bootsect.dos

[Bill Cunningham]

How can you obtain that bootsect.dos file? I think you can get it
through debug or something. My XP created it and I don't know what it's for.
Do you load it through boot.ini or write it to you MBR. Well not MBR if it's
a bootsector file. What's up with it?

Bill

 

[Don Phillipson]

How can you obtain that bootsect.dos file? I think you can get it
through debug or something. My XP created it and I don't know what it's
for. Do you load it through boot.ini or write it to you MBR. Well not MBR
if it's a bootsector file. What's up with it?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NTLDR#boot.ini tells us
"bootsect.dos is the boot sector loaded by NTLDR to load DOS."
No file of this name is needed on XP PCs that never boot DOS.

 

[JJ]

How can you obtain that bootsect.dos file? I think you can get it
through debug or something. My XP created it and I don't know what it's for.
Do you load it through boot.ini or write it to you MBR. Well not MBR if it's
a bootsector file. What's up with it?

Bill

The file is for booting into previous OS (DOS or Windows 9x/ME).

http://support2.microsoft.com/kb/157992

It will work only if the previous OS is in a FAT-nn partition. You can use
DEBUG or other boot sector copier/backup programs.

If your Windows XP was installed in the same partition as the previous OS,
and the partition has been converted to NTFS, you won't be able to boot into
the previous OS because DOS and Windows 9x/ME don't support NTFS.

 

[Bill Cunningham]

The file is for booting into previous OS (DOS or Windows 9x/ME).

I kind of thought that. But I didn't know if it should be loaded via
boot.ini or not. I do have a copy of 98se but don't have it installed.

http://support2.microsoft.com/kb/157992

It will work only if the previous OS is in a FAT-nn partition. You can use
DEBUG or other boot sector copier/backup programs.

I mentioned debug because in one OS I think it might've been 98(se) you
could load certain numbers and ask debug to write a somewhat similar file in
98. I didn't know if it could be done with XP x64 like I have or not.

If your Windows XP was installed in the same partition as the previous OS,
and the partition has been converted to NTFS, you won't be able to boot
into
the previous OS because DOS and Windows 9x/ME don't support NTFS.

Ok so you would nned that bootsect.dos file to load 98 then. Ok. I've
looked at it's raw data in a hexdump and I've never seen anything familiar
like in an XP MBR anyway.

Bill

 

[JJ]

I kind of thought that. But I didn't know if it should be loaded via
boot.ini or not. I do have a copy of 98se but don't have it installed.

Your previous OS files could have been deleted. A fresh install of Windows
XP won't produce the BOOTSECT.DOS file. If the Windows XP was installed into
FAT partition, the installation may create that file.

I mentioned debug because in one OS I think it might've been 98(se) you
could load certain numbers and ask debug to write a somewhat similar file in
98. I didn't know if it could be done with XP x64 like I have or not.

DEBUG can indeed copy harddisk sectors into a file (up to a certain sector
number), but 64-bit Windows do not have DOS files because the OS can't run
16-bit programs.

Ok so you would nned that bootsect.dos file to load 98 then. Ok. I've
looked at it's raw data in a hexdump and I've never seen anything familiar
like in an XP MBR anyway.

Bill

I'd suggest you carefully read the KB article on how to install Windows
9x/ME when Windows XP is already installed. Have an alternative boot disk or
bootable USB thumbdrive ready, just in case. With recovery tools, of course.