Can't boot from USB flash stick

Hi!



I want to install Win 95 on my computer because I have a CD collection of literary works , readable only through a Windows 95-bound old software program.
Since I do not have a floppy drive on my computer, I thought to transfer the Win 95 Ms-Dos boot disc data ( which I have on CD) onto a USB stick, hoping that the system would boot from it for the Ms-Dos part and then allow me to do the setup from the Windows installation CD.

I have set the BIOS boot priority to read from the USB drive first ( shown as " USB floppy ").I have also tried the other USB options listed in the BIOS, like USB CD, etc) but nothing happens. It does not boot from any USB device.

The Ms-Dos files are good, because the MS-Dos boot kicks in right away if I use the CD from which the USB stick data were copied. The Bios has USB support.In addition, and this may be indicative of some other problem, the 2 USB slots in the front of my computer do not connect because the USB stick I insert is not seen in " My Computer". Incidentally, I have also installed a powered USB hub with multiple ports, because I found that without it not all of the USB slots in the computer see the USB device attached. How can I fix this problem?

Thanks for your help

Franco V

Looks like you missed some hidden files when you transfered the files to the USB stick.

Just so you know, there are lots of new motherboards that will not boot to DOS. That is reason I have a USB floppy drive.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Train

Looks like you missed some hidden files when you transfered the files to the USB stick.

Just so you know, there are lots of new motherboards that will not boot to DOS. That is reason I have a USB floppy drive.

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Thanks,

1.You mean that new motherboards may not boot to DOS from a USB drive?, My computer does boot to DOS but from a CD-Rom drive. In fact, I was finally I was able to install Windows 95 exactly by booting to DOS from a CD-Rom drive and then inserting the Win 95 installation CD on the same CD-Rom drive once completed the 'fdisk" and " format c:" stages.

2.Is your " USB Floppy Drive " the same as the good old floppy drive of bygone computers? My BIOS does show a USB floppy Drive among the booting drives. I thought this would be an indication that my computer can boot ( to DOS) from a USB drive ( call it floppy or other)

Just a question of terminology, I guess, because I am a bit confused.

Yes with the USB floppy connected and Legacy enabled in the BIOS, I can F12 during the bootup and use the floppy drive just like old ones we installed.
F12 allows me to make a one time change to what I want to boot to. I like that option. Could change it in the BIOS, but I use the stated cheat.

He must make the usb-stick bootable. search for bootdisk2bootstick.exe or instructions. I have got a stick which was already bootable. weird!
I needed it to load bios-data onto a stick(no floppy-option). thats why i copied the bootable bios-floppy from my old MB and exchanged bios-data. Train certainly can give instructions for your case. In my case stick-size was reduced to floppy-size!

He was right, I forgot I had even done it.
http://www.bootdisk.com/pendrive.htm

http://www.wikihow.com/Make-a-USB-Bootable

http://www.ehow.com/how_4587665_thum...-bootable.html

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Train

Yes with the USB floppy connected and Legacy enabled in the BIOS, I can F12 during the bootup and use the floppy drive just like old ones we installed.
F12 allows me to make a one time change to what I want to boot to. I like that option. Could change it in the BIOS, but I use the stated cheat.

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Sorry, but nothing happens when pressing F12 on booting. The USB stick with the MS-Dos boot files is properly inserted and is seen in My Computer. I have some other stuff, though, in the USB stick. Do I have to remove them and leave only the MS-DOS files on it ?

Thanks

Do a dir command on that stick
http://www.computerhope.com/dirhlp.htm

Post what is found.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Train

Do a dir command on that stick
http://www.computerhope.com/dirhlp.htm

Post what is found.

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Here are the files in the USB stick. I couldn't follow the Dir procedure entirely, so I copied them from the Windows Explorer folder under Drive G:\ ( USB key). They are exactly the same appearing in the CMD command with DIR. Some don't belong to the MS-Dos boot sequence, but were already in the stick


Preexisting unrelated folders:

AVG Pc Tuneup
MyVideosMovies

MS-DOS Boot files:

Attrib Application
AUTOEXEC
C
CD1.SYS
CD2.SYS
CD3.SYS
CD4.SYS
CHKDSK
COMMAND
CONFIG.SYS
cxLibraryD12.bpl
DELTREE
DOSKEY
DRVSPACE
EDIT Application
?EDIT Help file
EDIT Configuration sett
EMM386
FDISK
FIND
FORMAT
h2testw
HIMEM.SYS
IO.SYS
LABEL
list
MEM
MOUSE MS Dos App
Mouse Config sett
MOUSE.SYS
MSCDEX
MSDOS.SYS
QBASIC
RESTORE
SCANDISK Application
SCANDISK Config settings
SETVER
SHARE
SYS
TREE
UNDELETE application
UNDELETE Config settings
UNFORMAT
Virtual Pc Setup
XCOPY

Hope this can help solve the puzzle

THanks

You are missing some files. Since this is a USB drive with lots of room, I suggest starting over following these instruction.
http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials...ve-create.html
Test the USB drive and if successful then add the special files you need.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Train

You are missing some files. Since this is a USB drive with lots of room, I suggest starting over following these instruction.
http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials...ve-create.html
Test the USB drive and if successful then add the special files you need.

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I have problem with the Windows98boot file in your link. I downloaded it but when I click on the file, I get a message that the path is wrong and this file cannot be found. I cannot understand why this message: the path is right because the file is right there in front of me in the Windows Explorer screen!Anyway, I could copy the MS-Dos files from the Windows 98 installation CD ( I seem to recall that I could install Windows 98SE directly from the CD, unlike Windows 95, so the MS-Dos boot files must be there). The only problem is that I don't know the location of these files in the CD. Can you tell me what they are and in which folder are they located in the CD?

Thanks

Did you R-click that Windows98boot file and select extract. That is a zip file.

Browse the cd and they shoud be in the win98 folder.