How to Mount a DOS Image on a Flash Drive

Formatting a USB Drive with the HP USB Disk Format Tool can give it the ability to boot into a DOS environment.

Mounting a DOS image on a USB flash drive gives it the ability to be used as a boot disk. The HP USB Disk Format Tool can transfer system files to a USB drive so that it can be used for this purpose. Once a system is booted from a USB flash drive formatted this way, a user can run DOS commands and utilities.

Things You'll Need

• Windows-based PC
• HP USB Disk Format Tool (see Resources)
• Windows System Files (see Resources)
• USB Thumb Drive

Instructions

1. Download and install the HP USB Disk Format Tool.

2. Download Windows system files. Save these files to a folder. Don't fret; these files may be called "Windows" system files, but you will actually need them as they actually contain the necessary components to mount a DOS image on the USB flash drive.

3. Insert the USB flash drive into an available USB port and launch the HP USB Disk Format Tool.

4. Find the USB flash drive in the "Device" list and click on it. Choose "FAT 32" in the "File System" menu as the format type.

5. Select the "Create a DOS startup disk" check box. Click the ellipsis (dotted) button and browse to the folder where the Windows system files were saved.

6. Click "Start" to proceed. Click "Yes" at the warning prompt. The USB thumb drive will be bootable with a DOS image when the format is complete.

Tips & Warnings

• The USB flash drive will not be able to boot as a DOS disk unless it is formatting using the FAT32 format type.

References

• Bay Wolf: How to Create a bootable USB Memory Key
• Bootdisk.com: How To Boot From A USB Flash Drive
• Thepcspy.com: Bootable USB Flash Drive

Resources

• HP Disk Storage Format Tool
• Windows System Files