How to create a bootable CD of any software?

[kumarkumar]

(1) I want to make a bootable CD of a software. I just have only the setup.exe of the software. (This can be any software)

How can I go about it??

Is it possible at all just with the setup.exe??

I do not want to create a bootable Windows CD but just a bootable CD of the particular software.

(2) If the first thing is possible then how do I add more than one software and get a menu based bootable CD. (again not a bootable Windows CD)

[jaclaz]

Well,

a bootable CD implies that an Operating System boots from it.

Maybe what you are trying to do is not a bootable CD, but rather an AUTORUN one, i.e. one that, once inserted in a PC with Windows 9x/Me/NT/2K/XP/2003 already installed on it, and on which the autorun feature of the CD drive is enabled, starts automatically the installation of the program.

Here is a freeware app:

http://autorun.moonvalley.com/autoruninfeditor.htm

but there are many others, here are a few more:

http://www.ezau.com/latest/articles/083.shtml

jaclaz

[kumarkumar]

Thanks jaclaz for your reply.

No I am not talking about AUTORUN.

Why should a bootable software CD need windows for it to operate??

I have a bootable partionmagic CD which has nothing but partionmagic in it.

Hence when I insert the CD and restart the computer and it boots up with partitionmagic (with the GUI and mouse working, as if it was running in Windows)

What I want to know is....how is such a type of bootable CD made?? Can I make one with just having the setup.exe of the software or do I need all the dlls and etc etc that is contained in the setup.exe??

Edited February 11, 2007 by kumarkumar

[jaclaz]

Well, no, you don't have a CD with just Partition Magic in it, you have a CD with a (minimal) Operating System that runs Partition Magic (possibly contained within the Partition Magic code itself).

In other words, that particular program has in its code all necessary code to interface with the PC bios, keyboard, screen, hard disks, mouse etc.

This is NOT how normal apps work, they all need support from an underlying OS.

Depending on the type of app, and of the calls that it makes the underlying OS can be DOS, Linux, Windows 9x/me, Windows NT/2K/XP/2003, VISTA, etc.

jaclaz

[kumarkumar]

I see.

The bootable partitionmagic iso is just ~2MB in size. Its sounds amazing to include everything in that small size!!

So it seems that really a very minimal amount of OS code is needed to run that application.

Anyways so I guess its not possible to make a bootable software CD with just the setup.exe.

Ok. If I want to make an OS bootable CD with a software(s) in it then which option is better (1) a DOS bootable CD or (2) Windows bootable CD.

What I think is a DOS bootable CD can also run a GUI based application.....right??

So why would I go to make a Windows bootable CD the iso of which would be larger in size and hence would take a lot of space in the CD and also would take more time to boot as comapred to a DOS bootable CD.

Am I right?? Please comment.

[phkninja]

its not an os, its a bootloader. And in the case of the partition magic cd the bootloader tells the computer to run the partition magic program, in the case of windows the bootloader tells the computer to run the setup program etc.

You cant just create a bootable cd for all software, some software requires an underlying OS, where as other software (like partition magic) doesn't require an OS to function

No a dos boot cd will not run a gui, as dos doesnt have gui information in it.

Also you havent specified what type of software you want to install. No one can give you a good answer unless you further define what you want to do with the cd and software.

Edited February 11, 2007 by phkninja

[kumarkumar]

Thanks phkninja for your comments.

Ok I got that.

Slos you havent specified what type of software you want to install. No one can give you a good answer unless you further define what you want to do with the cd and software.

Say I want to make a bootable partitionmagic CD, which doesn't require an OS (don't ask me why since I already have one, I just want to learn)

and why partitionmagic.....you know why

How do I go about it??

Also how would one determine which softwares require an OS to function and which ones don't??

Edited February 11, 2007 by kumarkumar

[phkninja]

Unless we specifically know what type of software it is we cannot tell you.

If its a program like partition magic (or fdisk etc) then it does not require an OS.

Secondly you require a bootloader to tell the computer how to boot the cd and what application to run after the boot process. If you want to make a bootloader you will need to learn to programming in assembly language (could probably be done in C or C++, but would be alot larger than an asm one)

Simple rule of thumb for which program needs an os. Iif it needs a gui, it needs an os, if it needs low level functionality, then it needs an OS (unless you konw for definiate it encapsulates all the required accessing information in its exe)

[kumarkumar]

So there aren't any sotftwares which can do the task, without the knowledge programming knowledge??

[phkninja]

nope, there are no general bootloaders. Bootloaders are written for specific tasks, and for specific programs. They talk to the BIOS and set up the computer to accept information from the cd etc.

an example of this is when you try and boot the computer with a cd with no bootloader, you get a message saying NTLDR is missing.

You need to know how to program to cretae bootloaders.

(for those who will suggest modifying one that already works, I would say that if you dont know entirely what the bootloader is doing dont mod one as it is too easy to mess your computer up)

[kumarkumar]

Ok.

No a dos boot cd will not run a gui, as dos doesnt have gui information in it.

There is a famous DOS bootable CD (warez) available in the internet with tons of applications in it. (you must be knowing abt it)

So are all those applications command based??

Also I have heard about PE Builder. Will that help me anyway??

Edited February 11, 2007 by kumarkumar

[phkninja]

There are two types of those cds. One is DOS based and is made up of a load of bootable floppy images that have been set up to run off the cd.

The PE builder wont help you either unless you can program, because you will be able to make a bootable win cd but wont be able to add the programs you want.

YOu can also get UBCD or UBCD4Win, both are legal and contain alot of resources that rae useful.

[kumarkumar]

There are two types of those cds. One is DOS based and is made up of a load of bootable floppy images that have been set up to run off the cd.

Which is the other type??

So does the DOS based type have all the applications command based?? Because if you look at the list of applications most of them are originally GUI based.

Edited February 11, 2007 by kumarkumar

[phkninja]

one is dos based the other windows

emmm........obviously i dont know which cd you are refering to (i thought it was hirens). So i cant look at the list to tell you how it was done

[kumarkumar]

obviously i dont know which cd you are refering to (i thought it was hirens)

yep you are right.....thats the one

Its a DOS bootable CD

Edited February 11, 2007 by kumarkumar