HELP, windows install from scratch

[Juspar Emvan]

Ne machine, NOTHING on it.

Old machine - everything on it, Win 98 disk in hand. Can't even make the new one recognise it's c:.

Please![/] start me off in the right direction.


*grove, grovel, stoop, cringe, bow*

 

[bluntforcemama]

bump

 

[Guest]

It cant see the c: drive? what does it give you when you turn it on? no C:\ prompt?

 

[flawed_ethics]

Don't mind me...

I'm hardly a technical guru. But here's the first thing coming to my mind...

Your old machine is still working right? Open up a DOS Prompt window and type 'bootdisk'. It may ask you to move to the \windows\command directory to do so (it didn't work for me though - I was missing an '\EBD\' directory). If this works, you'll have a disk that'll boot up your computer w/DOS, which is better than nothing for now.

If you can't run bootdisk.bat, try going to Start | Settings | Control_Panel | Add/Remove_Programs. From there, a 'Startup Disk' tab should be available. I don't think it'll do the trick, but that's apparently how to get Windows to make a boot disk (it may try to boot windows though ... still worth a shot I figure).

If the old computer is down, you could try a friend or a library w/Windows. Just have a 1.44" floppy for the A:\ with you.

Otherwise, uh, wait for more advice on here, call the Microsoft Tech line (I think you get two free calls before they charge you), or search elsewhere.

Sorry about your problems...!

 

[Juspar Emvan]

It cant see the c: drive? what does it give you when you turn it on? no C:\ prompt?

With the boot disk, it shows the boot screens, including info on the HDD and CR drive. Then starts in a:. When I type 'c:', it respondes with Invalid Drive Specification.

 

[thumbs2_ca]

I have reformatted hard drives before but it has been awhile. I think the boot disk should have the drivers so that it recognizes your D:\ as that is where you install the windows disk from and it installs it on C. but I am afraid the old memory banks are kind of vague.
Sorry.. i will see if I can find something around here as I always make notes.

 

[Harpoon]

sorry the second one was me too, I am getting in a little deep here, but it sounds like your bios is bad... You should be able to at least see the C: drive...in order to reformat it and install drivers for your other drives I believe... Do you have a bios disk that came with the machine?

I think we are getting to the blind leading the blind stage here...

 

[*bratcat*]

I know a GREAT puter tech that lives out by you...

 

[Juspar Emvan]

Fdisk


Silly me, all problems solved for now. Thanks all.

 

[Harpoon]

don't you need to access C: for that?

 

[Unclebill]

Invalid Drive Specification is usually the response you get trying to access a new HDD that has not been partitioned.

Expecting this is the case, run a program called FDISK.EXE to create the partition(s) desired on the new disk.

Once the partitions are established, the system must be restarted and the computer will then recognize the C: drive. Since it is a new drive and has not been formatted, expect to see a message Invalid Media Type if you try to acess anything on the drive (like using the DIR command).

If this is the case, format the drive.

Once it is formatted, boot up from the Windows Setup (NOT Startup) disk and select the option with CD-ROM support is available (should be on Windows 98 but probably not on Windows 95).

If you created a single partition, when you boot up from the setup disk, your CD-ROM should be the last drive, probably the E: drive. The Windows 98 setup disk will install a virtual drive in RAM and put several programs there in support of the installation process.

The RAM Disk will be the D: drive and your HDD will be C:.

To install Windows 98/Me, log the last drive (E:?) and type SETUP at the command line.

Hope this is some help.

 

[Guru]

 

[thumbs2_ca]

Thanks Uncle bill. I think I will copy that for future reference.

 

[Juspar Emvan]

Thanks Unclebill, that was exactly what I needed. Any suggestions if I don't have the Setup disk? With you up to there.

 

[Harpoon]

The win 98 disk is a cd? It should be your set up disk.

 

[Unclebill]

Not all systems support installation from the CD alone. If the system will not boot froma CD-ROM, the Setup floppy is required to boot the system to a point where the CD-ROM drive can be accessed and the Windows 98 SETUP.EXE program on the CD-ROM executed.

And from a quick check, the files needed for the Setup floppy are NOT on the 98 CD (Windows 2000 has a program and the disk images necessary to create your own Windows 2000 setup disks, but apparently MS will not offer the same convenience for Win 98/Me users).

So if Juspar doesn't know someone with a Setup floppy he can duplicate (DISKCOPY A: A: ), he'll need all the files to build the Setup floppy from scratch. Not a daunting task, but it takes a bit of time and effort.