# Help!!



## goddessbev

I really need help with my computer (not this one, the laptop)...A virus wiped out the drive, now I can't get it to reload or reboot.


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## ~Candy~

Hi goddess, welcome. We need a bit more info than 'a virus wiped out the drive.' What exactly happens?


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## goddessbev

well, she froze, then would not load


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## ~Candy~

Error messages?

And what operating system, and why do you "think" a virus wiped out the drive????

Have you tried starting in safe mode?


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## goddessbev

win98, and I was reading email when it happened


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## goddessbev

safe mode would not work either, it said I needed to reinstall windows. When I tried to do so, I got nothing.


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## goddessbev

I got a few missing dll warnings then a blank screen


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## ~Candy~

And if you'd be so kind as to share the missing .dll messages.......

Remember we can't see what you are seeing and we aren't mind readers 

All the info you can provide the better


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## goddessbev

well, I need to find them, please give me a moment


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## ~Candy~

> _Originally posted by goddessbev:_
> *it said I needed to reinstall windows. When I tried to do so, I got nothing. *


And 'got nothing' would translate to???????


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## ~Candy~

> _Originally posted by goddessbev:_
> *well, I need to find them, please give me a moment *


No problem, take your time, get them all.........


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## goddessbev

shlwapi.dll, and himem.sys


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## goddessbev

got nothing meaning it tried to load, thengave me the messages, then the screen went blank. At first it had color, now none. The c drive did get reformatted, but then the windows install would not work.


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## ~Candy~

Can you tell us the operating system? And can you go back thru the thread and address my other questions too........

Did you reformat the c: drive?


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## goddessbev

Thank you for your help, by the way...I really appreciate it.


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## goddessbev

Did I miss anything?


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## goddessbev

yes c drive was reformatted


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## ~Candy~

Ok, let's start with the basics, do you have a windows 98 boot disk?

If not, go here and download one, save it to desktop NOT to floppy, double click on the file and follow instructions to create floppy.

http://freepctech.com/pc/002/files010.shtml

When you have that done, post back.


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## goddessbev

ok, thanks...you're great...brb


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## goddessbev

ok, the floppy disk is being programmed


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## goddessbev

done, now what?


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## ~Candy~

Ok, now take that floppy and put it in the problem computer, then turn it on, you should get a menu to start with or without cdrom support. For right now, choose without.


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## goddessbev

ok, puter is starting


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## goddessbev

says diagnostic tools were succcessfully loaded to d


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## ~Candy~

Ok, are we at an a: prompt?

Can you type

c:
and press enter

then type

dir
and press enter

Is there anything listed?


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## goddessbev

command.com is all


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## goddessbev

Is that bad?


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## ~Candy~

No, that's what I expected, since you said the hard drive was formatted. I just wanted to be sure 

Now, can you restart with cdrom support, have your windows installation cd handy. As info scrolls by, watch to be sure the cdrom drive says found, or something equally as happy sounding.


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## goddessbev

well, it does not seem to be reading the cdrom


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## goddessbev

it is an external drive, is this going to be an issue?


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## ~Candy~

Yes, it will be..........Is it USB?


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## goddessbev

no, it has it's own port on the side


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## ~Candy~

Ok, so I take it you can only have the floppy or the cd attached at any one given time?


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## ~Candy~

Name brand computer?


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## goddessbev

no, they each have their own port


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## goddessbev

Toshiba Portege 7020 CT


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## ~Candy~

Do you have a driver floppy disk that came with the system?


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## goddessbev

no disk came with the system. it was a recert from TigerDirect.com


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## goddessbev

I am totally screwed, aren't I?


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## ~Candy~

> _Originally posted by goddessbev:_
> *well, it does not seem to be reading the cdrom *


Can you elaborate on that? Is it not reading the disc? Or did the drive not load?


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## goddessbev

the cdrom is just a paper weight. No response of any kind, no lights, so buzzing, no movement.


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## ~Candy~

Did it ever work?


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## goddessbev

oh yes, I have had this computer for a while now.


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## goddessbev

it does not seem to be reading the drivers...reads drivers not located aborting installation


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## goddessbev

device driver not found mscd001
No valid cdrom devices selected


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## goddessbev

now,an a prompt


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## goddessbev

( this sucks


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## NiteHawk

Mind if I jump in with a few questions?
Is this a laptop or a tower?
Mfg name of the pc?
mfg name of the CD ROM?
Is the CD connected via parallel, serial or USB port?


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## ~Candy~

laptop, toshiba protege 

But, from the sounds of a few posts back NH, it doesn't sound like it's getting power.......

Does the tray even open/close?


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## goddessbev

oak-something cdrom, I think


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## goddessbev

the pc card says PORT


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## goddessbev

tray will not open.
you're right it does not seem to get power


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## NiteHawk

External CD should also have external power.
The basic CD drivers should be on the boot disk and transfered to the C: drive by now. 
The question is, what drivers are needed for the parallel/serial ports to run in DOS. I think that USB is out of the question in DOS.


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## goddessbev

now, the puter seems to be beeping at me...LOUDLY...but that's it


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## goddessbev

well, the only connection from cdrom to puter is a pc card


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## NiteHawk

> _Originally posted by goddessbev:_
> *the pc card says PORT *


pc card? Does the CD interface via a PCMCIA slot/card?

How does the CD connect to the laptop?


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## goddessbev

no other cords available


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## goddessbev

yes, a pcmcia card, no other connection


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## NiteHawk

We're trying to install Win98 SE, right?


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## goddessbev

yes


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## NiteHawk

OK, the Pc you are on now, does it have a CD? What OS is it running?


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## goddessbev

windows ME


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## goddessbev

no cd available, I do have three cd...


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## NiteHawk

Does it have both a working floppy drive and a CD drive?
does it have winzip on it or some other file compression program?


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## goddessbev

yes it does


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## goddessbev

it also has a cdrw


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## ~Candy~

I've been thinking here........NH are there some kind of drivers for the PCMCIA card? Have you taken the card out of the slot and reinserted it?

I don't work on laptops that often, and never have used a cd of that type.


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## goddessbev

one cd is an expansion cd, one is an internet explorer cd, and the other is from an OLD puter, but I don't think it will work


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## goddessbev

not recently


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## goddessbev

should I restart it?


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## goddessbev

(btw...I really appreciate you two helping me)


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## goddessbev

it'sbeeping again and will not stop


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## goddessbev

I had to shut it down to make it stop


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## goddessbev

should I file it in the circular file?


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## NiteHawk

OK, not sure if this will work or not. The .cab files, which you need to install from, are already compressed files and are all around 1.8 meg. Just over the size of a floppy.
The idea is *IF* those .cab files can be squeezed down to the size of a floppy, you could then use a floppy to transfer them over to the laptop one by one. Then unzipped on the laptop.

IF it works, it will be very labor intensive since there are around 56 files that need to be compressed, transfered, and uncompressed on the laptop.

The whole KEY is if the .cab file can be farther compressed.


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## ~Candy~

Can you reinsert the PCMCIA card, then restart it? And when you say beeping, is there a pattern? Does the bottom of the laptop seem very hot?


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## goddessbev

I did reinsert the card. It would beep regularly and consistantly. No heat at all


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## goddessbev

I was reading the donation thing, and my card will not have $ on it until Wed, can I donate then?


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## goddessbev

its a checkcard and I get paid wed


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## goddessbev

could it be, the drivers needed are not on the disk or cd, and need to be located?


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## NiteHawk

No problem, donations are always accepted. 
Mike (the owner of the site) will be very happy since he just finished a two week project of upgrading and adding two new servers to the site. (Mostly out of his own pocket)


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## goddessbev

this puter is a cdw, can we use this to our advantage?


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## goddessbev

great!! I so appreciate all the help you are giving me, and can't imagine not making a donation to help in the continuation of this service. Too bad I am not a millionaire, I'd sponsor. I do have a few connections that could be interested in this service. I will definately see what I can do.


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## NiteHawk

If we know the mfg of the external CD for the laptop, we may be able to go to their site and d/l drivers from there.
Having a working CD would be much better than transferring files one by one.
I've just never worked with a CD that interfaces via a PCMCIA slot. I'm not sure if DOS can recognize and 'talk' to a pc card.


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## goddessbev

where could I find this info?


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## goddessbev

Since the drivers are not being recognized, I am assuming they are not on the start-up disk.


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## NiteHawk

Let's start by trying to find the mfg and model number of the external CD.


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## goddessbev

The help file listed 2 that were not on the startup disk...io.sys, and msdos.sys


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## goddessbev

on the cd drive itself are listed the following:
NW24XCD
MX6MINICD


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## ~Candy~

NH, I'm familiar with how the PCMCIA drivers load during the bootup...usually you hear a little happy couple of beeps acknowledging the card. The drivers load via the config.sys and autoexec.bat files. Goddess, are you sure you don't have any floppy disk that came with that PCMCIA card? It should be almost unheard of if they didn't give you the appropriate software.


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## ~Candy~

http://209.167.114.38/support/Download/Bdisk.htm

Maybe???


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## goddessbev

I got the computer as a recert from TigerDirect, no disks came with it.


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## goddessbev

which file would you suggest?


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## NiteHawk

OK, is the laptop still booted into DOS?
Are you at an A: or C: prompt?


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## ~Candy~

> _Originally posted by NiteHawk:_
> *OK, not sure if this will work or not. The .cab files, which you need to install from, are already compressed files and are all around 1.8 meg. Just over the size of a floppy.
> The idea is IF those .cab files can be squeezed down to the size of a floppy, you could then use a floppy to transfer them over to the laptop one by one. Then unzipped on the laptop.
> 
> IF it works, it will be very labor intensive since there are around 56 files that need to be compressed, transfered, and uncompressed on the laptop.
> 
> The whole KEY is if the .cab file can be farther compressed. *


The floppies would have to be formatted to another standard, I think it's DMF, it can be done, but like you said very tedious.


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## ~Candy~

CNF CardPORT 20x or PORT Noteworthy PCMCIA (NW24XCD)

NH?????


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## goddessbev

boots to an a prompt, but will go to a c


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## goddessbev

how should I trans them, via a?


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## NiteHawk

OK, from a C:\> prompt type the following:
* dir /s /a /p* at the end of the screen hit any key to continue to the next screen.

How any files are there?


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## NiteHawk

> _Originally posted by AcaCandy:_
> *CNF CardPORT 20x or PORT Noteworthy PCMCIA (NW24XCD)
> 
> NH????? *


What is this, Candy?


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## goddessbev

typed dir /s a/p...reads file not found


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## goddessbev

I have d/l a bootport file from suggested location...how do I transfer it?


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## goddessbev

should I just copy to c?


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## goddessbev

it appears that I have bad sectors on c


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## ~Candy~

> _Originally posted by NiteHawk:_
> *What is this, Candy? *


On the link I posted back a ways 

http://209.167.114.38/support/Download/Bdisk.htm


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## NiteHawk

yes. remember where you put it.

dir /s /a /p


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## goddessbev

how do I make it go there?


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## goddessbev

been a while since I programmed


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## goddessbev

sorry, I just got booted, but I am back now, did I miss anything?


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## kilowatt1

Here is a Readme for the file you downloaded. I assume it works for most of the Noteworthy PCMCIA bootport files.


Ooops. Forgot to paste it.


Installation Instructions:
==========================
- To extract, save the file to your disk drive. 
- Open an MS-DOS prompt (Windows 95/98/Me).
- Insert a blank floppy diskette into your floppy drive.
- Type "P3489F98 A:", (without quotes), and press ENTER.
- While holding down the ESC key on the notebook itself, power up the notebook computer.
- In the BIOS, set "USB FDD Emulation" to "Enabled", and "PC Card Controller Mode" to "PCIC or Compatible".
- Save changes and exit.
- Insert the diskette and turn on the machine.


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## goddessbev

ok how/where do I save it?


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## ~Candy~

Now you show up KW..........


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## NiteHawk

Candy, I don't think DFM formatting a floppy is the way to go.

http://www.winimage.com/wimushlp/wini1a1y.htm


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## ~Candy~

Never used it....only heard of it  and it's DMF


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## goddessbev

ok, so what does this mean for me? (bows to your computer lingo, and admits ignorance)


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## kilowatt1

Oh, I've been lurking in the back ground.  Trying to grill and get my game face on for the ballgame.


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## NiteHawk

Kilo, don't know how much of the thread you have read yet, but any ideas??
If we can't get that external CD working in DOS via the PCMCIA port, then we are back to the zip idea. And truefully, I don't know how much more a cab file can be compressed.

Also would have to use something like PKzip over at the DOS end to unzip it.


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## goddessbev

:B wha?


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## NiteHawk

> _Originally posted by AcaCandy:_
> *Never used it....only heard of it  and it's DMF  *


ok, ok...so I typed it backwards....


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## goddessbev

I am still lost.


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## goddessbev

What should I do? I have the bootport file, but do not know what to type to get it to the right place.


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## goddessbev

Or, did we abandon that route?


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## NiteHawk

Did you d/l the file and copy it to a floppy?
You might want to print Kilowatt's instructions on installing it.


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## goddessbev

aaaaaah, ok


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## goddessbev

I typed the p3489f98, and it said bad command or file name


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## kilowatt1

Hello NH,

My thinking is that the boot port floppy once made will hopefully enable the CDRom drive. If not, then it may be a combination of finding the DOS drivers for the CDRom drive and either editing the autoexec and config sys files on the Win98 boot diskor copying the correct drivers to the hard drive. Either way, if Windows is to be loaded using the CDRom drive the PCMCIA/CDRom combination has to work. I agree that I don't believe a cab file can be compreesed enough to accomplish it.


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## goddessbev

ok, I am with you...I am at system setup and have enabled the USB legacy emulation, but found nothing reading PC card controller


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## NiteHawk

The command *P3489F98 A: * is supposed to create a file or files on a clean floppy in the A: drive.


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## goddessbev

I will try it again.


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## goddessbev

still says bad command or file name


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## goddessbev

the bootport file has still not been copied, is that a problem?


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## goddessbev

I don't know how to install it to the disk in the right location


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## NiteHawk

These were Kilo's original instructions.

Notice the space between the 98 and the A also the : after the A

Installation Instructions:
==========================
- To extract, save the file to your disk drive. 
- Open an MS-DOS prompt (Windows 95/98/Me).
- Insert a blank floppy diskette into your floppy drive.
- Type "P3489F98 A:", (without quotes), and press ENTER.
- While holding down the ESC key on the notebook itself, power up the notebook computer.
- In the BIOS, set "USB FDD Emulation" to "Enabled", and "PC Card Controller Mode" to "PCIC or Compatible".
- Save changes and exit.
- Power down
- Insert the diskette and turn on the machine.


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## goddessbev

right, I have those, but where does the file get saved on the disk drive?

- To extract, save the file to your disk drive.


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## goddessbev

or does it matter, just on C?


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## ~Candy~

I could be wrong, but I think you need that file on the c: drive on the problem computer.

Then at the c: prompt, you are typing that.......KW???


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## NiteHawk

Anywhere you want on C: for now. Just remember where.


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## goddessbev

ok, done. attempting the p3489''' again


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## goddessbev

still bad command or file name


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## goddessbev

I was able to get to the setup menu, and was able to do most of what was instructed, except the "PC Card Controller Mode" to "PCIC or Compatible".


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## goddessbev

at c prompt, bootport loaded, but would not copy any files to a drive when I typed p3489f98 a:


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## NiteHawk

> _Originally posted by AcaCandy:_
> *I could be wrong, but I think you need that file on the c: drive on the problem computer.
> 
> Then at the c: prompt, you are typing that.......KW??? *


I thought the file was just being used to extract to a Floppy and didn't matter which pc it was on. si?


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## kilowatt1

That's my impression also. I'm going to DL the file and see if I can get transferred to a floppy.


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## goddessbev

I have the d/l file on a floppy, and have transferred it to the expensive paperweight.  There seems to be no response from the P3489F98 A: prompt


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## goddessbev

waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhh! I am about to go from goddess to baby...


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## NiteHawk

What do paperweights go for these days??


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## goddessbev

it seems that the puter is reding "device driver not found 'mscd001
No valid cdrom device drivers selected


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## goddessbev

oooh, about $300


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## goddessbev

[email protected]%king laptop!


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## goddessbev

so, have you given up on the paperweight?


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## NiteHawk

Not yet!!! Waiting to see what Kilo finds out.


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## goddessbev

ok, cool...just ready to play 'toss the paperweight'


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## NiteHawk

At least you and I are in the same time zone and Kilowatt's in the eastern time some, so we still have some hours to burn.


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## goddessbev

true...how's the weather in the Windy City?


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## NiteHawk

> _Originally posted by goddessbev:_
> *ok, cool...just ready to play 'toss the paperweight' *


Nah, don't to make things worse by maybe dropping it 

There are still ways.


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## NiteHawk

Nice, a little on the cool side. Gave the AC a break. And how is it where you're at?


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## goddessbev

but it would be SO FUN and satisfying...but you're right...more damage, probably not fixable by you all...

oh poo.


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## goddessbev

Lubbock, TX (aka Armpit, America)...cooler than it has been in a while. Also giving the ac the day off. It rained buckets last night, which is unusual, but well needed


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## NiteHawk

pssst, don't look now, but you are about to become a "Senior Member" 

Working on these things "ages you" fast


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## goddessbev

why is that?


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## goddessbev

how did that happen? bcause of the # of posts, right?


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## goddessbev

I am definately more aged since I started, I can feel the gray hair multiplying....oh wait it was already doing that, I think.


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## goddessbev

how does that song go..."much too young to feel this damn old"


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## NiteHawk

Right, at 100 posts you move from "member" to "senior member"

Wondering if Kilo and Candy stepped out on us.


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## goddessbev

me, too...if I get booted again I will be back ASAP


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## NiteHawk

BTW, if you enabled email notification when you registered here, you may want to clean out your email while we are waiting for Kilowatt


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## goddessbev

oh that's funny!!I bet it is quite full by now.


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## kilowatt1

Sorry for the delay. I'm still trying. Just about out of options though.


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## goddessbev

no worries, I have nothing but time


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## NiteHawk

OK Kilo. Take your time. If we can get the CD working in DOS, we are half way home.


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## goddessbev

I am going to make a few phone calls...I will log back on here in about 30 min...I really do appreciate all your help.

Beverly


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## goddessbev

ok I am back


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## ~Candy~

> _Originally posted by NiteHawk:_
> *Right, at 100 posts you move from "member" to "senior member"
> 
> Wondering if Kilo and Candy stepped out on us. *


Wah, I had to go to Walmart, I was out of wine


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## ~Candy~

> _Originally posted by goddessbev:_
> *I was able to get to the setup menu, and was able to do most of what was instructed, except the "PC Card Controller Mode" to "PCIC or Compatible". *


What does this mean....can you describe this a bit more......


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## NiteHawk

Did you get enough wine for all of us, Candy?


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## goddessbev

mmmmmm, wine....
well, when I followed Kilo's instructions on the bootport d/l, I tried the P3489F98 A: prompt, and got nothing. When I went to system setup, I was not able to find anything that said pc card controller mode


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## ~Candy~

Ok, got it, thought I missed something while on the wine mission.....NH, always enough to go around.

So, let me ask this then, the file that you downloaded is actually on the problem computer's c: drive, correct?


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## goddessbev

I still seem to be missing device driver mscd001


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## goddessbev

I have just been informed that the windows disks that I have are probably not the complete install disks


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## NiteHawk

This is not good news!!
What does it say on the face of the CD??


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## goddessbev

one says microsoft internet explorer, one is a 98 upgrade, one is a companion cd


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## goddessbev

I have a master cd from an OLD computer


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## goddessbev

no matter which cd is put in, I still get the mscd001 not found message


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## ~Candy~

Can you try just putting that bootport.exe file on the floppy disk and try to boot the laptop with it?

http://209.167.114.38/my_html/support/Downloads/Category/bdisk.htm

I also found this, and it seems like it should work like a boot disk........KW, NH? Ideas?


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## NiteHawk

Win98 upgrade should be good. Does it say anything about "Second Edition" on it?


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## goddessbev

no second edition...will it work even if the c drive has been reformatted?


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## goddessbev

when I put a cd in the drive, the light comes on, goes off, then sits there, like another paperweight.


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## goddessbev

still missing mscd001


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## NiteHawk

Even Win 98 first edition is better than what you've got now!!


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## goddessbev

hmmm, reboot with the bootport? how?


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## NiteHawk

OK, it would be normal to have a light on the CD when you first put a CD in it.

Have you tried booting from the floppy with bootport.exe on it?


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## goddessbev

no, just put the bootport disk in and reboot?


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## NiteHawk

Power down, put the floppy in, and then power up again.


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## kilowatt1

OK. I think I got it figured out. At least as far as I can go without having the laptop to try it on. Here's what to do.

First make sure that you have downloaded the correct file from the link Candy posted. It should be be the BOOTPORT.EXE (NW24XCD) for Win95, 98. ( Seventh file from the bottom) Save this file to the C: drive.

Now take a blank floppy and insert it in the Floppy Drive. Go to Start/Run. Type in "command" (without the quotes) and click Ok. This will bring up a c:\windows> or a c:\windows\desktop> prompt.

At this prompt type Format A:/S then press enter. When it asks for a volume label just press enter. After a bit it will say something like format complete, system has been transferred. At the format another? screen, type N and press enter. Then type exit and press enter. This will get you back into Windows.

Leaving the floppy in the floppy drive, go to Start/Shutdown/Restart. You will eventually get to an A:\> prompt. At this A:\> prompt, type c: then press enter. At the C:\> prompt, type *BOOTPORT.EXE A:* then press enter.

You will get a screen saying that the diskette in drive A: is about to be overwritten with new information. Do you wish to proceed? Type Y then press enter. After it completes its task you will see 100% written, 32-bit CRC stored: 97115CBD, 32-bit computed: 97155CBD. Then a C:\> prompt. Remove the floppy from the drive and Ctrl-Alt-Delete to reboot the computer.

Now take the floppy and insert it in the laptop and connect the CDRom drive to the laptop.

Power up the laptop. If all goes well, the port and the CDRom will be recognized and you can insert the Win98SE CD and install Windows.

If this doesn't work, make sure that the BIOS is set to Boot to the Floppy drive first. Also while in the BIOS make sure that any option concerning the PCMCIA card o something similar is set to "Enabled or Compatible".

Good luck.

Kilowatt


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## goddessbev

there is a problem...I don't have a start button


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## NiteHawk

Good research, Kilowatt!!!!

Let's all cross our fingers and hope it works!!


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## goddessbev

I cannot get the bootport to boot the puter, just get invalid sys disk


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## goddessbev

I tried to reinstall the bootport onto the c drive, now what?


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## kilowatt1

Thanks NiteHawk.

As it turns out, the BOOTPORT.EXE is nothing more than the CDRom driver (NW24XCD). After I booted with the floppy disk, here's what the last line says:

*"PC-CARD CDROM DRIVER ver. 2.27 ARKOS 94-98*

Of course since I did not have the CDRom for the laptop attached I got this error:

No unit found- driver dumped.

The funny thing is if you leave the floppy in after recieving this error you get the following:

"Do you wish to recover system files?"

I didn't want to press my luck, so of course I said NO!


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## goddessbev

I don't blame you


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## goddessbev

I am still getting a no drivers found, missing mscd001


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## kilowatt1

Were you able to get the files to the floppy as I described?


----------



## NiteHawk

Probably a very wise choice


----------



## goddessbev

not with the p3489f98 a: prompt


----------



## kilowatt1

Please disregard the p3489f98 a: . Go back and start over using the directions I posted for the BOOTPORT.EXE.


----------



## goddessbev

k...lemme find 'em again


----------



## goddessbev

the only problem with that one is I do not have a start button, run command, etc...no windows


----------



## goddessbev

gives me an invalid sys disk, still


----------



## kilowatt1

How did you download the file?


----------



## goddessbev

copied it to floppy from the working puter, then copied to c from floppy


----------



## NiteHawk

You do all of Killowatt's instructions on your working PC first


----------



## goddessbev

oooh, ok


----------



## kilowatt1

On the working computer, follow the directions from post # 194.

In other words you are going to make the floppy disk on the working computer first, then use the disk to boot the laptop.


----------



## NiteHawk

Once the floppy is finished, you take it to the laptop and use it to boot from.


----------



## goddessbev

says invalid perimeter /s


----------



## goddessbev

parameter,sorry


----------



## NiteHawk

Kilowatt, while you were doing the research we estblished that the CD she has is "most likely" a Windows 98 first edition Upgrade CD. So we have a "proof of prior ownership" issue in front of us, when the time comes.


----------



## goddessbev

I do have the book that came with the windows 98 upgrade cd


----------



## kilowatt1

OUCH !!! I don't supoose she has a Win95 or even disk #1 of 3.1.


----------



## NiteHawk

Ok, then either in the book or on the back of the case the CD came in should be a 25 number/letter product key


----------



## kilowatt1

Have we got the CDRom drive recognized yet?


----------



## goddessbev

well, crap...I am going to have to wait until the husband gets home, as I don't seem to be able to find the book. He said he knows where it is...lets hope.


----------



## NiteHawk

We'll worry about that after we see if the CD drivers work.


----------



## goddessbev

no cd recognition...I cannot get the master computer to format the a drive as suggested


----------



## goddessbev

still missing mscd001


----------



## NiteHawk

Getting that floppy created on your working pc is KEY to getting the CD working on the laptop.
Go over the instructions again, step by step...don't rush it.


----------



## kilowatt1

What exactly is happening with formatting the floppy disk?


----------



## goddessbev

format a:/s gives me invalid messages


----------



## goddessbev

from the start...
I bring up the command prompt window and read:
docu~1\owner


----------



## goddessbev

not windows/desktop


----------



## goddessbev

when I try to type format a:/s, I get invalid parameter -/s


----------



## goddessbev

so far nothing is working the way the instructions read


----------



## NiteHawk

Bev, when you get a chance, you need to also enable PM's here. Go into User Panel > Edit Options and about the 7th line down, turn on PM's


----------



## goddessbev

pm's turned on, thanks


----------



## kilowatt1

OK. Put a blank floppy disk or a floppy disk that you no longer use in the floppy drive. Click on "My Computer" on the desktop. Right click the floppy drive. Click on Format. Click on Quick (erase). Then click on the Start tab. After that has completed, click on close, close, and exit out of the program. Leave the floppy disk in the drive then go to Start/Run and type in command. At the prompt type Format A:/S


----------



## goddessbev

still getting invalid parameter -/s


----------



## goddessbev

what does the directory at the command prompt need to read?


----------



## goddessbev

I am reading c:\docume~1\owner


----------



## ~Candy~

Why are we trying to format the floppy to start with???????

Just put a blank floppy in the drive and do the rest........if there are files on the floppy go to windows explorer, select all, and delete!


----------



## goddessbev

ok, confusion settled like a deep fog...
I have the bootport on the paperweight, and on the desktop of the functional puter, now, into which computer do I put the blank?


----------



## kilowatt1

Actually what we are trying to accomplish is to is to make a "blank" floppy boot disk.


----------



## goddessbev

ok, so from where do I pick up?


----------



## kilowatt1

Did you get it formatted?


----------



## NiteHawk

All of the work will be done on your WORKING pc.
Then once the floppy is created, it will THEN be used on the laptop.


----------



## goddessbev

the disk has been formatted, but still gives me an invalid parameter when I do the format a:/s prompt


----------



## ~Candy~

Don't use the /s switch........guys......come on............I don't get it........

and by the way it's format a: space /s


----------



## kilowatt1

What operating system is on the working machine?


----------



## goddessbev

ok, I will try again


----------



## NiteHawk

On the working PC, click on Start > Run
on the line where it says "Open" type in *format A: /s*


----------



## NiteHawk

She has ME on the working box


----------



## goddessbev

still giving invalid switch, or parameter


----------



## goddessbev

ok, I did it from therun command and I got a flash of a window...is that good?


----------



## NiteHawk

That's good!!!
hit enter and continue.


----------



## goddessbev

I got no window saying format complete, just a quick flash of a window, then gone.


----------



## goddessbev

do I restart this puter to do the rest?


----------



## goddessbev

ok, I will be right back...gonna acid test this thing


----------



## NiteHawk

Leaving the floppy in the floppy drive, go to Start/Shutdown/Restart. You will eventually get to an A:\> prompt. At this A:\> prompt, type c: then press enter. At the C:\> prompt, type BOOTPORT.EXE A: then press enter.


----------



## NiteHawk

You will get a screen saying that the diskette in drive A: is about to be overwritten with new information. Do you wish to proceed? Type Y then press enter. After it completes its task you will see 100% written, 32-bit CRC stored: 97115CBD, 32-bit computed: 97155CBD. Then a C:\> prompt. Remove the floppy from the drive and Ctrl-Alt-Delete to reboot the computer.


----------



## kilowatt1

OK. The problem we have now is The DOS limitations of Win ME.

Somehow we have got to get a floppy disk formatted with the /s switch. Without the /s switch the floppy will not boot. Perhaps downloading a Win98 boot disk and altering it will suffice.

NiteHawk and Candy, what do you think?

I'll be back in a few.

The idea is to make a bootable floppy with nothing on it so the BOOTPORT.EXE can be extracted to it in effect creating the bootable floppy disk needed to run the PCMCIA CDRom.


----------



## goddessbev

I kept getting "invalid system disk...remove...yada yada


----------



## goddessbev

also...am running windows XP, not ME sorry


----------



## goddessbev

no disk overwritten...at a loss...I am following your instructions


----------



## NiteHawk

Ok, thought you said ME earlier.
oh well, at any rate, how is it progressing with the floppy?


----------



## goddessbev

no luck...did not try to format as I had hoped, just gave me invalid system disk remove and press any key to cont


----------



## goddessbev

I probably did say ME, (it's all about ME), but I am not working on my computer, and had no clue only assumptions...and you know what they say...assumption is the mother of all f#$k-ups


----------



## ~Candy~

> _Originally posted by kilowatt1:_
> *OK. The problem we have now is The DOS limitations of Win ME.
> 
> Somehow we have got to get a floppy disk formatted with the /s switch. Without the /s switch the floppy will not boot. Perhaps downloading a Win98 boot disk and altering it will suffice.
> 
> NiteHawk and Candy, what do you think?
> 
> I'll be back in a few.
> 
> The idea is to make a bootable floppy with nothing on it so the BOOTPORT.EXE can be extracted to it in effect creating the bootable floppy disk needed to run the PCMCIA CDRom. *


I guess I still don't see the need for the /s as when you make a boot disk download from any of the sites, all you need is a blank floppy disk, when the file is executed, it copies what it needs to the floppy.....maybe I'm just missing something


----------



## goddessbev

I guess I am missing something too, because I cannot get it to work


----------



## NiteHawk

OK, not to worry, we'll get you there.


----------



## goddessbev

...thanks


----------



## NiteHawk

Kilowatt, using and over writting a bootable Win98 disk may just be the way to go.

The DOS limitations of XP are even worse than ME.

Who was the idiot that said DOS is no longer needed???


Next they will tell us that UNIX is no longer needed.


----------



## goddessbev

the only thing I know I don't need is another hold in my head


----------



## ~Candy~

Doesn't XP have a dos boot out (command prompt)? Under accessories?

I have this file on floppy, I'd better go have a look at cause this is starting to confuse me too


----------



## goddessbev

hole sorry...this computer issue is starting to affect MY operating systems, too


----------



## NiteHawk

Must have been that person with the user ID Ten T


----------



## goddessbev

yeah, an idiot...thanks


----------



## goddessbev

there is a msdos prompt, I have it open...what should I do now


----------



## goddessbev

the id10t is still getting the same responses from the process


----------



## NiteHawk

I was referring to the person that said DOS is no longer needed as an idiot, not you.


----------



## goddessbev

oh, I didn't take offense...no worries...just being a smartass


----------



## goddessbev

or maybe a *******


----------



## kilowatt1

OK. Here's the work around. All we need to do is get to an A:\> prompt on the working machine using any boot disk (Win98, ME, etc). Once you get to the A:\> prompt remove the boot floppy and insert a blank formatted floppy disk. You can format it without the /s switch, just be sure it is formatted and blank. Then, while still at the A:\> prompt, type C: and press enter. At the C:\> prompt type BOOTPORT.EXE A: and press enter.

I just tried it and it will work.


----------



## NiteHawk

Hang on, I think what we are going to do is create a NEW Win98 Boot floppy and then "sacrifice" it to make the BOOTPORT disk.


----------



## goddessbev

what ever you think...I have nothing to lose


----------



## kilowatt1

goddess,
Don't you already have a WIN98 boot disk that you downloaded earlier?


----------



## goddessbev

yes, I do


----------



## kilowatt1

Turn off the working machine and insert the Win98 boot disk in the floppy drive then power up the computer. Choose "Start without CDRom Support". At the A:\> prompt remove the Win98 floppy and insert the blank floppy you made earlier (see my last post). Then type C: and press enter. At the C:\> prompt type

BOOTPORT.EXE A: and press enter.


----------



## goddessbev

ok...another acid test...here we go...I will be back w/details...


----------



## goddessbev

well, it would not do anything...kept saying file not found


----------



## goddessbev

oh crap...let me try again...maybe wrong disk...DUH!!


----------



## goddessbev

Ok, no luck...now what?


----------



## kilowatt1

Were you able to get to an A:\> prompt using the Win98 bootdisk?


----------



## goddessbev

yes


----------



## kilowatt1

OK. I have to get some sleep. Go back to post # 194 (I think) and follow the directions step by step, including downloading the BOOTPORT.EXE file. It is very important that you save that file in the root of the C: drive. (Click on the arrow in the save in box, then click on C: then save). Once you have the file downloaded again follow my instructions in post # 286.

This should work. Remember, all of this is to be done on the "working" computer.

Good luck.

Kilowatt


I'll check back first thing in the AM to see how you're doing.


----------



## goddessbev

thanks for all your help... sweet dreams!


----------



## goddessbev

I am gonna try again. I resaved it, I guess I will check back when I am done.


----------



## kilowatt1

Forget about post 194. Just download the file as directed above and follow #286. It will be less confusing that way.


----------



## goddessbev

ok, can do.


----------



## goddessbev

It keeps telling me bad file name yada yada


----------



## NiteHawk

Do you have another computer in the house that runs 98 or ME?


----------



## goddessbev

I have one, but it is in pieces and will take about 30 min to get fixed. What are you thinking?


----------



## goddessbev

should I get started on the putter? (too slow to be a puter)


----------



## NiteHawk

I was just wondering if you would have better results on a non XP computer. I have to admit, I don't know that much about XP so it's more of a guess than anything.


----------



## goddessbev

I understand...you know what I just remembered, though, the floppy doesn't work on that piece of crap, and the other one is running 95 I think, and was used by the original Moses.


----------



## goddessbev

If it isn't one thing, it is another.


----------



## goddessbev

well, NH...should I surrender or die fighting?


----------



## NiteHawk

Lots of road blocks here.
We may want to regroup and pick up on this in the morning


----------



## goddessbev

That sounds like a good idea. I can't thank you all enough for your help. I can't guarantee what time I will be able to check in, but I am going to try and be back fairly early. 
Have a great night!


----------



## NiteHawk

Not sure how early I'll make it, but Kilowatt is an hour ahead of us


----------



## goddessbev

Oh, that's right. Cool. Well, I guess I can either learn patience, or wait for hell to freeze over while the computer fixes itself, right?


----------



## john1

You have another machine that runs 95 ?
Does it have a CD rom unit on it ?
one that works ?

Do you have access to this machine ?


----------



## ~Candy~

KW, NH, I played with that file and couldn't get it to work, but I see that you all say it must be on the c: root directory, which I didn't do....so that may be the problem. After you run that command, how many files are put on the floppy? Would it be easier to email them to goddess? And she can just copy them to a floppy?


----------



## kilowatt1

Hello Candy,

As usual we are thinking along the same lines. There are 6 folders and 9 files in the download. I have zipped a copy of the floppy I made to NH to see if it would work on his computer as it did mine. PM me with an email adress and I'll send you a copy as well to try.

It is a total of about 458 kb in size.


----------



## kilowatt1

It's on it the way.


----------



## NiteHawk

Got your zip file and about to try booting with it. Back in a few


----------



## john1

i take it you are referring to 'bootport.exe' ... ?
well i didnt have it,
i have now, i d/loaded it from http://www.toshiba.ca
its about 590kb

maybe thats not the one you mean,
you say its 458kb.

What is it called ?


----------



## ~Candy~

We're talking about once it's expanded to a floppy disk john. The download .exe file is a different size.


----------



## kilowatt1

Hello John1,

That's the same file and you are correct that it is a 589kb file. The 458kb is the size of the download after it has been executed to make a bootable floppy then zipped to email Candy and NH. The exact size of the zip file is actually 306kb. I don't know where I came up with the 458kb figure.......just going from memory which I know I should not do. 


Take care.

Kilowatt


----------



## NiteHawk

OK, used the BOOTPORT disk and it booted the PC, created a RAM drive on D:, then got the following message:
NO UNIT FOUND
DRIVER DUMPED

Then it went to a black screen and powered down the PC


----------



## NiteHawk

Let's see what kind of results Candy gets.


----------



## kilowatt1

Ok. That's what I get so it should work assuming the PCMCIA card and CDRom for the laptop are in working order.


----------



## ~Candy~

Candy still hasn't received file. Wonder if my server is filtering......hmmm.....try [email protected] I've gotten over 100 of the sobig virus on that one


----------



## NiteHawk

I was just surprised that it shut down and didn't go to a DOS A: prompt. I'll have to look at their error handeling routine


----------



## kilowatt1

NH,

Try the boot disk again and this time just let it sit for a minute or two after the Driver Dumped message. See what you think about the Recovery of Pre-installed Software screen. If you enter Y it will warn you that all user data on hard disk will be deleted!


----------



## kilowatt1

Candy,

I sent the file to the welcome.techguy mailbox. Since your email address has the .mx extension I assume it got held up at the border !!


----------



## ~Candy~

Hope they don't charge me for customs fees 

Got it  Along with 15 more virus emails *sigh*


----------



## NiteHawk

> _Originally posted by kilowatt1:_
> *NH,
> 
> Try the boot disk again and this time just let it sit for a minute or two after the Driver Dumped message. See what you think about the Recovery of Pre-installed Software screen. If you enter Y it will warn you that all user data on hard disk will be deleted! *


Tried it 3 times and let it sit for awhile. I'll try again in a few minutes.

"all user data on hard disk will be deleted!" in her case in not a concern. In MY case....you bet I'm gonna abort out of it!!!


----------



## kilowatt1

Yea, I was tempted to try it (since I was doing it on my wife's machine) to see if indeed it would delete everything. However, I decided I'd better not since I'd be the one who would have to make everything right again. My bet is that it is the format section on the boot disk.


----------



## goddessbev

Well, I didn't make it as early as I wanted to, but here I am. Thanks again for all your effort. What's the new verdict?


----------



## kilowatt1

There you are! We were starting to get worried.

I think we have come up with a solution that might work. First of all we need to know if you have Winzip or something similar on the working computer. I am going to email you a zipped copy of the completed BOOTPORT.EXE floppy so all you'll have to do is extract it directly to a clean floppy disk.


----------



## ~Candy~

*info only here*

My computer shutdown right after it didn't find the cdrom.......so I'm thinking this should work for goddess.......


----------



## goddessbev

I do have winzip. Do you want to email it? If you do, I will PM my email address to whomever wants it, as I really don't want it posted for the whole world to read...Thanks.


----------



## NiteHawk

I got the same results, Candy


----------



## kilowatt1

Yes. Please PM me with your email address.

Candy and NH. All indications are that it should work. One thing is for certain........if it doesn't work no harm will be done.

Shall we go for it?


----------



## NiteHawk

I say go for it!! Nothing to loose, everything to gain.


----------



## goddessbev

I totally agree...It can't be any worse than it is already.


----------



## NiteHawk

Not much you can do to harm a formatted HD


----------



## goddessbev

Tis true...There are some "bad sectors", can I do anything to help with that?


----------



## NiteHawk

We can always run scandisk before attempting to install windows, just to be on the safe side.


----------



## ~Candy~

Don't tell us that now.......we don't wanna hear it


----------



## kilowatt1

OK. The files are on the way along with instructions to get them transferred to the floppy.


----------



## goddessbev

I have run scandisk several times, but it still shows the bad sectors...sorry to keep bringing more poop to the crapfest...


----------



## NiteHawk

Scandisk should remap the bad sectors


----------



## goddessbev

Ok, d/l-ing the file


----------



## goddessbev

disk removed from functioning puter


----------



## kilowatt1

Once the files are tranferred to the floppy disk remove it from the working computer and insert it in the floppy drive of the laptop. Also connect the PCMCIA card and the CDRom drive to the laptop. Now power up the laptop and tell us what happens. Hopefully you will get a screen saying something like "PC-Card CDRom driver version 2.27 Arkos 94-94 and a D:\> prompt.


----------



## goddessbev

OK, here it goes


----------



## goddessbev

I got the message "remove disks or other media. Press any key to restart. ARGH!


----------



## kilowatt1

Is that the only message you get? If so what happens if you remove the floppy disk and press any key?


----------



## goddessbev

I get a c prompt


----------



## kilowatt1

Try typing D: and press enter at the C:\> prompt.


----------



## goddessbev

says invalid drive spec


----------



## NiteHawk

How about if you type E: ?


----------



## kilowatt1

OK. Let's make sure the boot disk was transferred over to the floppy correctly. Insert the floppy disk in the working computer then click on MY computer on the desktop. Right click the floppy drive and select explore. What are the files and folders listed?


----------



## goddessbev

same thing


----------



## NiteHawk

Have you checked to see what files and folders are on the floppy?


----------



## kilowatt1

I wonder if the boot order is set to floppy drive first in the BIOS. Could you double check.


----------



## goddessbev

says bootport.exe2.zip...tried to unzip, but says the same thing


----------



## kilowatt1

In the email I sent, did you double click on the attachment to open it? And did Winzip open when you did?


----------



## goddessbev

yes I double clicked, and I have a different unzip util, but followed the basic steps


----------



## NiteHawk

Double click on the file Kilowatt sent you. That should open up winzip. 
Next highlight ALL files within the winzip window.
Next click on the Extract icon at the top.
When it asks where to extract to...select the A: drive which should have the floppy in it.
All files will then be extracted TO the floppy.


----------



## goddessbev

ok, I will try again...brb


----------



## goddessbev

ok, duh, the 1d10t doesn't know what is wrong with her...maybe brain is collapsing in on itself.I had to tweak with the email account to be able to download a strange file. Silly me. Working on it now.


----------



## goddessbev

Getting a good response...d/l to floppy from working paperweight


----------



## goddessbev

still says remove disks or other media. Press any key to restart


----------



## kilowatt1

Check the floppy as you did earlier. There should be 6 Folders and 9 files on it.


----------



## goddessbev

Trying again...not giving up yet


----------



## goddessbev

ok, I have the disk in the dead weight, I am looking at the directory for a, and I see files, so why won't it boot with it?


----------



## kilowatt1

Is the boot order on the laptop set to the floppy drive first?


----------



## goddessbev

I read 5 files 6 dir


----------



## NiteHawk

Have we checked the boot order in the BIOS for the laptop?


----------



## goddessbev

no, we have not


----------



## NiteHawk

You probably aren't seeing the "hidden" files


----------



## kilowatt1

If you are reading from the A:\>dir then 5 files, 6 directories is correct.


Autoexec.bat
BMP
BOOT
CDCOPY BAT
COMMAND COM
CONFIG SYS
COPYOF~1
DEV
DOS
README TXT
SYS


----------



## goddessbev

ok. well, what should I do?


----------



## NiteHawk

I'm going to be away from the puter for about 20 minutes, but Kilo can walk you thru checking the BIOS and setting up Windows Explorer to view ALL files


----------



## kilowatt1

Do you know how to enter the BIOS setup? If so scroll through the options until you find the one that says boot order or something similar. Change the settings so that floppy drive is first. Save changes and exit.


----------



## goddessbev

if it would be easier to dothis through Yahoo or MSN, just let me know...I have both.


----------



## kilowatt1

No it's better through the forum so more everyone can follow along and offer suggestions.


----------



## goddessbev

am in bios, I now have
FDD+CD-ROM+LAN+HDD is that right?


----------



## kilowatt1

That should do fine. Be sure to save the changes then exit.


----------



## goddessbev

done, when rebooted with disk in a drive, it gave the remove disks response


----------



## kilowatt1

Once you have saved the changes in the BIOS, power off the laptop completely then insert the floppy disk in the floppy drive and turn on the laptop.


----------



## goddessbev

still getting the same response


----------



## kilowatt1

Go back into the BIOS and make sure the boot order stayed to floppy drive first.


----------



## goddessbev

yes it did


----------



## kilowatt1

We need to test the boot floppy as well as the A drive on the laptop. First with the laptop off, insert the Win98 boot disk you downloaded yesterday into the laptop floppy drive and power up to see if it will boot to the startup disk.

Next, put the floppy disk you made from the email I sent into the working computer then restart it. You should boot up to a screen that says the following PC-Card CDrom driver version 2.27 followed by No unit found- Driver dumped. Once you see this screen remove the floppy disk and Ctrl-Alt-Delete to resatrt the computer.


----------



## goddessbev

when does the bootport disk get put in (what should it read)? I have an a prompt now


----------



## kilowatt1

So you booted up the laptop with the Win98 bootdisk and got to an A:\> prompt?


----------



## goddessbev

yes, but when the bootport disk is inserted i get remove disk messages


----------



## kilowatt1

OK. Did you try the BOOTPORT disk in the working machine per # 386?


----------



## goddessbev

no I did not


----------



## kilowatt1

Try that and see if it will boot to the Bootport screen.


----------



## goddessbev

I got the same thing that I got on the laptop...remove disks yada yada


----------



## kilowatt1

Kinda figured that would be the result. We need to back up and start again. Take the bootport floppy and put it in the working computers floppy drive. Click on MY Computer then right clcik on the floppy drive. Choose "Quick erase" to reformat the floppy.

Now go back and transfer the files in the email to the clean floppy.


----------



## goddessbev

Will I need to shutdown the working puter again?


----------



## kilowatt1

No. You can erase the floppy drive without shutting down and restarting. If you happen to have a new blank floppy you can use it instead of erasing the bootport floppy.


----------



## ~Candy~

Guys, can we check the boot disk that she has to be sure command.com got transferred please........if the 98 boot disk gets her to an a: prompt, there is no other logical reason to receive the error message to replace disk..........

I hate to go back over the format floppy disk again..........without at least checking that


----------



## goddessbev

Ok, the disk is ready...Now what?


----------



## kilowatt1

Extract the zip files to the floppy as you did before.

Candy, the laptop nor the "working machine" would not boot up with the Bootport disc she made. There was an error transferring the zip files to begin with and I think it corrupted the disk. She eventually got the files transferred over and all of the all of the files were present including the Command.Com file, however, I believe the incorrect files were still on the floppy and conflicting with the boot process. That is why I wanted to be sure we had a clean floppy to transfer the files to.


----------



## ~Candy~

OK


----------



## goddessbev

files transferred, but even with the hidden files I show only 10 files total.


----------



## kilowatt1

Put the new bootport floppy in the floppy drive of the working computer. Go to My computer, right click on the floppy drive and choose explore. Post back with exactly what's listed.


----------



## ~Candy~

Do you also show directories or just files? When you opened the file in winzip, before you hit extract, how many were there???????


----------



## goddessbev

cdcopy.bat
readme.txt
file: Copy of bmp
file: DOS
bootlog.prv
file: BMP
file: BOOT
file: DEV
file: SYS
BOOTLOG.TXT


----------



## paublo

been following this saga since yesterday.Sorry i have nothing to contribute. Just wanted to say with your dedication to this problem it will be solved. You guys are AWSOME and goodluck to you goddess


----------



## john1

Did you say you have another machine that runs 95 ?
Does it have a CD rom unit on it ?
one that works ?

Do you have access to this machine ?
_
(unless Moses took it with him)
_


----------



## ~Candy~

Thanks paublo, we try.

Goddess, when you do the extract, are you highlighting the files, or are you just choosing to extract all? Try it again, and don't highlight anything, just hit the EXTRACT all button at the top of WINZIP and send to the a: drive. You can do that again without reformatting, it'll just prompt you to overwrite, just say yes to all and continue.


----------



## ~Candy~

> _Originally posted by john1:_
> *Did you say you have another machine that runs 95 ?
> Does it have a CD rom unit on it ?
> one that works ?
> 
> Do you have access to this machine ?
> 
> (unless Moses took it with him)
> *


John, you know this is a laptop, right?


----------



## john1

yes, why ?


----------



## kilowatt1

I agree Candy, something is going wrong during the extraction. Perhaps downloading Winzip as an option? 

Hang in there goddess, we'll eventually get it.............or kill over trying. Might be time to break out the ol Tequila Candy.


----------



## ~Candy~

http://www.winzip.com/

John, I guess I'm just wondering why a cdrom on another machine is going to help us here.......  Maybe we're missing something.......


----------



## NiteHawk

Kilowatt, this is what I got from a dir command. It should be the same.

Volume in drive A has no label
Volume Serial Number is 130B-3723
Directory of A:\

AUTOEXEC BAT 748 08-29-99 9:27a AUTOEXEC.BAT
CDCOPY BAT 2,658 08-29-99 9:31a CDCOPY.BAT
COMMAND COM 93,812 08-25-96 4:11a COMMAND.COM
CONFIG SYS 144 08-29-99 9:28a CONFIG.SYS
README TXT 967 10-08-98 6:41p README.TXT
BMP 08-31-03 11:58a BMP
BOOT 08-31-03 11:59a BOOT
COPYOF~1 08-31-03 12:00p Copy of BMP
DEV 08-31-03 12:00p DEV
DOS 08-31-03 12:00p DOS
SYS 08-31-03 12:00p SYS
5 file(s) 98,329 bytes
6 dir(s) 11,776 bytes free


----------



## NiteHawk

Sorry that when pasting here it doesn't preserve the alignment


----------



## john1

Two possibilities.
The 95 machine would not have the restrictions on DOS.

Also if bev has a laplink cable,
it might be possible to transfer the cabs using it.


----------



## kilowatt1

Yea that's the same thing I'm getting.


----------



## NiteHawk

Sorry. Once again showing hidden files this time:

AUTOEXEC BAT 748 08-29-99 9:27a AUTOEXEC.BAT
BOOTLOG PRV 339 07-28-99 12:51p BOOTLOG.PRV
BOOTLOG TXT 339 07-28-99 2:26p BOOTLOG.TXT
CDCOPY BAT 2,658 08-29-99 9:31a CDCOPY.BAT
COMMAND COM 93,812 08-25-96 4:11a COMMAND.COM
CONFIG SYS 144 08-29-99 9:28a CONFIG.SYS
IO SYS  214,836 08-25-96 4:11a IO.SYS
MSDOS SYS 6 06-30-98 2:09a MSDOS.SYS
README TXT 967 10-08-98 6:41p README.TXT
BMP 08-31-03 11:58a BMP
BOOT 08-31-03 11:59a BOOT
COPYOF~1 08-31-03 12:00p Copy of BMP
DEV 08-31-03 12:00p DEV
DOS 08-31-03 12:00p DOS
SYS 08-31-03 12:00p SYS
9 file(s) 313,849 bytes
6 dir(s) 11,776 bytes free


----------



## ~Candy~

That's what I have NH.


----------



## goddessbev

OK, I did not highlight anything, just did an extract to a:...after which I got the files that you saw there.


----------



## NiteHawk

Even with laplink, you would have to install the s/w on both systems. We can barely get the sys files on the HD as it is.

Hmmm, how do you check the 'write protect tab' on a HD??


----------



## ~Candy~

> _Originally posted by goddessbev:_
> *OK, I did not highlight anything, just did an extract to a:...after which I got the files that you saw there. *


Can you go back to the listing of files as displayed when you unzip them and see if they all appear there?


----------



## kilowatt1

Do you have all the files/folders now?


----------



## john1

true ...

maye a system disk could be made on the 95 ?


----------



## ~Candy~

A system floppy disk????


----------



## john1

i got a headache now, its been a bad day ...


----------



## goddessbev

I think that I have them all. It took a little poking, but it finally surrendered its secrets to me! MOO HOO HA HA!


----------



## kilowatt1

OK. See what happens when you try to boot up the laptop with it.


----------



## goddessbev

Remove disks or other media! ARGGGGGGGHHHHH!!!


----------



## ~Candy~

Is command.com there???????


----------



## goddessbev

from what I can tell


----------



## kilowatt1




----------



## goddessbev

Did you read the readme.txt ? It has details on changing the config and adding my cd driver


----------



## goddessbev

redoing it, and trying again, got the same message


----------



## kilowatt1

Yes I've read that and we might have to do that at some point. However, we are dead in the water until we get the laptop to boot with the Bootport disc.


----------



## goddessbev

well, one of the reasons the cd won't boot is it is not finding mscd001


----------



## Deke40

We need Oscar to see if this a record in the tech field. 430 replies in a little over 29 hours. That is an average of 1 post every 4.1 minutes.


----------



## goddessbev

Wow, a record...that would be funny...and yet, so sad.


----------



## Deke40

I wasn't being flipant about your problem but you guys are amazing and persistant.

Hope you find a fix.


----------



## goddessbev

I totally agree about the amazing and persistant part...thanks buddies!!


----------



## Deke40

I just noticed you had 232 posts in less than a month and all in tech. That is pretty amazing also.


----------



## ~Candy~

> _Originally posted by Deke:_
> *I just noticed you had 232 posts in less than a month and all in tech. That is pretty amazing also. *


Lol, she joined August 30


----------



## NiteHawk

When you check with Oscar, see if he has a solution!!


----------



## goddessbev

Less than a month, heck this is all I have been doing since I started YESTERDAY!! That is pretty amazing, now that I think about it (pretty sad, too)


----------



## ~Candy~

Guys, what do you think about copying the contents of the a: drive (floppy disk) to the hard drive and seeing if we can't get a boot off that????? The autoexec.bat and config.sys files *should* fine what they need, no? Like copying the windows 98 boot floppy to the hard drive?


----------



## NiteHawk

Candy, if Goddess supplies the wine and beer, do you make house calls?


----------



## goddessbev

yeah, I got whine...LOTS of whine....oh wait WINE...yeah I got that too!


----------



## NiteHawk

Come to think of it, I don't remember seeing an instruction to do a *sys c: *


----------



## ~Candy~

She has command.com on the hard drive, remember, she can boot to a c: prompt...........of course that was 400 posts ago, give or take


----------



## NiteHawk

Give or take...... But who's counting?


----------



## NiteHawk

I agree with Candy, let's try copying all the files on A: over to C: and then boot from C: The only thing I don't see on the floppy is an edit file.


----------



## goddessbev

Ok, well how do I do that?


----------



## ~Candy~

Guys, I'm going out for dinner.........hang in there. We'll get thru this successfully


----------



## ~Candy~

NH, she'll need to say yes to overwriting command.com


----------



## goddessbev

May I borrow a cup of optimism, please?


----------



## goddessbev

Enjoy dinner Candy, next time it should be on me!! 

How should I get this copied to c?


----------



## NiteHawk

Boot the laptop w/o the floppy. You should get to a C:\> prompt.
Type
*
A:
copy *.* c:* Answer *Yes* to any files it asks you to overwrite.
(Note the space between *.* and C

then to check, type
*C:
dir /a *

Tell us what you get.


----------



## goddessbev

access denied c:command.com 2 files copied


----------



## NiteHawk

You booted from the C: drive?


----------



## goddessbev

it would not let me copy command.com. but copied 4 files.


----------



## goddessbev

files listed at c:dir /a are as follows:
IO
drvspace
msdos
command
bootlog
text
bootlog.prv
bootport
autoexec
cdcopy
config
readme


----------



## NiteHawk

Try this command:
From the A:\>

*
copy *.* /y c: *


----------



## NiteHawk

copy (space) *.* (space) /y (space) C:


----------



## goddessbev

still would not let me copy command.com
The other files were not on the computer the last time I did a c: dir


----------



## NiteHawk

OK, take the floppy out and boot from the C: drive. Let's see what happens.


----------



## NiteHawk

It doesn't look like we got all the folders over from A: to C:


----------



## goddessbev

"not ready reading drive a:"

Earlier I was told to set the BIOS to allow the a drive to boot first, do I need to redo that? 

If so, if I do, what do I put in which order?


----------



## NiteHawk

If there is NO floppy in the A: drive it will move on to the next in the list. In your case, the CD. Since there is nothing in the CD (I hope), it will move on to the next, which should be the C: drive.


----------



## goddessbev

It does not allow me to do anything. It reads"not ready reading drive a" & then goes to bad command prompt.

will not let it abort, try again, or fail.

What is USB Legacy Emulation?


----------



## goddessbev

Now, even with the startup disk I am getting a bad command or file name messge.


----------



## NiteHawk

This thing is going to fight us every step of the way!! It SHOULD just skip over empty drives and go on until it finds a boot device.

Before we change the BIOS boot order again, try this:
Boot from the Win 98 floppy boot disk.
You should boot up and get to an A:\> prompt.
At that point type in the following command:
*sys C: *
It should give you a message about transferring system files and then a completed message.


----------



## goddessbev

message: system transferred!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


----------



## NiteHawk

Aaah, that's good to hear!! 
Now, remove all floppy diskettes and CD's and then try to power down and reboot from just the C: drive.


----------



## NiteHawk

Leave the CD ROM connected, just NO CD in it!!


----------



## goddessbev

got the same not ready reading drive a: message


----------



## NiteHawk

OK, go back into the BIOS and change the boot order to make the HD first. Then A: and then the CD.


----------



## goddessbev

still saying same message


----------



## NiteHawk

I don't think I've ever seen a PC that wouldn't boot from the C: drive if there was NOTHNG in the A: drive.

If nothing else, your paperweight is unique!!


----------



## kilowatt1

Hey guys and gals. I'm back for a few minutes. I think you almost had it. Why did you ask about the USB Legacy Emulation? Did an error message pop up? I have a gut feeling that there is a setting for this and PC Card Controller somewhere in the BIOS which has to be enabled and/or set correctly.

I have been trying another approach and it seems promising but it is taking longer than I anticipated. Just didn't want you to think I bailed out on you.


----------



## goddessbev

Kilo--We were instructed to enable the USB legacy thingie, earlier, and just was unsure what it is.

The computer is reaponding as if it needs to read from a: 
Cannot seem to get past a: now...

Changing the boot priority made no difference.


----------



## NiteHawk

Thanks for your update Kilo. What's your current line of thinking?


----------



## NiteHawk

Changing the boot sequence made no difference???
Did you Save the settings when you backed out of the BIOS?


----------



## goddessbev

yes, and even tried twice


----------



## kilowatt1

Two things. One go into the BIOS and check every page for those options and two, reformat the hard drive using the /s switch and making just a config.sys and autoexec.bat to hold the CDRom parameters and drivers. That is what I working on now.

Be back in a bit with the steps to see what you think.


----------



## NiteHawk

Im beginning to think that you dont need a computer tech. You need an exorcist!!!


----------



## goddessbev

Oh that's not good to hear.


----------



## NiteHawk

Do as Kilowatt suggests and carefully check the BIOS line by line, page by page. We must be overlooking something basic.


----------



## goddessbev

should I tell you all it says?


----------



## goddessbev

well, I am thinking that I need to have some sort of boot disk, because the drive is basiclly empty, no windows


----------



## NiteHawk

Start the boot process from either A: or C: which ever works, and enter the BIOS


----------



## goddessbev

checked bios, nothing looks unusual


----------



## kilowatt1

See what you think about this.

1) Use the Win98 boot disk to reformat the hard drive using the /s switch to make it bootable.

2) Once format is complete reboot with the Win98 boot disk again choosing "start without CDRom support".

3) Once at the A:\> prompt, remove the Win98 floppy and insert the BOOTPORT floppy.

4) At the A:\> prompt, type *copy arccd.sys c:* (space after y and after s)

5) Remove BOOTPORT disk and reinsert Win98 disk.

6) At the A:\> prompt, type *D:* and press enter.

7) At the D:\> prompt, type *copy mscdex.exe c:* (space after y and e)

8) Type *edit* and press enter. (This will open the DOS text editor)

9) Type *c:\mscdex /d:mscd001* (space after x) (Those are the number zero at the end of mscd)

10) Press Alt-F and select "Save As". Name the file *c:\autoexec.bat*

11) Press Alt-F again and select "New".

12) Type *Device=c:\arccd.sys /d:mscd001* (space after s)

13) Press Alt-F, "Save As". Name the file *c:\config.sys*

14) Turn off the laptop, remove the floppy disk then restart the laptop. It should boot up to a C:\> prompt.

15) At the C:\> prompt, type *D:* and press enter.

Hopefully you will get a D:\> prompt. Insert the Win98SE CD into the CDRom drive and at the D:\> prompt type *setup* then press enter.


----------



## goddessbev

What is the exact propmt to be typed in to format c with the /s switch?


----------



## goddessbev

says insufficient memory when I typed format c: /s


----------



## NiteHawk

Looks good Killo, well thought out!!
Perhaps before we format do an *Fdisk /status* just to check the partition(s)


----------



## kilowatt1

Good idea. You might have to do a format without the /s switch then do a sys c: if she is getting the not enough memory error.


----------



## goddessbev

Disk Drv Mbytes Free Useage
1 6189 8 100%
C 6181 

exact copy


----------



## kilowatt1

Since you said earlier you had some bad sectors, I would suggest doing a complete repartion and format.


----------



## goddessbev

can you walk me through that, as I am not sure exactly what to do to repartition.


----------



## kilowatt1

I hate to run, but I have an early T-Time in the morning so I'll leave it in NiteHawk's capable hands to get you partitioned and formatted. I'' check back once more after I get a shower.

Good luck.

Kilowatt


----------



## goddessbev

Thanks bunches Kilowatt!


----------



## NiteHawk

This may help you to better get thru partitioning and reformatting.

http://members.shaw.ca/pyritechips/JimsGuide.htm


----------



## NiteHawk

This guide is on how to create 2 partitions, but if you only want one large one, you can make the necessary changes to the guide.


----------



## NiteHawk

I think that said you have about a 6 gig HD, so only one partition is fine.


----------



## NiteHawk

These days it's probably a waste to have multiple partitions on anything less than a 10 gig HD.
However, the advantage to 2 partitions is that you create partition, say 2 gig for your OS and a second partition for all your programs and data files. That way if you ever have to format and reinstall Windows, you don't lose everything. The second partition is NOT touched.


----------



## goddessbev

oh now you tell me...I have already started formatting c:


----------



## goddessbev

should I continue, or restart?


----------



## goddessbev

the hubby thihks that we should just keep going


----------



## ~Candy~

Just keep going. You SHOULD BE ABLE TO BOOT TO C: with only command.com on the hard drive....just like you were at point A: quite a few pages ago.


----------



## goddessbev

If we get it to boot to c, I will virtual kiss every one of you!


----------



## NiteHawk

Sorry, was reading over the link I sent you.

I agree, unless you want 2 partitions, there probably isn't a need to Fdisk. Just continue the format.
We can always run *scandisk* to address any bad clusters


----------



## ~Candy~

Kids, I gotta run again, I'm sorry, my cat is trained to go to bed around 9 pm whatever time zone I'm in 

Keep trekin'


----------



## goddessbev

I get an invalid system disk message.


----------



## NiteHawk

Do you have MS Word on your working PC?

I would suggest going back to post #490 and cut and paste those instructions into a Word doc and then printing it out to use as a check list.


----------



## ~Candy~

> _Originally posted by goddessbev:_
> *I get an invalid system disk message. *


You can't, you can't, you can't

Command.com is put on the hard drive when you reformat........BUT, you may need to change your boot order to C: first.........and with that guys, I gotta call it a night.


----------



## goddessbev

ok...we'll try that


----------



## goddessbev

3) Once at the A:\> prompt, remove the Win98 floppy and insert the BOOTPORT floppy.

4) At the A:\> prompt, type copy arccd.sys c: (space after y and after s)

5) Remove BOOTPORT disk and reinsert Win98 disk.

6) At the A:\> prompt, type D: and press enter.

7) At the D:\> prompt, type copy mscdex.exe c: (space after y and e)

neither of these files copies, message says not found


----------



## goddessbev

You can't, you can't, you can't

but I did, I did, I did...

I am gonna give up for the night, too...

Maybe we try again tomorrow?


----------



## NiteHawk

Modify this to read:
4) At the A:\> prompt, type copy arccd.sys c: (space after y and after s)

4) At the A:\> prompt, type * cd dev *
4a) * type copy arccd.sys c: *(space after y and after s)


----------



## NiteHawk

This might be found in
7) At the D:\> prompt, type copy mscdex.exe c: (space after y and e)

*D:\DOS\mscdex.exe *

Not sure if it copys the DOS folder or JUST the files in it to D:


----------



## NiteHawk

Type
*
D:
dir *
see if there is a directory (folder) named DOS there.
IF so, type
*
cd DOS
copy mscdex.exe c: *


----------



## goddessbev

Ok, the arccd.sys copied, but the mscdex did not.


----------



## goddessbev

no dos folder on D


----------



## NiteHawk

Try those last two. Then we can call it a night.
I presume the formatting finished


----------



## goddessbev

Formatting is complete. I have tried to locate what is on D drive, and it says no files are listed.


----------



## goddessbev

I suggest we quit here for now. I appreciate the effort, but I need a shower and sleep...I will check in tomorrow morning.

Ta!


----------



## NiteHawk

OK. "A night, it is" Sleep well, we can pick up on this tomorrow.


----------



## ~Candy~

Copy mscdex.exe from your working computer, put it on a floppy and transfer it that way.

Did someone read the instructions and determine we needed that


----------



## kilowatt1

Good morning everyone. Tee time was pushed back to the hottest portion of the day  so here I am.

From what I can see there was a step missed causing some problems. Earlier goddess said that when she tried to format the hard drive using the "/s" switch she got an insufficient memory error. She proceeded to format using just "format c:". Here lies the problem. In order for the steps I outlined to work, the hard drive has to be bootable. In order to make it bootable after using just the "format c:' command, you have to add an additional step which is typing the "sys c:" command from the A:\> prompt of the Win98 boot disk. In other words, if you just use the "format c:" command, the system files (command.com, IO.sys, msdos.sys, etc) needed to make the hard drive bootable will not be automatically copied to the hard drive and you have to do it manually using the "sys c:" command after the hard drive has been formatted. If this is not done the hard drive will not be bootable because the system files are not installed until later in the Operating System install process.

It is important that we make the hard drive bootable because we are creating basic autoexec.bat and config.sys files, containing the info and DOS drivers needed to make the CDRom drive work, on the hard drive instead of the floppy disk.

In addition, we need to be able to access the "ramdrive" to use the DOS editor to configure the autoexec.bat and config.sys files.

OK. That should be confusing enough.


----------



## ~Candy~

Ok, I'm with you now. Somewhere back a bunch of pages I got the impression that without the startup floppy (98 boot disk) that the computer would go straight to a c: prompt. I thought I had goddess do a dir on the drive, and she saw command.com, of course the other files would be hidden....then again, I think that might have been with the boot floppy........time for another diet coke


----------



## kilowatt1

Yea, I think that was the case after the bootport floppy was copied to the hard drive. That was one reason I suggested reformatting so we could have a clean drive to work with.


----------



## goddessbev

Good morning all, another beautiful day in the neighborhood.

Ok, I have read all the new posts and am, yet again, confused. I am going to copy the mscdex, is there anything else I need to do?


----------



## kilowatt1

Ya'll ain't going to believe this but I think I have just found the answer to all of our prayers. Be back shortly with the details.


----------



## ~Candy~

Oh, oh, Alabama man has an idea


----------



## kilowatt1

OK. I'm in a rush, so Candy please try this and see if it works for you. It will up to a point I'm sure but you don't have the laptop to try it on.

Go HERE and download the file. Once you have the zip file, extract it directly to a clean floppy disk. Leave the disk in your computer and click on the setup.exe file. Follow the instrutions regarding the Win98 boot disk. It worked on my machine.

There is also instructions for installing in DOS in the README TXT.

Got to tee off now.

I'll be back in a few hours or when I lose all my balls. (Golf balls that is  )

Good luck.

Kilowatt


----------



## kilowatt1

I corrected the link.


----------



## ~Candy~

*smack*


----------



## goddessbev

should I just hang tight, or go ahead with kilo's instructions?

Good luck with the balls, kilo...hope you make it home with at least two!!


----------



## ~Candy~

Go ahead and download it too.......we'll be that much further ahead if you can get it expanded to a floppy disk too.

If I disapper, it will be for testing purposes


----------



## goddessbev

I attempted to d/l the file several times, but kept getting the verification page with the numbers over and over again. What should I do??


----------



## ~Candy~

Type the number you see  If you need password and user name, use drivers / all


----------



## ~Candy~

KW, the setup.exe file??? Do you mean Startdsk?


----------



## ~Candy~

I get invalid system disk, it cried about not finding autoexec.bat though when I was doing the boot disk.

Ok, wait, I'm not supposed to boot with it correct, are you still here KW???? We just do a dos install? Right?


----------



## goddessbev

I type the numbers and get them over. I have entered the password and yada yada, but keep getting the numbers page again and again. Basicly the url states that I should open up the webpage, and when I do I get more numbers, when I don't it kills the download.

I am beginning to think that I am cursed.


----------



## ~Candy~

Is anything being typed when you enter the numbers? And secondly, are you hitting the submit button there?


----------



## goddessbev

I enter only the numbers and hit submit. It attempts to start d/l, but within seconds I get a message stating that I should open up the webpage. When I do, I get more numbers.


----------



## NiteHawk

Hi all, just getting up to speed on the latest game plan. I see it's not going well. Any results at your end Candy?


----------



## ~Candy~

Well, I booted with it and got invalid system disk, but I *think* what we need to do is execute the install file from a dos prompt.


----------



## ~Candy~

> _Originally posted by goddessbev:_
> *I enter only the numbers and hit submit. It attempts to start d/l, but within seconds I get a message stating that I should open up the webpage. When I do, I get more numbers. *


What does the message say exactly? And do you have Winzip or are you still playing with that other program?


----------



## goddessbev

I have the other program, the hubby did not want me to d/l winzip. As for what else it means, I have no idea how to explain it other than what was typed.


----------



## ~Candy~

Did you check to see if it in fact downloaded???????

Do a search on your hard drive for:

mcdpc233


----------



## NiteHawk

D/l'ing the file now.
Goddess, I had to wait a long time from the time I typed in their code key and hit submit until it gave me the download screen.
I went and got some coffee and it was at a d/l screen when i got back.


----------



## NiteHawk

OK, this does NOT create a bootable diskette, only an INSTALL floppy. Unless you formatted the floppy to make it bootable before extracting the files to it..

Also the ReadDOS file talks about adding lines to the autoexe.bat and config.sys files. As of yet, there aren't any on the newly formatted HD.


----------



## ~Candy~

The dos install should do that. I have used dos driver disks for older systems, and even without a config and autoexec file, it gets added.


----------



## goddessbev

I did not download. I tried this multiple times before posting back. I just tried again, and I do have it now. I just went to the webpage fresh without going thru here. It took a few minutes, but it is here now. Do I install it to the a drive or just copy te file?


----------



## NiteHawk

OK, lets try booting up on the boot floppy and then using the new d/l floppy.

Goddess, any luck in getting that file downloaded, and unzipped to a floppy?


----------



## goddessbev

almost done, got booted (darn dial-up). I will post back when completely done.


----------



## goddessbev

I have the floppy ready. Do I go ahead and reboot the paperweight?


----------



## ~Candy~

Sorry for the delay, we've got a couple other people we're trying to help at the same time.....  Imagine that 

Boot with the 98 boot disk, once at the a: prompt, change disks.


----------



## goddessbev

I have no desire to keep your wisdom to myself, and will happily wait until you can get back. Besides, it gives me a little surfing time. Take your time and post when you can.

Once I have changed disks, then what?


----------



## NiteHawk

Gee, does that happen, Candy??


----------



## ~Candy~

Lol NH....

Ok, now type 

install
and press enter
anything????


----------



## goddessbev

I HAVE WORDS!!!!!
ACTUAL WORDS APPEARING ON MY SCREEN!! 

Do I just follow the directions?


----------



## NiteHawk

Things are looking up


----------



## ~Candy~

Yes follow instructions and let autoexec.bat and config.sys be modified.


----------



## NiteHawk

BTW Candy, you were right about those O10 entries in the other thread. Those were the result of a hijack from netsonic. LSPfix should clean it up after removing the other stuff.


----------



## goddessbev

The installation cancelled with the following comments:
no socket services line this is ok for arcdrive with parallel port interface bit wrong fir arcdrive with pcmcia interface!
no card services """"
bo arccd.sys line in config.sys
incomplete or aborted installation.


----------



## NiteHawk

Was the pc card in and the CD connected when you ran this?


----------



## ~Candy~

Hold tight, I'm researching and reading........and reading.........and researching..........

Thanks NH.....not too used to those log files yet.


----------



## goddessbev

Yes, everything is connected. Would the bios boot priority have anything to do with it?


----------



## NiteHawk

It shouldn't. But this thing has defied logic before.
You got it booted up OK, the problem was in the install of the driver software.


----------



## ~Candy~

No, I don't think so. I think we just have the wrong files..........I'm working on something now.


----------



## goddessbev

Would an complete install set of Windows XP solve my problem? Just got offered a copy from a friend.


----------



## NiteHawk

Aside from licensing issues, you still wouldnt be able to access the CD to install it.
No joy!!


----------



## goddessbev

Well, poop. All joy ripped away. What kind of software would help? He claims to have a lot of helpful stuff.


----------



## goddessbev

As far as the licensing goes, we get it for free from work, license and all. Several name brand software titles, XP, ME, Norton, Office, etc. We have a campus license agreement.


----------



## ~Candy~

Bev, can you download a dos boot disk from here please......

I'm still working on something and thinking. I may need to call in another person, he used to have a huge presence on this site, but he doesn't anymore, he can usually figure out these toughies pretty easily........but I like to give it a best shot effort first 

http://freepctech.com/pc/002/files010.shtml


----------



## goddessbev

When I d/l the file, what should I do with it?


----------



## ~Candy~

Create a bootable floppy disk, just like you did with the 98 boot disk download..........save it to desktop, double click and follow instructions.


----------



## goddessbev

After the dos boot disk was d/l'd it would quit responding. I re-d/l'd, and got the same thing. Is there another place from which I can get it?


----------



## kilowatt1

Are we having fun yet??   In my rush to lose $20.00 worth of golf balls, I don't think I was very thorough in explaning the download. Could someone bring me up to speed.


----------



## goddessbev

http://www.csd.toshiba.com/cgi-bin/...T|1073769646&ST=1&SortOrder=LT_WEIGHT&awhit=7

While checking out the toshiba web site I found this, is this any help?


----------



## kilowatt1

Hello goddess,

Was you able to get the download from DriversGuide.com? If so, do you still have the zip file on the working computer somewhere?


----------



## goddessbev

My buddy from work is helping with this too now. He is trying something himself. I will let you know how it goes.


----------



## goddessbev

We have C running. Working on getting D running.


----------



## goddessbev

Kilo-to which file are you referring? I am pretty sure I have not erased anything, saved all d/l's just in case.


----------



## goddessbev

It is now requesting Windows startup disk 2... I don't have a disk 2.


----------



## goddessbev

Reads, missing or corrupted oakcdrom


----------



## ~Candy~

KW, we got an error on your file download, apparently that one didn't want anything to do with a PCMCIA card cdrom. My next idea was this, tell me what you think.

http://www.ntfaq.com/Articles/Index.cfm?ArticleID=27583

so sorry you lost all your balls


----------



## ~Candy~

> _Originally posted by goddessbev:_
> *http://www.csd.toshiba.com/cgi-bin/...T|1073769646&ST=1&SortOrder=LT_WEIGHT&awhit=7
> 
> While checking out the toshiba web site I found this, is this any help? *


I *think* that is if you plan on using the recovery cd........but it may work to get cdrom recognition..........


----------



## goddessbev

I am able to network them together while operational, can you tell me how to send info from the computer I am on, to the paperweight


----------



## ~Candy~

I don't think you can network a non-working computer to the other..........there needs to be some sort of software on the non-working computer to be able to 'talk' to the other computer.


----------



## john1

you could consider intersvr which runs in DOS.

However, i dont think it would run on the parallel port,
it may have to be the serial port,
which is slower.

Unless there is a prog out there to use the parallel port
in DOS,
if there is, i would like to know.


----------



## goddessbev

The network connection is through an ethernet/pcmcia connection.


----------



## john1

The intersvr connection would be from serial port to serial port.


----------



## goddessbev

Intersvr???? Wha?


----------



## kilowatt1

Hello Candy,

Well the good news is that even though I lost all my balls, I still have my driver.  

I don't see why the info in the link you posted wouldn't work since everything points to loading the DOS drivers for the CDROM.

I,m not sure what happened with the download I posted this morning. What was supposed to happen was in effect using the "StartDsk" file in the download to modify a Win98 bootdisk with the ARCCD drivers. The first time I tried it it didn't seem to work but I figured out what was wrong. Below is a step by step on what I did which did exactly that. (modify the Win98 bootdisk). See what you think.

1) Extract the zip files to a clean floppy disk then close Winzip.

2) Leave the floppy in the floppy drive.

3) Open My Computer on the desktop and right click on the A: (floppy drive).

4) Double click on the "StartDsk" file.

5) Click on "Next"

6) You will see a screen telling you to insert the Win9x startup disk. Take the floppy out of the floppy drive and put in a Win98 startup disk.

7) Click OK.

After a bit you will get a screen saying that the Windows 9x startup disk has been modified.

Click OK and remove the startup disk.

Use the "Customized" win98 startup disk you just created to boot the laptop with CDRom support.


As I said, I tried this and it does indeed work.


----------



## john1

Its part of the DOS set.
I dont think it will run from the floppy,
i think it has to be put onto the C drive.

It also requires a three wire connection
between the serial ports.


----------



## ~Candy~

I didn't get option 6, or I read it so fast and clicked past it.......


----------



## goddessbev

It does not want to recognize it as the puter I am on is running XP. So now what?


----------



## ~Candy~

Bev did you follow KW's instructions above? I don't have time to run thru the download again, I overwrote it with a dos boot disk (I only have one floppy disk I can find  )


----------



## goddessbev

When I clicked on strtdsk, it gave me a warning reading that this file is for windows9x systems only. I clicked ok, and it cancelled out.


----------



## ~Candy~

Let me see what happens on my XP system...........


----------



## goddessbev

Let me make sure I am doing this with the right file. I am supposed to be doing the mcdpc233 right?


----------



## ~Candy~

Nope, it won't let me do it on an XP system either..........grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr 

KW, do you have time to zip the results and email them to goddess?


----------



## kilowatt1

Yes. That is the right file. When you click on the StratDsk file it stores it in c:\temp until it transferrs it to the Win98 startup disk. I don't know why XP want allow it.


----------



## ~Candy~

Or should we try the msdos boot disk as referred to in the link earlier???? Your call, I probably have to run in a bit........

XP recognizes it as a 98 file..........or disk, or whatever......it won't have it.........trust me here, I don't give up easy 

Actual message after trying it again, is this software is only for Windows 98 operating system.


----------



## john1

Hi,

Bev, do you have a laplink cable?

I checked and Intersvr can use the parallel ports,
i wasn't sure before. (they are much faster than serial)
If you have a 'Laplink' cable you can couple two PCs together
and swop files to and from each using intersvr.

A Laplink cable is a well known accessory, and is not expensive.
This page shows them for less than three dollars.
http://www.cablemax.com/cablemax/lap-link-cables.cfm

Some machines won't transfer from the CD rom, although i have
not had that problem. If the files wont transfer from the CD
then copy them to the hard drive, and transfer them from there.

The host would be the working machine with a CD rom drive,
the client would be the laptop with just DOS on it.

I would guess to transfer the cab files would take 20 mins to
half an hour.

John


----------



## goddessbev

I do not presently own said cable, but I am all too willing to purchase one. However, my free time will not be so ample from Wed to Tues. Where can I get one in town?


----------



## Jedi_Master

Hey folks...

In order to get the strtdsk to run on XP, you will need to right ckick on the StartDsk.exe file - Properties - Compatibility - check " Run this program in compatibiltiy mode for W95...

However I think you will need a bootable W95 floppy to create the disk ( I'm running into some files missing on a blank floppy, going to try it with a bootable W95 floppy )...


----------



## ~Candy~

Ok, that appeared to work, and I did use a 98 startup disk............grrrr....now I have to get me a new one of those  Going to try to boot computer with it now. Thanks JM, where have you been the last 5 pages


----------



## john1

I think bev said she has a 95 machine ...
(moses old one ...)


----------



## Jedi_Master

Hey been around ...

Although I'm going to have to reboot ( something weird happened to my pc and network ) be back in a jiffy....


----------



## goddessbev

I have disks for 98 and XP, now.


----------



## ~Candy~

Ok, that worked for me, of course the PCMCIA cdrom driver couldn't find the cd drive to load, but it appeared to funtion well.


----------



## kilowatt1

goddess,

I have emailed you a zipped complete "customized" Win 98 startup disk with the ARCCD drivers.


----------



## Jedi_Master

Aca was you able to create the disk ?

I did...

Hold tight goddessbev...

Let's wait for Aca's response....


----------



## ~Candy~

Yes, I created it following your instruction to make the 95 change, I also used my 98 boot disk when it asked for it........and the disk appears to function.


----------



## kilowatt1

See. I told you so.   (Well, except for the WinXP part  )


----------



## Jedi_Master

OK...goddessbev...

Try creating the floppy in Compatibility mode, and see what happens...

Or...see if kilowatt1's zipped start up disk will work...


----------



## goddessbev

I used the boot disk on the paperweight and got this response:

The Windows 98 startup disk could not create a temporary drive for the diagnostic tools. This may be because this computer has less than the minimun required extended memory.


----------



## Jedi_Master

???

Which boot disk did you use ?

The W95 or kilowatt1's boot disk ?


----------



## goddessbev

I am redoing my bootdisk to kilowatt1's just to be on the safe side, because I am not sure. Too many floppies!!


----------



## kilowatt1

Since the laptop was booting with a Win98 bootdsik earlier, I don't think it's the boot disk. The ARCCD.SYS file(s) only added about 34kb.

I have a feeling that you may have to clean up the hard drive again since a lot of different files (DOS bootdisks, etc) have been put on it.


----------



## goddessbev

While trying to unzip kilo's boot disk I got an error on batch(?) 74, Line 1. What is that? or What can I do to fix it? Redownload?


----------



## goddessbev

ARRRGH! 
So, I take it I need to reformat the hard drive again?


----------



## goddessbev

It seems to be reading that it is missing files again.


----------



## Jedi_Master

Which files is it missing ?

Also go here Bootdisk ( it's the one I used ) and download the W95 Original disk and create a W95 boot floppy, and try and recreate the PCMCIA boot floppy...


----------



## ~Candy~

JM, it worked fine on the 98 disk too  I'm going to call it a night, so good luck everyone.....


----------



## Jedi_Master

Hey Aca....no doubt that it did, just working on an idea ....


----------



## goddessbev

Ok, the install disks I have now are for 98, and XP. I have the whole programs, not just the upgrades. Which bootdisk do I need.


----------



## Jedi_Master

Well...

IMHO, let's at least try the W95 Boot disk, and see if it will at least load the PCMCIA drivers for the CD-ROM...


----------



## goddessbev

The messages read error in config.sys and oakcdrom. How can that be fixed?


----------



## goddessbev

Also reads the could not create temp drive for diag tools.
Path not found for command.com, extract.exe, readme.txt
Please insert Windows 98 Startup disk 2.

Disk 2?


----------



## goddessbev

Just saw a glimpse of a himem error, also.


----------



## goddessbev

I am going to call it a night. My last day to tinker will be tomorrow. I have to work 12 hr shifts, so I will not have much time to exorcise the paperweight. Maybe we will have more luck tomorrow.

Thanks again, EVERYONE, for your patience, persistance, and dedication. It means a lot to me, and I cannot thank you enough


----------



## ~Candy~

I think you need to run format c: on the hard drive again. You might have to pop into the bios access and have it re-recognized, sounds like it may have 'forgotten' it is there.


----------



## Deke40

312-The record gets extended further and further.


----------



## goddessbev

How's this for odd? It makes no sense to me, but what do you think?
ERROR MESSAGE


CD-ROM device driver for IDE (four channels supported) copyright oaktech. inc.
Driver vers V340
device name Banana

no drives found aborting inst


----------



## ~Candy~

does it keep going, because I got initial error messages too.....does it eventually find your cdrom?


----------



## goddessbev

No cdrom, I got this message after reformatting c...does go to a, and can be changed to c.


----------



## ~Candy~

Can it be changed to d? and e?


----------



## Jedi_Master

Just a thought...


Can you post the contents of the Autoexec.bat, and Config.sys from the floppy...


----------



## goddessbev

I hate to tell you that you are wrong, but....I just rechecked, and...Houston, we have a problem...

It was followed by this:
Device driver not found: 'BANANA'
No valid CDROM device drivers selected.

Is this thing screwed up or what?


----------



## ~Candy~

> _Originally posted by goddessbev:_
> *I hate to tell you that you are wrong, but....I just rechecked, and...Houston, we have a problem...
> 
> It was followed by this:
> Device driver not found: 'BANANA'
> No valid CDROM device drivers selected.
> 
> Is this thing screwed up or what? *


Lol, I did an edit after thinking 

after those messages, where does it end up?


----------



## NiteHawk

Well, I see we are all back at it again 
Trying to catch up, but this 'BANANA' has me confused.
You have successfully reformatted the C: drive?
After formatting, from the *A:\>* prompt, have you done *sys C:*??


----------



## goddessbev

I did format c: /s....is that the same thing?


----------



## goddessbev

It ends up at an a prompt


----------



## ~Candy~

what drives can you change to at that point?

c:
d:
e:
????


----------



## NiteHawk

> _Originally posted by goddessbev:_
> *I did format c: /s....is that the same thing? *


Yes, same thing. We're gonna make a techie out of you yet


----------



## goddessbev

I get only A & C. Are you baffled yet?


----------



## Jedi_Master

Can you post the contents of the Autoexec.bat, and Config.sys from the floppy...


----------



## NiteHawk

> _Originally posted by goddessbev:_
> *I get only A & C. Are you baffled yet? *


Not that we would admit to.


----------



## goddessbev

If you can point me to directions that will walk me through it, I will do so, but I am kinda a novice at posessed computerology.


----------



## Jedi_Master

Right click on Autoexec.bat - Edit - Copy and paste the contents, right click on Config.sys - Open with - choose notepad - Copy and paste the contents...


The reason I'm asking is to make sure that we are looking at the same boot floppy...


----------



## NiteHawk

Put the floppy in your working PC and use Windows Ecplorere to pull up the A: drive. Then find autoexec.bat and config.sys. one at a time, right click on them while holding down the ctrl key. 
You will see an option that says "Open with", click on that and scroll down until you find notepad and open with notepad.

From there, highlight the whole contents of notepad and paste int into your post.


----------



## NiteHawk

For the future:

Here's a tip for NotePad:
From Windows Explorer find Notepad in the \windows directory. Then hold down the ctrl key and drag and drop it into the \Windows\Send To folder. (You can create a shortcut, but Notepad is so small why worry about space.)

Now when you right click on any file you will see the Send To > as one of the options. As you go down to Send To a submenu opens and Notepad is one of the options. Quick safe way to look at any kind of file.

Also if you COPIED Notepad it will be listed alphabetically and not as "Shortcut to
Notepad.exe" which makes it cleaner and quicker to see.


----------



## goddessbev

I checked all the boot files I have d/l'd and none of them had either files. Is that odd or what?


----------



## Jedi_Master

????

They've got to be there, the drivers are loaded via config.sys, and autoexec.bat....

If I remember right you are using XP if so open My Computer - Tools - Folder options - click "Show hidden files and folders", and uncheck "Hide protected operating system files", then see if they show up...


----------



## goddessbev

I can't find them $&$#@$#^


----------



## goddessbev

I have to go to bed. An early morning tomorrow. I will check in as I can. 

Thanks again.


----------



## NiteHawk

OK, we'll put this on hold until you get back online.


----------



## Jedi_Master

I tinnk I left out a step...

My Computer - Tools - Folder options - View tab - click "Show hidden files and folders", and uncheck "Hide protected operating system files" - uncheck "Hide extensions for known file types"...


----------



## ~Candy~

> _Originally posted by NiteHawk:_
> *For the future:
> 
> Here's a tip for NotePad:
> From Windows Explorer find Notepad in the \windows directory. Then hold down the ctrl key and drag and drop it into the \Windows\Send To folder. (You can create a shortcut, but Notepad is so small why worry about space.)
> 
> Now when you right click on any file you will see the Send To > as one of the options. As you go down to Send To a submenu opens and Notepad is one of the options. Quick safe way to look at any kind of file.
> 
> Also if you COPIED Notepad it will be listed alphabetically and not as "Shortcut to
> Notepad.exe" which makes it cleaner and quicker to see. *


And here's one for you NH:

Start, run, notepad, hit ok


----------



## bigdalldaway

hey goddessbev... how are u coming with your problem?


----------



## goddessbev

I am on shift until Tuesday, so I have not had much time to try and exorcise the demons from this paperweight.  However, I do expect to try again Wednesday. Thanks for maintaining interest! 
My husband has been trying to locate the missing files. I will keep you posted as news developes.

Thanks!

Bev


----------



## NiteHawk

Thanks for the update, bev


----------



## Byteman

Hi bev- you need not post back an answer to my thoughts/questions right away- wait if you need to.
Now, I've been reading as you guys worked on this, but have been way too busy to try and help. I have not seen anyplace that you have been asked about this....I have just recently done this on a Dell notebook- the first and most important thing with these is to remove ALL PCMCIA cards and peripherals during the installl......the other thing is the debate over a hibernate or suspend partition. Leaving any cards or devices plugged in/on can and will wreck an install at least with a Dell the support pages say....I wonder if your Toshiba might be same same....?
On a Dell, you can use the system Restore CD to make, delete or remake the suspend partition, or if you dont have the CD (I did not) there is a download for a small app that makes a bootable floppy and makes the small Non-DOS partition for you....the suspend partition on Dells is OPTIONAL- I am not trying to infer that you must have one- but I wonder if it could be required or something on Toshibas?


----------



## NiteHawk

In her case, the CD ROM is an external one and not one that plugs into an option bay. To farther complicate matters, the external CD ROM interfaces to the laptop via a PCMCIA Card. So if she is ever going to get an install done, it's going to have to be from the C ROM and thru the PCMCIA card.

Ain't life grand??


----------



## buddhafabio

the post count was six hundred and sixty six i just was getting rid of it


----------



## john1

i still feel that a laplink is a practical answer
using interlnk to transfer the cabs.


----------



## goddessbev

Well, we have done a bit of research on the banana issue, and it appears to be a fairly universal cdrom issue. I am not sure just how that can be fixed on th e paperweight, but just thought I would let you know. 

Does anyone else agree with the laplink response? It sounds good, not knocking it, or questioning it's validity. I have no issue with trying that, am just CLUELESS as how to do so. I also need to know where to purchase one locally. Radio Shack? Circuit City? 

I also discovered, during a bored moment, that I have a b drive. B??? I don't get it.

Ta for now...
B


----------



## NiteHawk

> _Originally posted by buddhafabio:_
> *the post count was six hundred and sixty six i just was getting rid of it *


Not to fear, buddhafabio, I put in a call for an exorcist way back at post # 483


----------



## NiteHawk

Bev, do you know anyone that has a laptop (any brand) that has BOTH a floppy drive and a CD in it's option bays??


----------



## goddessbev

The exorcist called and said that he would not come near the deamons that defouled the cursed beast!!


----------



## Byteman

Hi NH---Exactly so! But, the install might not work- even if the CD install could run- at least for my used Dell Latitude, I found posted at the Dell site that trying it with ANY PC cards or other peripherals present would result in problems... I have no Toshiba experience, so I can't tell if this is a problem with that make.
If there is no internal bay type CD drive I cant see how you can install from CD. I am not really experienced with laptops, but the PC cards I have used only run with drivers installed and not without an OS present. The DOS drivers for the specific make and model of external CD drive they have might work like in tower systems....not sure if they even can from PC cardbus slots...doesnt sound like they can- how about it laptop fans? do PC card slots operate in DOS?


----------



## goddessbev

Just me.


----------



## goddessbev

sorry, the floppy isn't on the options bay. It is just attached through a dedicated port.


----------



## john1

The A and B drives are for floppies.
Most PCs dont actually have a B drive, unless its been re-allocated to something else.
C drive is usually the hard drive,
D drive is usually the CD unit.


----------



## Jedi_Master

Bev...

Can you remove the PCMCIA card and post what the card is, ie: make model ect:...


----------



## goddessbev

On the top of the card it reads "Port"
The bottom reads:
NW24XCD / 00014684

FCC ID: MX6MINICD


----------



## goddessbev

When the paperweight was functional, the cd drive was e: 
When I did a dir on the b drive I got a LOT of files listed. More than 30 that were not on c...

It just keeps getting better!


----------



## goddessbev

I have it all figured out...the computer is confused!! Now, how to unconfuse it...


----------



## john1

Using Interlnk would involve getting a laplink cable to go
between the two parallel ports, and running intersvr on
the other machine.
Sometimes the CD rom is not recognised as a drive, this
has not happened to me, if it does, copy the files to HD and
transfer them from there.
One PC is the 'client', the other is the 'Host'.


----------



## Jedi_Master

What files were listed on the B: ?


----------



## goddessbev

Thanks john, but that still is too big for me to grasp. How do I program the paperweight to be the client? How do I run intersvr?
How do I get doughnuts delivered?


----------



## NiteHawk

You got files on a B drive??????
On a laptop???

*Now I can see why the exorcist called and said that he would not come near the deamons that defouled the cursed beast!!!*


----------



## john1

possibly a partition


----------



## goddessbev

There are about 33 files. They look like system files. I copied them to c, but the banana issue was not resolved.


----------



## Jedi_Master

Again...I ask what files are showing on the B: ?


----------



## Byteman

Hibernate or suspend partition, usually non-DOS, very small based on RAM plus a few megs= size of partiton at head of drive. 
On a Latitude that is...


----------



## goddessbev

A note of the b drive issue, the last person to tweak with the drives was a programmer from back in the day where laptops were something on which you set, not on which one "surfs the 'net." Could this be reason for the mysterious b drive?


----------



## john1

you seem quite sure,
but what else could it be?
i thought it must be a partition.


----------



## goddessbev

5 1/4? Didn't those go out with bellbottoms?  No, it is just a 3 1/2" only.

My hubby informs me that I am a *******. Apparently the b drive is a 2nd floppy drive, or at leat it is reading the a drive as b.

Any help?


----------



## Jedi_Master

Once more I ask what files are listed on the B: ?


----------



## ~Candy~

> _Originally posted by goddessbev:_
> *5 1/4? Didn't those go out with bellbottoms?  No, it is just a 3 1/2" only.
> 
> My hubby informs me that I am a *******. Apparently the b drive is a 2nd floppy drive, or at leat it is reading the a drive as b.
> 
> Any help? *


Sorry, I deleted my post, I'm working on two threads equally as long and confusing and thought I was posting to that one


----------



## goddessbev

john, not ignoring your b info request, just SLOWLY compiling it.


----------



## john1

Bev,

well, you asked ... you can read a bit about it here:

http://users.cybercity.dk/~bse26236/batutil/help/INTERLNS.HTM

its not as hard as it sounds.
it runs in DOS.

John


----------



## goddessbev

Here are all 31 files...which were actually being pulled from a floppy.

attrib.exe
cd1.sys
cd2,sys
cd3.sys
cd4.sys
chdsk.exe
deltree.exe
display.sys
edit.com
edit.help
extract.exe
fdisk.exe
find.exe
format.com
himem.sys
iextract.exe
label.exe
mem.exe
move.exe
macdex.exe
scandisk.exe
scandisk.ini
scanreg.exe
smartdrv.exe
sys.com
xcopy32.mod
xcopy32.exe
xcopy.exe
command.com
config.sys
autoexec.bat


----------



## Jedi_Master

Hmmm...

With the cd in the CDrom drive does the A:\ show any files ?


----------



## goddessbev

The cdrom could be dancing a waltz and the paperweight wouldn't notice.


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## goddessbev

My hunny located this site

http://ezreload.netfirms.com/

Do you know of it? If so what have you heard? If not, what do you think?


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## goddessbev

Hey everyone!!! I have been promoted...I am a Senior Member!!
I can't imagine why?!


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## ~Candy~

These drivers work with over 95 percent of the IDE internal CDROM drives....

minor problem here


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## goddessbev

The webmaster said that if it doesn't work that he would make a custom with the correct drivers for ea. system.


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## NiteHawk

OK, heres my current line of thinking.

First we find someone that has a laptop that has BOTH a floppy and CD drive at the same time. Well call this laptop A

Second, we remove the HD from laptop A

Third, we remove the HD from Bevs laptop. Laptop B

Forth, we install the HD from B into A

Fifth, using a boot floppy, format (and if necessary Fdisk) the HD

Sixth, install Win98 SE normally from the CD.

Seventh, return the HDs to their proper laptops.

Eighth, place the entails of a goat on the keyboard at moonrise.

Ninth, pray

Tenth, boot up and test.

Eleventh, update all necessary drivers for the laptop B


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## ~Candy~




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## goddessbev

I don't know of anyone with a laptop.


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## goddessbev

I hate to bug and bail, but I have an early morning tomorrow.
I will check in again as soon as possible. Go ahead and post if you have any suggestions, my hunny checks in on the progress, too. One of us should be able to spend at least a few minutes trying your responses. What ever you all want is cool.

Thanks again, all!
Bev


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## ~Candy~

Does anyone have that download link dos62.exe handy from a few pages back? I'd like to play with a custom boot floppy.....probably can't finish it tonight, but I've got some ideas.


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## NiteHawk

I still have the original DOS 6.0, 6.2 and 6.22 floppies, what do you need?


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## ~Candy~

Not sure, I thought back a ways we downloaded something different? Was it just a dos 6.2 boot disk that was then configured with arccd.sys? Or was that a dream


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## john1

you aren't getting delusional ??


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## john1

Hi goddessbev,

Anything to report ?


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## goddessbev

Sorry, but no. I have been busy moving into my new house, so the paperweight has been of little concern. I hope to work on it more in the next few days. Thanks for the continued interest.

B


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## ~Candy~

When you get back to the project, you might keep an eye on this thread....looks like we are getting somewhere 

http://forums.techguy.org/showthread.php?s=&threadid=163641


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## goddessbev

Thanks Candy! That does look promising. As of yet, I am waiting for my home phone to be connected. There seems to be an issue wth the inside wiring that is holding us up. Once that is fixed, I will be back and ready to beat this paperweight into submission!
Thanks again for all the help!!

Bev


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## feathers2069

This is not the reply to that:
i need help on the pxe-m04 file


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## feathers2069

I downloaded a AVG virus protection and I put it on my other computer for days it was working and then now when I turn it on it gives me a error PXE-M04 initizing network device using interrupt 18h....
also is there a way i can look into the registery for this?
I can not boot up in windows but i can get to a c: 
..thanks


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## ~Candy~

Hi feathers, let's try once again , you need to hit the NEW THREAD button and create your own thread, probably best to do that under HARDWARE here:

http://forums.techguy.org/f19/s


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## feathers2069

Thanks for helping me here. now can you help me with my problem???


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## john1

Hi Feathers,

you've actually come up into someone elses thread!

Just click on the drop down arrow, on the 'forum Jump' below
then choose 'Hardware' and click 'Go' there you should find
the 'new thread' button, and ask for assistance there.

Best of luck, John


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## goddessbev

Hey strangers! I am back and ready to get this thing fixed. I am sorry to have taken so long, but the phone lines in the new house were shot and needed repair. 
Let me know what's up...thanks.

I have not made any advance in the issue. Still having the "banana"message.


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## john1

Hi Bev,

How did the move go ?
Settled in ok ?

John


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## goddessbev

The move went great, & we love the new house!! It is an older house, but the interior was completely redone. It looks brand new! The phone lines were trashed, and we had to hire someone to fix them, and that took a while. Other than that, we have lots of boxes in hiding, but we are getting them squared away.
Thanks for asking...

How have you been?


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## john1

pretty much the same ...
got some more ram,
systems a bit more stable now,
whats the current position with your laptop ?


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## goddessbev

Still getting the stupid "banana" message. Other than that nada..


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## john1

did you ever get a 'laplink' cable ?


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## goddessbev

I did not. Do I still need one? Will that help?


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## john1

depends,
your working machine is XP, yes ?

i dunno if interlnk will work under XP,

do you have access to a Win98/98se
or win95 setup ?


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## goddessbev

yes, it is XP...I can't get a break.


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## john1

XP has limitations on DoS activities.

I'm sure you said you had a Win95 setup,
one moses left behind i think you said ...


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## goddessbev

I have the cd/disks somewhere, yes...howeverk, the cdrom is still a no show.


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## NiteHawk

> _Originally posted by john1:_
> *XP has limitations on DoS activities.
> 
> I'm sure you said you had a Win95 setup,
> one moses left behind i think you said ... *


Nah. I have what Moses left behind!!
DOS 2.0 on 5.25" floppies.


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## goddessbev

OUCH!

That IS old!


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## ~Candy~

Bev, it might be good for you to just give a sumary of where we are right now, since it's been so long, and to dig back thru 48 pages............


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## goddessbev

Oh, come on? You can't remember?? 

I booted it up last night and got the message "invalid system disk" yada yada... I can get it to do nothing else now.

summary: 
-Got a "must reload Windows" message
-Tried to reload Windows, but it would not recognize the external cdrom drive.
-Tried everything but the DOS 2.0 floppies on 5.25's of which NightHawk spoke. Called in Exorcist; exorcist declined.
-Had a friend help, and started getting a message about an invalid device driver..."banana" something
-Phoned exorcist again, begged and pleaded...he told me to call Toshiba. (Last night)
-Toshiba said that they may be able to fix it under warranty. They say it sounds as if there is a CDROM issue.
-Trying to retrieve a receipt, and verification that they will actually fix the cursed beast. Wondering if they will fix it even if it was a refurbished.

-


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## feathers2069

i just bought the 98 orginal and 95 and its going to be here in a week once i get it i will let you know about whats going on so you guys can help me out... lynn


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## ~Candy~

Lynn, did you mean to post in this thread?

http://forums.techguy.org/showthread.php?s=&threadid=171812&perpage=15&pagenumber=8


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## feathers2069

yes I did i was answering goddessbev i hit the thread and this is where it took me to reply to him.


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## ~Candy~

Ok, just checking, since I'm helping both of you  

Oh, and she's a she too


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## goddessbev

Well, folks...Toshiba will not fix it...so I guess I am gonna give it tyhe old college try again...anyone wanna help?


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## ~Candy~

Sure, you might want to recap things for us in one post, it's been awhile


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## goddessbev

Ok, I am curently unable to boot my laptop. I have no functionality in the laptop. I have no OS, and cannot get my external cdrom recognized. Having demons exorcised didn't help. Still useless. Have access to several OS installs, just need to get CDROM accessed first I guess.


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## john1

Hi Bev,

What do you get on the display after you switch on ?
Whats the model of laptop (ive forgotten now!)

John


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## goddessbev

invalid system disk
insert disk and hit key


no disks in any drives


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## john1

And the make/model ?
Does it have a floppy unit and a CD unit on board,
or only one at a time ?


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## NiteHawk

I have forgotten, has this laptop been Fdisk'ed and formatted yet??


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## john1

well,
see what its got first,
fdisk, and show status, or display drives, usually choice 4.


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## goddessbev

yes


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## john1

Some laptops use a tiny partition as part of the Bios,
dont delete that bit.
It can be troublesome to replace.


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## john1

what make/model ?


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## NiteHawk

So we are back to needing a driver for that external CD, is that correct?


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## goddessbev

yes. I was getting a "banana" message.


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## NiteHawk

See if any of the info in this thread will help. I think he got his external CD to work.

http://forums.techguy.org/showthread.php?postid=1108865#post1108865


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## NiteHawk

As far as the "banana" message, that has come up again recently. I think it has to do with the boot disk that each of you downloaded.


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## NiteHawk

Just so we know what boot disk you are working with I would like you to go to this site and d/l the Windows 98 SE OEM boot disk.

http://www.bootdisk.com/bootdisk.htm

Save the file to your desktop (not a floppy). Then insert a clean floppy and double click on the desktop icon for the boot file you just downloaded. This will create a boot disk. Remove the floppy and on the back side slide the little safe tab so you can "see thru the hole".


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## goddessbev

I have downloaded the file,and will prepare it. How do I get the invalid sys disk msg to go away?


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## NiteHawk

When you say 'invalid system disk' is it referring to the floppy or the hard drive?


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## ~Candy~

Ah, yes, the banana drive........it all comes back to me 

Be sure you have bios boot order set for floppy first.


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## goddessbev

Yes, the infernal "banana" monster!!

The invalid sys disk msg is for the hard drive.

I have the bios set (now) to boot floppy first.


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## ~Candy~

Download a different boot disk. I think we discovered the banana.sys entry on one of the OEM disks.

Go here:
http://freepctech.com/pc/002/files010.shtml

Save to desktop NOT to floppy, double click and follow instructions.


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## goddessbev

Thanks!! Hopefully it will work! I will let you know as soon as I can. I am on nights now until Wednesday morning, then I have the next week to work on this. 

May the force be with us!


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