Create LARGER floppy disks?

[razled]

I have read a thread on here but cant find it again.
I need a program so I can format a 1.44mB floppy to say 2mB or so, so I can copy the CAB files off my CD to floppy so I can install windows on my old laptop which I cant use the cd rom drive on.
Any suggestions on how to complete operation ?

 

[BuckeyeComputers]

The program is called maxidisk.. you can do a google search and find it .... but the one i have does not work well with xp but works great on 98...and i think it is like 1.7m not 2

 

[edfair]

Or fdformat. Shareware from Germany. Ed Fair
Any advice I give is my best judgement based on my interpretation of the facts you supply. Help increase my knowledge by providing some feedback, good or bad, on any advice I have given.

 

[razled]

I have tried fdformat and it comes up with disk cannot be formated read fdformat.doc which just tells you the systanx, I have tried maxidisk set to 1.7 dmf but when i try to copy the cab file it still comes up with disk full, replace with larger disk. Anyy ideas windows displays it as 1.7 but the cab is 1.95 mB ?

 

[edfair]

Fdformat requires fdread in certain cases.

But I don't think you are going to be able to get anything to 1.95. Better to do a google search for a program to split your cab files. Ed Fair
Any advice I give is my best judgement based on my interpretation of the facts you supply. Help increase my knowledge by providing some feedback, good or bad, on any advice I have given.

 

[drdebit]

are either of these helpful?
thread615-430911
thread615-450919

 

[razled]

Will try that , thanks for all reponces

 

[rbcustom]

It is 1.77mb not 2 as Buckeye stated - it is know as the enhanced format, came out with one of the versions of Windos 98 forst edition and was unreliable as heck, probably doen as a simplistic copy protection but MaxiDisk and a few other programs allow both copying or formatting at 1.77

Another less availabel option is to get a 2.88mb floppy drive that will write 720k DSDD, 1.44mb DSHD and 2.88 DSED but you have to locate blank 2.88 ED floppies. Windows 98 and above support it, 95 and some below might also but the support has to be available within the machine's BIOS support for floppies. Old PS/2 machines had it so others in the 486 era and above will show up with the 2.88 mb as a drive option.

 

[Marcs41]

So complicated all those 'tools'.
Take your CD, goto the folder with the CABS and the setup.exe (you never mentioned the Win version).
If you dont; have it yet, get Winzip AND pkzip.exe.
Put pkzip in the winzip folder.
Select all the files you want on the laptop and use Winzip to create spanned disks (you will need a lot!)
Unzip them on the laptop in a (temp) setup folder.
Run setup from there, done.

Marc
[sub]If 'something' 'somewhere' gives 'some' error, expect random guesses or no replies at all. Please specify details.
Free Tip: The F1 Key does NOT destroy your PC![/sub]

 

[edfair]

except setup is going to hang trying to write user stuff to disk2 boot sector positions 61 to 132.

Ed Fair
Any advice I give is my best judgement based on my interpretation of the facts you supply. Help increase my knowledge by providing some feedback, good or bad, on any advice I have given.

 

[Marcs41]

Why is that Ed?
Don't know what you mean with 'write to disk2' ?
Setup, ran from the harddisk, will only write to the harddisk (which has to be bootable of course).

 

[edfair]

Setup from disk 1 run from harddisk later attempts to write to disk 2 to install user info on boot sector.
Don't know if there were multiple releases with different setups, but this was consistent across 3 or 4 that I made from HD using floppy install sets.
The comment about user info relates to attempts to install again from the same set. Traced it down with norton disk editor to positions 61 and up on the boot sector.

Ed Fair
Any advice I give is my best judgement based on my interpretation of the facts you supply. Help increase my knowledge by providing some feedback, good or bad, on any advice I have given.

 

[drdebit]

Hey razled,
idle curiosity--did you get your laptop going?

 

[Marcs41]

EdFair
Sorry, but I think you are confusing Floppy setup with CD setup.
What razled tries to do is gethis CD on an non-CD'd laptop.
The way I provided just simulates a copy od the CD to the HD of that laptop, so basically, the CD is on the laptop.
When you run setup, if will handle it just as if it came from CD.
I did this just about 2 weeks ago on a laptop with no CD, and that works just fine, no hassle.

 

[edfair]

You're right marcs41.

I reviewed the thread. Somewhere in the discussion on fdformat the mind jumped track to the fdformat problems for floppy, which is another problem.

Because of this I owe razled an apology.

Ed Fair
Any advice I give is my best judgement based on my interpretation of the facts you supply. Help increase my knowledge by providing some feedback, good or bad, on any advice I have given.

 

[BuckeyeComputers]

I think EdFair was thinking that you was going to run setup from the floppies instead of unzipping them to the harddrive into a folder then running setup

 

[edfair]

Nah, had a flashback to the floppy install from HD. The brain interconnects got crosslinked.

Ed Fair
Any advice I give is my best judgement based on my interpretation of the facts you supply. Help increase my knowledge by providing some feedback, good or bad, on any advice I have given.

 

[razled]

Drdebit,all,
Hi yep got laptop working, cheated purchased cosha windows 95 in 22 floppies for £18 on ebay, with full certificate etc, then loaded the pcmcia cd drivers then upgraded windows 95 to 98 SE with upgrade cd.
I did however use maxidisk, with now problems to format 22 new disks and take a "backup" copy of the windows 95 cab files, which I dont know how but properties read 1.95MB in windows, when you do properties of the blank formated disk done with maxidisk, it reads 1.75mb, but who cares the cab files copy accross no probs.
Main thing is LAPTOP WORKING with CD thanks for all support guys