Custom boot disk...HELP!

I have a Compaq Armada M300 ultra-light laptop. My cd is a portable cd-r/rw that attaches via a pc card cable. I am using Windows ME, and the traditional boot disk will not enable my cd rom. I wish to wipe the hard drive and do a clean install, but withou a boot floppy that activates my pc card cd rom ia am up the creek without a paddle... I am competent enough to do minor editing in the autoexec.bat and config.sys files, but have had no luck so far... I would greatly appreciate any help.

thanks
Phil

Look in your existing CONFIG.SYS file and see if there is a CD driver loaded there. It will look something like this only the name may be different

load=c:\CDROM.SYS /D:MSCD001

Make a boot/start up disk and copy that file on to it. Then create a CONFIG.SYS file on the boot disk (if there isn't already one there) and put this line in it.

load=A:\cdrom.sys /D:mscd001

Now find the MSCDEX.EXE which is probably in your C:\WINDOWS\COMMAND folder. Copy this file to your boot disk and add this line to the boot disk AUTOEXEC.BAT

a:\MSCDEX.EXE /D:mscd001

you can force the CD to be a specific drive letter by adding the /L: parameter

a:\msdcex.exe /d:mscd001 /L:E

replace 'E' with what ever drive letter you want. This drive letter assignment usually isn't necessary but is worth knowing.

bada-bing-bada-boom, you got what you need.

You can also check the CDRW drive manufacturers web site and see if they have any DOS level drivers available for the drive.

If so, don't install them on your WinME system. Download the drivers, extract the file(s) needed and install them on the boot disk per boyblue's instructions.

Edit - One other option; copy all the Windows installation files from the CD disk to a directory on the hard drive. Boot the system with a boot disk so you can get to the command prompt. At the command prompt, use DELTREE to delete all files/directories on the hard drive except the directory that contains the Windows installation files. Make sure to delete the Windows directory last, that's where the Deltree command is stored. Then, install Windows from the directory on the hard drive rather than from the CDRW drive.

[This message has been edited by Cliffh (edited 02-22-2001).]

I'm not sure u have manage to get ur cd-rom detected in DOS mode...

when u refer to PC-Card CDRW Drive rite ?? meaning you don't have a built-in CD-ROM drive ??
I'm sure Armada M300 has an built in cd-rom drive...anyway.. if is really a PCMCIA cdrw drive..it will be pretty tough man

u may refer to this http://www.compaq.com/support/files/...load/8053.html

Do be able to use your PCMCIA CD-ROM

U need to do these...

1. A system disk to boot....
2. DOS Drivers for your COMPAQ PCMCIA slots (very impt without this..forget abt detecting your CD-ROM in DOS Mode)
3. DOS Drivers for you CD-ROM

Hope this helps

Good luck
Kelwin

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"I'm parallel parked in a diagonal universe"