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Needtoknow · 10-19-2002, 04:46 PM

Hello,
I have this weird problem that keeps resulting in the inability to restart in DOS, and some strange scandisc hdd type probs. It seems to be 98se related, but who knows?
I couldn't restart in DOS, and I discovered that I no longer had the dosstart.bat file. Also, I start getting a can't read to c drive and "need to run scandisk" order when I reboot. I run WD diagnostics off floppy and no probs with hdd. I let the scandisc run and it settles down. But won't restart in DOS, even when I rebuild a dosstart.bat file.
No dosstart.bat file, not sure why, so I reformat and reloaded Windows 98se. I check, I have the file and I can restart in dos.
I reload drivers, modem drivers from disc, Nvidia drivers from net, load Grisoft AVG from a disc I loaded it to when I knew I was going to reformat.
I get a "can't write to c drive" and a blue screen. Hit a key and go on. Restart and it starts telling me I need to run scan disc. Same symptoms. I check and sure enough, the dostart file is gone and it won't restart in DOS.
So maybe AVG was corrupt? I have run it for over a year, and tested it with infected floppies as tests and it always alerts me of a prob, it seems to be a good anti-virus program.
Any ideas on where this lost dostart.bat file is coming from???
Thanks for reading this long winded post, but I am getting it out before I reformat for the 3rd time this week.
Thanks for any ideas.

GaryRouth · 10-20-2002, 04:30 PM

Hi Needtoknow

I'd scan with a different antivirus scanner - sure sounds like something's gotten onto your disk. AVG has a ton of updates, too - you could download [from a known virus-free machine!] a newer copy, burn it to cd, and install from that [after you've done your third reformat. . . Or, I suppose, if another antivirus was able to clean your drive for you, you could Try going with the newer version without a reinstall - but I like the reformat when dealing with viruses]

Scan those other driver disks, too, before re-installing them on your newly formatted drive [might want to download fresh copies of them, too - do you have a real-time antivirus file scanner?]

Best of luck
. . . Gary

Needtoknow · 10-20-2002, 07:41 PM

Hello Gary,
I was trying to load Norton from an OEM disc I got as a freebee with a mobo. I got the "can't write to drive c" and wasn't sure if it was the program or the box.
I reformatted, used a fresh OEM Win98 floppy that I got with my new copy of 98se, I had been using my old floppy. I reformatted, downloaded a fresh AVG from grisoft, loaded nvidia drivers, then checked and I didn't see the dosstart.bat file and thought all was screwed, but the thing would restart in DOS.(?) i didn't get it, but I was good with it and didn't look at it too hard.
Then, like the Microsoft drone I have become, (no offense to anyone) I went to Windows Update and downloaded all the security updates that were not on the disc.
Then, I read your post and thought, "thanks for the help, but that little nuisance is behind me"...
So, just for drill, I tried to restart in DOS, and yes, it hangs on a black screen and goes nowhere, just as it did before. So, I am a touch frustrated.
I am going to load the Norton, but I am curious if something can (a virus) be on the drive itself and all the reformatting in the world won't catch/kill it??
Hey, at this point I am completely baffled.
This is about a 2 month old WD 40 g drive.
Thanks.

edit: I ran the Norton and it says there is nothing on the system, I also ran the WD diagnostics floppy and it says all is well...

Has anyone heard of this and can it be the result of the Windows Updates? I know that sounds nuts, but I am really sick of this...
Thanks Again ( as always)

reboot · 10-21-2002, 10:34 AM

I have a couple of ideas.
Does the BIOS have an overlay loaded to read the drive?
Have you checked into a BIOS upgrade?
The problems seem to occur after you install the MS updates...are you sure you need all the updates you're getting?
The reason I am thinking this way, is if the drive cannot be fully accessed by BIOS, Windows can see 40gig but BIOS cannot, and when Windows writes to the last sector on the drive, it's in a different spot than BIOS thinks it is, thus the bluescreen error.
This isn't the first time a drive overlay has been used, causing the same problem.
If you're going to reformat again anyhow, get any BIOS updates first, and, using the WD installer disk, remove any overlay...THEN install the BIOS update from floppy, then restart, and fdisk/make active/format the partition.

Needtoknow · 10-21-2002, 03:38 PM

Hello,
Thanks Reboot, I am open to ideas.
Here's what happened since my last post.
I found a Windows help that advised to go to the PIF files and change the choice of paths for DOS under Properties and programs.
Now it ONLY boots to DOS, can't boot to Windows

. I have tried to change settings back to get to Windows but no help.
The windows help referenced the DOSstart.bat file then this other option.
Any ideas on what the correct settings on these files is?
I have looked at a couple of other computers and they all seem to be set up differently.
Any and all are welcome.
Thanks.
Any ideas on what the

Hpro · 10-21-2002, 04:39 PM

To your latest Problem - have you tried to type WIN and press enter at the prompt? If this works then you have to edit the MSDOS.SYS file - but first delete all *.BAT files and Config.sys from the ROOT folder - or at least rename them to something else -then you will see you can boot to windows.!
Hpro

EDIT
C:\>WIN press ENTER

To delete the bat files use this
del *.bat - press ENTER this would then look like this
C:\>del *.bat press ENTER
to rename either files bat or config.sys you use this -

ren *.bat *.oldand press ENTER or
ren config.sys config.old and press ENTER
Note
here in my sample between the T of BAT and the * there is the SPACEBAR pressed one time same for the config.sys file..

GaryRouth · 10-22-2002, 02:01 AM

Hi Needtoknow

Just wanted to say I haven't forgot about you . . . but I haven't come up with any good ideas either. Try reboot's and Hpro's ideas to get you running again. Why it happens in the first place is what puzzles me. Were you able to see if you had a drive overlay running? (your WD DataLifeGuard would be able to detect that for you).

I'm interested to see the outcome of this one - I haven't come across anything like this one before.
. . . Gary

Needtoknow · 10-22-2002, 06:48 AM

Hello,
Thanks for all the ideas, I finally punted and reformatted, reloaded the AVG and Nvidia drivers and haven't loaded any Windows updates.
This is a Gigabyte 7zxe mobo that has the handy little BIOS flash feature, I thought I had the most recent upgrade, but I will check.
Not completely sure I understand what is meant by a BIOS overlay.
As far as Windows upgrades go, I thought one was supposed to upgrade with whatever the site announced were necessary when visited. I have never experienced this either, but I am being downright paranoid.
Is there something that can actually get IN the drive itself and cause something this goofy?
I am up and running for the moment.
This all began as I was trying to restart in DOS to run a certain shopvac program that can only be run from DOS.

Thanks to all.
Edit: I went to restart in DOS, as I have been doing just to check and it hangs on a black screen again....
This is strange, No Windows upgrades. I did load the AVG from disc so maybe prob there, but I loaded from site last time and prob began anyway???
Maybe something funky in hdd or is that too far fetched?
BIOS overlay..?
Always open for input.

reboot · 10-22-2002, 09:40 AM

A BIOS overlay is used to install a hard drive in a system when it's BIOS cannot recognize a drive, usually one that is bigger than the BIOS can handle.
After your last two posts, I have a feeling it's AVG that is causing the problem. AVG loads a DOS boot sector scanner before Windows, and may do strange things to dosstart.bat
Hpro has partly got the idea, simply by renaming the files, but that won't help now.
(Why didn't you say it was Shopvac you were trying to run in the first place?!)
Forget restarting in DOS mode. Start in pure DOS.
Just hold down the CTRL key during boot up, select "Command Prompt Only" from the menu, and then run shopvac.
When done, it should restart on it's own, if not, just hit CTRL+ALT+DEL to restart.
Make sure you have the most accurate, up-to-date version of Shopvac, direct from my site (not the one here on PCMech)
http://members.cnx.net/reboot/shopvac.htm
There's also an undo.bat there, if things get totally screwed.

10-19-2002, 04:46 PM	#1
Needtoknow Member (9 bit) Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: Manchaca, Texas Posts: 488	Lost dosstart.bat, Is it AVG related? Hello, I have this weird problem that keeps resulting in the inability to restart in DOS, and some strange scandisc hdd type probs. It seems to be 98se related, but who knows? I couldn't restart in DOS, and I discovered that I no longer had the dosstart.bat file. Also, I start getting a can't read to c drive and "need to run scandisk" order when I reboot. I run WD diagnostics off floppy and no probs with hdd. I let the scandisc run and it settles down. But won't restart in DOS, even when I rebuild a dosstart.bat file. No dosstart.bat file, not sure why, so I reformat and reloaded Windows 98se. I check, I have the file and I can restart in dos. I reload drivers, modem drivers from disc, Nvidia drivers from net, load Grisoft AVG from a disc I loaded it to when I knew I was going to reformat. I get a "can't write to c drive" and a blue screen. Hit a key and go on. Restart and it starts telling me I need to run scan disc. Same symptoms. I check and sure enough, the dostart file is gone and it won't restart in DOS. So maybe AVG was corrupt? I have run it for over a year, and tested it with infected floppies as tests and it always alerts me of a prob, it seems to be a good anti-virus program. Any ideas on where this lost dostart.bat file is coming from??? Thanks for reading this long winded post, but I am getting it out before I reformat for the 3rd time this week. Thanks for any ideas. Share Share this post on Digg Del.icio.us Technorati Twitter __________________ I wasn't using my civil liberties anyway. Life is what happens while you are busy making other plans. -John Lennon Last edited by Needtoknow; 10-19-2002 at 08:28 PM.

10-20-2002, 04:30 PM	#2
GaryRouth Member (12 bit) Join Date: Nov 2001 Location: Woodland Hills, CA (suburb of Los Angeles) Posts: 4,014	Hi Needtoknow I'd scan with a different antivirus scanner - sure sounds like something's gotten onto your disk. AVG has a ton of updates, too - you could download [from a known virus-free machine!] a newer copy, burn it to cd, and install from that [after you've done your third reformat. . . Or, I suppose, if another antivirus was able to clean your drive for you, you could Try going with the newer version without a reinstall - but I like the reformat when dealing with viruses] Scan those other driver disks, too, before re-installing them on your newly formatted drive [might want to download fresh copies of them, too - do you have a real-time antivirus file scanner?] Best of luck . . . Gary Share Share this post on Digg Del.icio.us Technorati Twitter

10-20-2002, 07:41 PM	#3
Needtoknow Member (9 bit) Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: Manchaca, Texas Posts: 488	Hello Gary, I was trying to load Norton from an OEM disc I got as a freebee with a mobo. I got the "can't write to drive c" and wasn't sure if it was the program or the box. I reformatted, used a fresh OEM Win98 floppy that I got with my new copy of 98se, I had been using my old floppy. I reformatted, downloaded a fresh AVG from grisoft, loaded nvidia drivers, then checked and I didn't see the dosstart.bat file and thought all was screwed, but the thing would restart in DOS.(?) i didn't get it, but I was good with it and didn't look at it too hard. Then, like the Microsoft drone I have become, (no offense to anyone) I went to Windows Update and downloaded all the security updates that were not on the disc. Then, I read your post and thought, "thanks for the help, but that little nuisance is behind me"... So, just for drill, I tried to restart in DOS, and yes, it hangs on a black screen and goes nowhere, just as it did before. So, I am a touch frustrated. I am going to load the Norton, but I am curious if something can (a virus) be on the drive itself and all the reformatting in the world won't catch/kill it?? Hey, at this point I am completely baffled. This is about a 2 month old WD 40 g drive. Thanks. edit: I ran the Norton and it says there is nothing on the system, I also ran the WD diagnostics floppy and it says all is well... Has anyone heard of this and can it be the result of the Windows Updates? I know that sounds nuts, but I am really sick of this... Thanks Again ( as always) Share Share this post on Digg Del.icio.us Technorati Twitter Last edited by Needtoknow; 10-20-2002 at 08:12 PM.

10-21-2002, 10:34 AM	#4
reboot Member (14 bit) Join Date: Mar 1999 Location: Kelowna, B.C., Canada Posts: 9,138	I have a couple of ideas. Does the BIOS have an overlay loaded to read the drive? Have you checked into a BIOS upgrade? The problems seem to occur after you install the MS updates...are you sure you need all the updates you're getting? The reason I am thinking this way, is if the drive cannot be fully accessed by BIOS, Windows can see 40gig but BIOS cannot, and when Windows writes to the last sector on the drive, it's in a different spot than BIOS thinks it is, thus the bluescreen error. This isn't the first time a drive overlay has been used, causing the same problem. If you're going to reformat again anyhow, get any BIOS updates first, and, using the WD installer disk, remove any overlay...THEN install the BIOS update from floppy, then restart, and fdisk/make active/format the partition. Share Share this post on Digg Del.icio.us Technorati Twitter __________________ Black holes are where God divided by zero... Cheers, Jim Jims Modems

10-21-2002, 03:38 PM	#5
Needtoknow Member (9 bit) Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: Manchaca, Texas Posts: 488	Hello, Thanks Reboot, I am open to ideas. Here's what happened since my last post. I found a Windows help that advised to go to the PIF files and change the choice of paths for DOS under Properties and programs. Now it ONLY boots to DOS, can't boot to Windows . I have tried to change settings back to get to Windows but no help. The windows help referenced the DOSstart.bat file then this other option. Any ideas on what the correct settings on these files is? I have looked at a couple of other computers and they all seem to be set up differently. Any and all are welcome. Thanks. Any ideas on what the Share Share this post on Digg Del.icio.us Technorati Twitter

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10-21-2002, 04:39 PM	#6
Hpro Power in the Box-P4 XEON! Join Date: May 2001 Location: Europe >Swiss Posts: 3,014	To your latest Problem - have you tried to type WIN and press enter at the prompt? If this works then you have to edit the MSDOS.SYS file - but first delete all .BAT files and Config.sys from the ROOT folder - or at least rename them to something else -then you will see you can boot to windows.! Hpro EDIT* C:\>WIN press ENTER To delete the bat files use this *del .bat - press ENTER this would then look like this C:\>del .bat* press ENTER to rename either files bat or config.sys you use this - *ren .bat .oldand press ENTER or ren config.sys config.old* and press ENTER Note here in my sample between the T of BAT and the * there is the SPACEBAR pressed one time same for the config.sys file.. Share Share this post on Digg Del.icio.us Technorati Twitter __________________ It's not as hard to do as you may think...It's just that you try.!And I'm still trying..! The Machine: i7 920CPU @ 2.66 Hypertreading / Asus P6T / 12GB DDR3 Ram 1366 / 3 x Sata 160GB Hot Swap / 1x Sata 160GB / 2 x Sata 300 GB / Plextor DVD 800 SATA / Plextor CDRW IDE / Audigy Sound Blaster 24 Bit / ASUS Nvidia ENGT 240/ Chieftec Full Tower / PSU Chieftec 600 Watt / Win7 x64 Ultimate MAPS Last edited by Hpro; 10-21-2002 at 04:49 PM.

10-22-2002, 02:01 AM	#7
GaryRouth Member (12 bit) Join Date: Nov 2001 Location: Woodland Hills, CA (suburb of Los Angeles) Posts: 4,014	Hi Needtoknow Just wanted to say I haven't forgot about you . . . but I haven't come up with any good ideas either. Try reboot's and Hpro's ideas to get you running again. Why it happens in the first place is what puzzles me. Were you able to see if you had a drive overlay running? (your WD DataLifeGuard would be able to detect that for you). I'm interested to see the outcome of this one - I haven't come across anything like this one before. . . . Gary Share Share this post on Digg Del.icio.us Technorati Twitter

10-22-2002, 06:48 AM	#8
Needtoknow Member (9 bit) Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: Manchaca, Texas Posts: 488	Hello, Thanks for all the ideas, I finally punted and reformatted, reloaded the AVG and Nvidia drivers and haven't loaded any Windows updates. This is a Gigabyte 7zxe mobo that has the handy little BIOS flash feature, I thought I had the most recent upgrade, but I will check. Not completely sure I understand what is meant by a BIOS overlay. As far as Windows upgrades go, I thought one was supposed to upgrade with whatever the site announced were necessary when visited. I have never experienced this either, but I am being downright paranoid. Is there something that can actually get IN the drive itself and cause something this goofy? I am up and running for the moment. This all began as I was trying to restart in DOS to run a certain shopvac program that can only be run from DOS. Thanks to all. Edit: I went to restart in DOS, as I have been doing just to check and it hangs on a black screen again.... This is strange, No Windows upgrades. I did load the AVG from disc so maybe prob there, but I loaded from site last time and prob began anyway??? Maybe something funky in hdd or is that too far fetched? BIOS overlay..? Always open for input. Share Share this post on Digg Del.icio.us Technorati Twitter Last edited by Needtoknow; 10-22-2002 at 07:06 AM.

10-22-2002, 09:40 AM	#9
reboot Member (14 bit) Join Date: Mar 1999 Location: Kelowna, B.C., Canada Posts: 9,138	A BIOS overlay is used to install a hard drive in a system when it's BIOS cannot recognize a drive, usually one that is bigger than the BIOS can handle. After your last two posts, I have a feeling it's AVG that is causing the problem. AVG loads a DOS boot sector scanner before Windows, and may do strange things to dosstart.bat Hpro has partly got the idea, simply by renaming the files, but that won't help now. (Why didn't you say it was Shopvac you were trying to run in the first place?!) Forget restarting in DOS mode. Start in pure DOS. Just hold down the CTRL key during boot up, select "Command Prompt Only" from the menu, and then run shopvac. When done, it should restart on it's own, if not, just hit CTRL+ALT+DEL to restart. Make sure you have the most accurate, up-to-date version of Shopvac, direct from my site (not the one here on PCMech) http://members.cnx.net/reboot/shopvac.htm There's also an undo.bat there, if things get totally screwed. Share Share this post on Digg Del.icio.us Technorati Twitter

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