Method 1: Make a Blank Disk Into a DOS Boot Disk

• 1). Boot the Windows95 or Windows98 system and wait for the desktop to appear. To minimize conflicts, wait a few minutes to allow all start-up programs to fully load before starting.
  
  
• 2). Double click on "My Computer" to open a window that shows your current drives.
  
  
• 3). Insert the blank (or pre-formatted) 3.5 inch diskette into the A: drive and wait about 10 seconds to let Windows read it.
  
  
• 4). Clear any message that may appear about formatting the blank disk by clicking "Cancel." If a message does not appear automatically, continue to the next step.
  
  
• 5). Right click on the A: drive icon and select "Format..." to bring-up the disk format dialog. This dialog already shows the correct defaults for the diskette. (FAT file system, 1.44Mb size)
  
  
• 6). Looking at the Format Disk check-boxes, de-select "Quick Format" and select "Copy System Files."
  
  
• 7). Click on "Start" (the button next to Close) inside the Disk Format dialog. A warning appears about losing all data on the disk, which is acceptable since the diskette is already blank. Click "OK" to start the format.
  
  
• 8). Wait a minute or two as you watch the progress on-screen. The disk will be formatted and a basic DOS system will be copied to it. To test the boot disk, leave the diskette in the drive while you shut down and restart the PC. If you see an A: prompt appear, then it worked.
  
  

Method 2: Make a Windows Startup Disk

• 1). Keep your original Windows Installation CD on hand for this method. Even though the necessary files are already copied to your hard drive, the Startup Disk builder uses the originals from the CD-ROM to minimize risk of spreading any possible "malware" to the diskette.
  
  
• 2). Boot the system, leaving the floppy drive and the CD tray empty, and wait for the desktop to appear. To minimize conflicts, wait a minute or two until the start-up programs are fully loaded.
  
  
• 3). Click on the "Start" menu, then select "Control Panel." In the Control Panel window, launch "Add/Remove Programs" by double clicking it.
  
  
• 4). Click on the button, next to the default Add/Remove Programs button, labeled "Startup Disk." The new dialog that appears will instruct you on when to insert the Windows CD-ROM and the blank diskette.
  
  
• 5). Click "yes" when the warning appears about erasing the diskette. This is acceptable since the diskette is already blank. After a minute or two, a message appears to remove the diskette. To finish, eject the diskette and write "Windows Startup Disk" on the label.