Desktop

Ask something
Discussion Locked

accessing my win 95 comp hard drive

0 helpful
15 replies

by nformi

Closed to new repliesThis discussion is closed. It stays readable, but it takes no new replies.

I have an IBM computer which had windows 95 running on it. The power supply unit died out last year, but this year i got a new power supply unit and replace it. At first each time i tried to boot my computer it will tell tell me that HIMEM.SYS is not loaded in config.sys. So i loaded a new himem.sys but when i restarted the computer i got the following message on my screen:

00640KB Base Memory
01024

IBM
Press to go to the setup utility
Press to bypass the system Memory Test

I have tried both the F1 and ESC but nothing is happening.
I tried booting from a windows 98 startup disk but it isn't going anywhere.
what i want to do is load either a win' 98 or 2000 OS on this computer. Can anyone here tell me what to do?

15 replies

by jkline

Im experiencing similar problems on a computer that was brought to me to fix, I'll let you know what i figure out (if you dont have it fixed by then)

Joe

by jkline

Im experiencing similar problems on a computer that was brought to me to fix, I'll let you know what i figure out (if you dont have it fixed by then)

Joe

by @lberto

Hello there,

Your computer detects changes on your memory size, it seems to me that for some reason when your remove or installed the new powersupply some of your memory simms are not being detected anymore. Make sure that your memory is properlyinserted in its slots, maybe the power problem you had at that time also dameged some of your memory.
My sugestions are:
.- Check your memory
.- Make sure is properly inserted on its bay
.- If you had that amount of memory before the just go to the BIOS setup and save the changes.

and give it a try again ...

PS. You won't be able to install Windows 98 with only 1 Mbyte Ram, and forget about 2000, you'll need at least 128 Ram to run 2000 Profesional.

Good luck and please write me back,

@lberto
alberto@pancarib.com

by shanghai sam

Alberto,
Thanks for your response. Initially when i installed a new power supply at least the computer did boot and failed when it reached the level of testing himem.sys. I got my himem.sys from a windows 98 startup disk, but immediately i installed it the computer won't work again.
The computer has a pentium processor with 4MB of RAM. Maybe i didn't explain it clear in my previous posting. Immediately i boot my pc, here is what happens the screen with the following message and never goes anywhere:

00640KB Base Memory
01024

IBM

Press to go to the setup utility
Press to bypass the system Memory Test
The computer does respond at all when this message is on the screen. I have restarted the computer time and again but this is the only screen that appears each time i boot up my computer. Today i created a bootable disk from a windows 98 computer and tried to boot it from this disk, but this didn't help me either. Previously i tried starting the computer with a windows 98 startup disk but it didn't work either
My Simms and Dimms are well seated on my computer. Indeed when i first noticed this i thought maybe the memory chips were not well seated.
Also could be be a sign of problems with my the CMOS Battery or a sign that the memories are dead?
I can't access my hard drive at all. I have two hard drives on my computer and one is still new but i can't even access any of them because of this problem. Any suggestions from would be very much appreciated.

by shanghai sam

I can't even access anything on my computer. Att first when i installed the hard drive i hard the problem with my BIOS which i did reset and it worked well but the himem.sys was the problem. I tried to fix it but after rebooting the computer it won't work at all. The message i posted in my posting above is all that appears on my screen each time i boot the computer. I tried using a bootable and startup disk to gain access to the hard drive but nothing is working. I tried F1 to enter setup,but it doesn't work at all. I tried ESC to bypass the system memory test but it isn't working. Only the message in the above posting stays on the screen
My computer is has a pentium processor with 4MB of RAM
Any more suggestions as to what i cando woul be highly appreciated

by s_pryce

It looks like your machine is failing its memory test at the 1MB border. This may be because the memory is faulty or where did you get HIMEM.SYS from. Its a pretty weird file that can be very machine and OS version specific.
Try getting to the the config.sys and adding /TESTMEM:NO after HIMEM.SYS it should then get a bit further.
Hope it helps.

by kcmeister

first try reseating the memory. if that doesn't work, try another stick. You will need to install more memory regardless to run Win2k or 98. I am assuming you have edo memory. you will be lucky to get 98 to function effeciently without at least 32mb of ram. (forget the microsoft minimums) 64 is the minimum in my mind. It may be time to upgrade to a newer system.
good luck!
kcmeister

by ccsbz

if you have a system lay up a year these are the problems you get. replace CMOS battery, clean or buy new memory.

This discussion is closed to new replies.