Creating a boot disk for an NTFS or FAT partition

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/311073

How to create a Windows startup floppy disk

The Windows floppy disk must include the files NTLDR (or Setupldr.bin in Windows NT 3.5), Ntdetect.com, Boot.ini, and the correct device driver for your hard disk.

Note Typically, the NTLDR, Ntdetect.com, and Boot.ini files have their file attributes set to System, Hidden, and Read-Only. You do not have to reset these attributes for this disk to work correctly.

For more informationabout the structure of the Boot.ini file, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
102873 (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/102873/) Boot.ini and ARC path naming conventions and usage
To create a Windows startup floppy disk, use one of the following methods.
Method 1: You do not have access to a Windows-based computer
If you do not have access to a Windows-based computer, follow these steps:
1. Create a copy of the first Windows Setup disk by using the diskcopy command, and then delete all the files on the new disk.
2. Copy the Ntdetect.com and NTLDR files from the I386 folder on the CD-ROM to the new disk.
3. Rename the NTLDR file to Setupldr.bin.
4. Create a Boot.ini file.

The following example works for a single partition SCSI drive with Windows installed under \WINNT. However, the exact value in the [operating systems] section depends on the configuration of the Windows computer that you want to start:

[boot loader]
timeout=30
Default= scsi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\winnt

[operating systems]
scsi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\winnt="Windows NT"


If your computer starts from an IDE, EIDE, or ESDI hard disk or from a SCSI adapter that does not have a built in BIOS, replace the scsi(0) with multi(0).

Note If you are running Windows NT 3.5 or 3.51 and your system starts from the first or second SCSI drive, you can also replace scsi(0) with multi(0).
5. If you are using scsi(x) in the Boot.ini file, copy the correct device driver for the SCSI controller in use on the computer, and then rename it to Ntstartupdd.sys. If you are using multi(x) in the Boot.ini file, you do not have to do this.
6. Start your computer by using the floppy disk, and then log on to Windows.

Method 2: You have access to a Windows-based computer

If you have access to a Windows-based computer, follow these steps:
1. Format a floppy disk by using the Windows format utility.
2. Copy NTLDR from the Windows Setup CD-ROM, Windows Setup floppy disk, or from a computer that is running the same version of Windows as the computer that you want to access with the startup floppy disk. You may have to expand this file from NTLDR._ to NTLDR by using the following command line:
expand ntldr._ ntldr
3. Copy the Ntdetect.com file to the disk.
4. Create a Boot.ini file, or copy a Boot.ini file from a running Windows computer, and then modify it to match the computer that you are trying to access. The following example works for a single partition SCSI drive with Windows installed under \WINNT. However, the exact value in the [operating systems] section depends on the configuration of the Windows computer that you are trying to access:

[boot loader]
timeout=30
Default= scsi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\winnt

[operating systems]
scsi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\winnt="Windows NT"


If your computer starts from an IDE, EIDE, or ESDI hard disk, replace the scsi(0) with multi(0).

Note If you are running Windows NT 3.5 or 3.51 and your computer starts from the first or second SCSI drive, you can also replace scsi(0) with multi(0).
5. If you are using scsi(x) in the Boot.ini file, copy the correct device driver for the SCSI controller in use on the computer, and then rename it to Ntstartupdd.sys. If you are using multi(x) in the Boot.ini, you do not have to do this.
6. Start the computer by using the floppy disk, and then log on to Windows.

Method 3: You are running Windows NT 3.51

If you are running Windows NT 3.51, follow these steps:
1. Format a blank 3.5-inch 1.44 megabyte (MB) floppy disk under Windows NT 3.51.
2. Copy the Ntdetect.com and NTLDR files to the new disk.
3. Create a Boot.ini file with the following lines:

Note This example is for a single partition SCSI drive that has Windows NT installed in the default folder (C:\Winnt35).

[boot loader]
timeout=30
Default= multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\winnt35

[operating systems]
multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\winnt35="Windows NT 3.51"

4. Start the computer from the floppy disk, and log on to Windows.