NO improvement after the reinstall? Did it go to c:\windows as the install directory and not c:\windows.000?

Hi there,

As far as I can tell, there has been no reference made to c:\windows.000 at all.

This is one of those times when you wish you had the machine in front of you.

What version (& serv pks) of IE are you running?

Does this system have only one hard disk?

How is the main ( C: ) hard disk set up? (One large partition, two or more partitions etc)

Boot the machine into DOS. (Either use a floppy bootdisk or tap the Ctrl key during the system POST. In the resulting MS Startup Menu choose either "without CDROM support" or, "Command prompt only".)

Type in "fdisk/status" and you will get; (mine as an example)

Fixed Disk Drive Status
Disk Drv Mbytes Free Usage
1 38162 100%
C: 8001
E: 8001
F: 8001
G: 8001
H: 6158
2 38162 100%
D: 8001
I: 8001
J: 8001
K: 8001
6150 (< NTFS partition)

(1 MByte = 1048576 bytes)
C:\WINDOWS>

Post your info on disk(s) and partition(s).

Ok, well mine seems to be a lot more basic than yours. This is a transcription from the screen. I hope it's clear.

Fixed Disk Drive Status
Disk Drv Mbytes Free Usage
1 8040 100%
C: 8040

and that's it.

With regards to your other questions, without knowing how to get the answers out of the computer, I know it's a Windows 98 SE which has been kept up to date with downloads from Microsoft.

Is there a way that I can get the specifics for you?

Operaboy.

OK, if you're willing, it's time for more drastic measures. (Anything I outline below can be undone later if need be.)

Boot with the floppy bootdisk. Choose CD-ROM support. When you get the A:\> prompt, type in;

dir/a c:\syste*.*

and look for a file named system.1st. If it's there, stop at this step and post back. If it's not there, proceed to the following steps.


When you get the A:\> prompt, type in;

ren c:\windows windows.old

This renames your current c:\windows directory to c:\windows.old. Next type in;

x:\setup/ntldr

(x: being your CD-ROM device letter)

Follow the prompts for a new windows installation. (To C:\WINDOWS)

Once windows is setup and running, any data/documents etc you had on C: or in the old windows (directory and sub-directories) should be accessible. We'll try to straighten things out via the new installation. In the worst case, if we can't straighten things out, the new install will become your "windows". Of course any software you had installed (MS Office, etc) will have to be reinstalled to get the proper entries into the new registry.

Yes, System 1st is there with this trailing info: 8,966,176 12-26-05 2:32a.

Thanks,

Operaboy.

This file is a copy of the very first successful installation and full boot of windows on that system. It's the system part of the registry. (Counterpart=c:\windows\system.dat) Rename this for possible future use. (A new installation will over-write it.)

That's a hidden/system file, so set the attributes to allow working with it. At the A:\> prompt, type in

attrib -h -s -r c:\system.1st (the spaces in the command are important)

Then type in

ren c:\system.1st system.old

Verify the rename by typing

dir/a/p c:\

and see if system.old is there. If so, proceed with the steps I outlined in the previous post.

Ok, I did all that, thank you. Just after setup had begun, it posted me this message.

Message SU995035

An invalid command option was specified. Check the command line and try again, or type Setup/? for on the Setup command options.
(0x13ab)

I thought I entered everything accurately but I could be wrong of course.

OK, try it this way;

When you get the A:\> prompt, type in;

ren c:\windows windows.old

This renames your current c:\windows directory to c:\windows.old. Next type in;

x:\setup/d

(x: being your CD-ROM device letter)

Follow the prompts for a new windows installation. (To C:\WINDOWS)

Hi there,

Thank you I did that and got exactly the same message.