Making A Bootable CD

[ABRADAXIS]

I'm using Retrospect as a backup client, and they suggest making a bootable
CD with my backup files. Actually, I see that a lot of programs suggest
making a bootable CD or diskette for disaster/recovery procedures. My
questions is, how do you do it? There doesn't seem to be a simple way of
creating a bootable CD with Nero or Roxio. It's easy burning data CDs with
all the necessary backup data, but how do you make an XP CD bootable?

Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

 

[Harry Ohrn]

It is very easy to create a bootable CD with either Nero or Roxio. Just
check under File->New->scroll down to CD-Rom (Boot). pop a bootable floppy
into he floppy drive and burn. You can add files before the burn takes place
as Nero will create a boot sector on the CD. It will appear hidden. When you
boot he CD the drive letter will be A: change to your CD-Rom drive letter to
access the contents of the CD. Roxio has a similar process.

Or do a google search for "create bootable CD" and you will find enough to
choose from.

 

[Phillips]

The reference site is:
http://www.nu2.nu/bootcd/

Generally, you do not need a BootCD since you can use the XP CD to boot.
What you need is more partitions and an extra HDD for backups. External
HDD's are not very reliable yet, but they come handy too.
The suggestion for BootCD comes more like a legal issue to prevent data loss
blah blah.
Michael

 

[ABRADAXIS]

I understand how to burn a cd, but you're telling me to put a bootable
floppy into the drive and then burn any data I want onto that CD. My
question is," How do you make a bootable CD for Windows XP in the first
place?" If I can find out how to do that, I would have no trouble burning
the ISO backup file onto the CDafterward. Am I misunderstanding you? Thanks
for the quick response, and I'll try the google approach as well.

abradaxis

It is very easy to create a bootable CD with either Nero or Roxio. Just
check under File->New->scroll down to CD-Rom (Boot). pop a bootable floppy
into he floppy drive and burn. You can add files before the burn takes
place as Nero will create a boot sector on the CD. It will appear hidden.
When you boot he CD the drive letter will be A: change to your CD-Rom
drive letter to access the contents of the CD. Roxio has a similar
process.

Or do a google search for "create bootable CD" and you will find enough to
choose from.

--

Harry Ohrn MS-MVP [Shell/User]
www.webtree.ca/windowsxp

I'm using Retrospect as a backup client, and they suggest making a
bootable CD with my backup files. Actually, I see that a lot of programs
suggest making a bootable CD or diskette for disaster/recovery
procedures. My questions is, how do you do it? There doesn't seem to be a
simple way of creating a bootable CD with Nero or Roxio. It's easy
burning data CDs with all the necessary backup data, but how do you make
an XP CD bootable?

Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

 

[Michael Stevens]

In

I understand how to burn a cd, but you're telling me to put a bootable
floppy into the drive and then burn any data I want onto that CD. My
question is," How do you make a bootable CD for Windows XP in the
first place?" If I can find out how to do that, I would have no
trouble burning the ISO backup file onto the CDafterward. Am I
misunderstanding you? Thanks for the quick response, and I'll try
the google approach as well.
abradaxis

The info on the floppy is used to make the CD bootable.

--
Michael Stevens MS-MVP XP
(e-mail address removed)
http://www.michaelstevenstech.com
For a better newsgroup experience. Setup a newsreader.
http://www.michaelstevenstech.com/outlookexpressnewreader.htm

It is very easy to create a bootable CD with either Nero or Roxio.
Just check under File->New->scroll down to CD-Rom (Boot). pop a
bootable floppy into he floppy drive and burn. You can add files
before the burn takes place as Nero will create a boot sector on the
CD. It will appear hidden. When you boot he CD the drive letter will
be A: change to your CD-Rom drive letter to access the contents of
the CD. Roxio has a similar process.

Or do a google search for "create bootable CD" and you will find
enough to choose from.

--

Harry Ohrn MS-MVP [Shell/User]
www.webtree.ca/windowsxp

I'm using Retrospect as a backup client, and they suggest making a
bootable CD with my backup files. Actually, I see that a lot of
programs suggest making a bootable CD or diskette for
disaster/recovery procedures. My questions is, how do you do it?
There doesn't seem to be a simple way of creating a bootable CD
with Nero or Roxio. It's easy burning data CDs with all the
necessary backup data, but how do you make an XP CD bootable?

Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

 

[Harry Ohrn]

No what I'm telling you to use the option that is part of Nero or Roxio to
"create a bootable CD." You mentioned that Nero and Roxio can not create a
bootable CD and I'm letting you know that they can

See here for Nero http://www.webtree.ca/windowsxp/images/cdrom/nero.jpg
See here for Roxio http://www.webtree.ca/windowsxp/images/cdrom/roxio.jpg
and http://www.webtree.ca/windowsxp/images/cdrom/roxio2.jpg

You'll note that Nero will require you to have a floppy or and image of a
floppy but Roxio actually has an image file included for this purpose. The
process creates a boot sector on the CD and writes the files from the floppy
or image to the disc. This bootsector and the files are hidden and can't bee
seen from Windows but the are accessible when the CD is booted. When
creating the CD you can add files to it, in the usual way, before the disc
is burned.

I'm not familiar with Retrospect Backup but if it has a function for
creating a recovery or restore floppy that can be run outside of the Windows
environment then you can use that floppy during the creation process. You
would also copy, to the disc, the backup file(s) that Retrospect created.
When you boot the CD it will emulate the floppy, run the recovery program
and you can restore the image. Of course all that works with other imaging
programs like Norton Ghost for example.

--

Harry Ohrn MS-MVP [Shell/User]
www.webtree.ca/windowsxp

I understand how to burn a cd, but you're telling me to put a bootable
floppy into the drive and then burn any data I want onto that CD. My
question is," How do you make a bootable CD for Windows XP in the first
place?" If I can find out how to do that, I would have no trouble burning
the ISO backup file onto the CDafterward. Am I misunderstanding you?
Thanks for the quick response, and I'll try the google approach as well.

abradaxis

It is very easy to create a bootable CD with either Nero or Roxio. Just
check under File->New->scroll down to CD-Rom (Boot). pop a bootable
floppy into he floppy drive and burn. You can add files before the burn
takes place as Nero will create a boot sector on the CD. It will appear
hidden. When you boot he CD the drive letter will be A: change to your
CD-Rom drive letter to access the contents of the CD. Roxio has a similar
process.

Or do a google search for "create bootable CD" and you will find enough
to choose from.

--

Harry Ohrn MS-MVP [Shell/User]
www.webtree.ca/windowsxp

I'm using Retrospect as a backup client, and they suggest making a
bootable CD with my backup files. Actually, I see that a lot of programs
suggest making a bootable CD or diskette for disaster/recovery
procedures. My questions is, how do you do it? There doesn't seem to be
a simple way of creating a bootable CD with Nero or Roxio. It's easy
burning data CDs with all the necessary backup data, but how do you make
an XP CD bootable?

Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

 

[abradaxis]

Got it! Thanks.

No what I'm telling you to use the option that is part of Nero or Roxio to
"create a bootable CD." You mentioned that Nero and Roxio can not create a
bootable CD and I'm letting you know that they can

See here for Nero http://www.webtree.ca/windowsxp/images/cdrom/nero.jpg
See here for Roxio http://www.webtree.ca/windowsxp/images/cdrom/roxio.jpg
and http://www.webtree.ca/windowsxp/images/cdrom/roxio2.jpg

You'll note that Nero will require you to have a floppy or and image of a
floppy but Roxio actually has an image file included for this purpose. The
process creates a boot sector on the CD and writes the files from the
floppy or image to the disc. This bootsector and the files are hidden and
can't bee seen from Windows but the are accessible when the CD is booted.
When creating the CD you can add files to it, in the usual way, before the
disc is burned.

I'm not familiar with Retrospect Backup but if it has a function for
creating a recovery or restore floppy that can be run outside of the
Windows environment then you can use that floppy during the creation
process. You would also copy, to the disc, the backup file(s) that
Retrospect created. When you boot the CD it will emulate the floppy, run
the recovery program and you can restore the image. Of course all that
works with other imaging programs like Norton Ghost for example.

--

Harry Ohrn MS-MVP [Shell/User]
www.webtree.ca/windowsxp

I understand how to burn a cd, but you're telling me to put a bootable
floppy into the drive and then burn any data I want onto that CD. My
question is," How do you make a bootable CD for Windows XP in the first
place?" If I can find out how to do that, I would have no trouble burning
the ISO backup file onto the CDafterward. Am I misunderstanding you?
Thanks for the quick response, and I'll try the google approach as well.

abradaxis

It is very easy to create a bootable CD with either Nero or Roxio. Just
check under File->New->scroll down to CD-Rom (Boot). pop a bootable
floppy into he floppy drive and burn. You can add files before the burn
takes place as Nero will create a boot sector on the CD. It will appear
hidden. When you boot he CD the drive letter will be A: change to your
CD-Rom drive letter to access the contents of the CD. Roxio has a
similar process.

Or do a google search for "create bootable CD" and you will find enough
to choose from.

--

Harry Ohrn MS-MVP [Shell/User]
www.webtree.ca/windowsxp


I'm using Retrospect as a backup client, and they suggest making a
bootable CD with my backup files. Actually, I see that a lot of
programs suggest making a bootable CD or diskette for disaster/recovery
procedures. My questions is, how do you do it? There doesn't seem to be
a simple way of creating a bootable CD with Nero or Roxio. It's easy
burning data CDs with all the necessary backup data, but how do you
make an XP CD bootable?

Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

 

[Harry Ohrn]

You are welcome.

--

Harry Ohrn MS-MVP [Shell/User]
www.webtree.ca/windowsxp

Got it! Thanks.

No what I'm telling you to use the option that is part of Nero or Roxio to
"create a bootable CD." You mentioned that Nero and Roxio can not create a
bootable CD and I'm letting you know that they can

See here for Nero http://www.webtree.ca/windowsxp/images/cdrom/nero.jpg
See here for Roxio http://www.webtree.ca/windowsxp/images/cdrom/roxio.jpg
and http://www.webtree.ca/windowsxp/images/cdrom/roxio2.jpg

You'll note that Nero will require you to have a floppy or and image of a
floppy but Roxio actually has an image file included for this purpose. The
process creates a boot sector on the CD and writes the files from the
floppy or image to the disc. This bootsector and the files are hidden and
can't bee seen from Windows but the are accessible when the CD is booted.
When creating the CD you can add files to it, in the usual way, before the
disc is burned.

I'm not familiar with Retrospect Backup but if it has a function for
creating a recovery or restore floppy that can be run outside of the
Windows environment then you can use that floppy during the creation
process. You would also copy, to the disc, the backup file(s) that
Retrospect created. When you boot the CD it will emulate the floppy, run
the recovery program and you can restore the image. Of course all that
works with other imaging programs like Norton Ghost for example.

--

Harry Ohrn MS-MVP [Shell/User]
www.webtree.ca/windowsxp

I understand how to burn a cd, but you're telling me to put a bootable
floppy into the drive and then burn any data I want onto that CD. My
question is," How do you make a bootable CD for Windows XP in the first
place?" If I can find out how to do that, I would have no trouble burning
the ISO backup file onto the CDafterward. Am I misunderstanding you?
Thanks for the quick response, and I'll try the google approach as well.

abradaxis

It is very easy to create a bootable CD with either Nero or Roxio. Just
check under File->New->scroll down to CD-Rom (Boot). pop a bootable
floppy into he floppy drive and burn. You can add files before the burn
takes place as Nero will create a boot sector on the CD. It will appear
hidden. When you boot he CD the drive letter will be A: change to your
CD-Rom drive letter to access the contents of the CD. Roxio has a
similar process.

Or do a google search for "create bootable CD" and you will find enough
to choose from.

--

Harry Ohrn MS-MVP [Shell/User]
www.webtree.ca/windowsxp


I'm using Retrospect as a backup client, and they suggest making a
bootable CD with my backup files. Actually, I see that a lot of
programs suggest making a bootable CD or diskette for disaster/recovery
procedures. My questions is, how do you do it? There doesn't seem to be
a simple way of creating a bootable CD with Nero or Roxio. It's easy
burning data CDs with all the necessary backup data, but how do you
make an XP CD bootable?

Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.