# Boot to USB storage device out of DOS - Neat free utility for the geeks

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/boot-to-usb-storage-device-out-of-dos-neat-free-utility-for-the-geeks/253652>\
**Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\
**Created:** [July 5, 2004, 3:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/boot-to-usb-storage-device-out-of-dos-neat-free-utility-for-the-geeks/253652 "2004-07-05T15:45:00Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\
**Post date:** [July 5, 2004, 3:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/boot-to-usb-storage-device-out-of-dos-neat-free-utility-for-the-geeks/253652/1 "2004-07-05T15:45:00Z")

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Just thought I’d share with the geeks -

I spent hours looking for a way to access an external USB CD drive at boot from my notebook that does not have a built in CD, but does have USB port.

Took a long time to find it, but this little USB boot disk creation utility is the bomb and will make a DOS USB device boot disk that works for most external USB storage drives. If you’re ever Catch 22’d on OS installs with a system sans a built in CD drive this might help you.

[USB DOS CD ROM Boot Disk -](http://www.stefan2000.com/darkehorse/PC/DOS/Drivers/USB/usbdoscd.exe)

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**Author:** ![yosemite](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/3ab097/32.png) [@yosemite](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yosemite)\
**Post date:** [July 6, 2004, 1:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/boot-to-usb-storage-device-out-of-dos-neat-free-utility-for-the-geeks/253652/2 "2004-07-06T01:43:15Z")

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Wow. That is really neat.

Of course, I’m too chicken to go into DOS much (though I’m getting a tiny bit better), but I know how much I like booting up from a Zip disk or external drive on my Mac. Didn’t know much about how to do it with a PC. I had an old Thinkpad that came with a Parallel port CD drive (because the laptop didn’t have a built-in CD) but I don’t know if it was bootable. Didn’t have the laptop long enough to find out. (Sold it on eBay. I go through laptops like Kleenex.)

Okay, sorry for the drifting there.

Anyway, neat! Thanks for the link!

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**Author:** ![Shaolinrabbit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e0b2c6/32.png) [@Shaolinrabbit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shaolinrabbit)\
**Post date:** [July 6, 2004, 1:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/boot-to-usb-storage-device-out-of-dos-neat-free-utility-for-the-geeks/253652/3 "2004-07-06T01:53:47Z")

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Sweet **astro**!

That sounds naughty 😉 But that’s a totally cool utility man.

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**Author:** ![Malinalda](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/aca169/32.png) [@Malinalda](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malinalda)\
**Post date:** [July 6, 2004, 3:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/boot-to-usb-storage-device-out-of-dos-neat-free-utility-for-the-geeks/253652/4 "2004-07-06T03:33:19Z")

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Dude!, I have SO been looking for something like that to use at work. Thank you, Thank you, Thank you!!!