Programs and Files You Need

Before downloading, I am going to recommend that you create the following file
directory structure so you can follow my steps:

Create the following file directory

and subdirectories tree:

Screen Shot: Project Directory Tree.

So the main folder is 'Bootable CD Project'.

Subdirectories under the main folder are: Boot Image, Downloads, Extracted Files,
WinImage.

And subdirectories under 'Downloads' are: Mouse (Microsoft), Win98se OEM Boot
Disk, WinImage.

Like this, if this helps:

C:\Bootable CD Project
|_Boot Image
|_Downloads
| |_Mouse (Microsoft)
| |_Win98se OEM Boot Disk
| |_WinImage
|_Extracted Files
|_WinImage

1. Download the following to their respective

'Downloads' subdirectories:
a. WinImage

Download: Here or Here

WinImage is a slick program--it appears to be the 'Swiss Army Knife'

regarding not just reading boot image files, but also has the ability to
create boot sector files that can be transferred to optical media
making the media bootable! WinImage works not only with image
files that are designed for optical media, but also works with boot
image files that are designed to create boot floppy disks as well!

It is the 'key' program for creating custom bootable CD/DVD bootable

disks--especially without a floppy drive!

This is a 'Shareware' program. You get 30 actual days to try it, not
30 days from the date you first use the program.

b. Win98se OEM Boot disk

Download: Here

c. Mouse.com : Put this in the 'Mouse (Microsoft)' subdirectory.

Download: The first 'mouse.com' listed at the above link.

2. You will need a CD/DVD burning program. The most common and popular
ones are from Nero, and Roxio. Other CD/DVD burning programs will
probably work if they have the option to create a bootable CD/DVD, but I
have no experience with those.
 Project #1

Step-by-Step Instructions

1. Let's Get Started--

(Make sure you've done the preliminary steps before starting here! Go to
Programs and Files You Need: first.)
2.

Installing WinImage: If you download the WinImage.exe file, it will be self

extracting and will run an install routine for you, offering to put a shortcut on
your desktop and a subdirectory in your 'Programs' menu. If using the install
routine, direct the install to the 'C:\Bootable CD Project\WinImage'
subdirectory.

But you do not have to 'install' WinImage. If you download the

WinImage.zip file, you can simply extract the files to a directory and run
'winimage.exe', and the program will run just fine.

I downloaded the WinImage.zip file to the 'C:\Bootable CD

Project\Downloads\WinImage' subdirectory, and then extracted the files to
'C:\Bootable CD Project\WinImage' subdirectory using WinZip.

3. Start WinImage by clicking on 'winimage.exe' in the 'C:\Bootable CD

Project\WinImage' directory or the Desktop shortcut if you used the install
routine.

Now the fun begins--if you were to 'click' on the Win98se Boot Disk file
'win98.exe' , it runs a program that tries to create a Win98se boot floppy
disk in a floppy disk drive.

But if you select in WinImage the menu item 'File|Open' , and in the
'Open' dialog box in the 'Look in:' box, navigate to 'C:\Bootable CD
Project\DownLoads\Win98se OEM Boot Disk', you will not see the
'boot98.exe' file.

If you now go to the 'Files of type:' box in the lower section of the 'Open'
dialog box, click the down arrow and at the bottom of the list select 'All
WinImage files (*.IM?,*WLZ,*.EXE)', now the 'boot98.exe' will be
listed. Select it and click 'Open' , and now the 'hidden' image file within that
.exe file is opened and the files meant to be copied to a floppy disk are
revealed and listed in WinImage's main Window!

Screen Shot--WinImage Open '.exe' files.

Screen Shot--Win98 Boot Disk Files in WinImage.

4. Hold down the 'Ctrl' key and single click on the following files to select
them:
 autoexec.bat
 command.com
 config.sys
 io.sys
 msdos.sys
 oakcdrom.sys
  ebd.cab

Screen Shot--Highlighted Win98 Boot Disk Files.

Go to the 'Image|Extract' menu item, and in the 'Extract' dialog box use
'Browse...' to select 'C:\Bootable CD Project\Extracted Files'. Click 'OK' and
now those files are located on the hard drive in the subdirectory 'Extracted
Files'.

Screen Shot--Extracting Win98 Boot Disk Files.

Screen Shot--'Extract' dialog box + Browse.

5. Open Windows' 'Notepad' program (found under 'Start|Programs|

Accessories' --it's a simple text only program that will not add 'formated
text' to the text file--just simple 'ANSI' text). Select 'File|Open' . In the
'Look in:' box navigate to 'C:\Bootable CD Project\Extracted Files', and then
click on the down arrow for the 'Files of type:', and select 'All Files'. Now
select 'config.sys' and 'Open' .

Screen Shot--opening 'config.sys' in Notepad.

Now, select the 'Edit|Select All' menu item to highlite all the text, and then
select 'Edit|Delete' to clear all the text. Now copy the following text, and
then paste it to the 'config.sys' file in Notepad:

device=oakcdrom.sys /d:nightowl
lastdrive=z

Screen shot--Your 'config.sys' file should look like this:

And, finally select the 'File|Save as...' and save it back to the same
directory and with the same name as you started from, i.e. in 'Extracted
Files' as 'config.sys'.

6. Still using 'Notepad', select 'File|Open', you should still be in the 'Extracted
Files' subdirectory, and now select 'autoexec.bat' , and 'Open' . Now,
select the 'Edit|Select All' menu item to highlite all the text, and then
select 'Edit|Delete' to clear all the text. Now copy the following text, and
then paste it to the 'autoexec.bat' file in Notepad:

path=a:\;x:\
mouse.com
mscdex.exe /d:nightowl /l:x /m:16 /v
ghost.exe

Screen shot--Your 'autoexe.bat' file should look like this:

And, finally select the 'File|Save as...' and save it back to the same
directory and with the same name as you started from, i.e. in 'Extracted
Files' as 'autoexec.bat'.

7. The DOS program 'mscdex.exe' is inside the 'ebd.cab' file (Emergency

Boot Disk.cab file) that was extracted to the 'Extracted Files' subdirectory.
Using Windows Explorer you can click on 'ebd.cab', and it will open that cab
file and you will see the 'mscdex.exe' file listed with several others. You
need to 'drag-and-drop' or 'copy-and-paste' it to the 'C:\Bootable CD
New\Extracted Files' subdirectory so it is outside of the cab file.

(Alternatively, the files 'oakcdrom.sys' and 'mscdex.exe' can be found in

directories created when Ghost 2003 was installed in Windows.

In WinXP, the path is:

 'C:\Documents and Settings\All
Users\Application(space)Data\Symantec\Ghost\Template\common'.

In Win98se, the path is:

'C:\Windows\Profiles\All Users\Application
Data\Symantec\Ghost\Template\common'.)

Notes: To explain what's going on in #4 and #5 above: We are changing the

boot files for DOS, 'config.sys' and 'autoexec.bat' , so they perform the
steps we need them to do.

A. The 'oakcdrom.sys' file is a 'universal' driver that mounts a CD or

DVD drive so you can 'read' from it. The '/d:nightowl' after 'oakcdrom.sys'
is a 'command line switch' that tells oakcdrom.sys what name to give to the
CD-ROM drive that 'mscdex.exe' in the autoexec.bat file will look for--it's
just a designated name--could be anything that is eight or less characters
after the '/d:' .

B. The 'lastdrive=z' tells DOS to reserve memory space so drive

letters A: through Z: can be used.
C. The 'path=' instructs DOS to look in the root directory of the drives
with these letters for the listed programs that are called for in the
autoexec.bat file, or typed at the DOS prompt--so, in this case, the
root directory of A: and X:. You can also specify specific folders
(directories), and subdirectories if you wish.
D. The 'mouse.com' will load that mouse program if found in the
'path=' statement path.
E. The 'mscdex.exe' program assigns the drive letter to the optical
drives.

The 'command line switch' '/d:nightowl' is the link to the config.sys

program 'oakcdrom.sys' that mounted the optical drive.

The 'command line switch' '/l:x' tells 'mscdex.exe' to use as the first
possible drive letter, the letter X:--so the first optical drive letter can
be no less than X:. If you have a second optical drive, it will be
assigned the drive letter Y:.

If you wish the first letter to be assigned to the optical drive to be M:,
then change the 'x' to 'm' so it looks like this '/l:m'. But, in DOS,
that letter has to be after all the hard drive partitions have been
assigned, or else it will default to the next available letter after the
hard drive partitions. You would also have to change the path
statement above so the 'x' is 'm', like so: 'path=a:\;m:\'.

The 'command line switch' '/m:16' is telling DOS to set aside 16

memory sector buffers for better performance.

And the 'command line switch' '/v' is for 'verbose'--it tells

'mscdex.exe' to display after loading the full text results of what it
has done.
F. The 'ghost.exe' tell DOS to automatically start Ghost.

2.

Now, copy 'mouse.com' from the 'C:\Bootable CD

Project\Downloads\Mouse (Microsoft)' to the 'C:\Bootable CD
Project\Extracted Files' subdirectory.
3. And copy 'ghost.exe' from your 'C:\Program Files\Norton
SystemWorks\Norton Ghost' (assuming that's where your Ghost program is
located) to the 'C:\Bootable CD Project\Extracted Files' subdirectory.
4. Screen shot--Now, your 'C:\Bootable CD Project\Extracted Files'
subdirectory should have the following:

 autoexec.bat
 command.com
 config.sys
 io.sys
 msdos.sys
 oakcdrom.sys
 mscdex.exe
 mouse.com
 ghost.exe
 ebd.cab

In WinImage, select 'File|New' , in the 'Format selection' dialog box,

click 1.44 MB, then click 'OK'. Then select 'Image|Inject'. In the 'Inject'
dialog box, using the 'Look in:' box, navigate to the 'C:\Bootable CD
Project\Extracted Files' subdirectory, and holding down the 'Ctrl' key, single
click on each of the above named files except 'ebd.cab' to highlite them.
Now click 'Open' and confirm by clicking 'Yes' that you want to inject all 9
files.

Screen Shot--'Inject' dialog box.

8. Here's a critical step--now select 'Image|Boot Sector Properties...',

in the 'Boot Sector Properties' dialog box click on the 'Windows 95/98'
button, and then 'OK' .

Screen Shot--WinImage--Boot Sector Properties...

Now, select 'File|Save as...', in the 'Save as' dialog box, select 'Save in'
and navigate to 'C:\Bootable CD Project\Boot Image'. In the 'File name:'
box type 'bootcdp1'(that's for Bootable CD Project 1), and in the 'Save as
type:' box, select 'Image file (*.IMA)' .

Screen Shot--WinImage--'Save as...*.IMA file'

You should have 'bootcdp1.ima' file in the 'C:\Bootable CD Project\Boot

Image' subdirectory now.

9. Now it's time to head to your CD/DVD burning program. I would suggest
using a Re-writable CD at first so you can erase and start over if
something doesn't work out right the first time.

 I have Roxio's Creator Classic v7.xx (aka--Roxio Easy Media Creator

7 Basic DVD Edition--note the term 'Basic'--I believe this version has
fewer options for creating bootable optical disks than the previous
v6.xx or Roxio's Easy CD Creator 5 (v5.xx)). Creator Classic
v7.xx installed on WinXP Pro without problems, but would not install
on Win98se. I have only burned bootable CD's, but the program
indicates that it can handle DVD's as well.
 And I have Roxio's Easy CD Creator 5 (v5.xx) which installed on
WinXP Pro, but indicated it must be updated in order to work. After
updating, it works fine. It installed on Win98se just fine also. It
appears that this version only can create bootable CD's, but not
DVD's. For an outline of steps and screen shots for using Roxio's
Easy CD Creator 5, click here.
  I also have Nero's OEM NeroExpress6. It is a 'lite' version of Nero,
and appears to have very few options. For a discussion of how I was
able to get Nero's OEM NeroExpress6 to work, click here.
 On another computer, I have Roxio's Creator Classic v6.xx. Click
here for a brief discussion of how to use Roxio's v6.xx.
 Click Here for possible 'General Settings' suggestions for other
burning programs.

I will be using Roxio's Creator Classic v7.1.1.183 for the steps below:

A. Open Creator Classic. Select 'File|New Project|Bootable Disc' . In

the 'Choose Type of Bootable Disc' dialog box select 'Floppy Disc
Emulation (1.44 MB)', and 'Use Existing Image file' and click on
'Browse'. Go to your 'C:\Bootable CD Project\Boot Image' and click
on the 'bootcdp1.ima' file, and then click 'OK' .
B. Now click on 'File|Project Settings' . On the 'General' tab, you
can change the CD's 'Volume Name'--I typed in 'Ghost Boot CD'. I
selected the 'File System:' as 'Joliet'. And I checked the two lower
boxes 'Validate source files before recording' and
'Automatically verify File System after recording' .

On the 'Advanced' tab, I left everything blank, and clicked on 'Use

original file date' .

On the 'Exclude file types' tab, I made sure 'Exclude all hidden
files' and 'Exclude all system files' were not checked.

Click on 'OK' .

C. Time to burn! (Remember, if possible, I suggest you use a re-

writeable CD for testing so you can erase and re-use and not waste
CD's until you're sure it going to work okay.)

Press the 'Burn' button.

In the 'Roxio Creator Classic-Burn Progress' , select

'>>Details'. In 'Record Method', select the check box 'Read-
Only Disc (Cannot add data at a later time)'. And click 'Burn' .
When finished, my program ejects the disk tray.

2. Time to test the bootable CD. Close out any other programs and save any
information that needs saving. Leave the newly burned CD in the drive.

Re-boot. You may have to enter the BIOS to make changes to the 'boot
order sequence' or whatever your system requires to boot from the
optical drive.

When testing a DOS boot disk, when you reach the point were it says
'Starting Win98...', I like to press 'F8', and then select 'Step-by-Step
Confirmation' . This makes the DOS boot process go through both the
'config.sys' file and the 'autoexec.bat' file line-by-line, and you get to see
the results of the line being executed.

If there is an error message, you can see it and record the information for
trouble shooting. After each command, the system waits for you to press 'Y'
for yes before proceding to execute the next line.

(Note: On one of my machines, when you press F8, it brings up a 'Boot

from...' menu. I select the CD-Rom drive, and once the system starts
booting from the CD, I then press F8 again, to get the 'Step-by-Step
Confirmation' menu.)
 Using Roxio v5.xx

Roxio's 'Easy CD Creator 5' appears to only allow for 'bootable CD's' and not
DVD's. It will allow for a 'data' DVD--just not bootable.

So, start Easy CD Creator 5 from

'Start|Programs|Roxio Easy
CD Creator 5|Project Selector'. Select 'Make a data CD|Data CD Project':

Screen Shot--Open Roxio CD Project.

Select 'File|New CD Project|Bootable CD':

Screen Shot: Bootable CD

In the 'Choose Type of Bootable CD' dialog box, use these settings shown in the
next screen shot, and use the 'Browse' button to go to your 'C:\Bootable CD
Project\Boot Image' subdirectory, and click on the 'bootcdp1.ima' file, and then
click 'OK'.

Screen Shot: Type of Bootable CD Settings

Now, go to 'File|CD Project Properties' :

Screen Shot: CD Project Properties

Set the following settings for the CD Project Properties:

Screen Shot: 'General' tab

Screen Shot: 'File System' tab
Screen Shot: 'File Types' tab

Press the red 'record' button:

Screen Shot: Record

Set the 'Record CD Setup' settings:

Screen Shot: 'Record CD Setup' settings

Once the settings are set, click 'Start Recording'.

When finished burning, you should return to the Step-by-Step Instructions--Step#12,

Page 3, testing the bootable CD.