How to Create a Windows 95/98/ME Boot Disk

A boot disk for Windows 95, 98 or ME stores the necessary codes for a hard drive to power up and initiate operations. Normally you simply turn on the PC and the hard drive does the rest. If the operating system software is damaged, the rest of your system is at risk. Safely start up your system by "booting up" your PC with the boot disk.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Format a Floppy Disk for Use as a Systems Disk

1. Insert a blank, unformatted floppy disk into your "A" drive.
2. Double-click "My computer."
3. Right-click on the option labeled "Floppy drive" and select "Format."
4. Under the "Other options" heading select the option entitled "Copy system files." This causes three files to be copied to your floppy that makes the floppy a system disk rather than a regularly formatted disk.
5. Go to "Control panel" by selecting "Start" and then by selecting the "Settings" option.
6. Double-click the "Add/remove programs" options.
7. Finalize the formatting process by clicking on the "Startup disk" tab and selecting "Create disk."

Create the Boot Disk

8. Check the version of the Windows operating system on your PC hard drive. You need to be running Windows 95, 98 or ME before you create or use the 95/98/ME boot disk.
9. Ensure that your floppy disk is formatted specifically as a systems disk.
10. Insert the formatted system disk into the floppy drive on your computer. The only data on the disk should be the three system files copied to the disk during formatting. Other than these three files, the disk should be blank.
11. Click "Start" at the bottom left corner of your screen. The start menu appears.
12. Select "Settings" from the start menu. The settings menu appears.
13. Click on "Control panel" from the settings menu. The control panel menu appears.
14. Click the icon labeled "Add remove programs" located in the control panel menu.
15. Select "Startup disk" from the "Add remove programs" menu.
16. Finalize the boot disk by clicking "Create disk." Check that the boot disk is being saved to the correct disk drive.

Tips & Warnings

• The three system files copied to your floppy during the formatting process distinguish a system disk from a regular disk. Note that the "IO.SYS" file and the "MSDOS.SYS" file are hidden. The "COMMAND.COM" files allow the boot disk to perform basic DOS commands.
• Have your Windows 95 or 98 installation CD-ROM on hand when formatting a system disk for either of these versions of Windows in case your PC asks for it during the formatting process.

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