FAQ: Q20

Link: http://www.ilopia.com/FAQ/FAQ.aspx?id=20

I cannot boot from the CD. How do I create boot floppies for the setup of Windows Server 2003?

You cannot create boot floppies for Windows Server 2003. Most new computers can boot from a CD. But it is not always enabled in BIOS. For instruction on how to access BIOS and change this, please look in the manual. Two other possible causes for not being able to boot from the CD are explained in Q7 and Q8.

If you still cannot boot from the CD, and wants to install Windows Server 2003, you can perform an installation over the network, or start it from MS-DOS. To start it from MS-DOS, follow these steps:

Begin by creating a FAT32 partition and format it. If you need instructions for that, take a look at KB Article 255867
Create a Windows 98 or Windows ME Startup disk. Or, download one from BootDisk.com.
Insert the Windows Server 2003 CD-ROM into your computer's CD-ROM drive.
Insert the Windows 98/ME Startup disk, and start the computer.
Select to start the computer with CD-ROM support.
Start SMARTDrive, by navigating to the folder that contains smartdrv. It is very important that you start SMARTDrive, because if you do not, it can take several hours to copy the files.
Type X:, where X is the CD-ROM drive letter. It does not have to be the same as it was in Windows (if you had Windows installed before), so you might have to try a few letters.
Type cd i386 and press ENTER.
Type winnt and press ENTER.
Type the path to the Windows Server 2003 installation files. Note, they are in the folder i386 on the CD.
When asked, remove the floppy disk from the computer, and reboot. From here, you can continue as usually.

Link(s):

Q7
www.ilopia.com/faq/faq.aspx?id=7

Q8
www.ilopia.com/faq/faq.aspx?id=8

How to Use the Fdisk Tool and the Format Tool to Partition or Repartition a Hard Disk
http://support.microsoft.com/?id=255867

BootDisk.com

How To Start Setup from MS-DOS in Windows Server 2003
http://support.microsoft.com/?id=810562