Cannot Find Win.Com, unable to continue

Well being that it is a week old. I would do a reinstall of Windows. It will give you experience if nothing else, and it will definately fix your problem. If you have to use a Compaq Restore CD to do so, then go right ahead. Hope this helps,
Eddie

Compaq has a nice little CD called a Restore CD. Since it is a week old PC I dont think there is much data to save, so save it and re-install. This will save you alot of hassle.

When you have finished installing Windows get a reliable Antivirus because it is a faint possibility that a virus could have hit you hard.

Regards,

Nicholas.

Check the path for Windows. Type SET at the DOS prompt and press enter. Does it point to C:\windows. From C:\ type DIR to display a directory listing. Do you see C:\windows listed. The directory name may have changed. Sometimes a file named WINDOWS is created in the root of C:. If so delete this file. Now look for a directory name that looks like it may have been previously named WINDOWS. Perhaps $INDOWS. Rename this to WINDOWS. Here is the command : "Ren $indows windows".

Sounds like the laptop suspended itself, and it can't restart. Compaq has software on laptops that will write the RAM memory to a file in the root any drive. Then power off. When you start it up it will put the contents back into RAM and continue.It does'nt always work. Look for a file in the root of your HDD called HIBR*.* (I don't remember the exact name)it will be a file a little bigger in size than installed memory. If you have 64Mb. of RAM the file will be about 67Mb. Delete this file and see if it starts up.

TM.

1: Remove battery and mains adaptor while machine switched on.. Replace mains and reboot. If you're caught in a "Save to disk manager" loop this will clear it. If this does not cure the problem run Compaq support from your desktop. From this run quick restore facility which is stored on the D: partition on your hard drive.

You could just get a Windows 98 Boot Disk and boot the computer. Then at the A: prompt type "edit". Then File, Open, select the Autoexec.bat file and delete all the crap in it. You'll have to use the ALT, TAB, and arrow keys to get around. Being a Compaq, I'm sure there is a large amount there. They have a nasty habit of having far too many items start at bootup. This is a major performance problem for Compaq. I've had to "unCompaq" 6 machines in the last month for clients. And that involves allot of Add/Remove Program uninstalls.

I had a very similar experience some time ago. What had caused it was a program that I told to install into a nonDefault path. It installed it's support files as if it were in the default location and changed the registry based on it,the master boot record, and changed autoexec.bat.
I didn't realize all this until a week later (after I had to fdisk and start over)
Good luck on finding the problem.