In this article Fu-Manchu documents the process required to make a boot floppy diskette for an Intel 386 computer, containing the root image and binary executable files for the MINIX operating system. Inserting this disk into the floppy disk drive and restarting the computer will cause the system to load the MINIX bootstrap into computer memory. This procedure is part of the MINIX Installation process.

This procedure uses a computer running Microsoft Windows 2000, connected to the Internet and equipped with a 1.44-Mbyte floppy disc drive.

Procedure

To create the boot floppy, complete these steps:

1. 
   On the Microsoft Windows machine connected to the Internet, create a directory or folder at the top level of the C-drive named minix, so that the path to the directory looks like this c:\minix.
   

2. 
   Download the image writing utility from URL http://www.cs.vu.nl/pub/minix/dosutil/fdvol.exe and save
   
   it to the directory created in the previous step.
   

3. 
   Download the ROOT image from URL http://www.cs.vu.nl/cgi-bin/raw/pub/minix/2.0.0/i386/ROOT
   
   and save it to the directory c:\minix.
   

4. 
   Download the USR image from URL http://www.cs.vu.nl/cgi-bin/raw/pub/minix/2.0.0/i386/USR
   
   and save it to the directory c:\minix.
   

5. 
   Open a DOS command window by selecting Start->Run-> then type
   
   cmd, which is the command processor. Press the Enter key to
   
   open the window.
   

6. 
   In the command window, type the command cd c:\minix and press the Enter key
   
   to change directory to the MINIX folder created previously.
   

7. 
   Now type the command dir to display the contents of the directory
   
   c:\minix. Results should look something like this:
   
   C:\minix>dir
   Volume in drive C has no label.
   Volume Serial Number is CCFF-09AC
   
   Directory of C:\minix
   
   12/10/2003 01:40p <DIR> .
   12/10/2003 01:40p <DIR> ..
   11/20/2003 10:26a 10,574 fdvol.exe
   11/20/2003 10:13a 491,520 ROOT
   11/20/2003 10:13a 737,280 USR
   3 File(s) 1,239,374 bytes
   2 Dir(s) 1,007,865,856 bytes free
   
   C:\minix>

8. 
   In the command window, type the command fdvol 1440 A: ROOT USR and
   
   press the Enter key to combine ROOT and USR images onto one floppy. Follow
   
   the instructions provided by the fdvol utility. A blank, formatted
   
   1.44 Mbyte floppy disk is required. Command and results will look similar
   
   to this:
   
   C:\minix>fdvol 1440 A: ROOT USR
   Please insert formatted diskette #1 in drive A, then hit Enter
   Progress is displayed here, followed by 'Done'.

9. 
   Remove the floppy. Affix a label and identify the disc as MINIX /ROOT
   
   /USR installation /fd0c.
   

10. 
    Close the command window by typing exit, followed by a press of the
    
    Enter key.