The evolution of operating systems is not surprising. Every day there are more and more new ways of processing information, and support requires ever new software components. But something always remains at the primitive level. So, for example, to work and configure the BIOS, you may need a bootable DOS flash drive.
Rufus
More precisely, this is a specialized mini-utility for creating bootable disks and flash drives Rufus. A simple free program that does not even require installation. Download it from the official site and start it right away. After that, you need to make a few settings.
- In the "Device" field, select the desired USB flash drive. Please note that creating a bootable DOS flash drive will delete all the data that was on it. You can add the necessary files and programs working under the dos to it after the completion of the process.
- In the "File System" field, specify Fat32. If it is not, change it. Remember that this disk layout supports a maximum file size of up to 4 GB. So, if you decide to save something of a large volume here to save space on the device, you are unlikely to succeed.
- Next to the third checkmark at the top (create a boot disk), specify FreeDos or MS DOS. You will not see a fundamental difference.
- That's all. You can change the disk label, but you can do this later.
- Press the "Start" button. Creating a bootable DOS flash drive will take several seconds.
Wintoflash
This is another free program that can be used to create a bootable DOS flash drive. It can also be downloaded from the official website, so you don’t have to worry about security. There are definitely no viruses there.
The process of creating a bootable flash drive is not much more complicated than in the previous case. You just need to run the program, and then go into advanced mode. After that, open the "Task" drop-down menu and select the desired item. Then you will be prompted to specify an external device that will become a boot device. A bootable MS DOS flash drive will be created in a few seconds.
At the ready
One of the most common but inconvenient ways. In it, a bootable DOS flash drive is created from ready-made files. To get started, you need to find a folder on the network with the finished DOS operating system, as well as the USB Storage Tool.
Then everything is simple. Run the utility. As the format mode, specify FAT32. Then we specify which system we need to install on the USB flash drive. Finally, specify the path to the MS DOS files that you downloaded a little earlier, and start the creation process. After that, the bootable DOS flash drive will be ready.
Using
After the bootable DOS flash drive has been created, you need to use it. Depending on which operating system is installed on your computer, this manual may vary slightly.
In most cases, there is no need to change the BIOS settings. You will need the so-called boot menu. To get into it, when loading the operating system, you must press a certain key. It may vary from different manufacturers. Also, do not confuse it with the BIOS.
- On Acer laptops, the boot menu turns on by pressing F12. If it does not work, first go to the BIOS by pressing the F2 button and enable this function.
- Lenovo use the same button. On some models, you can find a key with an arrow. If you click on it, then you will get the opportunity to choose a boot device.
- But Asus has many different options. For desktop computers, F8 is usually used. But on laptops you can often see the inclusion of this menu by pressing the Esc button.
In modern computers that use operating systems ranging from Windows 8 and above, difficulties can arise. The fact is that they do not always turn off completely, but more often fall into hibernation. To avoid this, you can try the following: turn off the PC while holding the Shift key or simply restart the computer instead of turning it off.