How to Format a USB Memory Key
USB ports are not just for storing large amounts of data on a flash disk or an external drive. When your computer fails because of an operating system problem, you may need to boot from an external booting device to enter DOS, and repair your computer from that end. Here’s how you can format and create a USB memory key for your computer.
To use a USB memory key, you have to make sure that your computer is configured to boot from USB ports. Most modern motherboards support USB booting, but older motherboards do not.
Download a copy of any USB disk formatting utility. A preferred USB disk formatting utility is one initially developed by Hewlett-Packard, which can be downloaded from many hosting sites on the Web.
Next, you need the core components of Windows 98’s DOS system files. There are three files that compose the core: COMMAND.COM, IO.SYS, and MSDOS.SYS. You may copy the system files from a computer formatted in Windows 98, or download the files from the Web. The core files are usually enough to run DOS, although you may need the other disk utilities that come with either MS-DOS 6.22 or MS-DOS 7.0.
Insert the USB drive or disk into a vacant USB port. You may need to back up and format the drive to get rid of data.
Run the USB disk formatting utility and select the FAT32 file system. Click the “Create a DOS startup disk” option, and select the directory where you placed the DOS system files.
Start the formatting process. After the formatting process is completed, check the contents of the disk to see if the core files are present.
Restart the computer and enter BIOS.
Check the BIOS configuration to see if the motherboard supports booting from the USB drive. If it is supported, arrange the boot sequence so that the USB port becomes the primary booting device.
Wait for the computer to start up the boot sequence from the USB drive, and perform the necessary repairs on your computer.
A USB memory key can help you rescue your computer from the worst possible scenarios that can happen to your operating system. With these steps, you can create a USB memory key that can help you recover from serious system crashes.