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I think there is a piece of application that can be of immense help. it's called cdgod. it has all the cd drivers except SCSI drivers and is bundled with boot disk. there are different versions out there and you can just google to get a download and user instruction manual. that said you should also not that there are other issues that can prevent a system dictating the cd drive and you need to check them out - most prominent are: a. the cd connectors you need to check how the cd drive is connected to the system. you need to determine if it is an I/O connector card, Adaptec(mostly SCSI) or IDE and get specific help. b. check cd drive jumper settings. c. check cd drive itself

Talking of embedded OS, my mind runs to DSL, I have carried this tiny, amazing Os in my USB pen drive for about 3yrs now and get almost the same functionality/satisfaction i'll get if i had taken my home PC along. I can personally say it is the smallest complete embedded/standalone OS i've ever come across. google their website to download and testdrive and see what i mean,