Unlike Windows95/98/ME, Windows XP does not include anymore any 16-bit code and you can
not boot it to a 16-bit version :
 | The Windows95/98 Shutdown Windows: A typical example of "16-Bit code" is MS-DOS and the "MS-DOS Mode" of Windows95/98. |
Windows XP offers the "Command Prompt" window, which is highly compatible with MS-DOS
and is able to run almost all 16-bit / MS-DOS software, with a very important exception :
- no direct access to the hardware components of the computer.
Example : The setup / diagnostic program "3c5x9cfg.exe" for the 3COM 3C509 network card :
Running in a Command prompt window, it is not able to locate the network card.
To be able to use such programs, you will need to boot your system from a DOS-floppy.
Windows XP has a solution for this problem :
 | Open "My Computer" on your desktop or via the start-up menu, right-click on your Floppy-disk icon and select from the context (popup) menu : " Format " to format a floppy disk |
 | Select to "create an MS-DOS startup disk" |
 | You can boot from such a floppy disk, which contains the MS-DOS version of Windows ME. You are then able to run from this MS-DOS the Network card setup and diagnostic programs. |
Another use for such an MS-DOS boot floppy disk : to create a network boot floppy disk, which can be used for example
to restore disk-images or to install a new system not from CD-ROM, but from setup-files installed on a network server,