BootAble – FreeDOS boot testing freeware
To obtain direct, low-level access to a system's mass storage drives, SpinRite runs under a GRC-customized version of FreeDOS which has been modified to add compatibility with all file systems. In order to run SpinRite it must first be possible to boot FreeDOS.
GRC's “BootAble” freeware allows anyone to easily create BIOS-bootable media in order to workout and confirm the details of getting a machine to boot FreeDOS through a BIOS. Once the means of doing that has been determined, the media created by SpinRite can be booted and run in the same way.
The participants here, who have taken the time to share their knowledge and experience, their successes and some frustrations with booting their computers into FreeDOS, have created a valuable knowledgebase which will benefit everyone who follows.
You may click on the image to the right to obtain your own copy of BootAble. Then use the knowledge and experience documented here to boot your computer(s) into FreeDOS. And please do not hesitate to ask questions – nowhere else can better answers be found.
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Many thanks Scott! Your reply was a real trip down memory lane. First I had to get my now ancient DVD writer reconnected on my Windows PC as lack of use meant that I decided to unplug it internally on my case as my daughter kept bumping into it and opening the caddy which was eventually going to break. I left no SATA cables so I had look at my box of "mixed" spare cables for a SATA cable which of course was a the bottom. Once I reconnected the DVD writer it refused to open the caddy, probably down to my daughter's abuse and the many years without use. Eventually I force it to open and to my surprise it work fine after that. Then again back to reach the end of my cabinet to find virgin CDs which I still had plenty left. I naively tried to burn the .IMG file and it got burned as a .IMG. I downloaded the .ISO and burned that too, again as a file not as a image. Clearly my CD burning skills need to be brushed up! Finally on the third attempt I found isoburn.exe and burned it properly. I loaded the Spinrite CD on the iMac, pressed Option on boot and bingo! Run baby run!!!
