If I make a bootable cd for XP pro with Easy CD creator, will I be able to type setup after my cdroms prompt on a clean install and the cd boots up? A quick answer would be appreciated. Thank you.

No. Ive tried it and it says that this program cannot be run in DOS mode. Tex

Thanks for the info. So whats the point of making a XP pro boot cd then I wonder?

The idea of the bootable CD is to set the BIOS to look at your CD rom first, shove the disc in switch on and away you go. I think you can install from DOS by opening the i386 folder and using winnt.exe, thats what the "PCPlus" ( UK ) magazine in front of me says anyway, havn't tried though.

well, the purpose of the bootable cd is that it installs faster. in my case, when i used the dos routine described above, and it does work, the install took about an hour and ten minutes. with the bootable cd it only took about 35 minutes. no need to copy files if they are on the bootable cd. btw, if you use the dos mode, don't forget to run smartdrv.exe from your floppy first or it will take an eternity to copy the needed files. good luck!

forgot to comment on ez cd creator! if it says it can't install it from dos that means ez cd creator is creating a dos install routine, probably just trying to run setup. have not used ez cd creator to make a bootable disk before but you definitely cannot install xp from dos using setup. do the smartdrv/i386/winnt.exe thing and you have a sure thing.

There is no need to set CD ROM as first boot device except to test that your CD disk is bootable. You might wish to test the CD can boot before formatting. With an OS on C: and no floppy in you’re A: drive, C: will be the first bootable device and will load windows before it reads the CD. If C: have been formatted it is not bootable and the next bootable device will be detected. I have set mine to: First boot: Floppy drive Second boot: HDD (0) Third: CD-ROM