Hi,

I installed and executed AVG 7.5 - It found 1 boot virus, 1 worm, and 1 other virus. I told it to clean the system. After running to completion, when i boot the system, it comes back with Invalid System Disk.

How do I correct the problem in order to get the system to boot properly? Note- I don't have the DOS installation disks to replace system files. Will re-installing Win 98 solve the problem? If not, then should I copy all files on that disk to another computer, and then what? Any help sincerely appreciated.

Thanks.

Hello, and Welcome to D-A-L. Sorry for the delay, it's a busy time of the year.

You didn't post any system specs so I'm assuming that the troubled system has a floppy drive.

Boot the machine with a Win98SE Boot Disk* and choose without CDROM Support. When you get to the A:\> prompt, type in sys c: and hit Enter. After a few seconds you should see; "System transferred". If you don't get this output, type in sys a:\ c: and hit Enter. Remove the floppy disk from the drive and restart the machine. If all is well with the rest of your system files the machine should boot normally into Windows.

Post back with your results and any further questions.



*The above bootdisk image file is a self extracting file and has to be executed (run) from a running Windows machine in order to create the actual startup diskette on one of your floppy disks. (This image file produces the same bootdisk which 98SE creates.) This downloaded image file will format the floppy disk to ensure its integrity, write the files to the disk, then verify the file write, so it'll take a minute or three to create the bootdisk.

Ensure the floppy drive is set as the first boot device in the bios.

NOTE: When you boot a machine with this boot floppy, it creates a RAMDRIVE in system memory to contain DOS system tools/drivers. Thus it will move your "normal" CDROM device/drive letter "up" one level. (If your CDROM is normally E: it will be F: when booting with this bootdisk.)

The path to the found CDROM will be set with the bootfiles, so entering A:\>f:\setup is the same as entering A:\>setup at the A:\> prompt. There is no need to include the cdrom drive letter. The CDROM device letter will be assigned near the end of the floppy boot process, right after MSCDEX is loaded.

Hi Dan,

Thanks for your help.

I have a 3.5 floppy on the system.

When I tried the SYS command, it came back with something about non-matching versions, do I want to continue. I stopped the copy at that point.

I've been told at another repair site to use the fdisk /mbr command to repair the boot record. What is your opinion on that suggestion?

You must have 98FE on this system. However, the fdisk from the bootdisk I posted above will work (if that's what you're using).

Boot the machine with the bootdisk, choosing without CDROM support and try the fdisk/mbr command at the A:\> prompt. You won't see any output results on the screen. Once the A:\> prompt returns, remove the bootdisk and restart the machine. If it still won't boot, then you must get a 98FE bootdisk and try the sys c: command.

To see if your running 98FE or 98SE:

The date/time stamp on the majority of system files will be;

98FE = 11/24/1998 8:02 AM

98SE = 4/23/1999 10:22 PM

(c:\command.com and c:\io.sys being two of these files.... At the C:\> prompt type in dir/a/o/p and check the date and time stamps on these two files. This can be done in a MSDOS Command Prompt window.)

Hi Dan,

I tried the fdisk /mbr command and then rebooted.

The result: -Invalid Partition- message appeared.

This is certainly frustrating. I checked the dates on the system files. they were showing 94 / 96 as the 2 digits for year, so I wonder what is going on. One file showed as zero bytes. My system has 2 hard drives on it, but the 2nd drive, the larger size, cannot be seen.

I can boot through the A drive and see the data on C drive, but not the D drive.

What should I do at this point?

How do I get a 98FE boot disk if that is what I need?

Sorry to be so long in getting back. My ISP (for the last two to three weeks) has been unbearably slow.

"I checked the dates on the system files. they were showing 94 / 96 as the 2 digits for year, so I wonder what is going on."

Hmm. Strange indeed.

98(FE) & 98SE bootdisks/CD image files can be found here: http://www.allbootdisks.com/index.ph...r&filecatid=88

We really have to find out what O/S (Operating System) is on this machine.

Boot with the 98SE bootdisk (without CDROM support). When you get the A:\> prompt, type in c: and hit Enter. The prompt should change to C:\> indicating you are now on the C: drive.

At the C:\> prompt type in dir/a/o/p. If you get a listing, remove the bootdisk and put a blank formatted floppy in the A:\ drive and then type in dir/a/o> a:\dirlist.txt. Bring this floppy to the machine you're posting on and copy the contents of this file and paste it into your next post.