can someone please help me with windows 98 recovery?

[crazee4celtic]

I'm sorry I didn't reply back sooner, year end is approaching and I've been working overtime.  I tried running the scanreg/restore from DOS but that didn't work. It brought me right back to the error message I got when I first crashed.  When I tried the chkdks /f and the sfc  at the DOS prompt, it said bad command.  I am also getting these error messages.  Missing files  vgartd.vxd and  hpsjvxd.vxd as well as  error loading Explorer.exe.  Two other error messages I get are  required file not found msvcp71.dll  and C:\windows\system\shlwapi.dll.  Can any of you help please?

[Broni]

scanreg/restore

There is a space there:
scanreg /restore

chkdks /f

I can see space here, but make sure there is one, when you type in your command.

sfc

Try:
sfc /scannow
rather.

[crazee4celtic]

I'm still getting error message for all three of those saying bad command or file name.  After Thanksgiving, the other thing that was odd was my LG monitor, which is only about a year old, won't work on my old Dell or my newer HP.  It won't power up at all.  Might that have something to do with it?  I'm at a loss...

[dahlarbear]

1.  Check Disk.  Typographic error - It's not "chkdks", it's "chkdsk".

2.  Scan Disk.  The best utility to verify the integrity of a FAT32 file system (supporting long file names, not just "8.3" name format) as well as the disk surface it occupies under MS-DOS or a Win9x/ME operating system is "scandisk" not "chkdsk".  You might have to check its command options to determine how you want to run it.  Access "help" via "scandisk /?".

3.  From the following unauthoritative link:

    http://www.jpsdomain.org/windows/winvoodoo.html

Run ScanDisk and/or Chkdsk

Do this after using the boot disk.

ScanDisk and Chkdsk (Check Disk) perform more or less the same function. The difference is that Chkdsk is the old, DOS, command line tool, which does not really know about long file names. ScanDisk is the more modern graphical tool that can deal with a few more problems than Chkdsk. There is also command line (non GUI) version of ScanDisk.
Non-GUI

   1. Boot to "DOS".
   2. Type "scandisk" and let it run.
   3. Reboot when finished.

GUI

   1. Double-Click on "My Computer".
   2. Right-Click on the C: drive.
   3. Choose "Properties".
   4. Find the "Tools" tab and choose it.
   5. Click on the "Check Now" button.

[crazee4celtic]

When I type in scandisk I get a new window saying "Scandisk is unable to check drive because there is no extended memory driver loaded on your computer"  Plus a whole bunch of other error message.  Is this what you meant by saying I may have to check its command options?  Do you need the rest of the error message?

[dahlarbear]

1.  Error Message.  No, I don't need the rest of the error messages at this time.  That error message has nothing to do with the scandisk command options.  At any rate it's not normal.  This error message as well as your previous references to "bad command" or "bad filename" indicate missing system files or a "bad" environment after boot.  If you're starting from a "working" Windows 98SE boot disk (floppy or CD), you shouldn't have any of these problems.  They setup a "working" environment and you should be able to execute the basic programs from the boot floppy or CD.

2.  Boot Device and Media.  What I need to know is, what operating system and media are you booting from?

     a.  Are you starting from a Windows 98SE boot disk (floppy)?

     b.  Are you starting from a Windows 98SE boot disk (CD)?

     c.  Are you starting from the Windows 98SE setup CD? Not really the same thing as the "boot CD".  I know, it's confusing.

     d.  Are you starting from suspect hard drive containing your Windows 98SE operating system (with missing files)?

3.  Goal.  What is your immediate goal?  If saving your data files is the most important thing, you shouldn't be using the hard drive in the current environment.  If your startup problems have been caused by a hardware problem, you could damage the file system and/or data files within it.  As "patio" and "WillyW" have asserted, it would be best to recover the hard drive's data from a "working" computer system first, then fix the problem child.

If on the other hand, you're trying to recover the data in-place, you should be starting from a "working" boot disk.  It doesn't sound like you are.

[ianbell]

Be very careful running scanreg/restore - in my probably screwed up system it doesn't matter what date you pick it restores to the original w98se install - in other words all settings, all drivers and most of the installed programs are lost.
Why not download Seagate's hd test program for DOS and find out what,  if anything, is wrong with the hd - just be careful not to run the portion that wipes out info - it won't let you unless you type in a definite request.
If the system will not read the downloaded zip floppy this can be done on another computer with the hd attached as a slave - with the hd slaved should it not be possible to access the files on the drive by-passing windows?

[ianbell]

Oh yeah, forgot - you have to find the zip file on the downloaded Seagate floppy and unzip it and then go into the BIOS and change the boot sequence to 'floppy' from ID before it will run!

[GX1_Man]

You are all going down the wrong road, except Patio. Fixing Windows is not the most important thing at this point. Backing up the important data is. Slaving that hard drive to a functional one is the FIRST step, not the second or third. 

[crazee4celtic]

Thank you GX1_Man.  So if I slave my C: drive into my newer HP and the HP doesn't have Microsoft Word, but some other "pseudo" Word type program, can I still drag all of my legal documents over to the HP?  Or will it make a difference if I just drag all of it over to my external drive?  That's where I would like to store them.  My parents had a situation similar to this where they couldn't open Word docs because they had Microsoft Works or something like that.  Input please ?

[GX1_Man]

I would definitely just copy the files over to the external then for now. If that machine has a CD or DVD burner I would also put the entire collection on an optical disk as well. It does not matter what version of word is on a machine.  A file is a file.

Be sure and use the Copy command and NOT the Move command. If something bad happens in the transfer you will not have deleted the originals in the process. 

Make sure your hard drive jumper settings are correct and that the drive is seen correctly in the BIOS screen before you start trying this. If this is not the case, let us know. 

[crazee4celtic]

Make sure your hard drive jumper settings are correct and that the drive is seen correctly in the BIOS screen before you start trying this. If this is not the case, let us know.

I don't know what it means when you said, "...make sure that the drive is seen correctly in the BIOS screen before you start trying this."  My HP is less than a year old, I'd prefer to have at least one computer running, so I'm sorry if this is a dumb question.  Also, in looking at some other forums about slaving a drive, some comments said to have to power off and some said you can leave it connected. Why would you want the power connected? 

[GX1_Man]

Always unplug the computer from the wall BEFORE doing any work inside.

After you set the jumpers to slave on the old drive and connect it (You do not have to mount it in the chassis. Just connect the power and data cable.)

Plug in the computer and restart the machine, but press the key to enter the BIOS. I think HP uses F2. You will see a screen you have never seen before which will show you how much memory is installed, what hard drives, etc. Do not change anything but see if 2 hard drives are listed. If so, press escape and exit out and loet your machine restart normally.

If any problems, post back. As a matter of fact, post back in any case. We like success stories.