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General discussion

98 Product Key Problem

Dec 12, 2003 4:23PM PST

At the suggestion of a friend, I ran setup on an previously loaded Win98. I had 2 disks (from 2 separate computers) and without backing up my files, I went ahead with the process.

However, could only find one product key as it has been years since I used either disk.

And I attempted to update/load the wrong disk. Now I am stuck.

Windows will not load without the other product key. I have a Startup diskette, but since this is a laptop, when I start this disk, it recognises the floppy drive, but it does not recognice my CDROM if I try to change drives once I have opened the Startup Routine.

So is there anyway to backout this error and reload the correct Windows 98 disk?

Also, if I go in under SAFE MODE, my CDROM drivers still do not load. Is this normal?

And finally, is there a way to hook up my other laptop to read and download the data on this laptop so that I could simply Format the drive and start over again?

Thanks in advance.

Discussion is locked

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Re:98 Product Key Problem. Simply use the CD that you have the key for.
Dec 12, 2003 10:05PM PST

Run setup from that and it should install. BEWARE that Microsoft never installs motherboard, video, audio and such drivers so the person install this OS becomes adept at collecting drivers and installing them.

There are some that think that installing Windows once a year is a good idea. We had one user called NeoMatrix that did that monthly and his posts were legendary in nature.

Bottomline? Format and reinstall only as a last resort.

Bob

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Re:Re:98 Product Key Problem. Simply use the CD that you have the key for.
Dec 13, 2003 12:36AM PST

I wish that it was that easy.

When I do a normal startup of my computer, Windows takes me into the screen requesting the key for the disk that I initially loaded and do not have the key for.

If I boot using my Startup disk, then after this disk loads, if I pull out the floppy disk drive and insert my CDROM, the CDROM is not recognised.

So I can not simply run the correct disk as I would like to.

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Re:Re:98 Product Key Problem. Simply use the CD that you have the key for.
Dec 13, 2003 12:47AM PST

Bob,

Another question: I tried copier my Startup diskette onto a CD and then botting my computer with this - after arranging the drive boot order to CD-Floppy-Hard Drive. However, upon bootup, the Startup program does not "take" and Windows once again asks me for the other key code.

Why is this? During the startup, it shows my CD-ROM driver installing, but is it too late to effect the startup disk?

Thanks,

Steve

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Too little information.
Dec 13, 2003 2:18AM PST

"Tip: If you are asking for help to troubleshoot a computer-related problem, please be sure to include all the necessary information (ie: operating system, model number, hardware, software, etc) that will help others identify your problem for a speedy resolution."

This tip is provided with every posting. While you might be able to use another boot diskette from http://www.bootdisk.com , it seems you are relying too heavily on pre-packaged solutions. Your skills at editing CONFIG.SYS, AUTOEXEC.BAT should be too tested if you had to install a DOS CDROM driver since the driver is one file, and requires one line each of commands in the CONFIG.SYS and AUTOEXEC.BAT file.

But a new boot diskette may fix that. You may also have to delete the C:\WINDOWS directory to force the install to start over.

About that tip. Not sharing what CDROM unit you have slows down the process of getting fast help. Also, not sharing what is in the working and non-working CONFIG.SYS and AUTOEXEC.BAT files so the forum could comment what's different.

Bob

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Re:Too little information
Dec 13, 2003 8:26AM PST

Sorry Bob, I really am quite sure of my situation and wasn't actually sure if I had a CDROM issue or if that was a typical product of my situation.

I did download a Windows98se bootfile from Bootdisk.com and tried to use it to startup my system. WHeteher I used it from a floppy or from a CD, I received the message, "Invalid system disk". Since I received this message even when trying to load it with a CD, doesn't that indicate that there is some life to my CDROM?

Not sure where else to go or what information I could provide for you or others, I will detail my Autoexec.bat and Config.sys files as they appear on my Dell Inspiron 3000 laptop which uses a TORISAN CDROM DRIVE UNIT Model #CDR-U200-Z.

I will detail the AUTOEXEC AND CONFIG FILES IN THE NEXT REPLIES.

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Re:Too little information. AUTOEXEC.BAT - 1
Dec 13, 2003 8:29AM PST

The first Autoexec.bat is located in C:\Windows\Command\EBD:
@ECHO OFF
set EXPAND=YES
SET DIRCMD=O:N
set LglDrv=27 * 26 Z 25 Y 24 X 23 W 22 V 21 U 20 T 19 S 18 R 17 Q 16 P 15
set LglDrv=%LglDrv% O 14 N 13 M 12 L 11 K 10 J 9 I 8 H 7 G F 5 E 4 D 3 C
cls
call setramd.bat %LglDrv%
set temp=c:\
set tmp=c:\
path=%RAMD%:\;a:\;%CDROM%:\
copy command.com %RAMD%:\ > NUL
set comspec=%RAMD%:\command.com
copy extract.exe %RAMD%:\ > NUL
copy readme.txt %RAMD%:\ > NUL

:ERROR
IF EXIST edb.cab GOTO EXT
echo Please insert Windows 98 Startup Disk 2
echo.
pause
GOTO ERROR

:EXT
%RAMD%:\extract /y /e /l %RAMD%: ebd.cab > NUL
echo The diagnostics tools were successfully loaded to drive %RAMD%.
echo.

IF "%config%"=="NOCD" GOTO QUIT
IF "%config%"=="HELP" GOTO HELP
LH %ramd%:\MSCDEX>EXE /D:mscd001 /L:%CDROM%
echo.
GOTO QUIT

:HELP
cls
call help.bat
echo Your computer will now restart and the startup menu will appear.
echo.
echo.
echo.
echo.
echo.
echo.
echo.
echo.
echo.
echo.
restart.com
GOTO QUIT

:QUIT
echo To get help, type HELP and press ENTER.
echo.
rem clean up environment variables
set CDROM=
set LglDrv=

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Re:Too little information. - AUTOEXEC.BAT - 2
Dec 13, 2003 8:32AM PST

THERE IS ALSO AN AUTOEXEC.BAT FILE IN C:\
@ECHO OFF
cls
if not exist dm.exe goto NODM
dm.exe
goto NOCDROM

:NODM
echo Loading CD-ROM Drivers

set temp=c:\
set tmp=c:\

rem - By Windows Setup - LH C:\WINDOWS\COMMAND\MSCDEX.EXE /D:cdrom

:AUTOSETUP
set CDROM=FOO23
FINDCD.EXE
if "%CDROM%"=="FOO23" goto NOCDROM

echo your CD-ROM drive letter is %CDROM%
:NOCDROM
SET PATH=%PATH%;C:\WINDOWS\Twain_32\Scanwiz;C:\WINDOWS\Twain\Scanwiz


@SET CLASSPATH=C:\PROGRA~1\PHOTOD~1.0\ADOBEC~1

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Re:Too little information. - CONFIG.SYS
Dec 13, 2003 8:35AM PST

CONFIG.SYS LOCATED IN C:\WINDOWS\COMMAND\EBD
[menu]
menuitem=CD, Start computer with CD-ROM support.
menuitem=NOCD, Start computer without CD-ROM support.
menuitem=HELP, View the Help file.
menufault=CD,30
menucolor=7,0

[CD]
device=himen.sys /testmem:off
device=oakcdrom.sys /D:mscd001
device=btdosm.sys
device=flashpt.sys
device=btcdrom.sys /D,scd001
device=aspi2dos.sys
device=aspi8dos.sys
device=aspi4dos.sys
device=aspicd.sys /D:mscd001

[NOCD]
device=himem.sys /testmem:off

[HELP]
device=himem.sys testmem:off

[COMMON]
files=10
buffers=10
dos=high,umb
stacks=9,256
devicehigh=ramdrive.sys /E 2048
lastdrive=z


AND THE CONFIG.SYS IN C:\
device=C:\WINDOWS\himem.sys /testmem:off
device=oakcdrom.sys /D:cdrom

files=60
dos=high,umb
device=C:\WINDOWS\cwdinit.exe /W

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Re:Too little information - DELETING C:\WINDOWS
Dec 13, 2003 8:37AM PST

Bob also mentioned that I could possibly delete my C:\WINDOWS files and reload Windows. This would be deleted at the DOS level, yes? And would I stand to lose any other data on the disk?

Thanks for any and all help and your patience.

Steve

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That's the CLUE! You have a TORISON CD DRIVE!
Dec 13, 2003 12:24PM PST

You'll have to find the old DOS DRIVER for it. Add it to to the boot diskette. Then edit CONFIG.SYS with it's needed DEVICE= line.

I don't see those very often and it explains why you are having such a rough time.

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

About the BOOTDISK.COM disk. You seem to have downloaded the .EXE and placed it on some diskette. This is a common mistake. How to use that is that you RUN this .EXE and it makes a new boot diskette.


Bob

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Re:That's the CLUE! You have a TORISON CD DRIVE!
Dec 15, 2003 5:44AM PST

Thanks for your continued support Bob.

You were correct about my use of the file at Bootdisk.com. However, correctly using this file got me no further than using my Startup disk.

I also was able to locate a drive for the Torisan CD-ROM. It seems that my limited knowledge on all of this is digging myself deeper and deeper into a hole.

You had previously mentioned deleting my C:\Windows directory. Is this an option? If I do and then startup up my computer again should it load my correct Windows disk at this point? Will I loose all other files on my hrd drive? How do I delete the directory? In safe mode, I am not allowed to. I assume that there is a way to do this in DOS.

My laptop is quite old and all that I am interested in doing at this point is salvaging some files from it.

Thanks for anything and everything.

Steve

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A TORISON CD Drive driver.
Dec 15, 2003 6:00AM PST

It's all of one line of TEXT in CONFIG.SYS and you copy said driver onto the boot diskette.

I will not write that this is easy for some, but you do need to be able to edit a text file and copy a file from here to there.

Use NOTEPAD to edit that CONFIG.SYS For example...

DEVICE=cd1.SYS /D:banana

May need to read

DEVICE=TORISAN.SYS /D:banana

Or you can copy TORISAN.SYS to A: and then NAME the file cd1.SYS

You can do this.

Bob

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Take 2.
Dec 15, 2003 6:03AM PST
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Re:Take 2
Dec 16, 2003 2:02AM PST

Thanks again for the continued support Bob.

My frustration with this is that every step I take,I seem to uncover another issue.

Now, after following the instructions on the website that you provided me, when I run my startup disk, I get the following error:
The following file is missing or corrupted: HIMEM.SYS
The is an error in your CONFIG.SYS file on line 9

Where line 9 is: device=himem.sys /testmem:off

Additionally, I get:
The following file is missing or corrupted: A:\TSY\TSYCDROM.SYS
There is an error in your CONFIG.SYS file on line 10

Where line 10 is
DEVICE=A:\TSY\TSYCDROM.SYS /D:mscd001/P:PS

Both of these files do exist and judging by the size, the HIMEM.SYS is the same that is on my hard drive.

Towards the end of loading the startup disk, I also get the following messages:
path not found - :\COMMAND.COM
path not found - :\EXTRACT.EXE
path not found - :\README.TXT

WHen I do load windows in Safe Mode, I get the message:
HIMEM is testing extended memory...done.
This leads me to believe that the HIMEM file is not corrupt.

Any more advice or suggestions are appreciated.

Steve

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Where you start is important.
Dec 16, 2003 2:24AM PST

The web site I provided was for REFERENCE ONLY. I used that to find out what the NAME of the CDROM DRIVER was. I can only vaguely recall such things so I noted it.

If I were to take a boot disk from www.bootdisk.com, I could copy the TSYCDROM.SYS to said diskette and edit the CONFIG.SYS to note the needed DEVICE= line. I wouldn't bother with creating a TSY directory so my DEVICE= line would be simply:

DEVICE=TSYCDROM.SYS /D:mscd001/P:PS

Now this is just GUESSING what's in the AUTOEXEC.BAT and whether the MSCDEX has the matching /D:mscd001 and one test could reveal if the device line might actually be

DEVICE=TSYCDROM.SYS /D:mscd001 /P:PS

But something's not right since this is just one file to be copied on the stock diskette and one line in CONFIG.SYS to be edited...

Remember that you can't use WORD to edit a CONFIG.SYS. You use NOTEPAD or EDIT.

Bob

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Re:Where you start is important.
Dec 16, 2003 2:47AM PST

Thanks Bob. I initially was going to do it as you suggested but then thought that I had better follow the procedues from the other website. I'll try this.

Any idea why I am getting the HIMEM.SYS error? Could the fact that t is a hidden file have anything to do with it?

Steve

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Where you start is really important.
Dec 16, 2003 3:04AM PST

Telling others where you went reveals clues as well.

The stock diskettes from www.bootdisk.com don't have such an error. I CHEAT and start with those and make the small changes to create custom boot diskettes.

Bob

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Do it step by step.
Dec 16, 2003 4:25AM PST

First boot with a standard diskette (with CD-support) from www.bootdisk.com, and see if that works (except for the CD, of course). Make a copy of the diskette, so you can always go back to what worked.
Then make the few changes required by your cd-drive, such as another driver, and possibly a change in config.sys and autoexec.bat. This would circumvent any himem.sys and a lot of other errors, I think.

Good luck,


Kees

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Re:Re:98 Product Key Problem. Simply use the CD that you have the key for.
Dec 18, 2003 2:25AM PST

Thanks Bob and Kees. With your assistance...problem resolved.

Steve