10. How Do I Create An Emergency Start Up Disk
For Windows XP
For those of you wanting to create an Emergency boot disk that will boot you straight
to the desktop here is a simple method.
- 1/ Insert a floppy disk into your floppy
drive.
- 2/ Open the Command Prompt (Start
Menu/All Programs/Accessories/Command Prompt.
- 3/ Type format a: and press
Enter.
- 4/ Next open Windows Explorer.
- 5/ On the top toolbar click Tools
followed by Folder Options.
- 6/ In the Folder Options
Windows click the View tab.
- 7/ From the list select Show Hidden
Files and Folders and place a check
mark in the box to the left of this option.
- 8/ Still in the folder options window
scroll down another two lines
and then remove the check mark
next to the Hide protected operating
system files (Recommended) option. A
message will appear telling you that you have
decided to display operating system file. Press OK
to close this message. Now press Apply
followed by OK.
- 9/ In Windows Explorer again look
for the C: directory - this is
the root directory.
- 10/ You are looking for the following files
NTLDR and NTDETECT.COM.
Copy these to the floppy drive.
- 11/ Next open Notepad (Start Menu/All
Programs/Accessories/Notepad) and type the
following:
[boot loader]
timeout=30
Default= multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\windows
[operating systems]
multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\windows="Windows XP"
- Next click the File
menu and select the Save as
Command. In the text box type "a:\boot.ini"
(You must include the quotation marks. The boot
ini file should then be saved to the floppy. You
can now exit notepad.
- Now reboot your machine
to test the emergency disk. If all has gone well
you should be able to boot to the desktop.
Please note: The boot ini file
applies only to a single partition hard drive. If
you are dual booting this will need to be altered
accordingly.