How can I make a bootable DOS usb drive in Linux?

archieval · 07-10-2011, 09:42 PM

Hello everyone,

I have a linux ubuntu pc with superuser access, and a windows xp pc with no administrator access so I cannot make use of any formatting tool in that.

Regards,
archieval

Simon Bridge · 07-11-2011, 12:16 AM

The tools are parted and fdisk.
What is the problem you are trying to solve?

syg00 · 07-11-2011, 01:48 AM

I would be most surprised if either of those could create a "bootable DOS usb drive".
Have a look here

i92guboj · 07-11-2011, 05:00 AM

Assuming you effectively want to boot DOS, the first thing you need is a DOS version (either commercial, or something like FreeDOS, which I recommend).

If I remember well, unetbootin can create boot disks and pendrives, not only for *nix like OSes like Linux and BSDs, but also for FreeDOS. So, try that tool.

jefro · 07-11-2011, 04:09 PM

This is the freedos way, but may be a a newer way too. http://bensbits.com/blog/2007/08/21/...b_flash_drive/

I think you can run these tools from a standard user. If not make a bartsPE disk and boot to it or use the linux equivalent commands. I think bart's site has some of this.

http://blogs.oracle.com/dragonfly/en...sb_flash_drive

archieval · 07-11-2011, 09:41 PM

Hello everyone,

@Simon
I am trying to make a bootable usb drive with dos. Or if possible, make that usb drive to have bootable dos and linux, interchangeble with the use of a grub.

@everyone
Thank you for the replies. I will try each of these, but those that will require installation on windows xp, I have no administrative access to do that. And also I don't have a floppy drive, only a dvd-ro drive. I have already read some, and those that requires dismantling the hard drive and other drives, I can't do that as I am in the office.

Regards,
archieval

DJ Shaji · 07-12-2011, 07:30 AM

If you can get a floppy "image" from somewhere, all you have to do is to "dd" it to your pen drive.

Code:

dd if=dos.img of=/dev/<device>

jefro · 07-12-2011, 08:15 PM

Just a note. If you dd some file to a pen drive be sure you know what is what. dd is will remove all data from the target.

Not all flash drives are bootable or even can be made to boot. HP has some tools for the real tough ones. Most new ones are easy to get to boot.

Simon Bridge · 07-13-2011, 04:08 PM

Oh you want your usb-drive to act like a DOS boot disk.
Yeah - this would mean copying over from a bootable floppy image - you'll also have to edit the image since it will likely have references to A:\ which can produce errors.

But why does it have to be DOS?
Why not make a bootable linux drive instead?

DJ Shaji · 07-14-2011, 01:53 AM

I wouldn't think there would be any difference between flash drives; they're just a bunch of memory sticks stuck intto USB ports. Its like saying some CDs can be made bootable and some can't.

jefro · 07-14-2011, 04:30 PM

Yes, flash drives have been quite quirky for years. Just because they claim a usb standard doesn't mean the hardware after it is standard. In fact they can't even follow the usb standard.
They are not simply a memory chip and an connector and it is not anything like a cd so you can't compare the two.
There are hundreds of web pages devoted to it. HP made a few applications even to try to correct usb flash drives for customers. You don't think HP would do that for kicks?