format as bootable?

[myself]

How can you format a volume as bootable? The option is grayed out under
format

 

[M and D]

A partition is not made bootable by formatting. Formatting creates a file system on the partition. A partition is made bootable by creating it as a primary partition and then installing a bootable OS to the partition.

Steven

 

[myself]

no actually you CAN make a disk bootable by formatting it. I used to do it
all the time in dos and other windows versions. Instead of denying what i
posted, please explain the solution. Why is the format as system option
grayed out?

A partition is not made bootable by formatting. Formatting creates a file
system on the partition. A partition is made bootable by creating it as a
primary partition and then installing a bootable OS to the partition.

Steven

 

[M and D]

You're posting in a newsgroup for Windows XP. What you used to do in DOS is irrelevent.

Steven

 

[Marvin]

Use a boot CD as opposed to a boot disk and use smart fdisk

 

[Bruce Chambers]

How can you format a volume as bootable? The option is grayed out under
format

You can't "format" a partition to make it bootable. This capability is
determined at the time the partition is created. It must be created as
a Primary parson, and marked (or flagged) as "Active."


--

Bruce Chambers

Help us help you:



They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary
safety deserve neither liberty nor safety. -Benjamin Franklin

Is life so dear or peace so sweet as to be purchased at the price of
chains and slavery? .... I know not what course others may take, but as
for me, give me liberty, or give me death! -Patrick Henry

 

[Bruce Chambers]

no actually you CAN make a disk bootable by formatting it.

No, can't. If the partition hadn't already been properly created,
formatting wouldn't have made a lick of difference.

I used to do it
all the time in dos and other windows versions.

No, you didn't, not really. But that doesn't really matter, as this is
a WinXP newsgroup. MS-DOS experience is completely irrelevant.

Instead of denying what i
posted, please explain the solution.

There's no solution to your question, as phrased. If you're so sure it
can be done, why don't you tell us how you've managed to design the OS?

Why is the format as system option
grayed out?

Where are you seeing this option? What kind of disk or diskette, file
system, etc? No one can help if you don't provide at least a modicum of
pertinent information.

Help us help you:



Otherwise, you might as well try here:

Psychic Friends Network
(800) 592-7827


--

Bruce Chambers

Help us help you:



They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary
safety deserve neither liberty nor safety. -Benjamin Franklin

Is life so dear or peace so sweet as to be purchased at the price of
chains and slavery? .... I know not what course others may take, but as
for me, give me liberty, or give me death! -Patrick Henry

 

[myself]

Ive tried several different finds of media. Floppy, CF card, partion on my
HD, and the option is ALWAYS grayed out.

 

[AJR]

no actually you CAN make a disk bootable by formatting it.

No, can't. If the partition hadn't already been properly created,
formatting wouldn't have made a lick of difference.

I used to do it all the time in dos and other windows versions.

No, you didn't, not really. But that doesn't really matter, as this is
a WinXP newsgroup. MS-DOS experience is completely irrelevant.

Instead of denying what i posted, please explain the solution.

There's no solution to your question, as phrased. If you're so sure it
can be done, why don't you tell us how you've managed to design the OS?

Why is the format as system option grayed out?

Where are you seeing this option? What kind of disk or diskette, file
system, etc? No one can help if you don't provide at least a modicum of
pertinent information.

Help us help you:



Otherwise, you might as well try here:

Psychic Friends Network
(800) 592-7827"

Every now and then responses to requests for info and/or help are sarcastic
in nature - such as the reference above to "Psychic Friends.....". First:
"myself" is absolutely regarding previously using formattinmg to create a
bootable disk/drive. In previous versions of Windows/Dos what do you
suppose was the result of the command "Format c: /s" - it formatted and
created a "bootable" disk! In the "olden days" (pre XP) three files were
necessary to boot to the C prompt IOS .SYS, DOS.SYS and COMMAND.COM (Hope I
have them correct) - included in formatting by the "/s" switch.

Architecture of XP uses a modified version of the above system files - but
still permits formatting a floppy disk as bootable (correct term is
MS-Startup Disk).

 

[de Graff]

I've always liked that quote by Patrick Henry. The whole thing about chains,
slavery, liberty or death. So profound coming from a person who actually
owned slaves. It speaks volumes.

 

[Bruce Chambers]

Every now and then responses to requests for info and/or help are sarcastic
in nature - such as the reference above to "Psychic Friends.....".

Simply pointing out that the OP will have to seek supernatural
assistance if he/she won't provide useful, pertinent information. We
can't reliably guess what he/she's trying to say.

"myself" is absolutely regarding previously using formattinmg to create a
bootable disk/drive.

I assume that you meant to say "... absolutely *wrong* regarding ...,"
which is what I, and others, have already told him/her.

In previous versions of Windows/Dos what do you
suppose was the result of the command "Format c: /s" - it formatted and
created a "bootable" disk!

Not so. The "format c: /s" command only copied the essential system
files to the partition after the format was copied, but this would have
done absolutely *NO* good if the target partition had not already been
created as a Primary partition and then marked as "Active." Without
these first two steps, the BIOS won't even look at a partition for the
system files.

In the "olden days" (pre XP) three files were
necessary to boot to the C prompt IOS .SYS, DOS.SYS and COMMAND.COM (Hope I
have them correct) - included in formatting by the "/s" switch.

Actually, you're almost correct; the files were IO.SYS, MSDOS.SYS, and
COMMAND.COM. Nevertheless, the mere presence of those file on a hard
drive partition would not make the partition bootable unless it had
first been created as bootable (Primary, Active) during the FDisk
process. (Of course, the corollary of that fact is that a bootable
partition, in and of itself, is pretty useless one installs an operating
system's files on it.)

Architecture of XP uses a modified version of the above system files

No, it doesn't. Not even close.

- but
still permits formatting a floppy disk as bootable (correct term is
MS-Startup Disk).

True, but probably not relevant. And there's quite a difference
between WinXP's creating a bootable MS-DOS diskette for use in
BIOS-flashing, and a bootable hard drive partition.



--

Bruce Chambers

Help us help you:



They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary
safety deserve neither liberty nor safety. -Benjamin Franklin

Is life so dear or peace so sweet as to be purchased at the price of
chains and slavery? .... I know not what course others may take, but as
for me, give me liberty, or give me death! -Patrick Henry