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  • #2262838

    tried to reformat Windows 98se now can’t get passed C prompt

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    by berniekealy ·

    I decided to revive an old computer that was running Widnows 98SE but had a few problems on it so I decided to re-format it. Something went awry and no it only goes to the C:> and nothing els. Also, I can’t get into the BIOS. All commands come back “bad command etc” except DIR which has only
    COMMAND COM showing. I tried changing the jumper and it didn’t work. I can’t remove the battery because of space constraints. Any ideas out there?
    Thanks for reading.

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    • #2504269

      Clarifications

      by berniekealy ·

      In reply to tried to reformat Windows 98se now can’t get passed C prompt

      Clarifications

    • #2504949

      Getting Windows Back

      by toivo talikka ·

      In reply to tried to reformat Windows 98se now can’t get passed C prompt

      Getting only the command prompt sounds normal if you have reformatted the drive and especially if you did not manage to boot from the Windows 98SE installation CD and re-install.

      You get to the BIOS by rebooting the PC and pressing a few times e.g. F2 or ESC, depending on the PC model and the manuafacturer of the BIOS itself. Usually the instructions can be seen briefly in the top part of the screen: “Press Esc to go to setup” as an example.

      In BIOS you can change the boot order to boot from the CD first, then the hard drive.

      If you still need to reset the BIOS and have space constraints, you may need to disconnect the power supply or the hard drive if they are in the way. Watch out for the sharp edges and jumpers on the motherboard, though.

      • #2504913

        no luck with F2 or Delete

        by berniekealy ·

        In reply to Getting Windows Back

        Thanks for the info.I have tried a number of different keys to get to the BIOS but none worked. I moved as much as I could but still can’t pull the battery.

        • #2486529

          Brand Name PC or clone?

          by 1bn0 ·

          In reply to no luck with F2 or Delete

          Different manufacturers use different keystrokes to access the BIOS setup.
          Compaq used to use F10, IBM used to be Hold F1 while booting, etc.

      • #2505253

        Reinstall Win98 Using Emergency Boot Disk and CDROM.

        by 1bn0 ·

        In reply to Getting Windows Back

        (Note: Assuming HDD already partitoned , formatted and will boot to DOS prompt)

        Boot from EBD.
        Select Start the computer with CDROM support.

        After the computer starts.

        dir c: to makesure your reading the c: drive.

        md c:\windows
        md c:\windows\options
        md c:\windows\cabs
        copy a:\himem.sys c:\windows

        * following sequence is type in order. This will create a config.sys file on the harddrive to load himem.sys*

        copy con c:\config.sys
        device=c:\windows\himem.sys
        ctrl-Z

        You should seee the message 1 file(s) created.

        Change to the cdrom drive, I will assume d: for this example,
        and copy the cab files to the harddrive. The suggested directory is the same one usually used by OEM installs.
        You don’t need any of the subdirectories. The /v tells DOS to verify the file writes to the hard drive.

        d:\
        cd win98
        copy *.* c:\windows\options\cabs /v

        whe all the files are copied, remove the EBD boot floppy and the cdrom and reboot your machine.

        Once the machine has rebooted to the c:> prompt.

        cd\windows\options\cabs
        setup

        The install will run. Follow the prompts.
        You WILL need your Windows 98 CDROM KEY to complete the install.

        After you are done you might want to download and install the
        UNOFFICIAL Windows98 Second Edition Service Pack 2.1a (Freeware)
        http://exuberant.ms11.net/98sesp.html

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