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OS USB Boot disks


Glenn9999

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I've run into a question that I can't really find any good answers on.   It kind of runs across different topics

1. I'm looking for things on how to make a USB drive bootable for things like DOS/98/Me/XP, but I'm finding a lot more about rigging up install disks for Windows 7, 8.1, and nothing much more than automated "format" programs.  One thing I need to pick up...but however...

2. I already have some custom boot discs in storage I made from when I transitioned things from floppy to CD that I'd like to pull out and preserve... then

3. There's this whole disk image format that I see in some of the VMs...

So, how do I proceed on this in order to back up my boot CDs and then be able to use them in such a way that I can install things onto a VM or straight boot from them off of USB drive?  Also, is there anything else that I haven't thought of?

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"things like" is not a very good incipit, booting DOS has some limitations, booting 9x/Me has some other ones, and XP may have yet different ones (and "installing" vs. "running Live" is different and will need further complications).

There is not a "one-size-fits-all", if you are actually looking for something automated or largely automated, you should check Easy2boot:

http://www.easy2boot.com/
 

otherwise (if you want to do things manually) you need to detail your requirements, as each OS - as said - may have some limitations or conflicts with other ones.

In any case, the best tool remains anyway grub4dos to have a relatively easy multi-boot setup, make sure to get a recent enough version from Chenall (i.e. one of the latest 0.4.5c or 0.4.6a) or use RMPREPUSB (same Author as the above easy2boot, Steve6375), which is a "manual" preparing/partitioning/formatting tool for USB devices that does include a (usually VERY recent, though slightly modified) version of grub4dos:
http://www.rmprepusb.com/

You don't really want to "backup" your boot CD's, you simply want to make .iso files of them (remember a .iso is a CD and a CD is a .iso), BUT TANSTAAFL:
http://reboot.pro/topic/8944-boot-any-iso-image-or-boot-all-iso-images/

Your Mileage May (greatly) Vary, lost the specific OS's and requirements you actually *need* or *would like*, and I may point you to more specific info ...

About disk image formats, the "best" ine is IMNSHO opinion the FIXED size .vhd, which is a RAW image with a single "CONECTIX" sector appended and that is "understood" by most if not all VM's AND tools (either as VHD or as RAW, ignoring last sector) and, more generally, can be dealt with just like a disk device (and besides, if needed, converting it from VHD to RAW and viceversa is easy as there are small tools for this).

jaclaz
 

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1 hour ago, jaclaz said:

You don't really want to "backup" your boot CD's, you simply want to make .iso files of them (remember a .iso is a CD and a CD is a .iso)

Your Mileage May (greatly) Vary, lost the specific OS's and requirements you actually *need* or *would like*, and I may point you to more specific info ...
 

ISO isn't really a very useful file format outside of optical disks.  Maybe "preserve the files on the CDs in such a way that they can usefully accessed as boot devices under any and all circumstances" would be better.  As for specific OSes, I'm well aware of the assorted requirements and limitations surrounding them.  The main problem is getting these three specific disks to be useful outside of the presence of a DVD drive.

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11 hours ago, Glenn9999 said:

ISO isn't really a very useful file format outside of optical disks.  Maybe "preserve the files on the CDs in such a way that they can usefully accessed as boot devices under any and all circumstances" would be better.  As for specific OSes, I'm well aware of the assorted requirements and limitations surrounding them.  The main problem is getting these three specific disks to be useful outside of the presence of a DVD drive.

Well, it is the usual format used BOTH for preservation AND booting an OS, using them as boot devices under A FEW, WELL SPECIFIED circumstances otherwise you have been pointed to some hardware that can use them AS IF they were optical media on a bootable CD/DVD drive  in almost "any and all circumstances".

So I would say that it is an EXTREMELY USEFUL format, but then what do I know? After all it's only around 10 years that I use  almost *any and all* Operating System, including - specifically - the ones you mentioned booting them from USB sticks and/or in VM's using as storage format - when suitable - the .iso one.

jaclaz
 

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  • 2 weeks later...

I cannot guarantee these device to work on any machine (i own both of them, and they work on *most*of my PCs, though), but have a look at this:

http://www.amazon.com/Zalman-ZM-VE350-External-Enclosure-ZM-V350B/dp/B019C23H06/ref=pd_sim_147_1/179-3543810-9613406?ie=UTF8&dpID=41sdysKGggL&dpSrc=sims&preST=_AC_UL160_SR160%2C160_&refRID=16A7KY5DDKJJ84HZ9C1F

http://www.amazon.com/StarTech-com-2-5-Inch-External-Enclosure-S2510BU3ISO/dp/B00E6EBPBO

I did not try this one, but it might also be worth a look:

http://www.amazon.com/Elegant-Invention-isostick-revC-isostick/dp/B008S4XY08/ref=pd_sim_147_5/179-3543810-9613406?ie=UTF8&dpID=41%2BHBJxXZZL&dpSrc=sims&preST=_AC_UL160_SR160%2C160_&refRID=16A7KY5DDKJJ84HZ9C1F

Be aware there ARE motherboards, on which the W98SE-bootable-iso doesn't work from these devices, while on others W7- or W10-boot-isos don't work. Seems to be a controller/BIOS issue.

Still, i found having at least one of those being an investment that saved me a LOT of time, and thereby justified in any case. You cannot imagine how a small SSD in an USB3-device can bring so much joy, compared to a DVD... :-)

Cheers, Ragnar G.D.

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