12 Apr
2004
12 Apr
'04
8:31 a.m.
On Mon, Apr 12, 2004 at 12:20:32PM -0400, chris wrote:
Because the isn't DOS beneath Windows 2000. Windows 2000 runs on the NT
kernel and you are _not_ booting this from a 1.44 MB floppy, no matter
how hard you try. There were rescue floppies for NT, but AFAIK they only
got you around a FUBARed boot sector and first stage loader - loading
the kernel from harddisk.
The last DOS + graphical Shell combination sold as an OS by Microsoft
was Windows 95/98/ME. Windows 2000 and XP are descendants of Windows NT.
Yes, you can still get a command line in these, but it is cmd.exe, the
NT (and up) commandline shell. Old DOS programs keep running because
they are handed a simulated DOS environment. Or they won't run because
the NT kernel flat out refuses them direct access to the hardware (it
has to, for obvious reasons).
Therefore, the /s and /b switches to format would be meaningless with NT
and up.
The last Windows capable of generating bootable DOS floppies would be
Windows ME..
Regards,
Alex.
--
"Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and
looks like work." -- Thomas A. Edison
Apparently all
DOS 3.5" floppies are FAT format with the capacity
is 1,457,664 bytes, regardless the version, after accounting for the
two hidden files, so...
Is there a way I can patch or debug the floppy after generic
format to make it look bootable?
I thought there was a Format /b switch to set a floppy as bootable (which
is different then Format /s which sets as bootable AND copies system
files). Of course, I seem to recall that as an option with DOS, so I
don't know if it is an option with something higher. A quick look in
Win2k doesn't list /b as an option (or /s, and neither seem to work when
tried).