mikey777 Posted January 8, 2019 Posted January 8, 2019 (edited) Hello My 1st Topic I need to be able to boot from a CD, but then either the CD must have extra files (that I would add) or I must be able to use a different CD in the drive afterwards, JUST LIKE a 3.5" floppy can. 1-Boot from cd1 (DOS401 CD I already made) 2-Take CD1 out 3-Put cd2 in 4-Run program OR 1-boot from CD1 with 401DOS ISO and with some other files on/in it too. UPDATE I can create a bootable CD with the DOS401 ISO, and it'll boot. But I cannot put a different CD in and run an exe on it, or even DIR for that matter. So then with IMGBURN I tried to add a file (3c5x9cfg.exe) but ended up with IIRC 8 files (4 DOS, 2 DOS hidden, 1 DOS401.iso and the 3com exe) instead of a bootable ISO with 7 files in it. So then I used another program which seemed to work...It APPEARS to be the DOS401 bootable cd with an extra file (the exe) BUT, after booting I cannot see the exe doing a DIR. So I'm thinking maybe it's hidden, like the other 2 Hidden as they don't show up with a DIR either, so I try to run the exe typing the name of it out, but it can't find it that way either. So, I'm still searching for ways to boot from a cd and then run a program. Ahhh...the joys of a 3.5" drive !!! And they call this new stuff progress ! Edited January 9, 2019 by mikey777
LIGHTNING UK! Posted January 9, 2019 Posted January 9, 2019 You need a boot image that loads CDROM drivers. Forget your ISO file, find a boot image (a floppy boot image) that loads those, add that as the boot image within Build mode (so *do not* add it to the 'Source' box) and then add the other files you want to be able to access (once the cdrom drivers have loaded correctly) to the 'Source' box. You'll be accessing said files/folders via a different drive letter.
dbminter Posted January 9, 2019 Posted January 9, 2019 Yeah, it's been a long time since I did it, but there's something you need to load in CONFIG.SYS or AUTOEXEC.BAT that you need to access CD drives from DOS. Or maybe there was something for both? A .SYS file in CONFIG.SYS and an .EXE in AUTOEXEC.BAT, I'm thinking?
mikey777 Posted January 9, 2019 Author Posted January 9, 2019 (edited) Seems very odd to me - I need to load drivers for the very device that I just booted from ? Think about it...the BIOS supports booting from CD, so, why, after booting from CD, do I need to load a driver so I can then see/use that same drive ? And why, if I can boot from a floppy, take it out, put another in, and run a program, why can't a person do the same with a cd ? Not rocket science I wouldn't think. All this makes me wonder, how does one make a bootable ISO, as, if I can add my 3com file >before< a certain step, why can't I make a bootcd with the 3com file in it, internally, so I can run it after booting ? The problem I have with listing device=cdrom or whatever, is I want this boot cd to work on ANY PC, with ANY cdrom, because ANY PC can boot from a cd, just like any PC can boot from a floppy. Seems pretty simple to me. Maybe this is why some folks say booting from a memory stick is easier. Edited January 9, 2019 by mikey777
dbminter Posted January 9, 2019 Posted January 9, 2019 Well, you're booting into DOS. You're trying to run things from DOS, which requires drivers to access the contents from a DOS prompt. Plus, when you're booting from the CD, you're booting from a special boot sector type setup on the CD. Not the actual "CD" itself. Floppy drives were around far longer before the various versions of DOS than CD drives were available afterwards. So, they're native, versus the CD.
LIGHTNING UK! Posted January 9, 2019 Posted January 9, 2019 I hear what you're saying, but it just doesn't work like that If you can get a bootable floppy image and add your file to it (so it fits within 1.44mb), you can run it straight from a bootable CD that emulates a floppy. Trouble is, 1.44mb isn't very big! So then you're left with making a bootable image that loads CDROM drivers (giving you access to it via another drive letter) and adding your files to the normal bit of the disc. Any machine that can't boot from a USB stick probably isn't really worth messing around with anyway... it must be pretty ancient. And don't forget, lots of new machines won't have an optical drive at all. Your CD isn't much use then
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