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Earlier this year two people were asking how to run Windows from a CD.
Are you still looking?
Terry@nz
They might be Terry. Likely to be a long search though. I would think that any cd-rw drive is going to need a OS in place to make it work in the first place, so why do it twice?
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I think they meant a CD-ROM. You might want it: -
Because if Windows goes pear-shaped and you need to get at your files in a hurry all you do is pop in your emergency CD with its essential Apps and you are back in business.
Because if you want to use someone else's computer you have your own Apps on hand.
Because you can let the kids at the computer and because the OS is in ROM they can't wreck the system.
One may find other reasons.
Terry@nz
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Neat ideas Terry. I just don't know how you can configure a drive in your machine to work in mine since I have a different motherboard chipset, different video and sound, different modem and so forth and expect to get it to boot much less operate.
I may be all wet here Terry, but I can't put my hard drive in your machine and expect it to work. If my hard drive is looking for a via controller I don't believe it'll work when it finds an intel controller.
This looks like something that might work like an old dual floppy system if it is configured for only one computer at home but not for something one can carry around and plug in anywhere.
If anyone has other ideas, I'd sure like to hear them. I'd much rather carry a cd or two on the road than my 35# shoulder wrecking dell.
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Terry, I read and reread the link you posted.
I still did not see anything that will allow anyone to use a cd like this on different platforms.
Someone is gonna have to explain this to me.
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Um, yes. I haven't made a CD for myself yet, so that statement was based on Par 6 of the Article "Another advantage is the option to run one's own system and ..." I confess I didn't think too much about it.
It would have to use only generic drivers I guess. Or perhaps, having got Windows up you could install the drivers from the computer you are using. They will be there. Might get a bit messy from here. But it should work(?)
Anyone know more than I?
Terry@nz
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I wholly agree with skipcox.
actually skipcox, it may be possible you your HD on another system, but it involves letting windows detect the hardware on the second machine and perhaps installing the drivers for the respective mobo.http://computing.net/windows95/wwwboard/forum/145215.html
TerryM:
But running OS from CD ??
If you wanted to have the OS files on the CD and use it to start the OS, that involves first using the CD to boot. Once the OS finds a different hardware, it requires to delete or disable old drivers and instal new ones, ie; create files, which cannot be done on a CD, if you are using a CD-R, then the CD Writer will have to be detected first! But our OS requires files to be created the moment it finds different mobo like SkipCox said. (even before the writer is recongnised).I am sure there are several more technical limtations to your ideas and the regulars on the forumn will give to loads of them.
If you want to protect OS files from kids, there are several backup options available.
If you want to use a device to start another PC, you can use a HD.http://computing.net/windows95/wwwboard/forum/145215.html
Regards,
Kailas Shastry.
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If you really want to protect your system, use Drive Image or Ghost. Also, have s small partition for windows and put all your data and programs on a second parition. You can then back up or restore windows in about 10-15 minutes from a hard drive and a little more from a CD.
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FWIW...
Amongst my toys/kit, I have two drives each with '98/NT installed; either drive/OS will boot in either a Dell Pll or a VIA chipset (FIC503+) system with no problems (and no changes to drives/installations). One drive was originally in the Dell, the other originally in the FIC503+.
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OK, you guys. The CD-Boot was not my idea, I am merely the lowly messenger bringing ideas into a forum. Don't shot me.
I started the thread because two guys this year wanted to know where to find out how it was done, and I had seen the site. They haven't joined in yet, so it might seem they have not seen this yet.
SkipCox asked why do it, so I parroted the answers from the site I quoted, presuming the author knew what he was talking about. His programming ability is ahead of mine, though I can follow what he is saying (just).
I just might have to create such a CD-ROM for myself now to see how it goes, though SkipCox sounds like he knows what he is talking about.
Terry@nz
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I've seen somewhere a detailed concept of Win starting from CDROM. It used RAM-disk with assigned drive letter (created at boot)to store all configuration files (assuming enough RAM). I haven't tried it yet but seems reasonable (eg. in Internet Caffee's or other public access computers).
I promise to respond again when I find abovementioned document.
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TerryM:
It's a useful link to have 'in the box' - for future reference. It may be useful one day?
Many tanx for it...
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Hello everyone,I am going to try it out right now and will get back shortly.
Thanks for the info TerryM.
Good Day!
Mesich
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Thanks, mesich, let us all know how you get on. It will be a couple of day before I have time to try; you may beat me to it.
C_J: the link is above. :-))
Tery@nz
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I have a windows system, the one I'm using now, that runs in a ram drive.
It boots from the c drive (dos is there) and copies the operating system onto a ram drive and starts windows on the ram drive.
It is based on the web page mentioned above.
http://www.heise.de/ct/englishTheoretically, you could make a boot cd from the c drive which copies data from the cd onto a ram drive.
I did this this but the time it took to copy the files from the cd (4000 files) was so slow that after a couple of hours I gave up.
When trying to find a solution to the slow file copying I found a site that says you can create a bootable cd (it metions nt,xp, and win2000) using isolinux and memdisk.
I have not tried this but maybe this link will help someone..
Barts way to make bootable cd's..
http://www.nu2.nu/bootcd/There was also a forum somewhere about this but I have lost the link. They did say however that a 400MB image would only take a minute to load into ram.
I may have digressed a bit but maybe the link will help.
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Had a closer look at the link...
Barts way to make bootable cd's..
http://www.nu2.nu/bootcd/This seems to talk about making installation cd's rather than OS's on a cd. Sorry about that. It may still be useful though.
This link may be useful..
http://www.911cd.net/And I am sure this one will be too. I think this is the forum I mentioned before...
http://www.911cd.net/forums/
There is a forum about creating bootable cd's that I found useful.
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Everybody seems to be wondering what the reason for setting this up would be, since there are protection apps for hard drive security. I can see a couple of reasons.
1. SPEED} A MAME arcade, internet cafe, or other large public environment. Using cd-roms instead of hard drives, you can burn off cd's for each of several identical machines faster than duping a hard drive.
2. COST} If a hard drive fails, you need to lay out the funds for a replacement, and the time to restore a back-up. A CD-ROM drive, even if it fails, can be replaced much more cheaply, and requires no set-up when installed; just pop the CD in and power up.
3. FOOL-PROOF SECURITY} In a situation with some reasonably knowledgeable users, it's hard to completely certain about what will happen with a less - knowledgeable "attendant"; i.e. an internet cafe with public access.Of course, this is only really worthwhile when you have multiple identical machines. While most techies won't have that for their own use, it does make a roomful of PCs into "zero-admin" PCs quickly. Imagine- no antivirus or defrag apps needed, no users changing settings, no floppy or hard drive needed. Set up a working PC w/ mobo, video, input, and CD-ROM. Set up 10 just like it in about the time it takes to burn a CD, and know they'll all work identically.
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