What is a disk image?
A disk image is a discrete electronic representation of an individual disk. The Disk Images folder in the Floppy Disk Maker folder on your hard disk contains the disk images you need to create installer disks for both your system software and the other software that comes on the hard disk. When you use Floppy Disk Maker, it copies the disk images onto floppy disks. When you are finished making a set of disks with Floppy Disk Maker, you’ll have a set of installer disks and will be able to reinstall the software that comes on your computer.
What you need
Just as you need paper to make copies of important documents, you need floppy disks to make copies of the information on your hard disk. You can probably buy the floppy disks at the same place you bought your computer.
Floppy disks come in a variety of sizes and capacities. The ones you need for backing up your hard disk are called
have two holes...
...and they have this symbol.
Even though these disks have a hard plastic casing, they are called “floppy disks” because the disk inside the casing is floppy.
Before you start making your disks, you’ll need to decide if you want to make a full set or a minimum set of disks. When you make a full set, you’ll make disks for your system software and most of the other software that comes on your computer. When you make a minimum set, you’ll make just the core system software disks. It is best to make a full set, so you’ll have installer disks for your system software and most of the other software that comes on your computer. However, making a full set requires more disks and more time than making a minimum set. At the very least, make a minimum set of disks now. If you choose to make a minimum set, you can make disks for the other software later.
10Chapter 1