Makeing a Flash Drive appear as a CD/DVD drive to a Bios?

[Pattonias]

I have a unique problem in that I would like to test out an operating system on a PC (M1400 Tablet) that has no Hard disk. Before I had the tablet I had assumed I would be able to boot it up using a thumb drive to test out the Linux support for the stylus.

Anyway, the Bios doesn't expressly support booting from a flash drive, but I will support booting from a CD/DVD drive connected through the USB. I am wondering if anyone has had success making a flash drive appear as a CD/DVD drive. Long ago, I make a flash drive appear as a floppy drive in order to flash a bios (huge pain in the rear). I was wondering if anyone has done this and perhaps could point me in the right direction. So far, most people have been coming up with alternative solutions to the similar problem instead staying with the flash drive option.

I don't have an external DVD drive and would prefer to not have to buy one if at all possible. The external drive would be my last resort.

PS. The bios also supports wired LAN booting, but I found very little information about this option that didn't sound like it was way more trouble than it was worth. Perhaps if there was an application I could download that would make this a viable option I would explore it, but at the moment, I still going to explore using a flash drive.

Thank you,

Patt

 

[Pattonias]

Is this one stomping everyone?

 

[phinds]

I don't feel that I have been stomped by it, but I do feel that I have been stumped by it.

 

[Pengwuino]

Ha! I can't really help you but in an amazing coincidence, I saw this article early this morning.

http://technabob.com/blog/2011/08/01/isostick-usb-drive/

Too bad it's not out yet I guess :-/

 

[Pattonias]

I don't feel that I have been stomped by it, but I do feel that I have been stumped by it.

Well, while I still have my computer problem, I guess I can take solace in my English problem being slightly improved.

 

[Pattonias]

Ha! I can't really help you but in an amazing coincidence, I saw this article early this morning.

http://technabob.com/blog/2011/08/01/isostick-usb-drive/

Too bad it's not out yet I guess :-/

This is exactly what I need. If only I was a programmer. I'm sure an inexpensive program to modify a standard USB stick would be well received.

I'm having some success with the LAN booting option, but so far the possibility has been promising although I haven't been able to implement it with much success.

I'll keep reading in the meantime.

 

[256bits]

You can check out the following:
PLoP Boot Manager
http://syslinux.zytor.com/wiki/index.php/No_native_BIOS_support

I have not tried it so I cannot give a recoomindation.


There is also BartPE
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BartPE
which you may find interesting and useful sometime.