Book Disk Creation Guide

Below is a guide I wrote because I needed to remember the process to create a bootable CD. I use it primarily to create Symantec Ghost bootable CDs.

You’ll need the following applications:

• ImgBurn - the most wonderful ISO (CD) creation/burning software I’ve ever used. I first downloaded it years ago and I’ve watched it change from very functional to very functional AND intuitive. It’s even free!
• WinImage - a very good application for reading and writing bootable images for CDs and floppies. The trial will suffice.

Create an empty boot sector (a bootable image which can be written to a CD, it’s the first thing that’s read before the data)

1. Open WinImage

2. Click File -> New -> Select custom image format -> OK

3. Change Total number of sectors to 10000 or equivalent (will set the total image size to 5MB, I do this custom size to allow bootable discs larger than a typical floppy which is 1.44MB)

4. Change File System to Fat ¹²⁄₁₆

5. Select a location to save Image File 1 (this file cannot be used by ImgBurn yet, it’s an IMA or a floppy disc image)

Fill the boot sector with bootable files (you can download Microsoft DOS 6.22 or FreeDOS from Google)

1. Copy the DOS files to the root of the Window

2. Click Image -> Boot sector properties… -> Windows ⁹⁵⁄₉₈ -> OK (a little side note, IS.SYS can be edited with a hex editor to replace the ASCII text, Windows 98, with anything of equal length or lesser with space padding, but I’m pretty sure it’s illegal to change copyrighted material…yeah pretty sure)

3. Click Image -> Export to an image with a MBR… ->

4. Select a location to save Image File 2 (now you have a larger than standard floppy boot sector which can now be used by ImgBurn to create a bootable CD)

5. Close WinImage

Create a bootable CD

1. Open ImgBurn

2. Click Create image file from files/folders

3. Click Labels -> Fill in the ISO and UDF fields with a CD name

4. Click Advanced -> Bootable Disc -> Check Make Image Bootable

5. Select Hard Disk from the Emulation Type (this allows boot sectors over the standard floppy 1.44MB or 2.88MB to be used)

6. Select Image File 2 (created in step 8)

7. Select Destination for the ISO file to create

8. Click Burn Icon (Folder to ISO Image icon)

9. Click OK to create ISO File (you know have a bootable DOS CD with the Windows 98 boot menu)

10. To prevent you from wasting CDs, simple download and install Microsoft VirtualPC (it’s free) to test the bootable ISO

I there are a bunch of other ways to create bootable CDs, but this is the one I’ve used most often. Enjoy!