Desktop

Ask something
Discussion Locked

Will not load Windows drivers

0 helpful
17 replies

by jcollins

Closed to new repliesThis discussion is closed. It stays readable, but it takes no new replies.
What could be wrong when a PC (Compaq Presario) will not boot from a floppy. It will boot in step by step sometimes!? and will boot into safemode with a floppy. The HD has been formatted and needs to be loaded with OS, but cannot boot with a floppy. I have tried to use a different 3.5 floppy drive, but got the same problems. I tried to boot without CD support, but it freezes immediately. Looking on ideas on where to start!

17 replies

by thechas

If I understand you correctly, the system will attempt to boot from the floppy, but freezes, or otherwize does not complete the boot process.

Have you tried a different boot/startup disk?

If you are using Windows Me or later, have you tried booting directly from the CD?

If you do not have access to another boot floppy, download the correct boot floppy files from www.bootdisk.com
and try that.

Chas

by jcollins

I have used this disk successfully in another PC. I did try a different one anyway. Thanks

by qballrail

You say you switched the drive but have you switched the interface cable? You may have a bad floppy as well if the cable has been checked or replaced. As suggested above, I'd recommend downloading from bootdisk.com.

by blackcurrant

Hi

As well as checking the above, you should also enter the BIOS setup when your computer initailly boots. You should see a message saying press DEL (or other key(s)), to enter setup during the memory test.

Press the key and you will be takeninto the BIOS setup program. From here you be able to access the properties for the floppy drive. Make sure that the drive matches the configuration shown in this screen. If it does not, change it. For example your drive may be registered as a 720KBcapacity drive, when in fact your drive should be 1.44MB. I had a similar problem which was caused by the size of the drive being incorrectly setup in the BIOS proram. Because the size was wrong, it would not boot from the floppy. Editing the BIOS enabled the machine to boot from a floppy.

Hope this helps

by fredrick

This will not fix your problem, but as a work around you could make a bootable cd and use it to load the OS.

by jcollins

That is the problem, it will not boot to the OS from a floppy unless I boot step-by-step into safe mode without cd. If I do get it to load the CD driver on the 98 boot disk, it will not run setup. It freezes on the windows drivers. I don't understand this since I receive no errors on POST.

by caplock

Ok Compaq's have a quirk, that you may need to boot and go into bios and look at the boot order. Even though it looks fine change the order, then back to the original setting A,C,CD, then F 10 to save and reboot. then boot to your restore disk or boot disk. The compaq site has more info about this same issue also (known issue). Good luck

by caplock

Ok Compaq's have a quirk, that you may need to boot and go into bios and look at the boot order. Even though it looks fine change the order, then back to the original setting A,C,CD, then F 10 to save and reboot. then boot to your restore disk or boot disk. The compaq site has more info about this same issue also (known issue). Good luck

by jcollins

This PC will actually begin the boot process from the floppy, it just freezes before it finishes. To the point where ctrl-alt-del will not reboot it. You must power off and then back on again. I have tried a different floppy. It passes POST. There is no OS installed on the HD. It is blank and formatted. I have tried booting without CD - no difference it still freezes. Could it be the processor or MB?

by w2wise

I had this problem before and my problem was a bad memory chip.
Changing the memory solved my problem.
Try changing the memory even if the Bios says they are ok with new ones.
I hope this solve your problem.

This discussion is closed to new replies.