Create a bootable floppy .fdd file

[dernotte]

Thread was moved from "General Discussions > User Solutions and Workarounds" to "Parallels Desktop for Mac > Installation and Configuration in Mac OS".
Stacey M

Hi,

I want to try the beta 6 for the Mac OSX, and the only CD of window I have is a win95, non bootable CD. In VPC, I have to create a bootable floppy image with all required driver (keyboard, screen, CDROM) to acces the setup.exe file on the CD. How can I create a .fdd file on my Mac (I don't have any physical floppy drive), or can someone send me a .fdd file with this minimum driver ?
Thanks.

Didier

[joem]

Hi,

I want to try the beta 6 for the Mac OSX, and the only CD of window I have is a win95, non bootable CD. In VPC, I have to create a bootable floppy image with all required driver (keyboard, screen, CDROM) to acces the setup.exe file on the CD. How can I create a .fdd file on my Mac (I don't have any physical floppy drive), or can someone send me a .fdd file with this minimum driver ?
Thanks.

Didier

Look here: http://forum.parallels.com/post897-14.html
This problem has been solved.

[geoffo]

The problem may have been solved, but the instructions are gone! I can follow the link to the message, but the images that seem to have had the vital information send me to an unending loop of pages requiring me to login again. Can anyone repost instructions for making a bootable floppy disk image? Is there any information about the floppy disk image format that's being used? I have boot disk images in .IMG and .ISO formats, but neither of them works. The .IMG mounts, but isn't recognized. The .ISO format won't mount. Renaming them to .FDD doesn't help, either. I tried emailing Parallels support last week, but I haven't gotten any response from them yet. I just discovered the forum, and I'm hoping someone has enough knowledge to get me past this hurdle.

Thanks to whoever can help.

Geoff

[constant]

.
I went to the forum link and was able to see the images that are linked there.
.

[geoffo]

Well, it finally occurred to me to try another browser. Using FireFox I can load the images. For a company so clearly aimed at the Macintosh market to not support the Macintosh browser in their forum seems a bit odd.

I haven't had time to try the procedure, but I do have the images now. Thanks.

Geoff

[joem]

Well, it finally occurred to me to try another browser. Using FireFox I can load the images. For a company so clearly aimed at the Macintosh market to not support the Macintosh browser in their forum seems a bit odd.

I haven't had time to try the procedure, but I do have the images now. Thanks.

Geoff

It works in Safari for me. Are you running third party image blocking software?

[geoffo]

Not running any image blocking software. Now I'm back to having no idea why it doesn't work for me in Safari. I'll probably never know, since I have too many more pressing things to do than to pursue this enigma. But thanks for, well, clouding the issue?

[altemeierc]

I'm trying to install Windows 3.11 in Mac Parallels.

OK, so we have two jpegs with screen info from quote below. Great. This still doesn't lead me to any answers. Anything in the forums with a more robust step by step process? Keep in mind, not everyone knows DOS or how to start a Windows install especially in this environment.

Also this post didn't help either: http://forum.parallels.com/thread3348.html
The boot disk image file downloaded is invalid with Parallels floppy image format.

Look here: http://forum.parallels.com/post897-14.html
This problem has been solved.

[geoffo]

As far as I've been able to tell Parallels is unable to boot from a floppy. Whether I download a disk image that should be bootable, or create one from Parallels, it seems to only be able to boot from either a hard drive or a CD-ROM (or CD-ROM image). It would seem from some of the other posts that a few other people have had other experiences, but I've had no response from Parallels' so-called "support" to help unravel what might be the problem. It's a serious mystery to me.

Regards,

Geoff

[joem]

As far as I've been able to tell Parallels is unable to boot from a floppy. Whether I download a disk image that should be bootable, or create one from Parallels, it seems to only be able to boot from either a hard drive or a CD-ROM (or CD-ROM image). It would seem from some of the other posts that a few other people have had other experiences, but I've had no response from Parallels' so-called "support" to help unravel what might be the problem. It's a serious mystery to me.

Regards,

Geoff
Parallels boots just fine from a floppy image for me. That's how I installed Win2K from four floppy images. Note that the file extension must be .fdd (an unreasonable restriction, IMNSHO, bit that's reality today). Freedos worked for me too.

As an aside, my (three decades of) experience is that complex technology is, well, complex, and expecting "someone" to simplify it for me hasn't worked. What has worked time after time, is doing my homework and coming to understand basic principles, and then whan I have the background, things got much easier. Parallels support is for Parallels, and isn't technical college for those who need something other than help with Parallels itself.

Since day one, Apple has fostered the concept that the Mac "just works" and anything you need to do will be easy and obvious. My experience is that this is only true for a VERY restricted subset of computing, and expecting this to be the way of the world is a sure formula for disappointment. The reality is that understanding how systems work requires learning way beyond what's possible in a support forum.

[alkalifly]

Since day one, Apple has fostered the concept that the Mac "just works" and anything you need to do will be easy and obvious. My experience is that this is only true for a VERY restricted subset of computing, and expecting this to be the way of the world is a sure formula for disappointment.

So true . . .
:eek:

[geoffo]

Parallels boots just fine from a floppy image for me. That's how I installed Win2K from four floppy images. Note that the file extension must be .fdd (an unreasonable restriction, IMNSHO, bit that's reality today). Freedos worked for me too.

As an aside, my (three decades of) experience is that complex technology is, well, complex, and expecting "someone" to simplify it for me hasn't worked.

I'm quite glad that it has worked for you. Nevertheless, my several decades of experience has somehow failed me in distinguishing how the FDD format differs from the formats that I have found bootable floppy images in. As I noted earlier a simple rename was insufficient to convince Parallels to recognize them as a bootable floppy images. Of course there remains the possibility that something is broken about the installation of Parallels on my machine, but the lack of technical support is regrettable. Since it's the only game in town for virtualizing Windows on an Intel Macintosh, I do use Parallels, but I'm not ecstatic about it.

Regards,

Geoff

[hairyneanderthal]

I'm quite glad that it has worked for you. Nevertheless, my several decades of experience has somehow failed me in distinguishing how the FDD format differs from the formats that I have found bootable floppy images in. As I noted earlier a simple rename was insufficient to convince Parallels to recognize them as a bootable floppy images. Of course there remains the possibility that something is broken about the installation of Parallels on my machine, but the lack of technical support is regrettable. Since it's the only game in town for virtualizing Windows on an Intel Macintosh, I do use Parallels, but I'm not ecstatic about it.

Regards,

Geoff

Worked for me too. I have been able to create floppy disk images using "WinImage" http://www.winimage.com, change their extension to fdd (I agree with joem that having to use fdd is an unnecessary restriction) I have then been able to use these images within Parallels. I have also found that many floppy disk images available on the Internet will work too if you change their extension.
However, I am strongly inclined to agree with the original poster on one thing in particular - the lack of on-line presence of Parallels on these forums.
This is a little alarming considering how helpful they were during the Beta testing period. Great product but the number of questions on these forums still unanswered that require a reply from Parallels is rather too high I think...

[Wavelength]

Geoffo,

AHHH.... ok I was looking to do the samething as you. Spent a number of hours at this so here is the only thing that worked for me. I did try downloading the images and changing the extension to fdd but that never worked.

So I created a DOS boot floopy drive. I created a vm for XP and installed winimage and created an image of the USB FLoppy. Make sure you save it in IMA format and not the squeezed format. Next copy the IMA file via the shared folder option in XP (Make sure you make one before you start the VM).

Make sure the floppy was formated with system or ... format a:/s

Then copy neccesary files:
format.com
fdisk
sys
command.com

other useful files as needed...

~~~~~~~

After copying the IMA file to the shared folder. Change the extension to .fdd and point the Parallels VM floppy frive to this file. Then when you start the DOS VM it will book off of this file.

If you have questions email me at wavelength@fuse.net

Thanks
Gordon

PS: It looks like we are on our own here as I asked support about this. No response...

[Styro]

Old topic, but I thought this might come in handy to others...

Found on the WinImage forum... (http://forum.winimage.com/viewtopic.php?t=609)

Winimage is an advanced image manipulating tool, if you just need to make a floppy image, it might be easier to use an app that ONLY does this, I suggest either:

DCOPYNT
http://users.pandora.be/jbosman/applications.html
or

Roadkil's Disk Image
http://www.roadkil.net/DiskImg.html

Both work much better if all you need to do is create a boot floppy image.

Just remember to change the extension before trying to use.