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View Full Version : EBCD = "Emergency Boot CD" : How to make it.


Sylvander
10-24-2005, 06:05 PM
How to make an EBCD bootable CD

1. Go to http://ebcd.pcministry.com/ then click the "Download" link in the list on the left, then at the next window, click on "ebcd-0.6.1-pro-sfx.exe" [the 17155 k version], click a mirror near you and download the file to a suitable folder on your PC.
I couldn't get Firefox to download it, so used Internet Explorer which worked ok.

2. "Open" the ebcd file. I think it's a self-extracting compressed archive.
When I clicked on the copy I downloaded, WinRAR ran and asked if I wanted to click the "Install" button to begin the extraction, which I did and it was successful. Then I "Erased" the resulting folder and tried a right-click and "Extract to here..." which also worked.

3. Go into the "ebcd-0.6.1-pro" folder and [right-click and] "Open" the "makeebcd.exe" file. When this runs a DOS window will open to show the progress of the making of the "Ebcd061p.iso" file.
That is the very important iso image file that you must use to create a bootable CD-RW [or CD-R] disk.

4. Now you must run some program like "Easy CD Creator" or "Nero", go to "File->Create CD from image file..." [or similar], navigate to the iso file you just made, choose it and ok it. If you have supplied a suitable CD the program will write the file system contained in the iso to that disk to make it bootable.

5. When you have made the bootable EBCD, you must restart your PC and boot from the EBCD.
To do that you can either:
a) Set your BIOS setup so the PC boots from the CD, or...
b) [What I do] Use "Smart Boot Manager", boot from that and tell it to boot from [one of] your CD-drive[s].

6. The EBCD will boot to the first menu. Once there you could, for example, choose to enter 2 to boot the "File Manager" [provides NTFS support], or enter 1 [or just hit "Enter" because 1 is the default] to be taken to the 2nd menu and choose "Volkov Commander". The program will ask if you want to load the mouse driver [say yes], use English [say yes], load CD driver [say no or yes, not important].

7. Having typed 2 to open "File Manager", you will be asked...
a. Load mouse driver? [Yes]
b. Load English locale? [yes]
c. Load CD driver? [not necessary]
d. SCSI? [no]
e. Start Network? [no]
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In File Manager:
f. Double click a folder to open it and see the contents.
g. Click on the file to highlight it ["select" it]
h. Click "Delete" down at the bottom of the screen [number 8], and confirm.

This program deletes things really fast; I deleted all the folders and files unpacked from the ebcd archive file. Had to keep hitting "Enter" to ok the deletions. Blip, blip, blip, real fast.
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There is lots of other useful programs on the CD [and what's more it can be customized].
e.g
1. "Image" [for DOS].
Makes backup images of partition contents. Fast & simple. Typing in a location to store a file can be a little unsettling, but is easy once you get a little practise.
2. MS Scandisk is nice. Does all the partitions one after the other; just hit enter at each.

At the 1st menu hit enter or 1 then enter to be taken to the 2nd menu.

pangea33
10-24-2005, 10:01 PM
Here's a vote for sticky tag

Sylvander
10-25-2005, 09:47 AM
Here www.pcguide.com/vb/showthread.php?t=41498 is how to make the "Smart Boot Manager" floppy.

And here www.pcguide.com/vb/showthread.php?t=41500 is a list of shortcuts to lots of other useful [almost all free] programs.

Sylvander
10-25-2005, 12:13 PM
How to use the EBCD “Volkov Commander” to create a folder on a [FAT(32)] partition, then copy over the Windows installation files and run the Windows installation program file.

1. Boot from the “Smart Boot Manager” floppy.
[This isn’t mecessary if you choose instead to alter the BIOS Setup to put the CD-drive before the HDD in the boot menu.]

2. Choose “CD0” [Enter]

3. “Disk Error” comes up on my PC | hit “Esc” | hit “Enter” again.

4. The bootable EBCD boots.

5. Hit “Enter” to go to the 2nd menu.

6.
a) Load “Mouse Driver”.
b) Load “Locale : US”.
c) Load “CD-ROM Driver”.

7. Click on “Volkov Commander”. [or hover over with the cursor & hit “Enter”.
“Volkov Commander” is now running.
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8. Click on “PullDn” [number 9] at bottom.

9. Click on “Left” at the top.

10. Click on “Drive”.

11. Click on the letter of the drive you want to see displayed in the left pane.

12. Click on “MkDir” at bottom.

13. Type the path and name of the directory you require made. [F:\01 in my case]

14. Put the Windows CD in the drive and close the drive.

15. Click on “PullDn”.

16. Click on “Right” at top.

17. Click on the letter of your CD-drive [H: in my case].

18. Double-click on the Windows folder [Win_98 SE in my case].

19. At the bottom enter the command at the prompt to copy all files [in the Windows folder] to the folder on your HDD; in my case…H:\Win_98.SE>copy *.* F:\01 [Enter]

20. Watch the list of files being copied from CD to HDD.

21. Double-click on the Windows installation program file. [Setup.exe in my case]. The program begins running. Hit “Esc” if you want to terminate it here.

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anton muzic
10-27-2005, 05:47 AM
Sylvander,
i managed to follow your details...worked well,
i used this dvd-cd burner, which worked and is small (dvd decrypter- my favourite after dvd shrink)
http://www.afterdawn.com/software/video_software/dvd_rippers/dvd_decrypter.cfm

when i quit an application, does that sort-of-menu to choose the number which related to the app suppose to come up or not?

well done on devoting a thread to this..seeing EBCD mentioned here and there sort of gave it no focus...

when you say it can be customised....
1. how...what types of apps (DOS only)
2. and is it incremental..you just keep on adding (burning to a CD-RW)

cheers
anton :p

Sylvander
10-27-2005, 06:53 AM
"when i quit an application, does that sort-of-menu to choose the number which related to the app suppose to come up or not?"
I notice that some do and some don't; still trying to figure that out myself.
I notice that if I hit "Esc" [if offered or that works] it takes me back to the menu of programs, but sometimes [I think when the program runs and completes] I'm taken to a cursor or a DOS prompt and must restart the PC.

"well done on devoting a thread to this"
The good thing about giving it a dedicated thread is that when in some other thread anyone can give a link to this instead of having to explain it all yet again.

"when you say it can be customised...."
Here's the thread for the customisation, by Paul Komski and me.
http://www.pcguide.com/vb/showthread.php?t=37571&page=2&pp=25&highlight=sbminst

"1. how...what types of apps (DOS only)"
That's another thing I'm still trying to figure out. I did some customisations, but wonder how on earth I did it.
1. I notice I added "MaxBlast 4" & "PowerMax 4.21" by making ".iso" files from the floppies and adding those [in a very particular way, placing them in very particular folders (within CDROM-PRO)] to the file system used to make the CD's iso file. A prog like "WinImage" [www.winimage.com/download.htm not free, or Binary rawwritewin-0.7.zip from http://uranus.it.swin.edu.au/~jn/linux/rawwrite.htm Reads and Writes "Raw" (literal) 1.44MB floppy images. Very simple to use and free] can make iso image files for any number of floppies [and bootable file systems on other types of disks]
2. I added "Partition Magic" [B]FILES [copied from the PM bootable floppy] to their own specially named folder within the "BOOTRD1-PRO" Folder.

"2. and is it incremental..you just keep on adding"
Yes, you add files to the folder system and then run "makeebcd.exe" to compile yet another [new] iso file. I have saved copies of iso's made at different stages with new programs added. If you keep a copy of the old iso and the new iso doesn't produce a workable CD you can "erase" the CD-RW disk and burn the old iso to it instead. If you keep a backup of the old folder/file system you can "jump back" to the old [working] folder/file arrangement, then move forward once again making improvements, corrections, new customisations.