I have the ArcaOS-5.1.1-en.iso file copied to the USB drive. I have tried connecting it to each and every USB port on the front and the back, powering off the computer and powering it back on and ... it never sees the USB drive OR it doesn't recognize the file as an ISO file therefore it is not trying to install the contents of the file. Anything else I might be doing wrong?
Sounds weird. Did you correctly set up the stick? OS/2 can't boot of an USB stick, it actually creates a ram disk, copies itself there and boots of the ram disk.
Your first partition on the stick should be similar to this,
The volume label in drive I is EFIBOOT.
The Volume Serial Number is 1909:0E31.
Directory of I:\
12-28-25 4:45p 16,047 0 a--- config.sys
12-28-25 4:45p 4,592,762 0 a--- boot1.bin
12-28-25 4:45p 12,213,555 0 a--- boot2.bin
12-28-25 4:45p 402,117 0 a--- boot3.bin
3-01-26 5:32p <DIR> 0 ---- efi
5 file(s) 17,224,481 bytes used
55,274,496 bytes free
The efi partition is important along with the boot directory under it and boot containing,
8-28-25 9:58a 107,936 0 a--- bootx64.efi
12-28-25 4:45p 785,521 0 a--- os2ldr.bin
9-01-24 12:18p 13 0 a--- os2ldr.cfg
9-01-24 12:18p 831 0 a--- ANdb.cer
9-01-24 12:18p 1,200 0 a--- ANdb.crt
Your system should try to boot bootx64.efi
Here's part of the deal and I don't think it is a small one.
I have four computers with me right now.
1) A late 2019 27" Apple iMac which is my main computer which is too new for one of the main steps "If you are using a Mac" portion of the instructions so I got stuck there.
2) My circa 2002 iMac with MacOS 10.4 ... I changed my login password sometime between my current computer and that one. So that computer COULD have been good for the Mac instructions but I can't login to it.
3) A year 2000 Compaq Armada 500 laptop. I HAD FreeDOS 1.4 installed on it and then tried to install eComStation on it and now if I need an OS/2 computer I will need to get that up and running first before following the instructions at
https://www.arcanoae.com/wiki/usb/preparing-usb-msd-disks/ .
4) And the HP EliteDesk which has nothing on it.
Anyway, that is where I am. Once I hopefully get eComStation installed on the laptop then maybe I can get the next steps.