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dingducky
10th Feb 2001, 09:37
i was just wondering why can't start a computer with a floppy disk in it
but you can with a cd http://www.pprune.org/ubb/NonCGI/confused.gif

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Just because nobody complains doesn't mean all parachutes are
perfect

Icarus
10th Feb 2001, 10:56
You can!
It all depends on how your BIOS is set up.
Normally the boot sequence would be A: C: then CD. So if you have a non system disk in A: then you will get the error message.
Once removed then C: will boot and the CD-drive wouldn't come into play.

ExSimGuy
10th Feb 2001, 11:08
Ding,

The way your pooter's BIOS is set up (and the way most of them come by default) used to be the biggest source of viruses in earlier times, when many people "swapped" a lot of floppies. It can still be a risk as this is THE way to get "boot sector viruses"

I have always considered it good practice to set up the BIOS "first boot device - C drive" :) This way, the system does not look at the boot sector of a floppy that was accidentally left in the system (unless the HDD is faulty and the system cannot boot from it) and it saves all that "non-system disk error" irritation as well ;) ;)

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What Goes Around . . . . .
. . often makes a better landing