Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac.system
Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rpi!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!wuarchive!swbatl!george
From: george@swbatl.sbc.com (George Nincehelser 5-6544)
Subject: Bootable disk magic
Message-ID: <1991Apr30.020448.13560@swbatl.sbc.com>
Organization: Southwestern Bell
Date: Tue, 30 Apr 91 02:04:48 GMT

Simple question:

Suppose I want to make a bootable system floppy.  I know that the proper way
to do this is to use the system installer, but why can't you simply      
drag-copy system files to a floppy and be sure that it will boot?

I've noticed I can do this sometimes, but not others.  Why?

On a related note, the other day I had to do some repair work on my hard 
drive.  I backed up file-by-file to tape, fixed the drive, re-formatted the
drive, then re-loaded the files from tape.  Well, what do you know?  I can't
boot from that volume anymore.  I had to re-install the system to get things
working again.
 
I know that a volume backup and restoral would have worked, but that wasn't
desireable in this case of trouble.

This was System 7, BTW.

So, what kind of magic occurs to make a volume bootable besides haveing the
system files?

Thanks!

-- 
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