I think we are now getting into the differences between a boot disk
and plain disk.  To be a boot disk, it must have a minimum of
three files: the I/O SYStem, the DOS SYStem, and
the COMMAND interpreter.

If all three of those files are not there, then the PC will not
boot --- UNLESS --- the floppy has a configuration file that tells
the PC to retrieve and activate a file from the hard disk.

You also wouldn't want to use a clean boot disk that has an autoexec
that loads files and/or drivers from the hard disk .... but I've seen
people do weirder things.

As to the write protect, YES by all means use all the insurance you
can get.  I agreed that it is a wise precaution in my first post.

I'm just trying to dispel the myth that a virus can migrate from
the hard drive to a clean boot disk that has been used correctly.

Jim Meagher
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> -----Original Message-----
> From: PCSOFT - Personal Computer software discussion list
> [mailto:[log in to unmask]]On Behalf Of Chris Louth
> Sent: Monday, June 08, 1998 8:36 AM
>
> Not _exactly_ correct.
>
> I have had exactly that happen! Booting an OSR2 system with a known safe
> boot disk, left writable, is not safe. The hard drive is accessed during
> boot to access the MSDOS.SYS (I think). The HD is certainly accessed,
> anyway, and it caused a great deal of headaches before I figured out
> what was happening. Simple answer: Just write-protect the disk!
>
> Jim Meagher wrote:
> >
> > If you are booting from a known clean floppy it is IMPOSSIBLE for any
> > virus on the hard drive to infect the floppy ---- unless ---
> you activate
> > an application on the hard drive.