How to Make an XP Disk from a Floppy Boot Disk

<P>Insert the XP disc and the floppy boot disk into the computer.</P><P>Restart the computer. Press any key when prompted to boot into DOS.</P><P>Type "x:\i386" and press "Enter," replacing "x" with the letter of your CD drive.</P><P>Type "winnt.exe" and press "Enter," making your XP disc run its installation routine from DOS.</P>

How to Make an XP Disk from a Floppy Boot Disk

Insert the XP disc and the floppy boot disk into the computer. Restart the computer. Press any key when prompted to boot into DOS. Type ...

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How to Unlock a Floppy Drive

<P>Check the floppy disks write-protect switch. Both 5.25 and 3.5 inch floppy disks have a write-protect mechanism. For 5.25 inch disks, covering the notch along the side of the disk with tape will prevent further writing. For 3.5 inch disks, switching a plastic switch downward will unlock it for writing. Sometimes, the switch is missing and you can cover it with tape.</P><P>Check the computer's BIOS for a floppy drive write protect setting. The BIOS configures hardware settings for your <a class="StrongLink" href="http://www.ehow.com/computers/">computer</A> and is accessible when you first turn the machine then using the DEL or F-keys to enter setup. BIOS settings vary from computer to computer, so look for a phrase similar to floppy write protect, then disable it and save the changes.</P><P>Check if the disk is defective. Because floppy disks are prone to damage from dust, scratches, bending and magnets, it might be defective or corrupt. Sometimes when the disk is corrupt, you might not be able to read or write to part of the disk. To inspect for damage on a 3.5 inch floppy, pull the sliding metal cover back. Formatting the drive might fix problems caused by magnets.</P><P>Check if the drive is defective. Sometimes the sensor used to detect disk write-protection becomes defective. The easiest way to check for a defect is to temporarily replace the drive with a known good one.</P><P>Check if the drive cable is defective. Replace it temporarily with a known good one.</P><P>Check if you have a virus. A virus could be on the floppy and it might be protecting itself from deletion. Looking at the task manager for suspicious programs running can sometimes reveal viruses. Microsoft offers a free anti-virus software to users of its operating system called Microsoft Security Essentials.</P><P>Restart the computer. Sometimes buggy software or operating systems will lock a file or drive in order to read data and forget to unlock it when finished.</P>

How to Unlock a Floppy Drive

Check the floppy disks write-protect switch. Both 5.25 and 3.5 inch floppy disks have a write-protect mechanism. For 5.25 inch disks, cover...

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