Is this possible?

[Daniel]

Hi,

Is it possible to make a program which can boot up without having a hard drive installed? I am trying to make a c++ program which boots from a floppy. How do i start?

[kermi3]

Well to start you want to write the program and compile it into an exe. Then put it into your computer's booting files, I know it used to be autoexec.bat I'm not sure with newer versions of windows though.

[valar_king]

Originally posted by Salem
A long time ago (before you were born), some PCs had no hard disks, and all they had were two floppy drives

Yup, my Dad's got his Amiga set up. And I was born before Amigas were out.

[frenchfry164]

you can do this with new computers running windows too, off of a CD or a floppy. I know how to do it on a DOS based OS, but not a DOS independent OS like XP. Unless of course you go into your BIOS and make it check your CD (or floppy) b4 checking any HD's. But it's usually a pain to get into your BIOS using XP anyway.

[Waldo2k2]

>>But it's usually a pain to get into your BIOS using XP anyway.

um, no
when the computer boots and does the POST, press the delete key (some have different keys, but i think that's pretty common). Regardless of what OS you have, the BIOS is the first thing to do anything, it does the POST test, then loads the OS.

[kevinalm]

Creat a system disk with os <=win98. Add your exe. Enter bios and set for a: first. I don't think you need to set hd's installed to none but I'm not sure so it wouldn't hurt. Edit autoexec.bat to include as the final line:

a:/mypath/my.exe (the full pathname to your executable on the floppy)

That's what we used to call a turnkey floppy back in the days of apple II+ and ibm pc. All you have to do is insert the floppy and power on and away you go. Handy to make for use by people who knew nothing about computers.

The only other thing that I would suggest is to be sure to compile for the os your using. Also, depending on the compiler you may need to arrange for a dos extender.

[adrianxw]

If you have the right kind of network card, you can set up completely diskless systems. When they power up, they broadcast a "load me" message to an OS server which downloads the OS and all the applications software.

I used to do that with Compaq netcards in ruggedised PC's on remote sites built into equipment control racks - works well, less mechanical components to go wrong.

[RoD]

Can i set that over the net adrian? To have a remote pc do that to a seoncd disk in mine via modem.

[frenchfry164]

not all motherboards are that easy. Mine requires you to enter pure DOS mode to access it, and another one of mine does as well. The systems at school are the same way as well.

[adrianxw]

>>> Can i set that over the net adrian? To have a remote pc do that to a seoncd disk in mine via modem.

I would guess so, but don't know. The machines I had at remote sites were connected to the control room system via 4 wire multi drop telephone lines, i.e. there was a modem on board. I do not see why a suitably equipped machine should not be able to broadcast a "load me" on a 'net connection and a suitable server serve it from whatever OS resource it had available.