How to point to a second CD drive when boot into DOS

[NRGeti]

NRGeti (Programmer) Sep 19, 2002
I need help setting up my PC to read a DVD Drive from DOS. My goal is to
install Windows XP in a dual-boot system.

Background:
1. I have Windows XP on a DVD CD.
2. There are three CD drives on my PC. The first is a regular CD-RW drive;
the second is the DVD reader and the third is another CD-RW.
3. I used Partition Magic to create the Primary partition for
XP.
4. To install XP I must boot my PC into DOS and read it on the DVD drive.
5. My thought was to edit the config.sys and autoexec.bat files on the
Partition Magic Boot Floppy Disk to set up the driver for the DVD. So far I have added the ASPIxxxx drivers (but I am not sure
which one is needed for DVD) to the config.sys and MSCDEX to the autoexec.bat.

When I boot from the floppy disk, the system finds the first CD drive just
fine but now how do I tell it to point to the second drive which is the DVD
I need? Is there some other way to install XP into the empty Primary
partition?

 

[gargouille]

Here's a link I found on groups.google regarding your "tilt at the windmill":

http://makeashorterlink.com/?E32425AD1.

Complex, to say the least, so maybe this thread will make some sense to you.

 

[Snickle]

I'd try booting to a Win98 install/boot floppy and see if it gives 3 drive letters for the CD/DVD drives. Should at that point be able to change to the DVD drive and start setup.

 

[NRGeti]

Berton,

That process is just what I was doing but I was not getting all of the CD drives. I agree that if they showed up there would not be any problem.

I found that the config.sys file in the Win98 rescue floppy had a series of drivers that were installed one after another. Only the last one took.

I solved the problem by experimenting with this list and taking one at a time until I got one that opened the CD drive I was interested in. Problem is solved.