How to Create a Windows 98 Startup Disk that Supports FAT32

ID: Q187632

The information in this article applies to:

SUMMARY

This article describes how to create a Windows 98 Startup disk that supports the file allocation table 32 (FAT32) file system.


MORE INFORMATION

The Windows 98 CD-ROM contains a program you can use to create a startup disk that is capable of creating and reading FAT32 partitions. To use the disk, place it in the floppy drive, and then restart your computer. Note that the disk does not contain all the programs included on the Windows 98 Startup disk.

How to Create this Type of Windows 98 Startup Disk

To create a Windows 98 Startup disk that supports the FAT32 file system, use either of the following methods:

Method 1:
  1. Place the Windows 98 CD-ROM in your CD-ROM drive, and have a floppy disk available.


  2. Click Start, point to Programs, and then click Windows Explorer.


  3. Open the following folder on the Windows 98 CD-ROM:
    Tools\Mtsutil\Fat32ebd


  4. Double-click the following file, and then follow the instructions to finish creating the disk:
    Fat32ebd.exe


  5. Write protect the floppy disk.


Method 2 (Standard Windows 98 Startup Disk):
  1. Click Start, point to Settings, and then click Control Panel.


  2. Double-click Add/Remove Programs.


  3. On the Startup Disk tab, click Create Disk.


  4. Follow the instructions on the screen.


Creating the Disk in Windows 3.1

To do so, quit Windows 3.1 and create the disk from MS-DOS.

Creating the Disk from MS-DOS

To do so, follow these steps:
  1. Place the Windows 98 CD-ROM in your CD-ROM drive. Have a floppy disk available.


  2. Type each of the following lines, pressing ENTER after each line

    windows\smartdrv.exe <drive>: cd\tools\mtsutil\fat32ebd fat32ebd.exe

    where <drive> is the drive letter of your CD-ROM drive.

    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.


  3. Follow the instructions to create the disk.


  4. Write protect the floppy disk to prevent the disk from erasure or virus infection.


For additional information about the Fat32ebd.exe program, read the Fat32ebd.txt file located in the following folder:
Tools\Mtsutil\Fat32ebd

Additional query words: 98 


Keywords          : kbtool win98 
Version           : WINDOWS:
Platform          : WINDOWS 
Issue type        : kbhowto

Last Reviewed: February 5, 1999