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Unable to load windows 98

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12 replies

by leebenham

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Recently, after a variety of fatal errors and illegal operations messages on my PC, my computer would not startup. I decided to reformat my HDD and reinstall windows 98. I managed to reformat ok, but when I attempt to reinstall windows during the very first scandisk after pressing F:setup, I get errors in the file system which I fix but then get an error...unable to load keyboard drv. or there are errors that need to be fixed. I've tried a different HDD, but I still get the same error message.

12 replies

by cportman

It might be a bad cd.

When you reformatted did you fdisk too?? might be a good idea to fdisk then format - your errors might go away.

good luck
cp

by leebenham

I fdisked and partitioned before formatting my c drive. This unfortunately didn't work. I also tried the same thing with a different hard drive on the same pc and still no joy...

by wingoc

hi~~try use bootdisk-floppy~~and fdisk /mbr;
and then re-partition the hdd and format and also install win98~~hope can help~~^_^

by mphoffar

This does sounds like a bad CD, however, to be on the safe side, I would make sure that the drive geometry is showing up in the bios the same way it's printed on the hard drive, or if at all, use some sort of disk prep software to configure the drive.

Copying the files from the CD might not be a bad choice either and then running setup with the command line setup /is and see where it takes you from there...

Good luck to you

Mark

by leebenham

The drive is showing ok in BIOS. I've tried two different versions of windows 98 and still the same problem. I'm beginning to feel that this is a goosed mb or cpu.......

by csmith

It sounds like you did not run Antivirus.
If this was/is a virus, you will have to ZERO FILL the Hard Drive to get rid of it. (Free Download from the Manufacturer's website.)
Formatting won't do it.
These symptoms can also be the Power Supply, but the first test is to see if a Zero Fill will fix it.
(You also have to create the partition after a Zero Fill. You are starting from zero literally.)
Regards, Chris

by csmith

:
By the Way.
The keyboard driver error message is false.
I have never seen an example when this message appeared, that this was the problem.
Good News.
There is almost no chance that the motherboard or CPU have a problem when the keyboard.drv message appears.
Regards, Chris

by leebenham

Chris, Thanks for the answer, but I've tried a completeley different hard drive on this system with a different windows disc to test it. I got the same error message.

by drdmc

I had a similar set of symptoms on two of my home computers a while back. We had bad storms in the area, so I turned off power to both systems. Lightning struck nearby-power went out for several hours. When power was restored, I turned both back on.Not 5 minutes later, power "browned" twice. Weird problems showed up over next two months.
New motherboards finally fixed problem. (After about every diagnostic tool I could find was tried). Good luck.

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