From owner-freebsd-questions@FreeBSD.ORG Thu May 25 20:30:53 2006 Return-Path: X-Original-To: freebsd-questions@freebsd.org Delivered-To: freebsd-questions@freebsd.org Received: from mx1.FreeBSD.org (mx1.freebsd.org [216.136.204.125]) by hub.freebsd.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id 0063516A6F9 for ; Thu, 25 May 2006 20:30:52 +0000 (UTC) (envelope-from derek@computinginnovations.com) Received: from betty.computinginnovations.com (dsl081-142-072.chi1.dsl.speakeasy.net [64.81.142.72]) by mx1.FreeBSD.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id A0C9B43D55 for ; Thu, 25 May 2006 20:30:47 +0000 (GMT) (envelope-from derek@computinginnovations.com) Received: from p17.computinginnovations.com (dhcp-10-20-30-100.computinginnovations.com [10.20.30.100]) (authenticated bits=0) by betty.computinginnovations.com (8.13.6/8.12.11) with ESMTP id k4PKUSuL077242; Thu, 25 May 2006 15:30:30 -0500 (CDT) Message-Id: <6.0.0.22.2.20060525152314.02665c20@mail.computinginnovations.com> X-Sender: derek@mail.computinginnovations.com X-Mailer: QUALCOMM Windows Eudora Version 6.0.0.22 Date: Thu, 25 May 2006 15:30:20 -0500 To: Svein Halvor Halvorsen , freebsd-questions@freebsd.org From: Derek Ragona In-Reply-To: <447607A4.5090708@lvor.halvorsen.cc> References: <447607A4.5090708@lvor.halvorsen.cc> Mime-Version: 1.0 X-ComputingInnovations-MailScanner-Information: Please contact the ISP for more information X-ComputingInnovations-MailScanner: Found to be clean X-ComputingInnovations-MailScanner-From: derek@computinginnovations.com X-Spam-Status: No Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"; format=flowed X-Content-Filtered-By: Mailman/MimeDel 2.1.5 Cc: Subject: Re: Flashing BIOS/Making bootable DOS filsystem on USB stick X-BeenThere: freebsd-questions@freebsd.org X-Mailman-Version: 2.1.5 Precedence: list List-Id: User questions List-Unsubscribe: , List-Archive: List-Post: List-Help: List-Subscribe: , X-List-Received-Date: Thu, 25 May 2006 20:31:01 -0000 You have a few options: go to bootdisk.org and download a suitable verision. There are many floppy images there. For instance the win98 diskette version, when booted creates a ramdrive you can switch to, then change the usb disk. Or boot with two usb drives inserted, the bootable one and the one with the BIOS flash utility. Or use a winpe bootable CD. You can find one and information at: http://www.nu2.nu/pebuilder/ You can customize the image you build including your Windows BIOS utility. Or buy or borrow a USB floppy drive. -Derek At 02:38 PM 5/25/2006, Svein Halvor Halvorsen wrote: >I have a problem with my laptop, and before Dell will consider taking it >back, I have to go through their checklist and make sure I've tried >everything on that list first. This includes upgrading the BIOS. > > >The problem is that Dell provides the BIOS upgrade in two forms: > >(a) A DOS executable >(b) A Windows self-contained utility to make a boot floppy > >Since I have neither Windows nor a floppy disk, I'll have to be >creative. I thought that maybe I could install some boot code on a USB >flash drive, newfs_msdos, and copy FreeDOS along with the executable (a) >mentioned above. > >Problem is: How do I install the boot code on the drive? FreeDOS >provides a floppy-image, so I thought I could just dd that to my USB >drive, and boot off of that. But I need to put the BIOS upgrade utility >on the disk as well, and it is 784 kiB. Could I grow the image? > >Any pointer appreciated > > > Svein Halvor > -- This message has been scanned for viruses and dangerous content by MailScanner, and is believed to be clean. MailScanner thanks transtec Computers for their support.