On Tue, 4 Jun 2002 14:42:08 -0400, Roger Turk wrote: > Sam Heywood wrote:
> ------------------Begin Quote------------------- > On Sun, 2 Jun 2002 17:01:41 -0400, Roger Turk wrote: >> Am I wrong in my understanding of DOS that the files needed to create a boot >> disk (MSDOS\PCDOS, IO.SYS/IBMIO.SYS, COMMAND.COM) are *always* files on the >> DOS disk, but, except for COMMAND.COM, are hidden/system files? Could you >> not create a boot disk by copying these files (removing the hidden/system >> attributes first) to the root directory of a particular logical drive on > your >> HD, going to that root directory, and doing a SYS a:? > You are right, except that the system files have different names > depending on DOS version. Also the system files for all versions > of DOS that I have ever seen are *always* hidden/system files. > If you boot to C: and then do a SYS a: from the root directory of > C:, the operating system files will be transferred to A:. If the > operating system files appropriate to the DOS version you booted to > on drive C: are no longer found you will just get an error message. > Sam Heywood > ---------------------End Quote------------------- > You are right Sam. I was just looking over Mueller's "Upgrading and > Repairing PCs," and he brings up the point that if you do a SYS on an OS that > uses different names for the system files than the installed system (or OS on > the floppy), you can run into trouble. I have never heard of such a thing. When you do a SYS from the disk that you booted to to transfer the operating system files to another disk it doesn't matter what the operating system file names are on the other disk, at least this has always been the case in my experience, and I have done this hundreds of times. > He also points out that he has never > had any problem upgrading the same OS by just transferring the system files > to the HD using SYS, *however*, he does report that the opposite (installing > an earlier version) is not without problems. The only problem I have come across along these lines is when I try to SYS a major DOS version onto a boot disk having a much lesser DOS version installed. I will get an error message saying that there is not enough room on the system area to transfer the operating system files. The big footprints they make are too large to fit into the small designated area. If you have a hard drive having a partition larger than 32 MB and you try to SYS it with a DOS version 3.30 or less you will have problems. I don't know how serious the problems would be because I have never dared to try it. > SYS will not only copy the system files, but will place them in the proper > location in the root directory and will also do *something* to the boot > sector. The system files, MSDOS.SYS, IO.SYS also need to have the hidden and > system attributes when using SYS (if I understand what Mueller said > correctly). Earlier, I was looking thru my DR-DOS manual and DR-DOS's system > files do not need to be located first on the boot drive. Sam Heywood -- This mail was written by user of The Arachne Browser - http://arachne.cz/
