Trying to re-install W98SE on Compaq

[Pensionada]

I am trying to re-install W98SE on an old Compaq Pessario 2240.
This does not succeed, apparently because the Compaq hardware requires something special.
HP is willing to deliver a copy of the recovery discs for only Euro 38.50 but I would like to save money for my (elderly) client. (My services are for free).
The symptoms are a crash at the end of the installation (blank screen: _ cursor blinking at top left); start-up (normal) does the same; start-up (safe mode) works but does not show any missing drivers or other errors. Anyway, I am not very familiair with safe mode.

Can anybody help, please ?

Thanks
Rob

[Rob Pomeroy]

This could be a hardware fault.  What precipitated the reinstallation?

[Pensionada]

This could be a hardware fault.  What precipitated the reinstallation?

General slowness, suspected malware.
I ran Compaq diagnostics for some time and it did not come up with any errors ... but I have thought the same thing and now that you come up with that as well, I will run the diagnostics again over night; see what comes out tomorrow morning

[ale52]

You may have to reformat the drive.  Sometimes just a reinstall doesn't work and a reformat (and possibly repartition) is the only thing that will make it work.  

Could also be hardware issues with the hard drive.


Alan <><  

[Pensionada]

You may have to reformat the drive.  Sometimes just a reinstall doesn't work and a reformat (and possibly repartition) is the only thing that will make it work.  

Could also be hardware issues with the hard drive.


Alan <><  

I actually started with fdisk and format ... in retrospect I may have killed the special Compaq partition that way and I have no iade how to recreate it, but I suspect that the BIOS links to it in some way.

[Pensionada]

The system ran diagnostics all night and did not report any problems.

In the mean time I tried loading safe mode in step-by-step: the first part went ok; then it started loading the device drivers of windows:
- javasup ok
- vrtwd.386 ok
- vfixd.vxd ok
- msmouse.vxd CRASH

So, now we know where the problem might be, but what is the solution ??

[Pensionada]

The problem is solved.
I ran fdisk /mbr and used a copy of the official recovery disc that someone mailed me.
Thank you for your help.