Making a Startup Diskette for a PC

If you're making a startup diskette under Windows NT
If you're making a startup diskette under Windows 95 or 98
If you're making a startup diskette under DOS, Windows 3.x, and certain other PC OSes

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The Y2K Hardware Problem Affecting Many PCs

Making a "bootable" DOS diskette that is capable of starting up an industry-standard (or "IBM-compatible" or "Intel-based") PC can be useful when performing tests to identify Y2K hardware problems, resetting a PC's date to help its internal clock safely make the transition to the year 2000, and for a number of other purposes.

Depending on what operating system your PC is running, you can make such a diskette in several ways, as described below. Regardless which method you use, any of your PCs should then be able to use this diskette as a startup disk.

It might be a good idea to make up a set of these diskettes in advance for your department. You might also consider placing at least one startup disk in a handy location next to each PC.

If your department is using automated software tools to find Y2K problems on its PCs, these startup diskettes might also serve as a means of distributing a Y2K hardware diagnostic program, or the "agent" or "responder" software used by a commercial Y2K tool that can query your PCs for various types of information over a network.

Two important cautions: Creating a startup diskette using the methods described below completely erases the diskette, destroying all data which may have been stored on it. Before proceeding, make sure that you're either using a brand-new diskette or a used "scratch" diskette that does not contain important data. After you create a startup disk, write-protect the diskette so that it doesn't inadvertently serve as a means of transmitting computer viruses. To do so, move the plastic tab on the back of the diskette so that it locks into position nearest the edge of the diskette, thus opening up a hole. (On many diskettes, you may also see a second, permanently open hole.)

If you're making a startup diskette under Windows NT

The Windows NT command prompt will not allow you to make a bootable diskette. We recommend that you make a bootable DOS diskette under another PC operating system using the steps described below.

If you're making a startup diskette under Windows 95 or 98

Using "My Computer"

Windows' "My Computer" icon provides easy access to your computer's disks, printers, settings, scheduled tasks, and more. Among its many functions, you can also use it to make a 'bare bones' startup diskette:

Insert a diskette into your diskette drive. Open My Computer from the Windows desktop. Select (click just once on) the icon of your PC's diskette drive. (It will be named something like 3 1/2 Floppy (A:).) Select Format from the "File" menu. Under the "Format type" section, select Full. Under the "Other options" section, click to add a checkmark next to Copy system files. Click Start.

Using "Add/Remove Programs"

You can also the Add/Remove Programs control panel in Windows 95 and 98 to make a bootable DOS system diskette.

By using this method, your startup diskette will include some useful utility, diagnostic, and repair programs, such as Scandisk and Edit:

From the "Start" menu, select Settings -> Control Panel. Open Add/Remove Programs from the "Control Panel" window. Click the Startup Disk folder tab. Click Create Disk... and follow any additional instructions.

If you're making a startup diskette under DOS, Windows 3.x, and certain other PC OSes

You can use the DOS FORMAT command with the /S (system) option to make a bootable DOS diskette. You can do so in any operating system that offers a DOS command prompt.

Warning: this method can potentially be very dangerous. If you're not paying careful attention to what you're doing, it is possible to format your hard disk or another disk containing valuable data using the DOS FORMAT command.

If you're not running DOS, you can get to a DOS command prompt in a variety of ways, which will depend on your operating system. For example, you can get to this prompt in Windows 95 and 98 by selecting "Programs -> MS-DOS Prompt" from the "Start" menu.

Once you're at a DOS prompt (e.g. A> or C:/WINDOWS>), you can type:

FORMAT YourDisketteDriveLetterHere: /S

where you would replace "YourDisketteDriveLetterHere" with the drive letter for your diskette ("floppy") drive, such as A: or B:.

For instance, if your diskette drive was located at drive letter A:, you would type:

FORMAT A: /S

then follow the subsequent instructions.