Number 232 - August 2002

Making a Bootable CD?
Question Answered by Nino S. Ramos, HAL-PC member
Q. Can I Start My Computer using a CD? How Do I Create a "Bootable" CD?     A. Making a bootable CD is not overly complex, but it usually cannot be done easily using no outside software. There are MANY tools available to do this on the Internet. Some are easier to use than others, but most are command line based (meaning you'll type stuff in at the C:> prompt). The same basic idea is almost always the same. Usually an existing disk image is taken (from a floppy boot disk or your hard drive) and an outside program is used to convert that image into a CD image that follows the El Torito which makes the CD bootable. Then you burn the image just like any other. For the really expert users, you can forego the outside programs and just use a program like Norton DiskEdit and patch the image yourself.	Unless you are an experienced computer user, I would recommend against you trying to make a bootable CD. If you do, you'll not likely do any harm to your computer it just won't start! If this happens, simply remove the "bootable" CD, put your coffee cup on your new "coaster", then restart your system from the hard drive!     NOTE: Your BIOS must support booting from a CD. If you wish to do this, check the order in which your system searches for some start-up info: e.g., floppy (A:) or hard drive (C:).     Nino S. Ramos is a HAL-PC member and Aggie student who can be contacted at dark master cronus@hotmail.com.
Number 232 - August 2002