Working with an old PC, I was confronted with a HD that had no bootable partition. It contained data that I wanted to retrieve, without having to move that HD first into another PC.
My idea was to use a USB key, so I started hunting around for a solution.

I found this interesting info somewhere on the web, and you can run USB2.0 under DOS!

This is how a Boot disk is setup to run USB 2.0 from DOS.

Include in AUTOEXEC.BAT for CD
MSCDEX.EXE /D:cd1 /L:Z


Include in CONFIG.SYS for CD and USB2.0 Driver
DOS = HIGH,UMB
LASTDRIVE = Z
DEVICE = himem.sys /testmem:off ==>>must read: /testmem no space colon no space off <<== silly smilies :blackeye:
DEVICE = USBASPI.SYS /v
DEVICE = DI1000DD.SYS
Rem Use whatever CD Driver works for you
DEVICE = oakcdrom.sys /m:15 /d:cd1

You can get the Panasonic USBASPI.SYS Driver from the following:
http://panasonic.co.jp/pcc/products/drive/other/driver/f2h_usb.exe
Scroll down in the new created F2H directory.

You can get the DI1000DD.SYS "motto hairu" DOS Driver from
http://www.driver.novac.co.jp/driver/hd351u/mhairudos.zip

Do NOT use the usbaspi.sys from mhairudos.zip, it is an older one!

I'm sure a few of you can now make DOS backups onto external harddrives etc.!


Additional info can be found here: http://www.theinquirer.net/?article=10215

If it does NOT work for you, DON'T ask ME!

Excellent, and thanx ! !

patio. :cool:

You could try doing it this way (Disable smilies in text)

/testmem:off


But then you'll have to conted to using text smilies... ;-D


Aside from that, great find!

I ran into a similar problem with a computer that didn't boot. I went to http://ntfs.com/boot-disk.htm and it worked like a charm. I was able to move files to my external iomega USB hard drive.