PowerQuest Drive Image 5.0 was the standard imaging software at the company I now work for, so I've added it to my customized version of UBCD.

To make the floppies you don't need to install the program, the CD will allow you to make the floppies straight from it.

Here's how to add it to the CD:

1) Make the physical floppies.

2) Load both into WinImage (or similar program) and save as separate files. In this case I used PQDI_1of2.IMA and PQDI_2of2.IMA. Mark both as read-only files.

3) Copy the files from the second image to a Temp folder. Delete Command.com and AutoExec.bat from the files it copies.

4) Extract AutoExec.bat from the first image and add
REM to the line that reads PAUSE >NUL
so it looks like
REM PAUSE >NUL
Save the updated AutoExec.bat file.

4) Open PQDI_1of2.IMA and switch the format of the floppy from 1.44 to 2.88 and inject the updated AutoExec.bat file. Save as PQDI50.IMA.

5) Copy the files from the Temp folder for the second disk into your new 2.88 image file. Save the file again and put it in your UBCD custom folder.

6) Edit the UBCD\Boot\Menus file you customize to add
if ($lastKey == key[d]); then diskemu \custom\PQDI50.IMA
and you'll be all set.

These instructions aren't the best but I'm tired at the moment. Hope they help.

Hi, Scott -

Thanks for the tip. I have a question, though: Would it be possible to delete the Command.com and Autoexec.bat from the first floppy and make the modifications to Autoexec.bat on the second floppy BEFORE creating the image files? Then it would only be a matter of combining the the second image into a 2.88 MB version of the first image. If this is possible, it might be more convenient than making the images first and then extracting files from the images and injecting them back in.

As a general rule I make images of the original floppies at the start in case a modification I do is incorrect.

I have not tested your suggestion, but try it and let us know if it works.

Very good advice, Scott -

Unfortunately, I lack a bone fide image editor, like WinImage. However, I came across a free application called Virtual Floppy Disk (VFD) at:

http://chitchat.at.infoseek.co.jp/vmware/vfd.html

Here's how I handled a set of 2 floppies using VFD:

I used MKBT to load the boot sector of the first bootable floppy into a virtual floppy drive, which as created using VFD as a 2.88MB drive with the drive letter B:

I then copied the files from the first bootable floppy and the second floppy (except for autoexec.bat and command.com) into B: and used Notepad to make your recommended modifications to the autoexec.bat from the first floppy disk.

The resulting contents of the B: drive are files from both floppy disks. I then used a utility included with VFD to save the contents of B: as an image file, which is bootable and can be included in the Ultimate Boot CD.

Thanks again for your help!

Glad to help!

WinImage has a full-featured trial that expires after a certain number of uses.