Please Note: This article describes how to create bootable CD/DVD discs that, when booted from, will automatically perform a restore operation and overwrite existing data, if any, without prompting. Please keep this in mind and handle your restore disc(s) carefully.

Overview

The basis of an automated restore disc is a customized bootable floppy diskette image. The basic steps involved in creating an automated restore disc are as follows (please note that this is just an outline, with detailed instructions to follow):

1. Create a bootable floppy diskette image containing a specialized restore command line for TBIREST.EXE. There are two primary methods to create this bootable floppy diskette image:
   
   
   • Use the TeraByte OS Deployment Tool Suite (TBOSDT) to edit a preexisting copy of CDBOOT.F35*.
     
     
   • Create a bootable floppy diskette and then create an image of that floppy diskette using the freeware utility IMGFLPYD (or another image editor).
     
     
   Both methods are explained below, in the section titled Creating a Bootable Floppy Diskette Image.
   
   
2. Burn the image set to CD/DVD disc(s), using the bootable floppy diskette image as a boot file. This can be done using the freeware utility BINGBURN (or some other burning software -- being sure to use ISO 9660 format). Using BINGBURN is described below, in the section titled Burning the Automated Restore Disc(s).

Creating a Bootable Floppy Diskette Image

Using a Preexisting CDBOOT.F35 Image

1. Make a copy of CDBOOT.F35 (to keep the original intact).
   
   
   • If you are creating images with Image for DOS, the desired copy of CDBOOT.F35 can be found in the Image for DOS archive. If you are a registered user of Image for DOS, be sure to use a registered copy of CDBOOT.F35, rather than a trial copy.
     
     
   • If you are creating images with Image for Windows, you may obtain CDBOOT.F35 either from the Image for DOS archive (as mentioned above) or from the Image for Windows installation directory. If you are a registered user of Image for Windows, be sure that CDBOOT.F35 has been converted from a trial copy to a registered copy before proceeding. If you are a registered user of Image for Windows, CDBOOT.F35 will automatically be updated to a registered copy when either of the following events takes place:
     
     
     • Your Image for Windows registration information is successfully applied, after having been typed/pasted into the Image for Windows registration window.
       
       
     • You run Image for Windows after configuring IMAGEW.INI with valid registration information.
       
       
     • You run Image for Windows at any point after either of the two events above have taken place.
2. Extract the file TBOS.STR from CDBOOT.F35. If you're using TBOSDT in Windows to modify CDBOOT.F35, you may extract TBOS.STR as follows:
   
   
   1. Extract the contents of the TBOSDTS_EN.ZIP or TBOSDTS_PRO_EN.ZIP archive. Extract the contents of the TBOSDT.ZIP or TBOSDT_PRO.ZIP archive. Use Explorer, browse to the final extraction folder, and then open the folder named win that has been created by the archive extraction.
      
      
   2. Double-click on TBOSDTW.EXE to run it and then issue the following commands at the TBOSDT command line:
      
      mount 1: "c:\some folder1\cdboot.f35"
      copy 1:\tbos.str "c:\some folder2"
      
      The commands above will mount CDBOOT.F35 as drive number 1 (in the TBOS environment) and then extract TBOS.STR to "c:\some folder2" on the Windows file system. You will have to supply the applicable path to CDBOOT.F35 (in place of "c:\some folder1"). You can supply whatever path you like in place of "c:\some folder2".
3. Make the changes specified in the section titled Creating the Custom Command Line.
   
   
4. Update CDBOOT.F35 with the new copy of TBOS.STR. If you're using TBOSDT, then at the same command line from Step 2b above, issue the following commands:
   
   copy "c:\some folder2\tbos.str" 1:\
   umount 1:
   exit
   
   The commands above will copy the modified TBOS.STR back into CDBOOT.F35 and then dismount the image and exit TBOSDT. Please note the spelling of the command "umount 1:" (not "unmount 1:").
   
   
5. To create the automated restore disc, proceed to the section titled Burning the Automated Restore Disc(s).

Using a Bootable Floppy Diskette to Create a New Image

1. Create an Image for DOS floppy diskette using MakeDisk.
   
   
2. After the Image for DOS floppy diskette has been created, open the file TBOS.STR, found on the floppy diskette, in a text editor such as Notepad.
   
   
3. Make the changes specified in the section titled Creating the Custom Command Line.
   
   
4. Create an image file from the floppy diskette. This can be done using either the freeware utility IMGFLPYD, or a third-party image editor utility. If you use IMGFLPYD, the command line you need to run will be of the following format:
   
   imgflpyd.exe <floppy drive letter> <image file name>
   
   For example:
   
   imgflpyd.exe a: c:\folder\autorest.f35
   
   
5. To create the automated restore disc, proceed to the section titled Burning the Automated Restore Disc(s).

Creating the Custom Command Line

Open TBOS.STR in a text editor such as Notepad. You will be creating a copy of TBOS.STR that contains a single line. This line will run TBIREST.EXE (which is a restore-only version of Image for DOS) with appropriate command line parameters to carry out an automated restore. A full list of available command line parameters can be found in the Image for DOS User Manual, but here are the required parameters, as well as optional parameters you may want to use for the automated restore disc:

An example command line:

tbirest.exe /r /uy /d:0 /f:"o0:\filename.tbi" /cds

As you can see in the Image for DOS User Manual (because TBIREST.EXE is based on IFD), the parameters used above specify that:

• A restore operation is to be performed [/r]
• An unattended restore will be performed [/uy]
• The target for the restore will be hard drive 0 [/d:0]
• The source image is on a CD/DVD and named filename.tbi [/f:"o0:\filename.tbi"]
• IFD will query all available CD/DVD drives when trying to locate the appropriate source backup [/cds]

Burning the Automated Restore Disc(s)

If you're using BINGBURN:

1. Insert a CD/DVD disc for burning.
   
   
2. Run BINGBURN.
   
   
3. Supply the path to the floppy diskette image in the Boot Image text box (i.e. click the Browse button next to the Boot Image text box, locate the floppy image, and click the Open button).
   
   
4. Set the other BINGBURN options as desired and burn your image set. Note: If an image file is larger than 4 GB you will receive a warning from BINGBURN. It is safe to ignore this warning.

If you're using third-party burn software, rather than BINGBURN, ensure that you burn the disc(s) in ISO 9660 format.

* CDBOOT.F35 is a file consisting of a bootable floppy image.  The use of CDBOOT.F35 is explained in the Image for DOS User's Guide and the Image for Windows User's Guide.