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by katie h

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I installed Windows Resource Kit Sampler from Win98SE.
I looked at the tools, without using them,
I uninstalled the Windows Resource Kit Sampler.
The computer needed to reboot after the uninstall.
I received a message "cannot find win.com, unable to continue loading Windows".
Win.com was in the Windows folder at the time of the message.
From Knowledge Base, I extracted win.com and replaced the file in the
Windows folder (maybe mine was corrupted). I continue to receive the message. I can change
directory to the windows folder and run win.com to continue the
startup process. Would anyone have an idea why the startup process
is not finding the win.com file and/or how to fix this?
I am interested in the why as well as the HowToFix.
All suggestions greatly appreciated as always.

9 replies

by joel bowden

Funny that I just had that same problem. I loaded some cheynne bitware and on reboot I received the same error message. Nothing is wrong with your win.com. Go to start-run and type in msconfig. Then looking under autoexe.bat tab and check to seeif there is a line still referring to the resource kit. If so rem and restart. This should fix the problem.

Good Luck
JB

by katie h

Thanks you for your suggestion. I edited out the Autoexec.bat line and still have the problem. Path had been referring to the resource kit. I've seen paths statements to other programs that I had removed before, they've never given me any problems. I think maybe this problem is somewhere past the Autoexec.bat file.

by lusu

Hi... try to boot in MS-DOS mode and edit the hidden/read-only file called msdos.sys which should have the paths to your windows installation. For help, try looking on another working Win9x computer at the same file. usualy you have something like BootDir=c:\windows (I'm sory, now I am on NT...). Hope that helps you a litle bit...

by spn

Here is a solution you can try
edit your autoexec.bat to include the following:

PATH=c:\windows

if there is already something there just add it at the end eg path=c:\xyz;c:\windows

also if the path= line is very long the last few will not be registersed.

should this not work as a last alturnative add the win.com command to the last line in the autoexec.bat file.

now that your system is starting you must do the following.(if you cant get in to windows it a slightly longer prosses, i ll only explain windows for now)

I dont know what os your running so I,ll explain 95 , 98 and 98se.

seems that some thing nasty has happend to you win.com file so, once back in windows you will need the windows installation files

and find a specific .Cab file:

Disk 3 of the original Windows 95 disks
Win95_03.cab of the original Windows 95 CD-ROM,Win98_28.cab of the original Windows 98 CD-ROM,Win98_25.cab of the original Windows 98 Second Edition CD-ROM

now using winzip extract the win.cnf file to the windows
,remove the changes you made in the autoexec.bat file and restart with a boot disk.

At the dos prompt do the type the following with out quotes:

"c:"
"cd\windows"
"ren win.com win.old"(this file may be read only in which case you will need to use the attrib command)
"ren win.cnf win.com"
restart ?nd see what happens

hope that that helps if not we can try something else

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