Help with reformatting 98 pc

[hyoung7111]

I have an older compaq pc that was having problems. I reformatted it and now I cannot get the setup to execute off of the 98 CD. I can see all of the files on the CD but cannot run setup. I am booting off a floppy to start the machine.
Thanks for anyone's help.

[Panama Red]

This is a nice step by step tutorial for 98

http://www.waynescomputerworld.com/cleaninstall.html

[edfair]

Do you see a setup.exe file on the CD? There should be 4 files there and several directories.
Sometimes people have confused the ramdrive diagnostics that load off the floppy for the CD, which moves up one drive letter from where it normally sits.

[hyoung7111]

I see all of the files on the windows 98 cd. I am able to switch from A:\ to C:\ to E:\ and actually, I tried to run setup from A:\ then from E:\ This didn't work either time and I made a directory on C:\ and copied the windows 98 cd to this directory and tried to run the setup. Still nothing. Why do you suppose it won't execute?

[edfair]

Althoug there are many ways to do it, I create a w98in directory on C: and put the 4 files there, then put the \win98 files in a \win98 subdirectory under the 4. That way they parallel what the CD has. And move to w98in and run setup.
Possible bad file on the CD, or possible bad memory.
Or it is possible that you have something that 98 doesn't like and you need to use one of the setup switches. I normally suggest a google search for "98 setup switches" to find the best location. Ususally the MS site, but other locations also have the info.

[GaryRouth]

Just to be sure we are talking about a full version or upgrade version of the Win98 installation CD ---> this isn't a Restore or Recovery Disk, is it?

If it is, you can run the procedure specified for your model by visiting the Hp/Compaq site for instructions (it varies by model). If you have a Recovery disk & would like help finding those instructions, post your model number here & perhaps we can find the link for you.

Some older Compaqs have some bios and other system information on their non-Dos disk partition, that makes system work difficult to do without it. When you reformatted, did you erase all the partitions? or just the C partition?
. . . Gary

[hyoung7111]

I have the full win98 cd with the original boot disk that came with it. I have tried other boot disks that I downloaded from the internet as well. It is set to read from the CD first in the bios. When I fdisked the machine, I deleted all partitions, the DOS primary partition and any logical drives. Then I went in and created a new primary DOS partition. The pc probably came with it's own Compaq software but no-one knows what happened to it. I have also tried adding the switches for 98 behind the setup. Nothing happens. Anywhere I type setup . . . c:\ a:\ or e:\ it just sits there and does nothing. Will I be able to put an OS on this pc?

[edfair]

At this point I would suggest another CD.

The Compaq diagnostic partition isn't required and it appears that you have done everything right.

You might try a zero fill utility on your hard drive and one last install attempt. That would eliminate any boot sector virus. But that is also a symbol of my grasping for straws.

[GaryRouth]

If you copied a full installation disk onto the hard drive, start the computer with either your bootable CD or a floppy (it doesn't matter) - and boot to the command prompt ("Start computer with Cd-rom support"). From the command prompt, use the "Change Directory" command and switch to the directory you created on drive C to hold the Windows files [Change Directory is "cd" (without the quotes)] For example, if you called the folder "YoungsWin98", you'd type

cd C:\YoungsWin98\Win98
Setup

See if that works. You need to specify the \Win98 folder in the directory you created. The \Win98 folder is the one that contains the file setup.exe

Best of luck
. . . Gary

[p.s. . . . what did you use to copy the installation disk onto your hard drive?]

[MultiGroup]

I am having the same problem, I already copied the files to the HD and it executes up to the setup screen and it freezes up.


Any idea why this would be happening?

[GaryRouth]

A quick fix you both could try would be to enter the Bios Setup for your computers and look for an item "Save Defaults and Exit" = this will set the motherboard's basic settings to fail-safe values, based on the hardware detected during power up. [Note: if you have onboard sound, modems, or lan that you are not using, you will want to go back in after saving defaults, and disable those - then try setup again. The default for the Bios AntiVirus on most PCs is Disabled. If for any reason it is Enabled on yours, Disable it during Setup. You can Enable it again once Windows is installed]

MultiGroup - try your install with the case open, just to rule out heat. If you suspect any hardware, run diagnostics - especially for the memory, hard drive, and cd-drive.

[MultiGroup]

GaryRouth:

The case is open as I installed a new HD yesterday. I will try setting everything back to default.

thanks

[GaryRouth]

MultiGroup - if the new hard drive is greater than 64gb, you'll want to use the newer version of fdisk (either download it from MS, or use the WinMe floppy download from bootdisk.com). Be sure to use 80wire cable with anything UltraDMA-66 or faster.

hyoung7111 - is everything OK now? If not, post the model of your Compaq = just in case that particular model has any special considerations to account for

. . . Gary

[hyoung7111]

I still do not have the OS loaded on this pc. The specs are: Compaq Presario, Celeron Processor, 500/66 MHz, 64 MB RAM. I don't see AV in the bios. I did set the bios per your prior response. I am not sure about a boot sector virus. I still get the same response, I type setup and the first time it goes back to the drive letter and then the second time, it just goes to a blank line and does nothing.
Thanks for everyone's continued response on this.

[edfair]

When you loaded the OS on it and copied the install stuff over did you boot off the hard drive to attempt the install?

I would suspect that anything that affects the install of the GUI would also affect the booting of the command line OS.

And is this a reinstall onto the original hard drive? And what are the possibilities of downloading the drive manufacturer's diagnostic? And a memory diagnostic?

[GaryRouth]

hyoung7111 - I like edfair's idea of test the hard drive, memory (and perhaps the cd-drive & the CD disk itself = to test the cd-drive and the CD-disk = see how well they read and how well they transfer files in another pc). If you need help finding hard drive diagnostics on the web, we can find some links for you. [. . . actually, Compaqs have a very nice and fairly extensive diagnostic program, but it was erased when you reformatted. I'm not sure if the download would run on a new drive without putting the Compaq partition on it first [which is also sometimes available for download]. To test only the memory, you can use DocMemory http://www.simmtester.com -- though I don't think it's just a memory problem: seems like you'd see error messages if it was memory.

To rule out a boot sector virus, you can scan the drive with a bootable antivirus disk [either CD or write-protected floppy].

One option that is probably still available to you, if you find that the hard drive is OK mechanically: Compaq may well still have the Recovery disk set available for your model available for a modest fee [somewhere in the $20 (USD) range]. If most of the hardware is still the original hardware, it makes for an easy fix. The Restore/Recovery set will re-create any Compaq partitions, and usually includes most of the software bundle too. And no hunting around for drivers. But you would have to update Security patches at Windows Update (you'll need to do this no matter which fix you end up using).

Somewhere on your main box, the Compaq should have a marking that indicates what model that Presario is. You can search the hp/Compaq site under that model number & find out what downloads are available. Or post the model here & we can make suggestions.
. . . Gary

[hyoung7111]

Status of the Compaq. I have swapped out the CD ROM drive, the hard drive and tried a different WIN98 CD. Same results. I will test the boot sector next and I haven't contacted Compaq yet. Would it work if I formatted the hard drive on another pc and then just plugged it in and loaded the various drivers?

[edfair]

Boot sector virus was eliminated with the replacement hard drive you tested.
It might or might not work doing the format on another machine. If you have a timing problem it probably won't help.
What kind of IDE cable are you working with. 40 conductor or 80 conductor? If 40, can you try a shorter one, or even a short 2 connector one. I've occasionally run across machines that were sensitive to length, probably from self induced noise.

[GaryRouth]

Goodness, cranky install on that Compaq!

Like I mentioned before, see if you can find a model number for us, there's so much variation from model to model, series to series that some helpful detail might be missing.

. . . are you formatting the hard drives by booting with a floppy disk, and then using fdisk? If so, is that floppy write-protected? Just to make sure that you don't have an infected bootdisk that is infecting each drive you use it on, scan the floppy bootdisk itself for viruses (HouseCall would be quite up-to-date for this, and it wouldn't take long). If the floppy hasn't been write-protected in the past, write-protect it after an up-to-date AV scan finds it clean. If you've been using an official Windows CD, then you don't need to worry, it will be virus-free - and of course it's not CDRW, so it's write-protected just by the nature of the media.

I'm curious what the bios says about the hard drives you've had in the machine, and it's settings overall. Also, does the processor seem to be listed correctly? The timings look right? The CD-drive is detected correctly?

What problems were the PC experiencing before you reformatted? [This might help us see if there's an otherwise unnoticed hardware issue]

What tool/disk did you use when you formatted the two disks? Perhaps you might try again from the beginning:
1) Use the original Windows installation CD to boot the machine with, "start computer with CD-rom support". [if the new drive is over 64gb, you can download the WinMe bootdisk from bootdisk.com = it contains the newer fdisk which can handle the larger drives. - ! if you use a floppy bootdisk, make sure it's virus-free & write-protected ! ]
2) Use fdisk to delete any existing partitions. If you've had any non-Dos or NTFS partitions on there, you might need a tool like delpart to delete them.
3) Use fdisk to create a Primary DOS partition, and let it use the whole drive. I doubt an older Compaq is going to benefit much from any fancy partitioning - but that "part" is up to you.
4) Reboot, with the Cd-rom drive as the 1st boot device, and the Windows Cd in the cd-drive.
5) The computer should ask if you wish to run Setup, and if all goes well, after the initial checks, it will notice the drive is partitioned but not formatted, and offer to format it for you. Let it. And answer "Yes" to the prompt "Enable Large Drive Support" (that means = format using FAT32).

. . . Gary

[. . . and careful attention does have to be paid to the cables, like edfair mentions. Might check the jumpers while you're at it, too ]