The various Windows systems provide for creating something called a “startup” disk which you may have made already or which may have come with your system. This disk can be made by going to Control Panel|Add/Remove Programs|Startup Disk. There is also a utility on many Windows 98 CDs located at Tools\Mtsutil\Fat32ebd (EBD for “emergency boot disk”) that allows for the creation of a startup disk. This particular version of a boot disk has its uses, and a copy should probably be made, but it employs a clunky, ponderous setup. It utilizes a RAM drive (probably shifting the normal letter assignment of your CD-ROM) and includes many extra drivers for completeness’ sake. It is aimed more at reinstalling Windows than doing troubleshooting and I much prefer a version that is more streamlined.

To prepare a boot disk in Windows 98 systems, do a full format on a blank diskette and choose the option “Copy System Files” from the format menu.. This will add the hidden boot files Io.sys and Msdos.sys and the DOS command interpreter Command.com. It will also add the hidden file Drvspace.bin, which you do not need unless you are using file compression. Next, add a DOS driver file for your CD drive. It will normally have CD in its name and a .sys extension. Try doing a file search using *cd*.sys. If your CD drive has no DOS driver or you do not know how to find it, the generic file Oakcdrom.sys works for most CD drives. Try a search on your system for this file or copy it from the Windows “startup” disk. (Obtaining this file may be your best reason for making a “startup” disk as well as the boot disk we are describing.) Next add these files to the diskette:

• Attrib.exe
• Deltree.exe
• Edit.com
• Extract.exe
• Fdisk.exe
• Format.com
• Himem.sys
• Mscdex.exe
• Scandisk.exe
• Smartdrv.exe
• Sys.com
• Xcopy.exe
• Xcopy32.exe
• Xcopy32.mod

These files should all be available on your hard drive in the folder \Windows\Command\, or if not there, in \Windows\ or \Windows\System\. One way to find them is to do a Find File search and then copy them to the diskette from the search window. Exactly which files are included in a boot disk is to some extent a matter of choice. Other files can be added to suit the user's preference (if there is room). The details of the functions of each of these files cannot be discussed in the space available here but more information can be found in the comprehensive discussions given in the references on the main boot disk page. I am including a file that is not included in many boot disk discussions so I will briefly mention that Extract.exe allows retrieval of files from within the Microsoft compressed format CAB. This allows fresh copies of system files to be obtained.

The boot disk is still incomplete until two files that the user must create are added. This step may cause the average user to feel unnecessary trepidation but the process is very simple and involves only a few lines of text in Notepad. The two files provide for memory management and support for your CD drive and are called Config.sys and Autoexec.bat. Although the file extensions are not (and must not be) that of a text file, the files are in fact straightforward text files. The versions I am going to suggest here are not tweaked for the extra bit of efficiency in memory use that some prefer (upper and high memory) since in this article I am trying to keep it as simple as possible.

Use Notepad to create a file with the lines:
 Device=himem.sys
 Device= oakcdrom.sys /D:MSCD001

Save the file as “Config.sys” making sure that Notepad doesn’t tack on an extra .txt extension at the end of the filename. I have used oakcdrom.sys for the CD driver. If you are using your own driver, substitute accordingly. Be sure to include the switch /D:MSCD001 (with a space between it and the driver file).

Use Notepad to create another file with the lines:
 mscdex.exe /D:MSCD001
 smartdrv.exe

Save as "Autoexec.bat", again making sure that Notepad doesn't tack on an extra .txt extension at the end of the filename. (Note that in either file the entries are case-insensitive so caps are optional.)

Test your boot disk by putting it in the A: drive and turning on the computer. Check to see if your CD drive is working by placing a CD containing some files in the drive. Enter the appropriate drive letter (with colon) and then enter “dir” (no quotes). You should get a list of the CD contents. Then put the diskette away in a safe place and hope that you never have to use it.

Return to main boot disk page