I've got an old Dell computer 8200 XPS w/ Windows 98 SE Op. Syst. When I start computer, it doesn't boot into the normal mode. I get a screen with lines of jibberish (code) and a few lines stating that Windows wrote this code and you are not to alter. I hit Cont-Alt-Delete and when the window goes dark I hold the control button down until I get it to come up to 6 choices and I then can start the computer in SAFE MODE. I do not have any access to my 2 CD drives only zip drive and floppy. No access to printer either. How do I get this ani-mule to boot up back in the Normal Mode?

I'm not that computer literate so be clear in your response.

Thanks much,

Waldo Z.

Hello, and Welcome to D-A-L.

Sorry for the delay, I've been away (unavoidably) for a month and I'm the "resident 98 Guy" here. ;>}

I assume the machine won't start normally from the Windows 98 Startup Menu (the 6 choice menu).

What happens if you don't hit ctrl-alt-del after the "jibberish lines of code" appear? Does the machine simply hang?

Hold the control button down during the boot (to get to the Windows 98 Startup Menu) and start the computer in SAFE MODE. You may wish to engage the Startup Menu for every boot during the troubleshooting stages. To do this click on Start, Run, type in msconfig. Click on Advanced (near the lower RH corner of this window) and place a check mark in the "Enable startup menu" box. To disable the Startup Menu later simply reverse these steps.

1) Open My Computer or Windows Explorer. On the Menu bar, click on VIEW, FOLDER OPTIONS, VIEW. Under Files and Folders choose "Show all files" and remove the check mark from the "Hide files with known extension types" (or similar wording). Close My Computer or Windows Explorer.

2) Open Notepad and open c:\msdos.sys. Save this as msdos.txt (a new file) either in the root of C: (c:\msdos.txt) or your Desktop (c:\windows\desktop\msdos.txt). The original file will be left intact. Please do the same with the c:\config.sys and the c:\autoexec.bat files as well, naming them accordingly as new txt files. Post the contents of these new text files.

3) Run scandisk on C:. If you are prompted to save ANY error correction changes to a floppy DO SO. Insert a blank formatted floppy in the drive and save any changes to that floppy. If you have to revert the hard disk back to it's present state (this is sometimes neccessary) this floppy will do it.

After the scandisk is finished, try to start the machine normally. Post back with the results.