Creating a bootable flash drive with DOS Diary Maxim Bogolepov. Programs and utilities for memory cards on different controllers
The update program, together with the latest firmware, takes 1 156 258 byte. And the BIOS itself does not have the ability to self-update. On the motherboard developer's website it is written that for BIOS updates you need to boot from a boot floppy Windows 95 or Windows 98...Jokers...
To make everything completely clear, three files from DOS (COMMAND .COM, IO.SYS, MSDOS .SYS) take up space 316 400 bytes on a floppy disk with a capacity 1 457 664 byte. It turns out that all this equipment simply cannot fit on one floppy disk! Of course, it was possible to make a DOS floppy disk with support for a CD drive... But, as it turned out, the program BIOS firmware this motherboard does not work if the extended memory and HMA memory driver for the MS-DOS operating system is used, which provides support additional memory(extended or expanded). So-called HIMEM.SYS. This driver is required to load CD drive drivers. I just needed to boot device More space than a 1.44 floppy disk! Having scoured the Internet, I found a wonderful utility from Hewlett-Packard to create bootable flash drives - . This was my salvation!
Archive USB_boot_Flash.zip, and unzip to any location on your disk. Go to the unzipped folder USB_boot_Flash and run the installation file for the utility to create bootable flash drives hp_usb_tool.exe.
Click Next >.
Accept the terms of the license agreement and click Next >.
In the next window, click Next >.
Accept another license agreement by clicking Yes.
At this stage, you can change the destination folder for the installed program by clicking the button Browse… or continue installation to the default folder c:\DriveKey by pressing Next >.
In the last window, complete the installation of the utility by clicking Finish.
On your desktop you will find a shortcut for installed utility HP USB Disk Storage Format Tool.
Warning: In process bootable flash drive all information from it will be deleted!!!
Run the utility HP Windows Format Utility for USB Drive Key or DiskOnKey using this shortcut.
Up in the field Device indicate the device on which your flash drive is located. Place a check mark next to it Create a DOS startup Disk, celebrate using DOS system files located at and indicate the path to the DOS folder in the folder where you unpacked the archive downloaded from my website USB_boot_Flash.zip(in my case this is the folder C:\USB_boot_Flash\dos). In field File System indicate FAT32, in field Volume label you can specify the label of the future bootable flash drive. We start the process of creating it by clicking Start.
In the warning window that appears that all information located on the flash drive will be destroyed, click Yes.
In the next window you will see the status of the process of creating a bootable USB flash drive.
Once the creation process is complete, you will see information window about the status of your flash drive. Finish the process with the button OK.
Returning to the previous window, close it by clicking Close.
All we have to do is copy the entire contents of the folder C:\USB_boot_Flash\USB to your flash drive. You can also copy there the programs necessary to run from DOS, in my case I copied the program for updating the BIOS and the new firmware(there is now more than enough space!)
All that remains is to go into the BIOS and in the boot method settings, select boot from our newly created USB flash drive as the first item. When you boot from it, you will see a clean DOS running file manager Volkov Commander.
Finally, for those who may need a boot floppy Windows 98 With the ability to access a CD drive, I offer a utility that creates such a floppy disk. Unpack the contents of the archive to your disk and run the file boot98se.exe, who will do all the dirty work for you. During the boot process from it, you can select boot items either with or without CD drive support drivers.
A dead flash drive is not detected, the actual capacity of the flash drive
- EzRecover - Recovery utility USB Flash, helps when the flash is detected as a Security Device, is not detected at all or shows 0Mb volume.
- U-Storage Tool 2.9 - To launch Recover Disk, the flash must be identified as a U-storage controller, and for this you need to install the drivers for the flash from the U-Storage kit
- HP Drive Key Boot Utility - allows you to make your flash card bootable. To download from
- USB Flash in the motherboard BIOS must be bookmarked - boot from USB
- F-Recovery for CompactFlash - allows you to recover deleted photos and videos from CompactFlash cards after formatting or recording errors.
- F-Recovery for MemoryStick - allows you to recover deleted photos and videos from CompactFlash cards after formatting or recording errors.
- F-Recovery for miniSD - allows you to recover deleted photos and videos from miniSD cards after formatting or recording errors.
- F-Recovery for MultiMediaCard - allows you to recover deleted photos and videos from MMC cards after formatting or recording errors.
- F-Recovery for SD - allows you to recover deleted photos and videos from SD cards after formatting or recording errors.
- F-Recovery for SmartMedia - allows you to recover deleted photos and videos from SmartMedia cards after formatting or recording errors.
Universal utilities for testing USB Flash
- Flashnul 0.9 - A program that allows you to produce diagnostics and correction software errors Flash drives.
Removable media based on flash memory (such as usb-flash drives, SD, MMC, MS, XD, MD, CompactFlash, etc) due to a number of features (hot-plug connection, exposure to static, moisture, temperature, mechanical influences during transportation, natural wear and tear due to limited number read/write cycles) fail relatively often.
And if simple defects like “not detected”, “writing errors” are detected relatively easily, then diagnosing more complex defects is a very non-trivial task. The flashnul utility was created to solve this problem.
Utilities for Sony. Memory Stick Utility
- Memory Stick Formatter - The utility is designed for formatting Memory Sticks. Helps return original card volume, and also helps in cases where the computer does not recognize the card.
Designed for cards: Memory Stick, MagicGate Memory Stick, Memory Stick Duo, and Memory Stick (with Memory Select Function).Note: Attention! After using the program, all data on the card will not be saved.
- iFormat - For USB 1.1 flash drives on the iCreate i5062 controller. Helps to return real volume fake Sony flash drives
- iFormat - For USB 2.0 flash drives on the iCreate i5122 controller. Helps to return the real volume of fake Sony flash drives
- PortFree Production Program 3.27- with this utility you can see the real size of your flash drive, find out if you have a fake or not, format it to the real size.
Download flash drive formatting utilities: http://www.rdm.kiev....l.php
Programs and utilities for memory cards on different controllers
- .: Universal:. - Universal utilities for work or USB recovery Flash Drive
- .:Transcend:. - Utilities for USB Flash - Transcend
- .: Sony:. - Utilities for Sony memory cards
- .: SMI (Silicon Motion) :. - Utilities for flash recovery on Silicon Motion controllers
- .: Skymedi:. - Service programs and USB utilities Flash on controllers produced by SKYMEDI
- .: Silicon Power:. - Utilities for memory cards from Silicon Power
- .:Seitec:. - Utilities for flash memory from Seitec
- .: SanDisk:. - Utilities for USB Flash - SanDisk
- .: Phison:. - Service programs and utilities for USB Flash Drive on Phison controllers
- .: Panasonic:. - Utilities for USB Flash - Panasonic
- .:OTI:. - Service programs and utilities for USB Flash Drive and card readers on OTI controllers
- .:Netac:. - Utilities for restoring flash memory on a Netac controller
- .: Kingstone:. - Utilities for USB Flash - Kingstone
- .:ITE:. - Service programs and utilities for USB Flash Drive on ITE controllers
- .: IOSELL:. - Utilities for USB Flash - IOSELL
- .: Innostor:. - USB Flash utility programs and utilities on controllers manufactured by Innostor
- .:iCreate:. - Service programs and utilities for USB Flash Drive on iCreate controllers
- .: G6103/GS6103:. - Utilities for G6103/GS6103 controllers
- .: EasyDisk:. - Utilities for USB Flash - EasyDisk
- .: Chipsbank:. - Utilities for flash drives and card readers on Chipsbank controllers.
- .: AX2xx:. - Service programs and utilities for USB Flash Drive on AX2xx controllers
- .:Apacer:. - Utilities for USB Flash - Apacer
- .: Ameco (MXTronics) :. - Utility for flash recovery on AMECO controllers Archive password 1234
- .: Alcor:. - Service programs and utilities for USB Flash Drive on Alcor controllers
- .:A-Data:. - Utilities for USB Flash - A-Data
One of the flashing methods Motherboard BIOS board or laptop is update using USB flash drives . Almost everything modern laptops and motherboards support booting from USB devices. The safest way to flash the I/O firmware is from DOS. Reduces the likelihood of your computer freezing during an update. And the use of a flash drive in this case best option BIOS flashing. Moreover, laptops and new computer models simply no longer have a floppy drive included, which already precludes the use of good old 3.5” floppy disks for these purposes. And the size of today's BIOS has long been larger than the size of a floppy disk.
For example, if you have motherboard Asus, then just copy the BIOS file to a flash drive under a certain name (indicated in the manual for the motherboard), restart the computer and immediately press the key combination Alt+F2. The built-in utility will launch Asus EZ Flash, with which you can easily update the BIOS.
But what if the motherboard or laptop does not have built-in utilities for updating the firmware? To do this, you need to create a bootable USB flash drive and copy the BIOS and the update utility from the manufacturer onto it.
How to create a bootable USB flash drive
To create a flash drive with which you can boot into DOS mode, you need to download the BOOT_USB_utility.ZIP archive (1.79Mb).Inside this archive:
– a utility from Hewlett-Packard for creating a bootable flash drive;
USB DOS– a DOS image with the files necessary to work in it.
Installing HP Windows Format Utility for USB Drive Key or DiskOnKey
To write a BOOT flash drive, you must first install the program. Installation is very simple and will not cause any difficulties. Run the file HPUSBFormatter_2.00.006.exe, wait for the first window and click Next
Agree with License agreement by pressing the button Yes
Specify the folder to install the program, click Next
We are waiting for the installation of the program to complete
After the program is installed, you can begin creating a bootable USB flash drive.
Burning a bootable USB flash drive
Unpack from folder USB DOS to any folder of the DOS image, for example in C:/usbdos/.Launch the utility using the shortcut on Desktop or via button Start
Connect the USB flash drive to the computer and wait for it to be detected operating system. After the flash drive is recognized, in the list Device indicate your USB disk
In chapter Format options check the box using DOS system files located at and click on the button
Point to the folder with DOS files (C:/usbdos/)
After specifying the folder with batch files DOS shell, you can start formatting the flash drive.
Attention! All files from the flash drive will be erased, make copies of them in advance!
Click the button Start
A warning will appear stating that the USB drive will be formatted and all data on it will be lost. If you agree with this, click the button Yes (Yes)
The process of formatting the USB flash drive and creating a bootable area on it will begin.
Wait for it to finish successfully
All that's left is to copy necessary files to the flash drive, reboot and enter the BIOS. You should set the BIOS to boot from USB devices, save the changes and reboot.
If you did everything correctly, then after loading DOS you will see the command line
Here you can already enter the command you need.
The most interesting thing is that HP USB Disk Storage Format Tool can also be successfully used for any USB devices memory. Be it a memory card from a camera, or a regular laptop hard drive in a USB chassis. Therefore it can be used instead regular USB Flash drives, a card reader built into the laptop, if loading from it is supported.
You can copy the bootable USB flash drive to the bootable flash drive created in this way. useful utilities and programs. You can supplement it with a file manager Norton Commander or FAR; you can copy the utility to check random access memory etc.
It's no secret that you can format a USB drive or hard drive using the built-in Windows Tools, - just right-click on the corresponding disk and select context menu"Format" item. But what can this really do? system utility, and what is she capable of? If a bad sector is detected on the disk, the format procedure will not show you any notification about this, leaving the cluster available for writing along with good areas.
So that you have maximum possibilities when formatting, we will tell you what alternative program for low level formatting hard drive and USB devices available in currently is the best in its class on the market and what features are built into it.
Important: Before using any of the specified applications, copy all data from the flash drive or the corresponding logical drive to safe place, since when working with utilities, all information can be destroyed and irretrievably lost.
JetFlash Recovery Tool
A proprietary utility from Transcend. An excellent choice for owners of USB devices from this trademark, as well as devices from ADATA. Using JetFlash Recovery Tool You can not only format flash drives, but also restore data on them. It will be especially useful if your flash drive contains unreadable sectors, it takes a long time for the computer to detect it, or information cannot be written to it. The utility is incredibly easy to use, and even a child can master it. There are only two buttons available on the start screen: to start the recovery procedure and to exit.
The interface is absolutely intuitive and clear. The disadvantages include the lack of a Russian-language interface and support for USB drives of other brands. Not long ago, Transcend recently posted an alternative software product on its official website JetFlash Online Recovery, based on cloud service. We recommend you try it too.
HP Drive Key Boot Utility
Comfortable and functional program for cleaning a flash drive with damaged sectors. Allows you to format flash drives from SanDisk, Transcend and Kingston. Three file systems are supported: FAT32, NTFS and FAT. It is worth noting that using the first of the file systems mentioned, it is possible to wipe a device larger than 32 GB, which, in fact, exceeds the FAT32 threshold. The main advantage of HP Drive Key Boot is its interface. All program options are concentrated in one window, and all operations can be performed without literally leaving it.
It is possible to create bootable flash drives based on the OS distribution using only the included tools. The application is portable, so you can use it on any PC without installation (simply copying the folder from executable file and libraries). The disadvantages of the utility include the lack of HDD/SSD support and the ability to fix system errors. In addition to this, on Windows Vista/7/8.1/10, the presented data formatting program is available to work only in compatibility mode. For modern operating systems, the development company has created an alternative product called HP USB Disk Storage Format Tool. All HP Drive Key Boot functionality has been successfully transferred here.
USB Disk Storage Format Tool
Official page USB Disk Storage Format Tool
Powerful, fully featured and free program for formatting flash drives from any manufacturer, as well as resuscitating them if available broken clusters. There is support for all modern operating systems from Microsoft (Win 8/10). Using the program is incredibly convenient: insert a flash drive, select it in the list of devices at the top, indicate the desired file system and enter the drive label just below. What's especially convenient is that error correction and formatting functions are clearly separated. So, you can scan a USB device for bad or unreadable sectors and fix them, just by checking the appropriate boxes. additional options and clicking the Check Disk button. On separate button The process of clearing a USB drive from its contents has been removed without the possibility of recovery (fast and low-level formatting is available).
Another one distinguishing feature USB Disk Storage Format Tool keeps a detailed log of all operations, which will give you full information about the actions performed by the utility. What’s especially impressive is that you can format any memory card (SD, Compact Flash, SDXC, SDHC, etc.) using the tools built into the application. Among the minor shortcomings are the inability to create bootable disks and the lack of Russian localization, but given the functionality built into the application, these disadvantages are practically leveled out.
HDD Low Level Format Tool
Official page HDD Low Level Format Tool
Basic program for low-level formatting of HDD/SSD and flash media. The design is very unpretentious and simple. To start the format procedure, you should choose what exactly you will work with: a flash drive or a hard drive. After this, by switching between tabs, you can perform a quick (deleting information about the drive in the corresponding partition and clearing the MBR record) or full formatting.
What distinguishes the application from all others is that in the presented software solution There is an option to get SMART, but this is only relevant for screws. By the way, you can work with HDD, SSD and other devices connected via any interface (FIREWIRE, IDE, SAS, SCSI, SATA). You can clear data not only on flash drives, but also on memory cards of any format from MemoryStick to MMC. There is support for the latest OS. In fact, the only limitation software product– this is a limited data processing speed (50 Mb/sec), but essentially, the advantages and functionality of the application more than cover this shortcoming.
MiniTool Partition Wizard Free is the best program for low-level formatting HDD/SSD, and more
Official page MiniTool Partition Wizard Free
Perhaps this is the most expanded and developed project, both in terms of functionality and usability. As for the available functions, their variety and number are simply beyond expectations. In addition to basic transactions with individual HDD partitions and flash (full disk partitioning, checking for errors, setting a label, changing the name letter, converting from one file system to another), there are also unique opportunities inherent only to this product. This includes migrating the installed OS to another HDD/SSD, copying the contents of disks/individual partitions to another drive, a data recovery wizard, and a host of other functions. As with most commercial paid applications, all operations can be performed both through the graphic menu and using visual panel, which carries the lion's share of functionality.
You can work with both single screws and RAID arrays. Among other programs for low-level hard formatting MiniTool Partition Wizard disk stands out high speed work, high-quality design and ongoing support from developers, thanks to which the utility runs without problems in . Excellent candidate for the category must have, both for ordinary users and administrators.
In this collection, we tried to find out which program for low-level formatting a hard drive, as well as removable USB drives, is most relevant on this moment. All products presented are absolutely free and do not require the purchase of a license. We hope that depending on your tasks, you will be able to choose the best product for you as an alternative software, available in Windows by default.