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Dos boot disk on 5.25" floppy

Pull the 5.25" drive from the vintage machine and temporarily install it into a modern machine. Make the disk, then move the drive back to the vintage machine.

Unless you new PC is bleeding edge it should support the 5.25" drive just fine.
 
Win 7 x64 should support 360k drives IIRC. But even if it does not then I'd drop a second small hdd in there that is DOS bootable and do it all from DOS, or do it from a Linux distro using RAWrite.

EDIT: Or come to think of it you could create a DOS Bootable CD (or thumb drive) that could be used to format a 5.25" disk in the modern machine, or use a Linux Live CD.

EDIT 2: I'd use CDBurnerXP to burn a bootable DOS CD using a DOS 5 (or 6) disk from bootdisk.com. Install the 5.25" drive, set the BIOS and boot from the CD, then it would be a simply FORMAT command to get the disk bootable.

I can send you more detailed instructions if you like.
 
I thought about downloading an ubuntu livecd. The dos cd route sounds good! Please send more info!

I also thought, if I can get a boot disk from someone off the forum. I could use the sharp to make bootable floppies and just drag files off my win7 machine on to them. At present in win7, I can format but not make bootable disks. I get more errors accessing the drive through the GUI, then CMD. Winimage won't touch the drive, without complaining.

Cheers for the help guy! Really greatful
 
To create a bootable CD with CDBurnerXP:

1. Get the disc image ready:
  • Download the boot disk image, you will need the img or ima file and not the self writing executable.
  • Load WinImage, then open the EXE you downloaded via File-> Open. Then File->Save As; Type should be Image File (.ima). Close WinImage.

2. Create the Bootable CD
  • Open CDBurnerXP and select the option to burn a Data Disc.
  • Select Disc->Boot Options and select the box that says "Make Disc Bootable".
  • Enter or browse to the IMA file you made.
  • Set the Emulation mode to either 1.44mb or Hard Disc. If you select 1.44Mb then the image will be mounted as A: (and you 5.25" should be B: ) but if you select Hard Drive it will mount as C: (and your 5.25" should be A: ). I recommend the 1.44mb emulation
  • Set ISO level to 1 (8+3)
  • Leave the rest as is.
  • You may want to add some tools to the CD at this point, perhaps the entire DOS folder or Norton Commander or something like that. Make sure all files and folders are in the 8.3 format, otherwise you may not be able to get to them in DOS
  • Burn the Disc

3. Prep the machine
  • Shut down the machine
  • Connect the 5.25" floppy drive
  • Check the BIOS to make sure it is set for the correct floppy drive and set to boot from the CD (before the HDD or floppy).

4. Create the boot disk
  • Boot the CD.
  • If all went well you should be in a DOS environment and should be able to format the 5.25" disc and make it bootable.

Hope this helps.
 
Last edited:
Dude thank you for this, i'll get on to this after i've had some dinner. The bios one my computer only lets me set a single floppy drive up, so i've disconnected the 1.44 and connected the 5.24" in it's place.

I'll keep you posted as to how i get on, hopefully things will go well! OH i really hope so, as it will be great to get this machine working! I've plans to put it to propper use, not just messing around with dos games :-D
 
Ok i have news, following Lutiana's instructions, i was able to get in to Dos, i was even able to make a bootable floppy.
Ever since i got the machine it boots up and says the following

640K Standard Memory, 00000k Expanded
Invalid Configuration information
Strike the F1 key to continue

After i press F1, the machine cycles to the floppy and then says "Non-system disk or disk error". To make my boot disk i booted using the CD i had made, then formatted the floppy disk using the following command "Format B: /s" i then used "Copy *.* B:" which copied the contents of the boot CD to the disk. When the Sharp didn't boot i took the disk back upstairs and used the "Sys B:" but this had not effect on the sharp either.

Apparently using the IBM AT Setup Diagnostics Disk fixes the non system disk error

**update**

Worked out how to get the setup exe for the IBM disk on to my boot CD, however it wants a low density floppy disk to copy the files on to. Using my current high density floppies results in an error. Well it was worth a try! :p i hoped i might hit lucky lol

http://www.old-computers.com/museum/forum.asp?c=496&st=1
Half way down the page there is reference to using the IBM disk to sort it out.

I managed to find the IBM setup disk, however when i copied it to a fresh Dos boot cd, the EXE didn't appear when my computer booted in to dos.
 
Last edited:
Haemogoblin said:
640K Standard Memory, 00000k Expanded
Invalid Configuration information
Strike the F1 key to continue
Click to expand...

Yeah, that sounds like a CMOS configuration issue. Did you replace the battery? Is there some way to get into the CMOS Setup without a disk?

Haemogoblin said:
I managed to find the IBM setup disk, however when i copied it to a fresh Dos boot cd, the EXE didn't appear when my computer booted in to dos.
Click to expand...

The image you found is a 360k image? Is the EXE in the image when you open it up with WinImage? Anything inside the disk image should be on the A: when you boot the CD, so the EXE would be there if it anywhere.

Also, you can check the bootable disk by making your modern machine's BIOS boot to the floppy. There is no reason why it would not boot from a 5.25" disk. This would certainly help you rule out the disc and disc drive being the issue.
 
Well at the moment, i have a high density floppy disk format to 360k using the "Format a: /4" command. Opening up a Dos 2.11 disk, i copied the files over to the floppy as winimage wont write images to my floppy drive. Anyways with files on floppy, i tried it on the sharp and when i press F1 i get a blank screen. As if the disk sort of works, but doesn't.

When i got the machine, the chap you sent it me. Included a disk with a Set_up.exe file on it, there was very little else on the disk, perhaps two other files, the command.com and autoexec.bat. I dont really remember. However that disk was currupted, i do know that the program on the floppy wasn't an original IBM program. For a start, when you exited the program it asked you to donate, if you like the app.

I'll try booting from floppy, but thus far it seems to ignore the floppy totally.

Would you recommend getting a 360k floppy disk?

I've seen the CMOS battery, it looks similair to the one's in the IBM junior. It's a flat black domino shaped object on the rear of the board, not sure how it comes off. So i've left it alone. Besides i dont have a replacement battery.

The IBM setup exe needs a 360k floppy, i tried using a 1.2mb formatted to 360k, but it saw right through what i was doing :(
 
ok this is odd, my floppy disks are not booting on my main PC! pardon my french, but what the hell!?

Can someone just confirm for me how one makes a dos boot disk in dos..Just in case i'm being YET again an idiot :p
 
Try formatting the HD disk as a 1.2mb boot disk and see if it boots in your modern PC. If this works then I'd say try and find some DDDS disks.
 
I can't, this is the problem. Windows 7 will not touch the drive outside of the CMD window. If i try formatting using the GUI, it tells me it can't format this type of device. Surely i can do something in dos?

I made a 1.44 floppy and copied the files over to the 1.2mb and it actually gave me the same error message as the Sharp "None system disk"
 
No I mean boot from the DOS CD and then format the disk as a 1.2mb bootable disk then see if the machine will boot from it.

BTW WinImage 8.5 will format the disk for you. Its under Disc -> Format Disk.
 
In order to make a DOS boot disk you need to boot to DOS. If it sounds like a catch22, that's because it is. You can't boot to WinBlows and make a DOS disk -- unless you already have a DOS disk and you want to copy it.
 
Haemogoblin said:
I can't, this is the problem. Windows 7 will not touch the drive outside of the CMD window. If i try formatting using the GUI, it tells me it can't format this type of device. Surely i can do something in dos?

I made a 1.44 floppy and copied the files over to the 1.2mb and it actually gave me the same error message as the Sharp "None system disk"
Click to expand...
Copying works for all the DOS files *except* the system files. In order to transfer them correctly you need to 'SYS' the target disk. I.e., if you boot from the 1.44 floppy the command is "SYS B:", where your 1.2 drive contains the floppy you want to make bootable.
 
Hi guys

Ok i have news, i think i've made progress..but it's a really pain in the ass..Ok so here is what i THINK i've worked out

Firstly, i found this site, with someone having the same problem.
http://www.vintage-computer.com/vcforum/archive/index.php/t-171.html

At the bottom a guy suggests yet again, using these IBM AT setup disks, that come on 360kb low density floppies. Now i have the image files for these disks, however i dont have any low density floppies.

As the guy on here's says, the CMOS battery is low and needs refreshing. Well sadly i dont have a new battery to replace the old one, however it would seem that the machine wont boot properly unless the cmos is set correctly.

What have i done so far..

I have successfully had my 64bit win7 system boot from a bootable 360k floppy and 1.2mb floppy, i managed to make DOS 2.11 boot disks. However the Sharp would not boot from them. In fact, using the high density floppy i had formatted to 360kb, i was able to get "boot error" to appear. Which is the first time i've seen the machine say something different.

So thus far, i've succeeded in making bootable 5.25" disks, but none of which work on my machine. You any of you would be kind enough to view the link, you will see the guy who posted is in the same position as me.

I'm really learning all this as i go alone, so any advice from people who've been collecting and using this old machines is extremely appreciated.
 
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