How to Create Disk Startup Window XP

It's always a good idea to keep a startup disk handy. It's insurance against the possibility of a hard-disk problem, software glitch or virus attack. With Windows XP you can create a floppy disk in a few minutes that will start your computer in case Windows develops a problem.

Things You'll Need

• Blank floppy disk

Instructions

1. Insert floppy disk in the diskette drive, and click the Windows Start button.

2. Click the "My Computer" icon.

3. Right-click 3 1/2" floppy icon. A pull-down menu will appear.

4. Click on "Format...," and a dialog box will appear for formatting the disk.

5. Check the "Create an MS-DOS startup disk" check box. Click the "Start" button.
   A message will appear: "Warning formatting will erase ALL data on this disk. To format the disk, click "OK." To quit, click CANCEL."
   Click "OK." When the formatting's done, it'll display a message, "Format Complete." Click "OK."

6. Click the "Close" button to close the diskette formatting dialog box.

7. Copy the following files to the diskette. You'll probably find them in your C:\ directory.
   NTLDR
   Ntdetect.com
   Boot.ini

8. Eject the diskette, and put a label on it. Write "Emergency Startup Disk" on the label along with the date. Put the diskette somewhere where you can easily find it.

Tips & Warnings

• Make sure your computer's BIOS setup has the diskette drive first in the boot sequence.

References

• Create A XP Boot Disk from System Files