How to Create a Windows 98 Startup Disk from MS-DOS

This article describes how to make a Windows 98 Startup disk from MS-DOS. This may be necessary if you cannot start Windows 98 normally, but you can start your computer to a command prompt and access your hard disk. This may also be necessary if you have a laptop computer that has a CD-ROM drive and a floppy disk drive that are interchangeable.

To make a Windows 98 Startup disk from MS-DOS, use the following steps:

1. Restart your computer, press and hold down the CTRL key until the Windows 98 Startup menu appears, and then choose Command Prompt Only from the Startup menu.
2. Insert a blank, formatted floppy disk into drive A.
3. Type the following commands, pressing ENTER after each command:
   
   cd windows\command
   smartdrv.exe
   bootdisk a:
   
   NOTE: Smartdrv.exe is not required to create a Windows 98 Startup disk. It is used only to speed the creation of the startup disk.
4. Follow the instructions on the screen to finish making the Startup disk.