MS-DOS: Making a Bootable DoubleSpace Floppy Disk (97455)


The information in this article applies to:
    • Microsoft MS-DOS operating system 6.0
This article was previously published under Q97455

SUMMARY

This article lists the steps necessary to make a bootable DoubleSpace- compressed floppy disk.

NOTE: This procedure works on 720K, 1.2-MB, and 1.44-MB disks only.

MORE INFORMATION

Steps to Create a Bootable Floppy Disk with DoubleSpace

    • Format a floppy disk in drive A using the following command: 
          format a: /s

    • Run DoubleSpace and compress the floppy disk in drive A. For example, type dblspace /compress a: at the MS-DOS command prompt, and then press ENTER.
    • After DoubleSpace finishes compressing the disk, it mounts the disk. Run DBLSPACE /LIST to determine which drive is the host drive.
    • Delete the READTHIS.TXT from the host drive. For example, type del h:\readthis.txt at the MS-DOS command prompt and then press ENTER.
    • Copy COMMAND.COM to the host drive. For example, type copy c:\command.com h:\ at the MS-DOS command prompt and then press ENTER.
    • Using MS-DOS Editor, create a DBLSPACE.INI file on the host drive with the following lines in it: 
           MaxRemovableDrives=<number of floppy drive on your system>
      FirstDrive=<one letter greater than the last drive letter used>
      LastDrive=<five letters greater than the last drive letter used>
      MaxFileFragments=120
      ActivateDrive=<host drive>,A0
    For example: 
          MaxRemovableDrives=2
      FirstDrive=D
      LastDrive=H
      MaxFileFragments=120
      ActivateDrive=G,A0
    NOTE: DBLSPACE.BIN reads the DBLSPACE.INI file from the floppy disk, and ignores any DBLSPACE.INI files on the hard disk drive. Therefore, any ACTIVATEDRIVE= lines in the DBLSPACE.INI file on the hard disk drive aren't processed, and the corresponding compressed volume file (CVF) on the hard disk drive isn't mounted. Thus, data stored in that CVF is inaccessible. To work around this situation and ensure access to other compressed drives, add an additional ACTIVATEDRIVE= line for each compressed drive to the DBLSPACE.INI file on the floppy disk. For example: 
          MaxRemovableDrives=2
      FirstDrive=D
      LastDrive=H
      MaxFileFragments=120
      ActivateDrive=G,A0
      ActivateDrive=H,C0
    WARNING: If you edit the DBLSPACE.INI file, be sure you do not have FirstDrive= set to a letter used by a physical or logical drive (such as drive C). Also, do not set the LastDrive= and FirstDrive= statements to drive letters that are more than 13 letters apart.
    • Delete the MS-DOS system files on drive A. (These files are not required on the compressed volume.) To do this, type the following at the MS-DOS command prompt, pressing ENTER after each line:

    deltree a:\dblspace.bin
    deltree a:\msdos.sys
    deltree a:\io.sys

    The disk is now bootable. The CVF on the floppy disk now mounts automatically when you restart your computer with this disk in drive A.
Modification Type: Major Last Reviewed: 11/19/1999
Keywords: KB97455
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