Intended For Windows XP Windows 2000

The short answer is you can't.

Here's the long answer:

If you attempt to boot off a floppy and then start Windows XP or Windows 2000, you're assuming that these operating systems run on top of DOS like Windows 95, 98, and Me did. This is not the case; Windows XP and Windows 2000 are both based on the Windows NT kernel, which is independent of DOS.

You will not be able to boot off a floppy and then start Windows XP or Windows 2000. Furthermore, you will not be able to boot into DOS using Windows XP or Windows 2000 startup disks, because DOS isn't there. But, it is still possible to do most of the things you might need to do with a floppy:

Windows won't boot; how do I repair the operating system?

You need to boot off the Windows XP/2000 CD. If your computer won't boot off the CD, you'll need to enter your system BIOS setup and make your CD drive a higher boot priority than your hard disk.

 

Then, you'll need to start the Recovery Console. The Recovery Console looks like DOS, but it isn't DOS. You can copy, delete, and rename files, but you won't be able to start any programs. Type HELP at the prompt to see all your options.

 

If that doesn't work, you'll have to reinstall Windows.

 

When I start with a boot disk from Windows 9x/Me, it says there's no hard disk!

That means your hard disk is using the NTFS file system, which is not supported by Windows 9x/Me (and, of course, not supported by these operating systems' boot disks). NTFS is better, but only FAT32 is compatible with Windows 9x/Me. Use the Recovery Console (see above) if you need to affect repairs.

 

But how do I boot to DOS if I can't use a Windows 9x/Me floppy?

That's precisely the point; you can't, so don't even try.

 

If you need to access a DOS program that won't run from within Windows XP/2000, you have a few options:

• Contact the manufacturer of the application/game for an update or other fix to allow you to run the program from within Windows XP/2000. (Hint: try the compatibility mode by right-clicking the DOS program's EXE file and selecting Properties.)
• Create a dual-boot system with Windows XP/2000 on one partition, and Windows 9x/Me on the other. Then, boot to the Windows 9x/Me system to run the DOS program.
• Convert your file system from NTFS to FAT32 using a program like PartitionMagic. Then, you'll be able to access your hard disk from a Windows 9x/Me startup diskette. But this won't let you boot Windows from a floppy.
• Abandon the old DOS program/game.

 

Why would Microsoft make this so difficult?

It's not that they made it difficult, it's that they didn't compromise the stability or security of the operating system by having it run over DOS. That's why Windows XP and Windows 2000 are so much less crash-prone than Windows 9x/Me.

We typically don't defend Microsoft's design practices, but in this case, they finally did it right. DOS is dead. Get over it. :)