Custom DOS Applications Requiring Multiple Floppies

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John · #1 Post by **John** » Fri Jun 02, 2006 4:03 am

Some of my favorite DOS applications are on multiple bootable floppy disks that require you to load the disks one at a time. I know how to make images of these floppies, but I have no idea how to integrate these multiple images into a single application that can be successfully launched from an Ultimate Boot CD. Does anyone know how multiple floppy images of a single DOS application can be integrated into the Custom subdirectory and get the application to run seamlessly in the Ultimate Boot CD environment?

baronvonfoxbat7734 · #2 Post by **baronvonfoxbat7734** » Fri Jun 02, 2006 5:12 am

I do know that the disk only supports single disk booting. There maybe a way to integrate it as a dos app. I believe you would have to edit a freedos image to autolaunch it. Or as i do, launch it manually from the command prompt. That is how I do mine. Others can adise as to how to add it to the freedos image.

Scott Cooper · #3 Post by **Scott Cooper** » Fri Jun 02, 2006 6:41 am

Converting a two disk program into one 2.88MB image is easy, as in the example of Drive Image 5.0. Usually, there is a line in AutoExec.bat that pauses and asks for the second disk.

For more disks, you may want to create a bootable floppy with CD access which then starts the program off the CD. Many of the programs on UBCD are run this way, but I've not looked at them hard enough to tell you how to make your own.

John · #4 Post by **John** » Fri Jun 02, 2006 10:35 am

Hi, Scott -

See my last reply in the thread about DriveImage 5.0, which I think pretty much settles the issue of creating a bootable image from 2-disk set.

I was thinking about a similar approach for making a bootable image from 3 or 4 floppy disks. For example, I wonder if it's possible to use MKBT to copy the boot sector of a floppy disk into a RAM drive configured larger than 2.88MB, copy files into the RAM drive, edit them, and then save the entire contents of the RAM drive as an *.iso or *.img file that is bootable within UBCD. If you think this is possible, do you have any suggestions as to what software I need to accomplish the above?

Thanks so much for your suggestions and timely help!

Constance · #5 Post by **Constance** » Fri Jun 02, 2006 12:08 pm

I guess it would be more simple to just copy the files to RAMdrive, write an image, and then copy the boot sector from the original floppy image to the new one... that means to delete and then insert 512 bytes at the beginning of the new image file, which any hex editor should be able to do.

Edit : BTW in fact i'm not too sure copying the boot sector is a good thing, as it should contain some kind of "volume descriptor" byte, which shall not be the same for 1.44 and 2.88 MB floppies ... then you may get strange behavior booting such a image file.

spacemx · #6 Post by **spacemx** » Tue Jun 13, 2006 11:44 pm

Send me that program on asiekierka@gmail.com, I try to make something with that... I have much tools to that.

swordphsh · #7 Post by **swordphsh** » Thu Oct 26, 2006 7:51 pm

just curious if anyone made any progress on the 2.88+ mb disk image. Im trying to update freedos's ntfs4dos with the rw version, but it makes the image over 2.88mb, which wont work.

#8 Post by **Victor Chew** » Thu Oct 26, 2006 10:40 pm

How about trying to remove some unused drivers under \lib\aspi and \lib\odi16?

swordphsh · #9 Post by **swordphsh** » Fri Oct 27, 2006 10:38 am

thats a good idea, but my new ntfs.cab is 2.10mb (the rw version is 2 floppies by itself), so i'd need to cut the existing freedos image in half in order to add this in and get it under 2.88mb. i was thinking maybe converting the freedos floppy image into a cd image, but i dont know if it would work, or how to boot it.

#10 Post by **Victor Chew** » Sun Oct 29, 2006 4:35 am

Another way to is cheat by putting NTFSDOS on the CD (under dosapps), then boot FreeDOS, cd to the CDROM drive, and execute NTFSDOS from the command-line.

Constance · #11 Post by **Constance** » Sun Oct 29, 2006 10:34 am

swordphsh wrote:thats a good idea, but my new ntfs.cab is 2.10mb (the rw version is 2 floppies by itself)

Could you please upload the file somewhere so we see if anything can be done about it ?

#12 Post by **Victor Chew** » Sun Oct 29, 2006 9:37 pm

Better to send via email, since the R/W version of NTFSDOS is commercialware.

Constance · #13 Post by **Constance** » Mon Oct 30, 2006 4:29 am

Edited on november, 2006, the 7th : didn't receive anything, and I prefer not to let my e-mail readable for too long.

tikbalang · #14 Post by **tikbalang** » Wed Nov 01, 2006 10:52 am

how about copying the contents of the disks into one folder, and then SUBST that folder as B:, since A: is emulated?