Installing after a re-format

[Cirga]

Originally posted by Jim Sharpe
Did the download but the floppy created didn't work. I can see the file on the floppy, w98boot, but cannot open it any further. the other boot disc open to individual files. (24)

Get a blank floppy. Then go to your other Win98 machine. Click on Start > Settings > Control Panel. Open the Add/Remove Icon. At the top click on the tab that says Startup Disk. Then click on Create Disk. Put in a fresh brand new floppy. Then Hit Ok. This will make a boot disk which you need.

To get a Dos prompt you need to start up the computer on that floppy disk. Then when you choose Option 1 (Start computer with CD ROM Support)... it will end up at a dos prompt once it has started.

Then you can follow my instructions in my previous post and just copy the contents of the CD onto your hard drive and install it from there.

If you would like to call me on the telephone I can walk you through it. Up to you Dont want to make it anymore confusing of course... might be easier to explain it on the telephone. Just PM me if you do and I can send you my number.

[LPDad]

Ok, it is obvious that something is not working right.. How about a creative solution??
I do not really know if this work or not, but what the heck, it couldnt hurt.

Take you nice new harddrive an see if you can add it to your working computer. (basically you are going to try to attach it to the slave position on the same IDE cable as your C: drive.)

IF you get this to work, then try to copy the files from the bootup floppy on to the new harddrive.

Put your harddrive back into the nonworking computer and try to start it--JUST MAYBE it will reade the bootup files and allow you to access your CDROM so you can then do the install.
I am probably overlooking something obvious as to why this might not work, but then again..IT MIGHT WORK!!
..And we don't care how we get there..as long as we get results!!

I will try to think up some more creative ways for this to work. Stay tuned.

[Jim Sharpe]

Hello Cirgar, I've created umpteen start disks from Add/remove.
The problem is that the PC says they are invalid.
I've got a couple of old ones which worked once and I still have my original floppy with a selection of ROM drivers which when I loaded it displayed the list from which I selected No 2--- Mitsumi and it loaded WINDOWS.
My Pentium Mainboard manual doesn't have a makers name but calls the board i430FX do you know who made it.
I thought if I cuold find their web site it might help.
I know if I could get as far as producing a DOS prompt I'll have a good chance.
Reloading WINDOWS used to be a doddle on this old machine I've accomplished it several times.

[Jim Sharpe]

Wow Cirgar that's a bit drastic. I'm not sure I'm not sure I'm up to major surgery like that but I'll file that suggestion for if I get really desperate. Keep me in mind though.

[Cirga]

Actually LPDad's idea is good. Not too hard to hook up a second hard drive to your PC.. of course if you have never done it before..it might be a good idea to find some help. If you have any friends who work with computers ask them to come over and help you set it up as a slave hard drive.

What it sounds like is happening is.. its actually not even trying to boot off the floppy disk. If you are getting the "Invalid System Disk" message it almost seems that it might be trying to access the C drive first and since there is no OS on the C drive that could explain it. BUT on the other hand.. you need to check your floppy disk you are attempting to use.

Stick your floppy boot disk into your "other"machine (the one that works) and just try booting up on it. It wont hurt anything to just try it. If it does work then that will at least tell us if the floppy disk is good or bad.

If its not the disk.. then perhaps there is a Bios issue and its not able tob oot off the disk properly. I have never heard of the i430 Motherboard before personally. But there is a BIOS driver update to be found Here. The username is : drivers pass: all.

But pop that boot disk into the other Computer and see if it is able to boot off of it.

[Jim Sharpe]

The board is made by INTEL.
I tried the start disk in my other machine and it seemed to work i.e. I got a read me file with lots of tech talk. I dont know much about it. I'll have to read it up somewhere.

[Cirga]

When you say you used the start up disk.. which one did you use? If you use a floppy 3.5 inch disk then it should just give you a command prompt.. the readme might have been part of the Bootable CD.

If the disk worked on your otehr computer then double check your BIOS setup. It sounds like its trying to boot off hte C: Drive first and tahts why its giving you an Invalid error.

If the BIOS is right.. I am not sure what you can do to get it to boot properly on the floppy. And if that is indeed the case you might have to move the hard drive to your other computer to get anything installed on it.

[LPDad]

Jim, I have been trying to figure this one out, and it just does not make sense--obviously something is not working correctly.
I am assuming that you did get the bootup sequence set to a:-c:
(boots off of your Floppy drive a: first) and that you only have the one floppy drive) AND that you were able to make the bootdisc properly.
If you can put the boot disc into your good computer and boot it up and it boots off of the floppy properly (you end up at the a: prompt) BUT when you do this on your bad computer it does not work then
TRY this: Change the floppy drives. Put the floppy drive from your good computer into the bad computer. Put the boot disc in and then try to boot again. (make sure that when you boot ONLY the light on the floppy drive lights up--not the CDROM light)
If you still do not end up at the a: prompt then there is probably something wrong with your bios.