My computer’s been acting really flakey lately so I’ve made the decision to reformat the HD and re-install everything. I copied all the crap I wanted to save on some CD’s and got my Window’s CD ready and everything.
My was plan to boot into DOS from a floppy and use that to format the harddrive and re-install windows. Problem is, when I go into DOS using a boot disk I can’t access either of my CD-ROM’s. BIOS always see’s the drives; Windows always see’s the drives; but they’re not loading into DOS.
I’m just glad I didn’t re-format everything before I noticed that 
I’ve looked thru all of my computer’s DOS startup files (autoexec, config.sys and all those) and can’t find anything that helps; i checked the hardware profile, which says that my CD-ROM’s are plug&play and therefor don’t use drivers…if you’ve got any idea’s, I’d greatly appreciate it!
p.s. when I refer my “drives” I mean my cd-rom and cd-rw
On my startup disk, in the autoexec.bat file, there is the line:
MSCDEX.EXE /D:banana /L:R
I believe banana can be anything you want. Also, MSCDEX.exe is on the disk. If I have to, I can just start the computer with this disk in and DOS recognizes the CD-Rom as drive S. (S:>) So I think maybe put mscdex.exe and an autoexec.bat file like that on a floppy and try booting from that disk. Works for me, anyway.
[disabled smilies]
[Edited by bibliophage on 11-23-2001 at 10:02 PM]
Dos typically requires two things to recognize a CD-Rom drive: A device driver (which is more or less specific to your CD-Rom drive) must be loaded in config.sys, and MSCDEX must be loaded in autoexec.bat.
The config.sys line will usually look something like this:
device=c:\realmode\atapi_cd.sys /D:mscd001
where the path and file name (the part between the “c:\” and the “/D:mscd001”) refer to the device driver for your CD-rom.
The line in autoexec.bat will usually look something like this:
mscdex.exe /D:mscd001 /l:d
Note that both commands use the “/d:” parameter. It doesn’t really matter what name you put for this parameter, but it needs to match. In other words, the “/d:xxxxxxx” in autoexec.bat must match the “/d:xxxxxxx” you put in config.sys.
Normally, if you create a startup disk from your current Win 98 machine, and boot from that, it should give you the option to start with CD-rom support. It dynamically loads several drivers, until (hopefully) it finds one compatible with your drive. If this doesn’t work, you may need to find the drivers for your drive (usually shipped on a diskette with the drive, or from the manufacturer’s site on the web), and manually add the appropriate lines to the config.sys and autoexec.bat files on your boot diskette.
Alternately, copy the cab files and setup programs from the windows CD to a directory on the hard drive while still booted into windows. Then, instead of reformatting the hard drive after you boot from the diskette, just delete everything except the directory with the cab files. Switch to that directory and run the install from there.
Good luck.
Ugly
Re installing windows from scratch is usually considered a bad idea, mainly for these reasons. I belive that you need the drivers for these types of divices, the difference between DOS and Windows being that Windows usually does it all for you. I don’t know/can’t remember how to do this, whether the drivers only apply to windows (ie the drivers on floppy that presumably came with the computer.
Apart from that, I don’t know why you would want to re-install windows, especially since it is so tempremental to do. Bear in mind you will have to re install drivers, programs etc that did not come with the computer (you bought seperately). Also you didn’t mention what was wrong with the computer, what do you mean by ‘flakey’? Usually these things can be fixed by other means and re installing windows is unlikely to work.
Arg I just re read it and saw the bit about plug and play. Of course they require drivers, its just that windows comes with ‘universal’ drivers that make them work. Unfortunately this is a bit of a catch-22 situation because you can’t install windows until you get the cd-rom working, but you can’t install the cd-rom until you can get into windows. Usually these package PCs aren’t designed to be re installed in this way.(At least, thats as far as my knowledge goes. I don’t know if there is a way of getting round this by getting drivers from somewhere or something.)
Hope this helps in some way.
there you are RJKUgly pretty much answered it for you. I started my post before he posted.
>> Re installing windows from scratch is usually considered a bad idea
Huh? What would you rather do instead? Soak yourself in gasoline and set yourself on fire?
Quite the contrary, depending on the situation and with a little preparation, installing windows from scratch can be a very good idea to get a nice clean install without the nonsense and spyware that many manufacturers insist on dumping into the install. In cases where you have lots of old software installed that you don’t really use or a system that is junked up for a million little applets and failed un-installs etc a clean install makes a lot of sense. Just make sure you have the driver software available for any hardware you installed (or was pre-installed) that required a separate driver disk.
Linoleum420, the best thing to do at present since is to make a CD ready boot floppy from the tab in the add-remove programs applet under control panel and use this to boot your system for the clean install.
Basic install procedure:
Boot your unit with the boot disk and type
“format c: /s”
This will format the drive and the /s switch will put the boot files on it after formatting.
Reboot the system with the boot disk and put in the Windows install CD. Go to CD drive letter (D: or E: typically) and type “setup” . The install will guide you through the rest. If the CD version of window you are using is an upgrade version it will ask you for a windows 98 or 95 CD to confirm that you own(ed) Win 98/95. You will also need your microsoft serial key # (usually on the back of the disk cover)
It should take about an hour. If there are components in your system like unusual sound or video or network cards that windows does not come with drivers for, you will have to download these from the net after the main install.
Ha. funny, dickhead. What I mean is that not only is it not as simple as it sounds and can cause problems (I know from experience, and many experts I know say the same thing), but its a solution that won’t necessarily cure the problem and also wastes a several hours of your time reinstalling everything, perhaps in vain.
For instance, look at the problems this guy had:
http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?threadid=79885
My point is, sometimes it works fine, others it doesn’t, it really depends on your system and your problem.
Well, most of my cdrom drives come with a cute little installation disk. You should try that.
That is absolutely uncalled-for, especially in this forum.
Nukeman, later Win 9.x boot disks have mscdex.exe which is loaded while DOS boots. All hardware requires drivers and “Windows” just doesn’t do it for you. It can and has been done a zillion times.
A fresh install is a good idea for all Win 9.x machines in my opinion, about every 9-12 months. Windows isn’t temperamental if you have all the drivers you need.
Um, all computers, even “package” PCs or what I call off the counter are meant to be able to be reconstructed. Some manufacturers do force issues but anyone can get around that if they know where to look. I have done it hundreds of times on machines from Gateway, Packard Bell, Compaq, local built etc.
The dickhead comment was beyond this forum, read up dude.
Anyhow, I am a former “expert” if you will. Got paid a lot of money to be a contract IT manager and have, as I said before handled computer issues and reinstalled Win based machines hundreds of times. It is pretty straight forward and a not a difficult task at all.
With ghost CDs one can wipe out and install Win machines relatively easy and fast. If Windows (which ever version it is) is constantly having problems then a person should look to completely revamping the entire machine. In fact, I recommend that the OP uses FDISK to isolate any problematic clusters or sectors before reinstalling Windows.
It doesn’t always go well but that depends on the person’s ability to understand where the problem might be. Most can be solved with relative ease and the only thing I can add to what the other knowledgable people have said is to be sure to go out to the internet and find updated drivers for your hardware.
BTW, for heavy users I recommend to wipe out their Win 9x machine about every six months. Seems extreme but you’d be amazed how much crap your registry accumulates over time. It’s like getting a tune up on your car. Your mileage goes up and your car goes faster, same with Win 9x machines.
You will not call another poster a dickhead or any other disparaging term in this forum or any other forum on the SDMB except the BBQ Pit. Consider this an official warning.
bibliophage
moderator GQ
Basically, when I say “flakey” I mean that it’s crashing more often (my modem causes crashes a lot; half the time when I try to sign online the computer spontaneously reboots), and programs that used to work don’t work anymore. Things like that. I’ve got a lot of old programs that I haven’t used in a while, etc, etc I’ve had this computer for nearly 2 years running the same Win98.
I tried putting this line in my AUTOEXEC.Bat on the bootdisk:
MSCDEX.EXE /D:MSCD001 /V
Basically, I’ve tried to find out what makes my CD-ROM works on windows (ironically, I’ve had to fight windows to access the CD-rom before now I can’t remember what I did to make it happen!) so I could put it on the boot disk, but I can’t find anything. My CONFIG.SYS is blank, and there’s nothing related to drivers in MSDOS.SYS and AUTOEXEC.BAT on the harddrive doesn’t even run MSCDEX, or anything else like it. So I don’t know what to think
I just made a bootdisk using the function in “Add/Remove Programs” like Astro suggested…I’ll let ya’ll know how that turns out
I searched clear to the last post to find out what OS you’re using – Win 98, but which version? I’ve used 98SE with no problems, but have no experience with the first version of 98.
I do remember the rectal discomfort of trying to install any version of 95 with the boot disk supplied by Microsoft. Only Gates & Co. would sell you their latest & greatest OS on a CD-ROM and include a boot disk which in no way supported any CD-ROM drive. To add to the pain, using the “Create Boot Disk” utility in “Add/Remove Software” (assuming you ever got that far) merely recreated the same thing – a bootable diskette with no CD-ROM support. And worst of all, unless you deliberately created an autoexec.bat and config.sys to support your drive and copied mscdex.exe and your driver to your root directory, 95 would stop in the middle of its own install routine because it couldn’t access the CD-ROM drive.
I recall running something of a non-profit cottage industry producing usable boot disks for friends who were trying to install Windows 95…
RJKUgly is on the right track, although I don’t agree with the “more or less specific to your drive” part. I’ve installed literally hundreds of CD-ROM drives (IDE) and have yet to find any driver that didn’t work with any of them. I suspect the code is pretty universal. For several years, I used a driver called ‘videcdd.sys’ with absolutely complete success, regardless of the brand or model of the drive. If you need a good driver, shoot me a line and I’ll email you one.
techchick68 says some good things too, but she left out a couple items. If you’re going to reformat the hard drive, I’d recommend partitioning the drive first. In fact, I’d go one step further and perform a “zero-fill,” which will restore your hard drive more or less to its factory-new state, THEN fdisk (partition), THEN format. Using the /s switch will do what she said, but it will NOT transfer mscdex.exe or your CD-ROM driver (xxxx.sys) to your hard drive. You have to do that manually. Also, keep in mind that, starting with Windows Me, the /s switch is history, no longer valid.
Huh? If you got the room on your HD use something like Parition Magic that preserves data when doing a new partitiion or some freeware partition software from download.com. Make another paritiion, copy the old partiition to it. then you can reformat the old partition & still have all your files on the new partition, see?
** linolium420 **
This is probably your best bet, and hopefully will solve the problem. And this is what I meant for you to try when I said “Normally, if you create a startup disk from your current Win 98 machine, and boot from that, it should give you the option to start with CD-rom support.”, although looking back on that post, I can see I wasn’t clear at all. Fortunately Astro said it much more clearly.
This is because Win98 uses it’s own “built in” drivers, and so it doesn’t need these drivers to access the CD-ROM. You only need to load these in order to access the drive from DOS without windows running. Because of this, Windows does not put the lines to load these drivers in your config.sys and autoexec.bat by default. It should, however, put these in the config.sys and autoexec.bat that it creates on the diskette when you use the function referenced by Astro, as noted above.
Tbone2
I’ve used a driver with the identical name many times, with good success. I don’t even remember now where it came from originally. You are right that the chances are that almost any of the universal type drivers will work, I was just being a bit cautious. If there is a specific driver for his CD-ROM, it (usually) can’t hurt to use it.
Ahhhh linolium:
My system was spontaneaously rebooting, usually when the modem was on. I cleaned out the innerds and realized that one of my case fans had failed. I replaced the failed fan and I haven’t had any problems since, it was just running too hot. (with Win98 SE on one partition.) If you don’t have a fan (other than the CPU fan and the power supply fan) I recommend getting one for the front of the case as an intake and one in the back as an outtake fan. It makes a big difference on how well your system runs and from Pentium II on, machines tend to run very hot.
Also, yes, after 2 years with no wiping your system clean, it’s time. You will see, feel and enjoy your computer much more. Like I said, it’s like getting a tune up on your car.
Um, probably too late, but can’t you set your computer to boot from your Win98 cd? (usually a BIOS option, and it depends on how old your computer is.) That way, you don’t have to worry about such things as “boot floppies”.
-lv
well, the boot disk I made via Astro’s idea did the trick all right. I formatted my HD, and installed Windows 98 (second edition) and the installation went without a hitch.
However, windows refuses to see my modem. And the only driver it’ll let me use for my monitor is standard VGA, and won’t let me use more than 16 colors and won’t give me a bigger res than 600x400 (or whatever it is).
I’ll probably get around to looking for drivers on the modem & monitors manufacturer’s web sites, i dunno when tho. My computer’s just kind of existing right now until I get it restored (i’m at school right now). Thanks for your help, everybody!
Windows often has a hard time with video cards and modems re identifying them and having bundled driver sets because the driver sets for both can be quite large and MS only has so much room on the Windows install CD.
Look on the surface of the cards for both the modem and the video card and they shoud have some sort of model name and # or a company name. If the video is on the motherboard chipset look at the mother board for a medium sized chip that has a corporate name and model # designation on it. IE Matrox, Intel 810, Nvidia, ATI, SIS etc. etc.
Windows will not run the video effectively until you install the right drivers. Your PC spec sheet (if available) should identify the modem and video manufacturers. Most PCs also come with a set of CD or floppy based drivers disks for the onboard components. Do you still have these somewhere?