOD settings

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quote:

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Originally posted by Nathan
All this does it reset your CHMOD settings

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Well I have a pc here that is 6 years old and it can boot off usb.
It all depends if you BIOS is up too date

Thanks...

Reseting the CMOS settings is not what I'm currently looking at...
I would do it if I could get my usb flash disk to boot using a program that kills the cmos settings.
I can also boot from a floppy to use killcmos however all the floppys that I have here have been corrupted and now they can't be used...

Anyway, I tried this with a little diffrent way.
Instead of using a real floppy, I used a vitual floppy drive because as you read above, I don't have any floppys here anymore....
Also, I dindn't format my flash disk before appling the changes to the MBR of my flash disk...

Dont know if these two things can affect this...
Ofcourse, it could work like this, but the usb device might not be the first boot device...

you can kill the cmos settings from windows if no zany security tools are installed.

open Command Prompt (CMD) and type this:

debug <ENTER>
A <ENTER>
MOV AX,0 <ENTER>
MOV AX,CX <ENTER>
OUT 70,AL <ENTER>
MOV AX,0 <ENTER>
OUT 71,AL <ENTER>
INC CX <ENTER>
CMP CX,100 <ENTER>
JB 103 <ENTER>
INT 20 <ENTER>
<ENTER> (Note: Nothing is typed on this line)
G <ENTER> (By pressing G this will execute the above script)
Q <ENTER>

Thanks ShawnZ.
I tried that, but it didn't seem to work.

Only DF seems to be installed, but I have already disabled that...
Haven't found any other security related programs...

Windows XP Professional SP2

quote:

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Originally posted by Mike
I cant check that since the BIOS is password protected

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quote:

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Originally posted by ShawnZ
debug <ENTER>
A <ENTER>
MOV AX,0 <ENTER>
MOV AX,CX <ENTER>
OUT 70,AL <ENTER>
MOV AX,0 <ENTER>
OUT 71,AL <ENTER>
INC CX <ENTER>
CMP CX,100 <ENTER>
JB 103 <ENTER>
INT 20 <ENTER>
<ENTER> (Note: Nothing is typed on this line)
G <ENTER> (By pressing G this will execute the above script)
Q <ENTER>

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http://www.softpedia.com/get/System/System-Miscel...ous/KILLCMOS.shtml
there that should do the trick

he doesnt have a floppy disk read it!^^^

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Originally posted by Voldemort
he doesnt have a floppy disk read it!^^^

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Well ive been on passworded BIOS', but you could hit F11 during post on most machines to open the boot select menu...

I forgot to say that the computers also don't have a CD drive...
Damn, if I had a floppy, it would have been much easier...

Isn't it possible to execute killcmos.com before Windows launches with autoexec.bat or something?
Or was this removed in windows xp...?


By the way, I also tried following the instructions I posted on the first post, but that didnt work...


EDIT: I found a liitle program called CmosPwd which decodes the password for many motherboard manufacturers and it also works inside Windows
So, now I have the password, I tested it and it works, however, I still haven't checked the boot order...
But atleast I know the password now...

EDIT2: I went to the BIOS again to see if there was the option to boot from "USB-ZIP" (which seems to be a usb flash disk) and there is
I haven't tested however to boot from my flash drive because I currently dont have it with me, but I will try soon

Sorry for the double post...

I have made it ! ... kinda...

I tried to make it boot with Hiren's boot CD 7.8 (I know, it's an old version) and, well it worked, kinda...
I followed the instructions as described here, it booted fine, but when I try to launch a utility, the process is a bit diffrent than what happens with the cd:
It seems that it creates a 102400 kb RAM drive instead of 50MB it does when used with the cd.
After the ramdrive is created, it says that "File command.com was not found" even though command.com is in my flash disk.
Anyway after that it starts copying all the .uha files.
After it is done with that, nothing else happens...

It would be nice to have a flash disk that boots Hiren's BootCD...

So any help here?
I tried editing some files to see if I could get it to work, but I didn't make it...

Why are you trying all these programs to reset you cmos if you can just short the jumpers or pull the battery?

quote:

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Originally posted by Ezra
Why are you trying all these programs to reset you cmos if you can just short the jumpers or pull the battery?

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quote:

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Originally posted by Mike
EDIT: I found a liitle program called CmosPwd which decodes the password for many motherboard manufacturers and it also works inside Windows (Smilie)
So, now I have the password, I tested it and it works, however, I still haven't checked the boot order...
But atleast I know the password now...

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get the new version? what are u using it for btw?

quote:

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Originally posted by Voldemort
get the new version?

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quote:

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Originally posted by Voldemort
what are u using it for btw?

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