Boot disk problem

[Blade2001]

I have the following problem. I have configured the bios to boot up first from the hard drive (IDE 0), then from the floppy disk and then from the CD-ROM. The problem is that it doesnt try to boot from the floppy disk at all and even if i have a system disk in it, the machine just boots from the hards drive and loads Windows. The floppy disk drive tho works fine under Windows... What can i do to make my floppy disk drive bootable again (i ve checked everything in the bios..)...

 

[camieabz]

You've answered you're own question.

On boot, the computer will boot the first OS it finds on a boot sequence. So in your case it finds C:

Just go into BIOS change the sequence to read a: first and it'll work.

<b><font color=blue>~scribble~</font color=blue></b>

 

[Spdy_Gonzales]

Is this a trick question?

The normal setup if you want to boot from the floppy is to set the floppy as the first boot option. This is so obvious...have I missed something?

<font color=green>I wonder...what is the speed of gravity!</font color=green>

 

[camieabz]

If you have then so have I. Unless its a cunning ruse to unsettle the channel of very deep thought practised by the THG think-tank. Hmmm. Could be a new form of propaganda.

<b><font color=blue>~scribble~</font color=blue></b>

 

[Blade2001]

Soooorrry folks but it aint that simple. Cause now Win98 recognize it as a 5.25 drive that doesnt work at all... I wander if i should format my hard drive and install everything from the start....

 

[camieabz]

In your BIOS, configure your FDDs to be 3.5"

<b><font color=blue>~scribble~</font color=blue></b>

 

[Blade2001]

Update, update! I bought a new floppy drive and it works perfectly on Windows. BUT... still no attempt from the system to boot from the floppy, everytime i turn it on or restart it... It just doesnt exist on the boot sequence. And yes EVERYTHING on the bios is correct. Hmm... could be cause i installed a DOS CD-ROM driver the other day? (that doesnt work as well by the way...)... Please help guys cause without a boot floppy, if something ever goes wrong, i wont be able to reinstall Windows even! Thanks...

 

[NickM]

DOS drivers have nothing to do with boot from floppy.

In order to troubleshoot the problem do several steps:

1 - create a Startup floppy and check it on another machine that it is bootable;
2 - double check the drive boot sequence and other floppy related settings in the BIOS (yes, again);
3 - try BIOS default settings;
4 - replace your floppy drive with another from 100% proved working machine and try it with 100% proved bootable diskette. But first check that everything works fine on another machine, then reinstall.

If the floppy drive from another machine also doesn't boot on your computer, put it back, check on that another machine again, ensure that it works as before, then let us know about still a problem on your computer.

Or, while you are checking the hardware, install your floppy drive on another machine and try to boot from floppy there, check whether it works. Or better just swap the floppy drives and see how you are capable to boot from floppy on either machine. Let us know anyway.

 

[btvillarin]

Read <A HREF="http://content.techweb.com/winmag/columns/explorer/1999/1025.htm" target="_new">this very informative article</A> from <A HREF="http://www.langa.com" target="_new">Fred Langa</A> on how to make a good boot disk. I don't like the Windows Startup Disk because it makes a RAMdrive...

Kernel32.dll error...aw, son of a.... 😱