# Reformatting problems - (Bad Command or File Name)



## Kinrevel (Feb 22, 2003)

I am attempting to load Windows 98 on a machine that was running Windows 95 and have come across some problems.

Initially I restarted the machine in DOS and reformatted Drive C by the usual CD\. and C:\>FORMAT C: /S to make it bootable.

I then restarted the machine with a Windows 98 floppy bootdisc however none of the usual options appeared and there was simply a C:> prompt.

The machine was able to read from drive A, because the DIR commance brought up a directory of what was on the floppy disc. I was able to run FDISK from drive A, and entered Y to enable large disc support (though I believe the machine was actually running FAT32 whilst Win95 was on there). I then selected option1 twice and was given the message "Primary DOS partition already exists" so I exited out of there and restarted the machine.

Again a Win98 boot disc (nor a Win95 boot disc) would bring up any options other than the C:> prompt.

I changed to an A prompt and tried the SYS C: command from both an A prompt and a C prompt, and was given the error: BAD COMMAND OR FILE NAME.

I also tried to run SETUP from the A prompt amd was again given the BAD COMMAND OR FILE NAME error. I tried again the Format command and it didn't recognise that either.

The only command that it recognised was DIR and on running that the following information appeared:

COMMAND COM 93,812 08-24-96 11:11a
1 file(s) 93,812 bytes
0 dirs 6,184.45mb free

I can enter the BIOS Setup by pressing delete and the HD is set to detect AUTO.

I have reformatted WIN98 machines before and have never had this problem. In this instance I have attempted to a) put 95 back on there and b) load windows 98 as I have boot discs and CDRoms for both operating systems.

Would anyone be able to advise on why I am getting the BAD COMMAND OR FILE NAME errors in DOS and help me to reformat this machine? Also, would anyone have any idea why the options aren't appearing to load windows with cdrom support etc when I start the machine up with a boot floppy in there?

Any advice would be much appreciated.
Thank you.

Kinrevel


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## Stos (Nov 12, 2002)

ah yes, I know that feeling, happened a couple times to me untill I found out how to do it.... first off, I think that you're gonna have to go into your BIOS and select your CD-ROM drive as your first boot option. That SHOULD solve it... Also, you said you used the DIR command and then showed the result... What drive were you on? If it was A: then try doing it on C: or maybe some other letters, I've noticed that drive letters get screwed with when you use a bootdisk. Hope that helped some...

-Mike


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## brendandonhu (Jul 8, 2002)

When you use a bootdisk, if the drive letters get changed they probably got moved down 1 letter beacuse it created a virtual drive. SO A:\ becomes B:\, and C:\ becomes D:\, etc.


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## brushmaster1 (Jun 15, 2002)

Your problem is that you need an actual boot disk!

If the DIR command on your floppy only shows:

COMMAND COM 93,812 08-24-96 11:11a 
1 file(s) 93,812 bytes 
0 dirs 6,184.45mb free

That means that the only file on the floppy is COMMAND.COM

If that DIR was on the C: drive, then it's normal for a drive that's just been sysed.

When a Windows boot disk creates a ramdrive, it will be D: so any drives after C: will be moved up one letter. For instance, if your CDROM is normally D: it will now be E:

To install Windows, start your PC with the boot disk and select "with CDROM support. Then change to your CDROM and type SETUP


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## brendandonhu (Jul 8, 2002)

can't beleive I didnt notice that!
A bootdisk will have a couple dozen files on it.
Get one from bootdisk.com, save the .exe (boot disk image) to the desktop, then insert the floppy and run the program. 
You can just copy the files to the floppy either, certain files must be in certain physical locations on the floppy for it to boot, this is why an image creator is necessary.


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## laraboffin (Aug 10, 2002)

brushmaster1 and brendandonhu:
The DIR I posted from my friend's ID (kinrevel) was actually the DIR for drive C, not for the floppy drive, which WAS indeed showing 16 files!! Therefore it was a proper boot disc.

Stos:
Thanks for your advice, I changed the BIOS options to boot from CDRom first followed by floppy disc, then IDE controller and finally it gave options upon booting up.

After a few snags (initially it told me it couldn't load win98 due to compression software) I managed to put windows 98 on the machine.

However, my friend needs to find drivers for the sound card and a different driver for the onboard graphics as with the current driver the screen definition won't do more than 640 x 480 and 16 colours.

In relation to this she has posted another thread entitled Help (kinrevel).

Many thanks to the three guys who took the time to reply. Your time is much appreciated.

Lara


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