Creating a boot floppy from UNIX/Linux: Which command writes a raw disk image to a device (e.g., making an installation boot floppy)?

Introduction / Context:
Before USB installers became standard, administrators frequently created boot floppies from UNIX/Linux by writing raw images to floppy devices. The key requirement is a tool that copies bytes exactly as-is to a block device.

Given Data / Assumptions:

• You have a .img (or similar) boot image file.
• You are on UNIX/Linux with device nodes such as /dev/fd0 or /dev/sdX.
• You need a byte-for-byte write, not filesystem-level copy.

Concept / Approach:
The dd utility performs low-level copying and conversion between files and devices. It is ideal for writing boot images to removable media. rawrite is typically a DOS/Windows tool used from that environment, not UNIX.

Step-by-Step Solution:

Verification / Alternative check:
Try booting from the created media; or mount read-only to verify expected contents when applicable.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:
fdisk: Partitioning tool, not image writer. fsck: Filesystem check/repair, not for imaging. rawrite: DOS/Windows utility, not native to UNIX for this task. None of the above: Incorrect because dd is correct.

Common Pitfalls:
Accidentally targeting the wrong device (data loss); forgetting to run as root; omitting sync; using cp instead of dd, which won’t create a proper boot sector image.

Final Answer:
dd