How to make a PC-bootable CD

1. What is mkbootcd ?
   
   The mkbootcd is an utility which makes the bootable CD of the El Torito standard for PCs. The normal ISO image which contains a boot-catalog-file and boot-media-image-file is turned into a bootable ISO image according to the El Torito standard by mkbootcd . The mkbootcd utility can also check whether the ISO image is based on the El Toriro standard and is bootable or not.
   The mkbootcd is "reportware". The only difference in reportware and freeware is the requirement of the report duty. If it works well for you, I want a simple report to be sent.
   
   
2. What is needed ?
   
   
   1. The CD-R writing software.
      This is necessary to make an ISO image and to burn it on the CD-R medium.
      The Adaptec Easy CD-Pro is recommended; on Linux look at cdrecord or xcdroast
      
      
   2. A general CD-R Drive.
      To burn CD-R medium. The PC which the drive can use too. of course. :-)
      
      
   3. A blank CD-R medium.
      
      
   4. boot-catalog-file
      Because the data structure is made by mkbootcd, the only condition is that this file is bigger than 2048 byte.
      Usually, It is enough with a bootcatX.bin file in archive.
      
      
   5. boot-media-image-file
      The image of the floppy/hard disk which is actually bootable.
      This can be made from the original boot medium with the getbtimg utility.
      
      
   6. The understanding of the El Torito standard.
      This is the most important. Obtain an El Torito CD-ROM Boot v1.0 first. Then, read it well.
      It will be very useful to read "HOW TO MAKE A PC BOOTABLE CD". It is the nice explanation of El Torito standard bootable CD by Mr. Tung Cheng Tsai.
      
      
   7. BIOS and CD-Drive which can boot from CD.
      These are unnecessary to make a bootable CD. But, the bootable CD which you made can't be tested without this. All BIOSs don't always support an El Torito standard completely.
      For example, The CD of WindowsNT which it is said bootable use special mode. If your BIOS & drive can't boot from this, it is does not mean that the El Torito standard isn't being supported.
      See the bios test result.
      
      
3. What kind of process ?
   
   Well, let's try step by step.
   Let's decide to do a test using the ready-made bootable floppy disk.
   Prepare for installation disk of MSDOS or rescue disk of the Windows95. Check that it works by really booting from it.
   The Adaptec Easy-CD pro is decided to be used here as CD-R writer software.
   
   

   A boot-media-image file is made first.
   

   
   

   Insert a floppy to drive A:
   

   Type, "getbtimg A: msdos.bmi"(or win95.bmi for windows95 boot floppy)
   

   
   

   Next, the boot catalog file is prepared.
   

   
   

   Open dos window.
   

   Type,
   

   "pkunzip mkbtcd10 bootcatx.bin"
   

   "rename bootcatx.bin bootcat.bin"
   

   
   

   Because I don't have English edition of Easy CD-Pro, I can't write down accurate menu/button items.
   Please tell me !
   

   
   

   An ISO image file is made.
   

   
   

   Start Easy-CD pro.
   

   Push wizard button(The top most).
   

   Check data CD(The bottom), push next button.
   

   Select bootcat.bin, push add button.
   

   Select MSDOS(or Win95).BMI, push add button.
   

   Push next button.
   

   Check test, push next button
   

   Check save project, write after(The bottom most), push finish button.
   

   Choose data track tag.
   

   Select bootcat.bin, push mouse right button, select reparent.
   

   Delete path, push ok.
   

   Select MSDOS(or Win95).BMI, push mouse right button, select reparent.
   

   Delete path, push ok.
   

   Choose general tag, check real ISO image only, fill ISO file name to "BootTest.ISO"
   

   Put blank CD-R medium into CD-R drive.
   

   Push write button on tool bar.
   

   Real ISO image dialog appear. choose Blank, push OK.
   

   When ISO image file written, close Easy CD Pro.
   

   
   

   Make El Torito structure with mkbootcd.
   

   
   

   Open dos window.
   

   Type, "mkbootcd BootTest.ISO bootcat.bin MSDOS.BMI"
   

   (or Type, "mkbootcd BootTest.ISO bootcat.bin Win95.BMI")
   

   
   

   Burning the ISO image that includes El Torito standard structure on the CD-R medium.
   

   
   

   Start Easy CD Pro, select new button on tool bar.
   

   Select CD-ROM from image. push OK.
   

   Type, "BootTest.ISO" to image file name dialog.
   

   Push write button on tool bar.
   

   When CD-R is burned, close Easy-CD Pro.
   

   Close windows to restart.
   

   (set boot from CD-ROM option in your BIOS setting menu.)
   

   If your PC boots from CD-ROM, Congratulations.
   

   
   Advanced bootable CD-ROM topics:
   
   
   • Image made from your own boot floppy.
   • Image made from your own hard disk.
   • The boot related files put into a separate directory.
   • Writing multiple boot-image and choosing from a boot menu.
   • Booting from CD and mounting the CD normaly.
   • Adding a session to non-bootable CD-R to make it bootable.
   • Preventing CD-R from becoming non-bootable when adding a session.
     

Todo:
The explanation of the upper item.
Write utility manual
Make summary of the reports written in Japanese.
FAQ list

How do you give the order of priority ?
I will go on a hike on this weekend. An answer is being waited for. :-)

Utility

MkBootCD

Mkbootcd 1.0 50K (document not included yet.)

MkBootCD for Adaptec eazy CD creator 3.01b and Joliet extension(beta by petry@rbg.informatik.tu-darmstadt.de. use -J option).
Mkbootcd 1.02 50K(document not included yet.)

GetBtImg

getbtimg beta 006 20K (document not included yet.)

The El Torito implementation of each BIOS.
Everyone's report is being waited for.
Table version 009. 29-Aug-97

(*1)To make multi sessioned bootable CD-R with mkbootcd required Adaptec EZ CD Pro.

Reported :
SCSI: Adaptec 1542CF
IDE: CMC C55Pi+, GIGA ByteGA-586S, A-Trend ATC-6000
Complete Machine: Fujitsu FM-V5120T2 ,IBM PC-340
CD-R Writing soft: Applix CD-R Writer 3.0, Adaptec EZ CD Pro 1.11D/2.01/2.1, etc..

CD boot screen of Gateway P5/90 BIOS AMI 1.00.13.AX1T

---
bootable CD-ROM has been detected . . .

The boot sections of the bootable CD-ROM are:
Default Boot Image1. Section1
2. HDD
3. NT4S
4. Warp4J
Please select on option (0-4): 1
0. osboot.img (1.44M FLOPPY FORMAT)
1. WIN95RPR.IMG
2. 144test.img
3. AHA2940.IMG
4. FLOPPY.IMG
Please select one option:
---
Evaluation:
"Default Boot Image1. Section1" is not typo error.
There is no problem in the boot function.
The implement isn't improper.

CD boot screen of Adaptec AHA2940 SCSI v1.23

Test condition:
mkbootcd 008d, sample session1.cmd in mkbtcd008d.zip

---

Adaptec AHA2940 BIOS v1.23
(c) 1996 Adaptec, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

    Press  for SCSISelect(TM) Utility!

  SCSI ID:LUN NUMBER #:# 5:0 - IOMEGA   ZIP 100
  SCSI ID:LUN NUMBER #:# 6:0 - PLEXTOR  CD-ROM PX-4XCS

  A BOOTABLE CD-ROM IS DETECTED IN YOUR CD-ROM DRIVE...

  The boot sections on your bootable CD-ROM are:
    0. DEFAULT ENTRY
    1. Section  1
    2. HDD
    3. NT4S>
    4. Warp4J
  The boot entries in the section Section  1 are:
    0. osboot.img (1.44M FLOPPY FORMAT)
    1. WIN95RPR.IMG (1.44M FLOPPY FORMAT)
    2. 144test.img (1.44M FLOPPY FORMAT)
    3. AHA2940.IMG (1.44M FLOPPY FORMAT)
    4. FLOPPY.IMG (1.44M FLOPPY FORMAT)
  Please select one option (0-4), ESC to bypass Bootable CD: 0

---

Evaluation:
There are sections.
The BIOS display Section,Entry,file name of boot image. Media type.
And we can choose all entries of selected section.
I think best implementation is this.
(Non bootable entry is not appeared except when that is DEFAULT ENTRY.)

CD boot screen of TEKRAM DC-390U PCI-SCSI

Test condition:
mkbootcd 008d, sample session1.cmd in mkbtcd008d.zip

---

TEKRAM DC-390U PCI-SCSI Controller
BIOS V2.00 Date : 1997-3-12

Installed at IOPORT = FC00h, IRQ = 10 - Level triggered
BIOS ROM mapped at C800h
Press F2 or F6 to Enter Configuration Menu

ID-LUN:6-0 SONY CD-ROM CDU-561 1.9i CD-ROM
Xfer Rate=4.0MB/Sec, Sync offset=15Bytes

<<<< bootable cd-rom found >>>>
(0) --> Default Boot Section
(1) --> Section 1
(2) --> HDD
(3) --> NT4S
(4) --> Warp4J
==> Select the section to boot, to abort :

---

Evaluation:
There are sections. But booting with entry of the beginning of the section
when section selected. We can't choose other entry in that section.
To be able to select any entry, only one entry is written to one section.
Non bootable entry is not appeared too.

CD boot screen of Iwill SIDE2930U SCSI

Test condition:
mkbootcd 008d, sample session1.cmd in mkbtcd008d.zip

---

A Bootable CD rom Detected

0. Default Entry
1. Section 1
2. Section 1
3. Section 1
4. Section 1
5. Section 1
6. HDD
7. HDD
8. HDD
9. HDD

---

Evaluation:
All sections are ignored, But section name is displayed.
It is difficult to choose the image of the purpose in this too.
But,if only one entry is written to one section,it is better than Award..
Only up to ten bootable entries are displayed.
Non bootable entries do not appear.

CD boot screen of Award BIOS 4.51PG

(ASUS T2P4 2.03)

Test condition:
mkbootcd 008d, sample session1.cmd in mkbtcd008d.zip

---

Boot from ATAPI CD-ROM :
1. FD 1.44MB System Type-(00)
2. FD 1.44MB System Type-(00)
3. FD 1.44MB System Type-(00)
4. FD 1.44MB System Type-(00)
5. FD 1.44MB System Type-(00)
6. FD 1.44MB System Type-(00)
7. HD System Type-(01)
8. HD System Type-(01)
9. HD System Type-(04)
:. HD System Type-(04)
;. FD 2.88MB System Type-(00)
<. fd 1.44mb system Type-(00)

---

Evaluation:
All section are ignored, Media & System type only.
It is difficult to choose the image this way.
All bootable entries are displayed.
(Non bootable entries are not displayed.)

It seems to made do with n+'0' for the number. (10+'0' is ':',11+'0' is ';',12+'0' is '<', ....)

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