Create XP boot disk

Windows XP Setup boot disks are available only by download from Microsoft. The Setup boot disks are available so that you can run Setup on computers that do not support a bootable CD-ROM

Future products will no longer support installation via thesetup boot disks.
MORE INFORMATION
There are six Windows XP Setup boot floppy disks. These disks contain the files and drivers that are required to access the CD-ROM drive and begin the Setup process.
Creating the Setup Disks
When you downloadthe Setup disks, the download contains only one large program file. When you run the downloaded file, it extracts the files. You receive the following prompt:
This program creates the Setup boot disks for Microsoft Windows XP. To create these disks, you need to provide 6 blank, formatted, high-density disks.

Please specify the floppy drive to copy the images to:

Type the drive letter for the floppy disk drive (this is typically drive A). After you type the floppy disk drive letter, yousee the following prompt:
Insert one of these disks into drive drive letter:. This disk will become the Windows XP Setup Boot Disk.

Press any key when you are ready.

When you press a key, the downloaded file starts extracting and copying the files. Continue inserting the blank disks as you are prompted to do so until all six disks are created. If the process is interrupted you must run the downloaded program file again to create all six disks.

Using the Setup Disks
After you create all six disks, insert the first disk in the floppy disk drive, and then restart the computer. Note that the computer must be configured to boot from the floppy disk drive. In some cases, you may need to modify your computer's BIOS settings to do this.

dmiles gave you the correct instructions for the Windows XP startup floppy disk set.

If all you need is a bootable floppy, Open My Computer with a blank floppy in the drive.

Right click on the floppy drive, and select format.
Check the box tocreate a MSDOS boot disk.

Chas

If you need only a boot disk from XP, create a formatted floppy disk and copy boot.ini, ntdetect.com, ntldr.com from your working xp pc and paste them to floppy diskette.

I think that you will find that an xp boot disk is totally worthless. you can't use the cdrom and if you have ntfs -->your just SOL.

What you really need is a 98 boot disk striped of all the cdrom drivers except OAK then go to http://www.uneraser.com/undelete.htm. Nice little program that will access ntfs. and still fit on your floppy.

I have about three different boot disks, all windows 98. 1 a general boot with smartdrv and the new fdisk; for new installs. 2 a general boot with ghost for drive copying and 3 a Network dos boot disk.

The most common mistake is to assume that you can grab format.com from a Millenium install and then go get the attrib command from xp and then go into some system. WRONG--every command has to be from a 98SE OS. DOS will not allow you to mix different os's.

Bootdisk.com is worth a visit, and a great little program for imaging floppy disk using XP is WINISO at www.winiso.com