Universal TCP/IP Network Bootdisk (Version 6.5 - 23/MAY/2010)

Version 6.5 - 23/MAY/2010

Website URL: http://www.netbootdisk.com

As some of you may know, I've been working on a network boot disk lately. [edit: Well almost the last 5 years now! ] This disk will allow you to boot the computer up on to the network using the floppy disk only, and connect via TCP/IP to a Microsoft based network. The network can be either peer based, or server based, it doesn't matter, as long as there's a share to connect to.

Tipical usage examples for the disk include:
* Hard Disk Cloning - Get the machine on the network, then image the HDD from a remote network share, or via a multicast session. (3rd party imaging software not included)
* Gaining network access in DOS so you can recover data from FAT based partitions before formatting dead Windows installs
* Testing the network connection - Can't get network access? Not sure if it's a hardware or software problem? Try if the bootdisk works!

The disk uses the M$ Networking client for MS-DOS. A Hard Drive is not required at all, as everything is stored on the disk. Currently 77 different network card drivers have been included. I've also written a custom "front end" menu, to allow selection of the driver, TCP/IP settings, etc.

Features Include:
*Single floppy disk operation
*98 Drivers on the same single disk, supporting LOTS of cards!
*Easy to use Menu Interface
*Autodetection of PCI network cards
*DHCP or static IP configuration
*Optional DNS Support
*Optional DIS_PKT9 Packet Driver, allowing DOS TCP/IP Apps, including Ghost Multicasting!
*Optional Ultra DMA Support
*Optional Mouse driver included
*Optional CD-ROM support
*Random computer name upon each boot (optional) Ideal for quickly booting multiple machines at once.
*Menu perferences, including last non-autodetected network card *saved to disk as defaults for next boot
*Password saved encypted to disk.
*Possible to add drivers yourself.
*Terse 4096 byte Text Editor included
* Manual Duplex/Speed selection for SiS900
*Able to display MAC Address
*SATA HDD Support
*No hard drive required!

More details and a FAQ is on my web site: http://www.netbootdisk.com

You can download the files for the disk from my website. You'll need an Windows XP machine to format a 'startup' floppy to make the disk.

Some/most of the network card drivers have been tested at some stage within the last 5years of real-world usage in recent versions. However I don't have ready access to all of them so occasionally problems arise when things are changed, so please let me know if something appears to be "broken"


AND for those who don't know, once you get to the DOS prompt use the NET command to connect drives etc.
> net ..........display popup
> net view .............browse network
> net use z: \\computer\share ...........connect share
> net /? ..............display help

Click here to jump to where posts about the current version start.

Enjoy

 

Excellent!

What card(s) did you use?

 

I've just tested it with an Intel Pro 10/100 card (of some description) and a Digital DE500 card, on the domain here at work - it worked a treat on them both. Very impressive.

 

i wonder how hard it would be to get it working with an intel 82559 integrated adapter? i might see if i can get some drivers for it... hrm..
that would be cool+++ for admins with lots of pc's with integrated nics

 

MemoryRW, have you tried the Pro100 driver? It's fairly generic, but I can add more drivers.

Just need to tell me where to download the NDIS2 DOS driver from.

 

Schweet!
I'm downloading it now, lets hope it worx

 

hey it didn't take ya as long as ya first thougth , waz the pressure on ay?

 

I was hoping to have had it ready 2 days ago, but due to scripting problems, static TCP/IP wasn't working. Also made a few more tweaks

Swipe, did the 509 driver work ok?

 

The only problem I have with it at the moment is that it stores the user's password in clear text in an insecure batch file.

Can that be changed?

 

I know, not very secure

If you edit A:\MENUPREF.BAT and remove the password so the line says "set password=" and then if you don't enter a password in the menu, the script should continue and the m$ network client should then prompt for the password when required.

I will look in to encypting the password that is saved back to the disk. It has to be unencripted while the script runs, so can be passed to the network logon EXE in the command line.

 

Hmm, I'll have to give this a go with Samba (that's at work, and I'm NOT going to work in my holidays... ).

If it works, then ghosting will become that much easier.

Thanks!!!

Edit: ooo, non-commercial... ouch. ??

 

It will!...well it did for me....thats why I originally made it.

It doesn't have a packet driver, so i don't think it'll work with Multicasting, but normal image dumping from a network share is fine of course.

Haven’t fully decided on that part yet.

I'll probably change it so it's free for commercial use, providing it's not used on SOE / rollout / large scale. Big companies have money...which I'd like some of Then again, they can afford to use the same NIC with remote boot in all 10,000 workstations

Suggestions on this?

 

Hmm, would you make it free for 'Educational' use, like my work is at Tafe, and I was going to use it in the IT classrooms. I wouldn't give it out to Unisys, who maintain all the rest of the admin systems.

I would put 'Non-Corporate/Enterprise Use' and define what a enterprise is, (usually it's judged by the number of computers, and I think 250+ is corporate/enterprise by normal means).

 

Yep, thats fine.

If Unisux, err...Unisys ask how much it cost's tell them I can negotiate a deal <$ CashRegister.wav $> with them.

ahhh thats the phrase: "'Non-Corporate/Enterprise Use"......Excellent! That would sum it up. I'll make the amendments in the next update I do.

 

Just today, I went looking for some other network boot disks, and found this http://www.nu2.nu/bootdisk/msclient/ disk, which is similar to what mine does.

The scripting works pretty much the same way as mine too, yet I've never seen this one before either. Also has got autodetection of a PCI NIC too. There are a couple of command line utils to do this, so I think I'll have to add this feature to my one too.

Oh, and I've decided to make my disk for any commercial use.
(Not sale etc of course )

 

I guess having netware servers make it easier to do this: I have been using network boot disks for yeaqrs, ghosting to/from a server with raid 5 over 10/100 switches is very speedy

I was using the old DOS config.sys/autoece.bat to choose which NIC to use as well, though we were able to keep the models sown to around 4.

hmmm wonder if I can remote boot from a network drive?

cheers Brad!

 

lemme get this right to see if im usin it right, hehe

firstly i have to be logged in under Administrator then go net view \\netserver to get a list of shares...then go net use m: \\netserver\sharename

OR i could go:

Net *enter* then use that little program..

when creating (or mapping if you want to call it so) these new drives for the shares does it make them temporarily?

 

the mapped drives are for that session only....they have to be remapped everytime (they don't "reconnect at logon" like in windows)

btw, NET <enter> is part of the m$ network client

 

how hard would it be for me to add a driver for a SMC USB adaptor?

this would be real handy!

wait let me read the readme file

 

ok, good tah...

btw, do you think you could add this driver in...well into my own copy coz i don't think nebody else would need these drivers...

http://jericho.ath.cx/Xircom Laptop card.rar