situation: virus required format of hard drive by user. windows disk NOT accessible.
upon attempting to talk the user through a reinstall from the disk, he kept saying it wasn’t booting and that the computer was giving an error message. what hetold me sounded like the BIOS settings had been re-arranged, so i advised he reinstall system default settings on the BIOS (an AWARD BIOS approximately three years old, motherboard type unknown, BIOS type unknown, user VERY useless and prone to either panic or to leap ahead on assumptions).
upon loading system default settings, a conflict appeared at 2F8h (COM2) and the CD-ROM stopped working, or would working only intermittently.
after another hour of going nuts, the user FINALLY admitted that his winCD was not really a setup disk, just a backup copy.
i am now trying to resolve this stupid COM2 conflict: disabling it in the BIOS renders the CD-ROM useless. enabling it restores unreliable, intermittent function. i can’t access the machine myself (it’s over 200 miles away) but any help would be appreciated.
thanks!