This most important item would be a startup disk for the operating system that you are using. If you are using something other that Windows 95, 98, or ME then you are on your own. The easiest way to make one is to go into the Control Panel and click on Add/Remove Programs. The third tab will be labeled Startup Disk. Put a disk that does not have anything critical on it into your floppy drive. Click on the button labeled Create Disk and the process will begin. Do not use disks that came with drivers for your system. This disk will be formatted and system files will be copied to it for you to use to start and possibly correct errors on your system. This disk could also be called a system boot disk but it contains other files that are not needed to boot your system.

If you are familiar with the startup disk from Windows 95, there have been a few changes for the better with the Windows 98 version. You now have a couple of options available when booting from the disk. The most notable difference is the Multi-Config Startup menu that appears. You have the option to start your computer with or without real-mode CD-ROM support, and there is a help file that is available. The help file is actually the contents of the Readme.txt file that is on the floppy disk and can also be accessed by typing help after the computer boots as well as thru the third option on the menu. The CD-ROM drivers that try to load will start most of the standard drives that are on the market that connect to the IDEcontrollers of your motherboard or some of the more common SCSI drives. They will not start CD-ROMs that are connected to sound cards or proprietary controller cards.

After you make your selection, the config.sys loads the CD-ROM driver, if selected, and then loads a 2MB RAM drive that is used to hold the files that you would need to troubleshoot some of the more common problem. Most of these files are included in the ebd.cab file from the boot disk. This is a compressed file that is similar to a zip or rar file. The cab file and the creation of the RAM drive are necessary because otherwise the files would not all fit on one floppy.

The table below, from the readme.txt on the startup disk, identifies the files in the Ebd.cab file and gives a short explanation of what the file is used for. You can get a more detailed definition of what most of the files will do as well as some of the different switches or options that are available by typing the name of the file followed by /?. Be sure that you know what you are doing before attempting to use any of the files that are here. The fdisk and format commands are used to prepare a disk to hold an operating system and they can also be used to wipe an entire operating system from the face of your little world if you answer one question wrong. This is especially true if you are using any type of disk compression or management software. You have been warned. 
 

• File
• Function 
• Attrib.exe
• Add or remove file attributes 
• Chkdsk.exe
• A simpler and smaller disk status tool
• Debug.exe
• Debugging utility
• Edit.com
• Real-mode emergency text editor
• Ext.exe
• New, simple file extract utility
• Format.com
• Disk format tool
• Mscdex.exe
• Microsoft CD-ROM file extension for MS-DOS
• Scandisk.exe
• Disk status tool
• Scandisk.ini
• Disk status tool configuration file
• Sys.com
• Transfers system files and make disk bootable

Sys.com is one file that comes in handy when there has been some spring-cleaning in the file system. Sometimes a customer will bring his computer in because he is receiving and error message such as Invalid System Disk or Missing or Corrupted Command.com. These errors are sometime caused because they were trying to make some room on their hard drive for a new program that needed to be installed. For the record, the files that you definitely need in the root directory of the C drive are, io.sys, msdos.sys and command.com. These are the main files that allow your system to boot. There other files that may be needed because of the software that you are running, but these are must have files for a MS DOS based operating system and they should not be deleted or changed for any reason.

A new file that is included on the boot disk is ext.exe. This is a simpler version of extract.exe. It is used to extract files from the cab files that are contained on the Windows setup disk. It does not require that you type all of the parameters to correctly extract files. After typing ext at the command prompt you will be asked to enter the path to the Windows cab files. If you have the Windows 98 CD that would be X:\Win98, where X is the drive letter of your CDROM drive. Some of the older systems did not come with a Windows CD and the files were placed in c:\windows\options\cabs. After entering the path to the cab files you are asked for the name of the file or files that you would like to extract. If you have multiple files to extract, enter a space between each of the names. You are then asked for the path that you would like the files to be extracted to. You are then given a summary of the options that you entered and asked if they are OK. If you find that one of the entries is not correct you would answer no and you will be taken back to the first question about the location of the cab files. If you are satisfied with the entries that you have made and answer yes, the program will search the cab files within the folder you specified for the file or files that you have asked to be extracted. If the path to the Windows cab files is incorrect, you will receive an error message stating, Cannot open file: "Path"\base4.cab, where "path" is the location that you entered for the cab files. At this point you will need to restart the program from the beginning. If all of the options are correct and you are extracting the file into its original directory, you will receive an overwrite confirmation. If you are sure of what you are doing, then you would need to type y to confirm the overwrite. This is a very useful tool and very easy for someone who does not have much experience with DOS based programs and the parameters that are required. A very cool file that I have to admit I only discovered because I was writing this article.

After you have made your disk, be sure to open the hole on the floppy so that there is not a chance that it will be overwritten without you realizing it. Label the floppy as your Windows startup disk and then test it to be sure that it will work. Test the operation of your CDROM to be sure that you will have access when you need it. If the CD does not work with the boot disk, you will need to modify the boot disk and add the drivers as well as the commands for the drivers for your CDROM. When you are satisfied that you will have access to you CDROM, put the disk in a safe place where you won't lose it but you will be able to find it if you need it. If you choose not to test the floppy or not to make one, then you are on track with your recipe for disaster. Like Murphy says, anything that can go wrong, will; but then it really isn't Murphy's Law but actually Finagle's Law of Dynamic Negatives. Look it up, I did not know that.