missing or corupt files

how do i make one? this is my SIL's old computer ans she onlys ent the windows 98 disk. is there any where on line i can get the files to make a windows 98 boot up disk?

i made teh 98 boot up disk- put it in then booted all i get is invalid system disk replace the disk and then press any key- it does that over and over, is this a bad sign???

Do you have a working PC with Win98 or ME that you can use?

Go to Add/Remove Programs > Startup Disk tab and follow the prompts to create a Startup Floppy.

You can also create a startup floppy downloading this file:

http://www.dehning.com/download/utilities/bootdisks/boot98.exe

After downloading, put a freshly formatted floppy in the drive and double-click the boot98.exe file you just downloaded.

This will launch the process of creating the startup floppy.

When finished use that floppy to start the sick PC.

Start it without CD-ROM support and at the A:\ prompt type:

SCANREG /RESTORE (note space between G and /)

Press enter, select a date PRIOR to the problem starting and proceed.

Reboot when finished and test.

Zee

Good luck,

Zee

i made the floppy- put it in then turned thecomp on- got to the prompt A thingy...... get to the system transferrred- then i took out the floppy and rebooted... but it just gives me the same old 5 item start up black screen suggesting i choose number 5 - am imissing a step?

what option #5 was from the menu......can you tell me? That might give a clue about what to do next but I'm having a senior moment about that screen.

TONI

command prompt only
when i do that i get the 3 missing file notice... the himem.sys, dblbuff.sys and ifshlp.sys missing or corrupt

doesn't give you a menu such as that with choices of how to boot up.

When you created the bootdisk....I need information.

1. Did you have it created within Windows 98 at the Startup Disk area of Add=Remove Programs?

2. Did you download a W98 bootdisk from the internet....if so, did you actually click the .exe file you downloaded to start the program that actually creates the bootdisk to a clean floppy disk in the drive?

3. Do you get to the A: prompt using the bootdisk or does it only take you to the menu with choices?

4. If you only get the menu with choices, it appears that you don't have your bios/setup configured to boot from a floppy disk as your first device, so if that's the case and you need help being able to do that, let us know. Instructions will be given.

5. Do you have a Windows 98 installation cd? If so, what version.....First Edition or Second Edition. Extracting the files you need depends on the location of the files on the cd and those versions have the location in different places.

TONI

1. Did you have it created within Windows 98 at the Startup Disk area of Add=Remove Programs?
''no''.

2. Did you download a W98 bootdisk from the internet....
''yes
if so, did you actually click the .exe file you downloaded to start the program that actually creates the bootdisk to a clean floppy disk in the drive?
''yes

3. Do you get to the A: prompt using the bootdisk -
-yes
or does it only take you to the menu with choices?
"no , only after the reboot do i get the 5 choices even after rebooting after getting the system transferred message''-''note-there is another A prompt line below the system transferred line''.

4. If you only get the menu with choices, it appears that you don't have your bios/setup configured to boot from a floppy disk as your first device, so if that's the case and you need help being able to do that, let us know. Instructions will be given.

5. Do you have a Windows 98 installation cd?.yes i have the windows 98 that came with the computer im fixing.
If so, what version.....First Edition or Second Edition.first edition i believe -i know its not windows 98 SE.

First boot up with the boot disk to get to the A: prompt, but make sure you enable cdrom support at the first screen if asked...usually a downloaded bootdisk will just load it automatically. It normally is highlighted by default so press Enter to accept it.

Once you get to the A: prompt, put your windows cd into the drive, and type the following exactly as written, including the spaces.....Assuming R is the drive letter for the cdrom

EXTRACT R:\Win98\win98_46.cab\dblbuff.sys /L C:\Windows

and press Enter

Once it says it's been transferred, so the same command for \ifshelp.sys

Now do the same command but change the cab file to be Base5.cab\himem.sys

Remember that there is a space after EXTRACT and again after .sys and again after /L

Once they've all been extracted to the C:\Windows folder, remove the bootdisk, and try booting up again.

TONI

i tried every letter for the cdrom to extract the files from just get the following
cannot open R:\Win98\win98_46.cab\dblbuff.sys /L C:\Windows
ive tried from B to Z for the drive letter exept C ofcoarse but wonder of maybe C isnt the hardrive letter? lol...my sil had major problems with this thing so thats why my kids got it..i know the CDrom works we were using it shortly before my dear son decided to delete pics- cant extract any files from the 98- it acts like it doesnt recognize the cdrom drive- the little light comes on but i dont hear any noise when its supposed to be searching for a file on a disk in the cd rom....

just before the A: prompt showed up, did it show what drive letter it used for the cdrom?

TONI

well it sais 2 things
the first is this
The diagnostic tools were successfully loaded to Drive D
then below that
Drive E: = Driver MSCD001 Unit O
then the A prompt under that

it sais to boot up with floppy- use cdrom access insert windows cd...then type
EXT then enter
then extract file-but i dont know the cdrom drive letter or the file path i want to extract or the file name i want to extract to.... or where to extract to.... lol- im a mess.

After you type EXT. I would expect that you will see a file name. Double click on that file. If it asks where to extract it to, extract ot to the desktop. If it doesn't name it, use basically any name that you want.

is the first CD drive [you don't have another. If you did it would be 1].

Thus at the A prompt you type E and hit enter.

If you have any doubts wait for her to get back in the morning.

im thinking that it just cant support the cdrom after using the bootup disk. i mean i can pick the cdrom support but when i tell it to extraxt from the disk in the cdrom- no noise comes from that drive-/that may be why it cannot find the file path to the disk in the cdrom- but i will try the E letter- i cant remember if i tried that..... ive tried so many combinations...lol

using the bootdisk and trying to extract, you said you got an error saying 'cannot open' the cab file for the first file you tried to extract which was the dblbuff.sys file.

Did you try any of the others from the list? I'm curious because if you tried the Base5.cab file it might have worked, even if the other two didn't. The reason being that W98 First Edition had the first two files in a different cab file than W98 Second Edition, but the himem.sys file is located in Base5.cab for both versions.

Try using the extract command for the himem.sys file only using the following command at the A: prompt and tell me if it worked. If it does, then we know you actually have W98SE and not W98FE like you believed you did and I can give you the correct cab file number for the other two files.

EXTRACT E:\win98\base5.cab\himem.sys /L C:\Windows

TONI

i tried it- just get the cannot open file- ive tried it with both the win98 cd an my 98se cd- it seems liek the comp cant run the cdrom- maybe thats why it cant get the file- im wondering if the bootup floppy i have doesnt have the driver for this cdrom?? but i dont know how to tell what cdrom it is....

exactly? That will tell us if it's a true MS cd or one that came from the vendor instead.

Your cdrom drivers are loading properly or when you put in a cd, it would say 'drive not ready' or a code error instead. So it's definitely something to do with the cd itself.

Another test for this is to put in the cd, type E: at the A: prompt and press Enter so you get to the E:> and then type DIR /W/P and press Enter.

That will give you a directory listing of what's on the cd and will confirm that the drive is working.

TONI

the only thing she sent was a disk marked windows 98- i ran it and not much on it maybe
[add ons] autorun.inf [cd sampler] [drivers]read me
setup.exe [tools] win 98
3 files 6743 bytes
5 dirs o bytes

is this just the emergency boot up cd??

also sais volume in drive E is windows 98
directory of E:\

win 98 with brackets around it?

If so, at the E: prompt, type cd\win98 and see if you get E:\win98> and then type DIR /W/P and press Enter. We are looking for where the CABS are located on that cd.

If you can't get a DIR for win98, then instead type cd\Tools and then type DIR /W/P and let us know what shows up there.

It sounds like perhaps a burned copy of W98 and not a true MS cd, but if it's all you have I won't lecture you about using pirated software right now...you need help with what you have already and the horse has already been let out of the barn. However, if the disk has Microsoft actually printed on it and doesn't have a homemade label, it's a good one.

Did she also give you the Product Code for it? You can't reinstall windows over the top of itself nor as a clean installation on a formatted harddrive without it. Sometimes the Product Code Key is actually on a label stuck right to the computer itself so look around for it.

TONI

well its just her old machine for the kids to paly games on- no internet access- just for teh games that are on it- if i cant get it working, no biggy- but its alot faster than the old 95 they have and it keeps them from bugging me to use mine- lol... she thinks her mom pitched all teh other disks- so i cant reinstall anything-

2 screens of cab files, some exe's, bin files- should i just box this mess up and pull out the old 95 for the kids? all i know is my SIL gave it to the kids to play on and it went kapoot and she cant find any of hte other disks- i hate defeat.... lol. she sent us a used comp and 1 disk.. thats all i know.

this way I can give you the correct path to type in...

Or you can use the cd to just put windows right over the top of itself since you have the installation disk. I've done this many times and it just replaces things that are missing or corrupt and leaves everything else alone. Some people don't think this is a good idea, but it's quick and easy for most situations.

BUT you need the Product Code Key for Windows98 or it won't finish the installation. I can also tell you how to get it from DOS if you can't locate it either on the cd, on the case it came in, or on the PC itself.

TONI

i will call her and see if she still has the windows 98 book with the code key- this evening.... is there a way to find hte key in the system?? through DOS you mentioned?