The old Re-Install

[dbailey18]

Hello Everyone !
Have an Installation issue and I'm not much help to my self any way here goes ; I am trying to re-install 98se on this old dog and my I Q is not the best but I receive an msg General Failure Reading drive A
not ready reading drive A
Invalid command.com
enter correct name of COMMAND INTERPRETER (eg,c:(COMMAND>COM)
>>
Using a windows 98se restore disk and it came with this system has worked before but ?
Was wondering what my next step should be and how do I get out of the setup without destroying everything ?
 Please let me know if ya need some info: and I will try to supply it as best I can.  

[Perfect Agent52]

You should re-install the 98se. Your computer skipped the step of reading all of the drives. If that doesn't work, then you might have some software troubles.

[dbailey18]

Perfect Agent52;
Iam unable to do that now as I am unable to boot to my Restore CD have tried several Boot floopy's with no luck seems as though
system wants to start but then the 98 splash screen disapears allways end up at what looks like a DOS screen with the c Prompt and whenever I enter anything here it says invalid file or bad command such as this is a bad command (d:/> cd win98) or d:/>cd win98 ( Invalid Directory ) . don't know what to do next just waiting on some one that will try to help >

[dbailey18]

Thanks Mac will give it a go as soon as possible ![timestamp=1138288395]

[dbailey18]

Mac Won't be able to run this program as  i can't even use Drive A. Right now this is where I'm at my system is not recognizing any drives but A,B,C,S,R, ? Where some of these drive's are is beyond me. Have run fdisk from my restore cd from one of my CD drives today as a matter a fact the only thing that will spin on this old DOG in what I thought DOS or at least it looked like such, deleted all partitions Primary last as usual would re-boot back to fdisk enter #4 and they or the primary would still be there, so instead of re-booting the next time I returned to the begining of fdisk entered #4 and no existing partition's would show up!!! Go figure! So! Right now I'm sitting here looking at it from across the room and re-booted went to BIOS set up made the hard drive the First boot device and CD-DVD secondary and hit F10 enter and the old boy is sitting over there staring at me with it's one eye wide open saying to me the hard drive or something is stuck.a switch or something. Oh WELL Back I go !!! Will return later. [timestamp=1138324222][size=12][/size][size=18][/size]

[dbailey18]

Perfect Agent52
I think I have discovered my problem ! I just happened to have a copy of XP Pro in the drawer and stuck it in the old drive and she started to load and install ! I didn't finish the install of course so I must have a bad or buggie restore cd and have to decide on whether or not to finish installing XP Pro on the old Dog or go to Amazon and purchase a copy of 98se for around $70.00 buck's.  
Oh YEA!  Mark this one solved !!!

[GX1_Man]

You can probably get a copy of 98 for less, or you can use the XP if the system has enough horsepower to run it, and it has a valid code that is not being used on another computer. You didn't state the system specs for the "old dog".