I downloaded and uncompressed a bios flash utility on my e-mail machine. Then put the files on a formatted floppy to load during my NT system boot. But I keep geting the error message "nonsystem disk" please remove. I can't get it to load the files so I can flash the bios. I need to do so in order to run some faster processors on the MoBo. And to top it off I can't find the utility in NT workstation to create a bootable floppy. How could I have missed it?
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Boot disk for NT? 1
- Thread starter GFBeranek
- Start date
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1
- #2
Try for boot disks.
If you have many different types use something like WinImage to archive them and reimage a diskette as required.
If you have many different types use something like WinImage to archive them and reimage a diskette as required.
A win 95/98 boot disk will do the job since all you need is a base OS for the flash utility to gain access to the BIOS. NT does not have a utility to create a classic "boot disk" (one disk that will launch you in to a dos-like command prompt at boot). In NT thre are setup boot disks and fault tolerant boot disks, which won't get you where you want to go.
- Thread starter
- #4
Thanks for the tips. That's great. The link to bootdisk.com will be very helpful in the future. And I have a 95 machine to create a boot disk. I wasn't sure a boot disk off another OS would work without creating a potential promlem. So I assume I'm to add the flash utility in with the 95 boot files, but! what about the file extraction? To clarify, It will start a 95 boot sequence. Will it stop, and then do I run" dir." to select the flash utility files? And also, please, just one more question on this subject, since we're at it anyway, What file, or files in the boot disk make it recognized as a valid system disk to get the command prompt at boot. Seems to me to me that's all I would need. Sure would be a handy little thing. Ever curious. Thanks, GF Beranek. See you on the posts.
The flash utility should have a help command (such s -? or /?) to give you the lowdown on how to run it. I've used awardflash before and it was just matter of copying the flasher and image file to the floppy, booting off it then running the awdflash.exe with the proper command switches to flash the bios.
On a 9X boot floppy the boot files are command.com, msdos.sys and io.sys; however, just copying these over to a floppy will not make it bootable- you have to format the disk and transfer the system either through the format gui in My Computer or at a command prompt by the command sys a: (or by formatting from the command prompt with the /s switch: format a: /s).
For an NT boot disk you need the folowing files on a floppy formatted on an NT machine:
NTDETECT.COM
boot.ini
ntldr
If you are using a scsi controller with bios disabled you'll need ntbootdd.sys as well. All the files are in the root directory (usually c:\).
What this disk will do is start your NT system if your system partition (remember, NT reverses the meaning of boot and system partitions- darn Bill Gates
) becomes corrupted. In other words, if your \winnt folder resides on your D drive and problems with your C drive won't let you start the system, the boot floppy will get it running so you can try to fix the problem. It is also useful if you have a mirror set and the primary drive fails- you can edit boot.ini to point to the mirrored drive and launch from the boot diskette in order to start the machine and rebuild the mirror.
On a 9X boot floppy the boot files are command.com, msdos.sys and io.sys; however, just copying these over to a floppy will not make it bootable- you have to format the disk and transfer the system either through the format gui in My Computer or at a command prompt by the command sys a: (or by formatting from the command prompt with the /s switch: format a: /s).
For an NT boot disk you need the folowing files on a floppy formatted on an NT machine:
NTDETECT.COM
boot.ini
ntldr
If you are using a scsi controller with bios disabled you'll need ntbootdd.sys as well. All the files are in the root directory (usually c:\).
What this disk will do is start your NT system if your system partition (remember, NT reverses the meaning of boot and system partitions- darn Bill Gates
) becomes corrupted. In other words, if your \winnt folder resides on your D drive and problems with your C drive won't let you start the system, the boot floppy will get it running so you can try to fix the problem. It is also useful if you have a mirror set and the primary drive fails- you can edit boot.ini to point to the mirrored drive and launch from the boot diskette in order to start the machine and rebuild the mirror.Sorry to go over old ground but there is a nice simple way to create a boot disk using the method above
format a: /s
and then just copy the file
win.com
onto the floppy, and voila, a boot disk which dumps you at a command prompt. Do it from win 98 and copy the autoexec file across and add a path line to
c:\windows\command
and there you have it, a blue peter badge winning boot disk. (Americans wont understand blue peter)...
I have one of these in my collection, usually on the floor under my desk which means its broken by the time i need it so i have to create another.
This disk will definitely work on an NT box, since its getting everything it needs from the floppy...
hope this helps...
format a: /s
and then just copy the file
win.com
onto the floppy, and voila, a boot disk which dumps you at a command prompt. Do it from win 98 and copy the autoexec file across and add a path line to
c:\windows\command
and there you have it, a blue peter badge winning boot disk. (Americans wont understand blue peter)...
I have one of these in my collection, usually on the floor under my desk which means its broken by the time i need it so i have to create another.
This disk will definitely work on an NT box, since its getting everything it needs from the floppy...
hope this helps...
Sorry Dubwizz, must remove the Blue Peter badge for a minute (I am UK as well!).
There is no such path as C:\WINDOWS\COMMAND on an NT Workstation or Server, and your disk does not work for NTFS partitions. -----------------------------------------------------
"It's true, its damn true!"
-----------------------------------------------------
There is no such path as C:\WINDOWS\COMMAND on an NT Workstation or Server, and your disk does not work for NTFS partitions. -----------------------------------------------------
"It's true, its damn true!"
-----------------------------------------------------
- Thread starter
- #8
Just wanted to thank you all for the help. On my 95 machine I formatted the floppy with A:/s. It got me into the command prompt on my NT. Boy that was simple. What a handy disk to have. Thanks!!!!
Yet to have run the bios flash utility successfully though. "AMI" The instructions in their 'read me' files don't quite follow the dos screen to a T. Something about the bios image file name, I'm supposed to enter it before executing the flash utility. But I can't find the name. I have a super P6DGE board/440GX chipset. No doubt this is somehting I'll have to track down through AMI support. Get ready! I'm going to start a new thread.
Yet to have run the bios flash utility successfully though. "AMI" The instructions in their 'read me' files don't quite follow the dos screen to a T. Something about the bios image file name, I'm supposed to enter it before executing the flash utility. But I can't find the name. I have a super P6DGE board/440GX chipset. No doubt this is somehting I'll have to track down through AMI support. Get ready! I'm going to start a new thread.
As a little footnote (and as I'm trying for a Blue Peter Badge too!) I found a formatted disk through NT Explorer would not boot but a disk formatted from "Command Prompt" would.
Never quite worked out why though (oh, you of course copy those files mentioned earlier over)
Never quite worked out why though (oh, you of course copy those files mentioned earlier over)
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