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Can not get command prompt



 
 
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  #1  
Old December 11th 04, 01:41 PM
Dhuri
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default Can not get command prompt

Dear friends,

I had windows 98 as my operating system. I tried to upgrade it to windows
2000 pro, but some error occurred and trial failed. Now while booting I was
prompted two options with windows 2000 as the default choice and 5 seconds to
shift to windows 98. So I tried to modify the boot.ini file. But by mistake I
damaged the boot.ini file and now I am not getting screen option of windows
98 .

My only option is switching over to windows 2000 which is not functioning. I
activated the booting option by using F8. I tried using all the modes like
safe mode, safe mode with networking, safe mode with command prompt, enable
boot logging and the others. But by pressing any of the above options I am
again being directed to windows 2000 boot up and my PC is getting hanged.
My floppy drive is not working?
I changed the boot sequence in CMOS set up and tried to boot from CD with
bootable CD. But while booting I am getting message “ Boot from ATAPI CD-ROM
: CD-ROM Loader v1.2 BETA 09/07/01 © 2001 BY Bart Lagerweij.�
Please note that my CD drive ( sony CD writer) is working fine otherwise
within an operating system.
I tried all boot up sequences and all CMOS setup options.
I am not able to start my PC.
How to get command from for my hard drives as well as that CD drive?

Dhuri




  #2  
Old December 11th 04, 03:55 PM
MM&MM
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default

Dhuri,

Your bootable CD is the custom CD prepared using Bart's recommendations,
http://www.nu2.nu/bootcd/

So it is not the standard bootable CD (BTW, as far as I know, only the
OEM Win98/98SE installation CDs may be bootable - but not the standard
MS CDs), and what you can do using it - depends on what is placed there
by the person who prepared it.

Do you see any menu after
'CD-ROM Loader v1.2 BETA 09/07/01 © 2001 BY Bart Lagerweij'
message? Probably you have about 30 seconds to select a choice, and if
something like 'Win98 installation disk' is there - select it, and run:

sys a: c:

after booting is completed.

Or:

You can create a standard bootable Win98 diskette (in Win98: Control
Panel - Add/Remove Programs - Boot Disk tab). Then write an empty
bootable Data CD at the computer with almost any burning program
installed - using this diskette as the boot image source for bootable
CD. Then boot your computer from this CD, and see above (sys a: c
--
MM&MM

On Sat, 11 Dec 2004 04:41:02 -0800, "Dhuri"
wrote:

Dear friends,

I had windows 98 as my operating system. I tried to upgrade it to windows
2000 pro, but some error occurred and trial failed. Now while booting I was
prompted two options with windows 2000 as the default choice and 5 seconds to
shift to windows 98. So I tried to modify the boot.ini file. But by mistake I
damaged the boot.ini file and now I am not getting screen option of windows
98 .

My only option is switching over to windows 2000 which is not functioning. I
activated the booting option by using F8. I tried using all the modes like
safe mode, safe mode with networking, safe mode with command prompt, enable
boot logging and the others. But by pressing any of the above options I am
again being directed to windows 2000 boot up and my PC is getting hanged.
My floppy drive is not working?
I changed the boot sequence in CMOS set up and tried to boot from CD with
bootable CD. But while booting I am getting message “ Boot from ATAPI CD-ROM
: CD-ROM Loader v1.2 BETA 09/07/01 © 2001 BY Bart Lagerweij.”
Please note that my CD drive ( sony CD writer) is working fine otherwise
within an operating system.
I tried all boot up sequences and all CMOS setup options.
I am not able to start my PC.
How to get command from for my hard drives as well as that CD drive?

Dhuri




  #3  
Old December 11th 04, 11:15 PM
Richard G. Harper
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default

Use a Windows 98 bootable floppy (download one from http://www.bootdisk.com/
if you don't have one) and start up the computer with it. When you reach
the A:\ prompt type the following and press Enter:

SYS C:

Then remove the floppy from the computer and restart it.

--
Richard G. Harper [MVP Shell/User]
* PLEASE post all messages and replies in the newsgroups
* for the benefit of all. Private mail is usually not replied to.
* My website, such as it is ...
http://rgharper.mvps.org/
* HELP us help YOU ... http://www.dts-l.org/goodpost.htm


"Dhuri" wrote in message
...
Dear friends,

I had windows 98 as my operating system. I tried to upgrade it to windows
2000 pro, but some error occurred and trial failed. Now while booting I
was
prompted two options with windows 2000 as the default choice and 5 seconds
to
shift to windows 98. So I tried to modify the boot.ini file. But by
mistake I
damaged the boot.ini file and now I am not getting screen option of
windows
98 .

My only option is switching over to windows 2000 which is not functioning.
I
activated the booting option by using F8. I tried using all the modes like
safe mode, safe mode with networking, safe mode with command prompt,
enable
boot logging and the others. But by pressing any of the above options I
am
again being directed to windows 2000 boot up and my PC is getting hanged.
My floppy drive is not working?
I changed the boot sequence in CMOS set up and tried to boot from CD with
bootable CD. But while booting I am getting message “ Boot from ATAPI
CD-ROM
: CD-ROM Loader v1.2 BETA 09/07/01 © 2001 BY Bart Lagerweij.�
Please note that my CD drive ( sony CD writer) is working fine otherwise
within an operating system.
I tried all boot up sequences and all CMOS setup options.
I am not able to start my PC.
How to get command from for my hard drives as well as that CD drive?

Dhuri






  #4  
Old December 11th 04, 11:59 PM
cquirke (MVP Win9x)
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default

On Sat, 11 Dec 2004 04:41:02 -0800, "Dhuri"

I had windows 98 as my operating system. I tried to upgrade it to windows
2000 pro, but some error occurred and trial failed.


Trial?

Now while booting I was prompted two options with windows 2000
as the default choice and 5 seconds to shift to windows 98.


OK. Here's what was happening before you installed Win2000:

BIOS runs Master Boot Record (MBR)
MBR runs Partition Boot Record (PBR)
PBR runs C:\IO.SYS
IO.SYS eventually launches Windows 98

Here's what is now happening:

BIOS runs Master Boot Record (MBR)
MBR runs Partition Boot Record (PBR)
PBR runs C:\NTLDR
NTLDR seeks, finds and interprets C:\BOOT.INI

If you choose Win2000 (or wait too long), NTLDR loads that according
to the settings in Boot.ini

If you choose Windows 98, NTLDR pulls C:\BOOTSECT.DOS into RAM as if
it was the Windows 98 PBR and runs it. This PBR image then loads
C:\IO.SYS and the rest of Windows 98 follows from there.

I tried to modify the boot.ini file. But by mistake I
damaged the boot.ini file and now I am not getting screen option of
windows 98.


Yes; if NTLDR sees only one OS line, it won't show the boot menu but
will go ahead and launch that. As you notice...

I activated the booting option by using F8. I tried using all the modes like
safe mode, safe mode with networking, safe mode with command prompt, enable
boot logging and the others. But by pressing any of the above options I am
again being directed to windows 2000 boot up and my PC is getting hanged.


....this menu doesn't point to Windows 98 at all.

My floppy drive is not working?


That's ungood. Unless you are COAB sure you have something else that
does the same job, never lose your diskette drive.

If you want to boot Win98 instead, there are four ways:

1) Boot same-version Win98 diskette and Sys C:

The Sys command will copy IO.SYS, Commad.com and related disk
compression code files to C:\, but more to the point; it will splat
back a Win98-appropriate PBR. That means no more NTLDR; instead, the
new PBR will load IO.SYS (thus Win98) directly.

2) Splat C:\BOOTSECT.DOS over PBR

You need to be familiar with raw disk tools like Diskedit to do this,
and C:\BOOTSECT.DOS must be from this current HD installation (and
copied from somewhere else - otherwise the HD geometry will be
disasterously wrong and you won't be happy)

If you do this, make sure you paste only the first sector (512 bytes)
of BOOTSECT.DOS over the PBR, and not a whole cluster! Also; it goes
over the PBR and NOT the MBR! If this sounds daunting, duck now!

3) Repair BOOT.INI

You can hand-edit C:\BOOT.INI to fix it, so it looks *like* this:

[boot loader]
timeout=30
default=multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\XPHOME
[operating systems]
multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\XPHOME="Micros oft Windows XP Home
Edition" /fastdetect
C:\="DOS Mode"

CRUCIAL: Unlike most .INI files, Boot.ini does NOT tolerate ;comment
lines within [operating systems] that defines OS paths to boot !!

DON'T fiddle with the long and complicated line that loads Win2000,
but you can write the line to load IO.SYS from BOOTSECT.DOS as:

C:\="Anything you like can go here"

You can force Win98 as your default choice like this...

[boot loader]
timeout=30
default=C:\
[operating systems]
multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\XPHOME="Micros oft Windows XP Home
Edition" /fastdetect
C:\="DOS Mode"

....I think (be prepared to edit Boot.ini if I'm wrong!) and if you
remove the Windows 2000 line entirely, NTLDR may just run Windows 98
for you without showing the menu first.

4) Regenerate BOOT.INI

I don't know if Win2000 has Recovery Console; it may not, or have some
other approach to do the same thing, but in XP, it's:
- boot off the XP CD
- choose Recovery Console
- log into your installation (usually null password)
- enter the FIXBOOT command
- enter the EXIT command

Just as Sys C: makes C: bootable into at least DOS mode, if not all of
Win98, so FIXBOOT makes NT work again. But it may do more than simply
splat NT's PBR into place, as well as ensure NTLDR etc. are OK; it may
also rebuild BOOT.INI so you can access your OSs.

That may depend on C:\BOOTSECT.DOS being present.

HTH


--------------- ----- ---- --- -- - - -

Never turn your back on an installer program
--------------- ----- ---- --- -- - - -

 




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