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Windows 98 Will NOT boot

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9 replies

by nhoek

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I have a pc that will not boot into windows (in safe mode or regular mode) I can get to a dos prompt.

The system starts to boot up (no error beeps) and right whent he first windows splash screen starts it shuts down.

Any ideas anyone?

9 replies

by dmiles

Insert a Windows 98 startup disk in floppy drive and boot computer
Choose the option to boot without cd-rom support,when the process completes,reboot
If this does not work use the FDISK /MBR at command prompt and reboot
Listen for the hard driveand cpu fan to see if they are functioning
It may be a number of things that could be causing this so you lmay want to check hard drive or try using the OS cd-rom and re-install

by nhoek

The hard drive seems to be fine and the fans are spinning. I can boot boot using the Win start disk and run a scan disk on the drive (it reports back NO errors) I am trying to avoide a reinstall. I am thinking some of the windows files are damaged but which ones I am not sure.

by techkid

If it won't go into safe mode it's not a driver issue... which leads me to believe it's a Windows system file error, or bad hardware. Boot with a Win98 floppy. At dos prompt switch to the floppy drive and type "sys c:" without the quotes

That will replace key system files on the HD. If that doesn't work you'll probably haveta reinstall. It's ok though cuz you can just reinstall over the top of your current installation. That will replace all Win98 files but leave your data and programs intact. Just don't format or fdisk the drive, that is what erases your HD. Do those only if the install over the top doesn't work.

by zlitocook

The first two answers are good but do you hold down the ctrl key as it boots up? This will take you to the selection screen for safe boot. Do you have virus protection? If so did you make the restore disks, try them first. What did you install before this happened, a new program or a new video card ect.

by d_v ant

It could be a number of things causing the problem. A few things to try though.

1.) Boot to a command prompt. type "scanreg /fix" withou the quotes and press enter. This will scan your registry for errors and fix any it finds.

2.) type "scanreg /restore" Choose a date prior to the problem starting. This will replace your registry with a backup copy from that date.

3.) type "sfc". This will run the System File Checker and will scan your system files for corrupt or damaged files. I'm notsure if this works from the command prompt, but I think it does.

If that fails, I would try reinstalling Windows over itself. That will replace all the system files, but still use your registry settings so you wont have to reinstall everything.

Good luck and hope this helps

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