XP boot floppy ,whats it for ?

[Sux]

I've made and used ME & 98 boot floppies before but the XP one does'nt respond to ie: format x: , fdisk and the like.Are there different commands for XP or is the disc for another perpose?

If I was to install a new secondary HHD(non operating system) with a NTFS partition on my machine :
1. would I use the XP floppy ?
2. Could I use an ME boot disc to create an NTFS partition even though ME won't run on NTFS?
3. Would disc manager within XP recognise an unformatted new HHD so I could do it all from there?

 

[stuy_b]

Its easy installing a new HDD with windows XP. You dont use a floppy disk at-all. Just plug the new drive in and boot up.

Goto Administration and click disk management. There you can configure, partition & format any new drives.

There are two utilities on Microsofts XP web pages for XP pro & XP Home that will create a set of 6 disks that you can use to install XP, if your PC DOES NOT support CD-ROM booting. Thats the only time you'd use a floppy disk to setup XP.

Hope that clears your confusion.

 

[RobbieSan]

if you're installing the new HD as a slave device:

1. no, XP's built in disk manager will allow you to partition and format the new drive while in Windows

2. no, Me only supports FAT not NTFS formatting. you could use it though to use Fdisk to create and delete FAT partitions. Since you can do this with disk manager there's no point in using the boot disk.

3. yes

 

[Sux]

Thanks for the answers.
As with a lot of things in XP its easier than you are used to.

The MS-DOS boot disc I am referring to can be made by going:
Start /my computer/(right click)"A" drive/select format/and there is a "create MS-DOS startup disk option.You end up with a single floppy disc that boots, I'm still curious what it is for and how to use it (maybe bios flashes)?