Booting to DOS

[Toodles]

Is there any way to make Windows ME boot into dos when you're unable to load windows? I tried the F8 thing, but it doesn't seem to work. Then I read somewhere tha the F8 thing is only for 98  :-?

I can't load windows and I need to restore system files from a boot disk, but I can't get into DOS. Help please  

[GX1_Man]

F8 before the Windows logo starts. Just tap the key a few times as the machine boots.

I'm unclear what you are trying. A WinME start up disk will get you to a command prompt with limited functionality. It's not real DOS, per se,  but that is the closest you will get.

[Toodles]

I'm getting a "Invalid Sytem Disk" error. I searched around and the solution seems to be to restore Windows Startup disk to fix that.

I tried booting the computer with the startup disk in the A drive, but I get a "Disk I/O error". Does this mean there's something wrong with the startup disk or am I doing something wrong here?

[GX1_Man]

Disk I/O error usually is a bad floppy, or a bad floppy cable or a bad connector on the motherboard.

No system disk found can be a failed hard drive, a failed IDE cable or a bad IDE port on the motherboard.

It is unlikely that both went bad at the same time unless the motherboard/BIOS is totally shot.

What happened prior to this? Has anyone been monkeying inside the case? What is the computer make/model? How old? Processor? RAM?

[Toodles]

There were several blue screen errors before it started saying Invalid System Disk. It's a HP Pavillion, very old like maybe 8 years or more, ram is 515 mb.

I confess to mucking around itside of it before, which caused some errors, but never this one.

Also, I took the drive and put it on my computer as a slave and was able to access all the files on it without any problems. Does this mean there is something else wrong than just a Windows system file error?

[GX1_Man]

It depends what the exact error messages were to help determine the cause.

Did you mess with the BIOS prior to this? What was happening before this started?

[Toodles]

It was a error that happened sometimes that said it couldn't find the hard drive "No drive detected" or something simular to that. Then if you restarted a few times, it would work. This error started after I tried to change the video card, but ended up putting the old card back in.

Sometimes it would take up to a hour before it would find the hard drive and load right, but it hasn't been that bad for months. It's actually been loading just fine for a long while until this morning.

I never messed with the BIOS though.

[Toodles]

Before I have this drive formatted and reinstall windows, I need to know if that is even the problem with it. If it's something in the motherboard then I need to know  :-?

[GX1_Man]

OK, well if your data is backed up or non-important, then you just reinstall (assuming you have the CD to do that) and it will either work or it won't. If not, you may get some error messages that help with the diagnosis.

If you don't have a Windows CD, that is another issue.


As you cannot get the machine to boot at all, I suspect it is hardware, and that will have to be resolved. Windows does not fix ailing hardware. If you have not been in the BIOS and disabled something, then it looks hardware-ish from here.  

[Toodles]

Okay, thank you.

I dont have WinME cd, but I guess I'll have to try and buy one.

[GX1_Man]

How about some specifics on the machine? It may not be worth what a copy of WinME would cost.

[Toodles]

There was another error a while ago.. I can't remember what it was now, and someone told me if was probably the bios battery that needed to be replaced. Never did get a chance to get a new one.

The one contant, most troublesome error it kept having is to not find the hard drive sometimes.

http://pcworld.about.com/news/Jun212001id53223.htm

This is everything about the computer itself. The only thing changed over the years was a new hd (a Maxtor 60gb) and more RAM.

[bunbun008]

I am in DOS from start up disk and can't exit in order to return to windows 98.  Every time I reboot, I continue to stay in start up mode in Dos. Dos tells me I have a missing or corrupted file and wants the command interpreter..what is the name and will this help me return to windows?

[GX1_Man]

There was another error a while ago.. I can't remember what it was now, and someone told me if was probably the bios battery that needed to be replaced. Never did get a chance to get a new one.

The one contant, most troublesome error it kept having is to not find the hard drive sometimes.

http://pcworld.about.com/news/Jun212001id53223.htm

This is everything about the computer itself. The only thing changed over the years was a new hd (a Maxtor 60gb) and more RAM.

Take a chance and replace the CMOS battery first to see what might improve,e specially if you were told to do so earlier. They are cheap and readily available - computer shops, Radio Shack, etc.