Bootable Floppy to Allow Booting From DVD?

[Geek-9pm]

I came in late. Did he consult the machines site?
And yes, there is a way to do it. I think.

[Geek-9pm]

Well, to save time, ere it is:

Upgrade from Windows® XP to Windows® 7

The Upgrade option is not available in Windows 7 Setup when installing Windows 7 on a computer running Windows XP. However, you can use Windows Easy Transfer to migrate files and settings from Windows XP to Windows 7 on the same computer. To do this, you must first copy files to removable media, such as an external hard drive or USB flash drive, or to a network share. Next, you will install Windows 7 and then migrate your files back from the removable media onto your computer. When you are finished, you must install your software programs again, but your files and settings will have been copied from Windows XP.
Copy files using Windows Easy Transfer

   1. Insert the Windows 7 DVD while running Windows XP. If the Windows 7 installation window opens automatically, close it.
   2. Open Windows Explorer by right-clicking the Start menu, and then clicking Explore.
   3. Browse to the DVD drive on your computer and click migsetup.exe in the Support\Migwiz directory.

      The Windows Easy Transfer window opens.
   4. Click Next.
   5. Select An external hard disk or USB flash drive.
   6. Click This is my old computer. Windows Easy Transfer scans the computer.
   7. Click Next. You can also determine which files should be migrated by selecting only the user profiles you want to transfer, or by clicking Customize.
   8. Enter a password to protect your Easy Transfer file, or leave the box blank, and then click Save.
   9. Browse to the external location on the network or to the removable media where you want to save your Easy Transfer file, and then click Save.
  10. Click Next. Windows Easy Transfer displays the file name and location of the Easy Transfer file you just created.

Use the Windows 7 DVD to upgrade

   1. Start Windows 7 Setup by browsing to the root folder of the DVD in Windows Explorer, and then double clicking setup.exe.
   2. Click Go online to get the latest updates (recommended) to retrieve any important updates for Windows 7. This step is optional. If you choose not to check for updates during Setup, click Do not get the latest updates.
   3. Read and accept the Microsoft Software License Terms. Click I accept the License Terms (required to use Windows), and then click Next. If you click I decline (cancel installation), Windows 7 Setup will exit.
   4. Click Custom to perform an upgrade to your existing Windows installation.

      Note: When you perform a custom installation of Windows 7, files that were used in the earlier version of Windows are stored in a Windows.old folder. The folders that are stored in the Windows.old folder contain some files that you used in the earlier version of Windows. The type of files that are stored depends on your computer. We recommend that you always back up any important files before you install a new operating system.
   5. Select the partition where you would like to install Windows. To move your existing Windows installation into a Windows.old folder and replace the operating system with Windows 7, select the partition where your current Windows installation is located.
   6. Click Next and then click OK.

      Windows 7 Setup will proceed without further interaction.

Copy files to the destination computer

   1. If you saved your files and settings in an Easy Transfer file on removable media such as a UFD rather than on a network share, insert the removable media into the computer.
   2. Click Start, click All Programs, click Accessories, click System Tools, and then click Windows Easy Transfer.

      The Windows Easy Transfer window opens.
   3. Click Next.
   4. Click An external hard disk or USB flash drive.
   5. Click This is my new computer.
   6. Click Yes, open the file.
   7. Browse to the location where the Easy Transfer file was saved. Click the file name, and then click Open.
   8. Click Transfer to transfer all files and settings. You can also determine which files should be migrated by selecting only the user profiles you want to transfer, or by clicking Customize.
   9. Click Close after Windows Easy Transfer has completed moving your files.

Delete Windows.old directory

To reclaim the disk space, you can delete the Windows.old directory using the Disk Cleanup system tool by following these steps:

   1. Open Disk Cleanup. Click Start, click All Programs, click Accessories, click System Tools, and then click Disk Cleanup.
   2. If prompted, select the drive where you just installed Windows 7, and then click OK.
   3. Click Clean up system files.

      Previous installations of Windows are scanned.
   4. If prompted, select the drive where you just installed Windows 7, and then click OK.
   5. Select Previous Windows installation(s) and any other categories of files you want to delete.
   6. Click OK and then click Delete Files.

Please visit http://www.windows7.com/ for additional information about Windows® 7 and its new features, benefits and more.

The above is the method recommended by eMachines.
This also applies to some other rfactory PCs  that refuse to boot up some CDs and DVDs. He needs to have XP  installed first.

[Compeek]

Geek-9pm, thanks for the info! It hadn't occurred to me to install XP first and then upgrade to 7. I'm not sure if it's worth the hassle since this was just for something to do in the first place and I don't really need 7 on it, but I'll keep it in mind.

[Geek-9pm]

You can install XP in just 4 to 6 GB and leave the rest for Windows 7.

[mrhozer]

Your talking about the same computer as the one listed here:
http://www.dealtime.com/xPF-E-Machines-eMonster-600-EMONSTER600

64 mb of ram, 600mhz P3, 20Gb HDD? and you are trying to install windows 7 on it??? Yikes!

Thats well below minimum requirements:
http://windows.microsoft.com/systemrequirements

but it's worth a shot, so first off how did you eliminate all the idiot factors (we all do it from time to time) are you sure your booting through a DVD Rom and not a CD Rom drive? they are often not labeled, I've made that mistake before. And it sounds like you have thoroughly tested the disks themselves.

I think you have a bigger problem, flashing the BIOS with a custom BIOS could have messed something up, or there might be an issue with an older motherboard being able to boot from a DVD drive or even a CD drive, since this computer is a dinosaur it came with windows 98 which required you to boot from a floppy first and then insert the Win 98 CD if I remember right.

My guess is that it's not a windows 7 issue since you would have to load windows setup to get any hardware errors. And as far as minimum requirements go... I recently successfully installed win 7 on a P4 w/756mb of ram, slightly below the 1GB min.

It's probably the motherboard or BIOS if the DVD drive and Hard Drive are ok. Go in your BIOS and see if there is an option to boot from USB, make sure it's enabled and select "Removable Device" as your primary boot device, Then you are able to boot off a USB Hard Drive... Just place a Win 7 Image File in the root folder of the USB Hard Drive and cross your fingers.

If that doesn't work, I would call it quites. The computer is just too old for the goodness of Win 7, time to upgrade if your machine is more than 10 years old.

[BC_Programmer]

64 mb of ram, 600mhz P3, 20Gb HDD

Windows 7 will neither install or run usably on this system.

[Gordon in OZ]

I had same problem with an older machine that has no ability to boot from SATA DVD- Just boot the machine using any version of windows and put the dvd in and it will let you run setup this is also a good way of fixing a corrupt windows 7 install without having to reinstll everything - just do as above and select upgrade optoin in the setup screen