No boot from CDROM

[COLN]

I made a start up disk from within windows. Changing BIOS to start with A:, that disk works. I downloaded a boot disk, tried that (changing BIOS to cdrom first) and the system bypasses it. IS it the download or the pc?

[Sterling_Aug]

There is no such thing as a downloaded CD boot disk.

You can make one using Nero and the boot files required for your exact system.

See here for details:

http://www.tacktech.com/display.cfm?ttid=277

[COLN]

When I did a google search with WIN98SE and boot disk, it came up with a good number of choices. Most of them were close to the floppy I created in WIN98se. Still no matter what order I choose in BIOS, the cdrom is bypassed. If I use the floppy it will ask if I want cdrom support or not, and go to A: If I didn't have a floppy drive (and one pc I have does not) how would I get it to bypass the normal start up and just go to the cdrom? To run format for example?

[BipolarBill]

First you have to be sure that your CD is indeed bootable.

In BIOS setup, use this sequence:

Floppy
CDROM
HDD

Boot other devices? No

If BIOS doesn't ask you to press the good old "anykey" to boot from CD, your CD isn't really bootable.

BTW - you just can't copy the floppy files to a CD to make it bootable. You need a boot image file as per Sterling's link.

[Direct1]

You can make a bootable CD-ROM within most CD Burning software. Nero, Roxio/EZ CD Creator, etc... You need a floppy boot disk and a blank CD-R Disk (CD Burner of course too). Good luck! :t

[COLN]

Guess I'm out of luck as the BIOS doesn't give me the choices mentioned. I can just choose CDROM, C, SCSI, 2) C, A, CDROM, 3) Floppy, C, CDROM, or C only. Then save and exit.

[BipolarBill]

So? Choose CDROM, A. SCSI.

The BIOS doe support booting from CD. Now you must be sure that the drive does. How old is it?

[BipolarBill]

So? Choose CDROM, A. SCSI.

The BIOS doe support booting from CD. Now you must be sure that the drive does. How old is it?

[COLN]

That is the one I chose. The drive is about 1 1/2 years old and seems to be functioning in all other respects. Still I will try to borrow another and see if that makes a difference. I do have a spare cdrw, could I replace the cdrom with that as a test?

[BipolarBill]

Norton CDs are bootable. If you have one, try it. All original Windows CDs after Win95 are bootable too.