Hung up on C:\>

[FZWG]

Appreciate some assistance.

Was writing an e-mail, and PC froze. Did a restart going into Safe Mode, but now it freezes up at boot on a black screen with the following info:

C:\>

C:\> SET PATH=C:\WINDOWS;C:\WINDOWS\COMMAND;C:\WINDOWS\TWAIN_32\Scanwiz

C:\>

Any ideas of how to get back to Windows again?
(W98SE)

Thanks for your help.

[homer15]

it boots to the c:\> prompt instead of starting windows? you didn't select command prompt or anything? can you type at the prompt, or is it totally frozen?

[racerbrownn]

if you can access control from the c:> try typing scanreg/restore and pick a registry version from an earlier time. this looks suspiciously like a virus so if you do get up again, run a virus scan with the latest bug checkers.

[FZWG]

Can't do anything from the C:\> prompt. Any alternatives?

[homer15]

so, can you not make it to safe mode?
if you can't, run a step-by-step startup and record exactly where it's halting.

[racerbrownn]

what about booting from a bootable floppy to load a normal version of sys into memory and see if c:> is accessible then. if this doesn't work, it looks like deep dodo time to me.

good luck!

[homer15]

i don't think running sys will help because it looks like it's hanging in autoexec.bat (which is not one of the files rebuilt in by sys)

[Iman74]

You don't need the autoexec.bat to boot into windows. You can rename that file and type win at the c: prompt if that's the problem.

[homer15]

exactly, but that's where it looks like it's hanging...

[Cricket]

Hi FZWG,

Try disconnecting the hard drive and CD-RW drive from the motherboard (you might want to remove the sound card, modem or NIC and any other expansion cards too) and see if your system will POST okay. Check it with a boot disk...see if it will boot to the a: prompt and allow you to work from there. If it does, shut down your PC and then connect just the hard drive and see if it will POST again. Let us know what happens at this point.

:) Cricket

[FZWG]

Thanks for the replies.

Finally got the PC to work.

Booted off a W98SE boot disk, went to A:\>, entered C:, at C:\>, entered cd C:\Windows, at C:\>WINDOWS entered win.

Up and working OK, so far.

Appreciate all the help.

[racerbrownn]

i knew i shouldn't have worded things the way i did but i had to split.
my point - is it possible to start the pc with a boot disc and get to a:> and see if c:> can be accessed this way.
if even the a:> is locked up, then cricket's advice is what i would try to narrow down the failure [which is probably hdwe related]


i see i am too late posting my reply.........DOH!
glad to see my correctly listed advice above would have helped.
i thought this problem looked like a simple corruption.

however, if rebooting causes similar problems, accessing c:> off of the boot disc floppy and running scanreg/restore would probably help restore the damaged pathways.

[FZWG]

Thanks for your reply.

If the same thing happens again, will try scanreg /restore. This go-around that command produced no results.

The PC is working OK , so far. Hopefully there is no need for further action.