Need Help W98 Remote Problems on my PC's dad in another country! [windows splash screen] [celeron 533]
Q: I am in Illinois, my father in Arizona. He is 80 years old and have been used for HP Pavilion e-mail, web, and word processing. This machine is about 3 years old, its a Celeron 533 that I bought at BestBuy for him, added another 64 MB of RAM, so it fits his needs well.
So the other morning he calls and tells me he does not will start. After further questioning, he seems to get the HP spash screen, then the BIOS start-up, and then a c-prompt, no Windows splash screen or start up Windows. Ive tried to make him go into the BIOS (del and F2), but it was a no-go. Not sure if he does well, to tell you the truth.
So After much effort (patient!) Have I successfully manuvered him to the Windows folder and it sounds like his files are still a there.
I boot disk last time I was there to do, as all came with his HP system restore disks.
So I had him start off from the W98 boot disk and had him do a “SYS C:”. He did get a message that the sys files are copied. But after rebooting, it still falls a c-prompt.
It s a long time since I turned w98 smoothly, and Im sure I would be more lucky as I was physically at the PC.
Can someone help me with solving some ideas here? Keep in mind that: MY dad.
he
this has been 80 years old.
cntrl-alt-del is a mind-blowing concept to him)
I buy him a new box before I take him somewhere that the “service”; !
Thanks! i / expressions / rolleye.gif
Re:I suppose this is a dead issue, but I did some experimenting. So here it is.
The shortest MSDOS.SYS that automatically boots into W98 is two lines
.
[Paths]
WinDir=C:\WINDOWS
In a normal, full MSDOS.SYS changing
BootGUI=1
into
BootGUI=0
gets you into a DOS prompt, from which typing
WIN
takes you through to W98.
This MSDOS.SYS does the same
[Paths]
WinDir=C:\WINDOWS
[Options]
BootGUI=0
A blank MSDOS.SYS drops you to a DOS prompt, but typing
WIN
doesn't get you into Windows. You get an error message about "missing HIMEM.SYS."
I have never seen a setting in W98 that says it will change your boot-up to a DOS prompt. It is possible to make W98 reboot to a DOS prompt by certain settings (MSDOS mode on) of the DOS prompt link found in the Startup menu, but it always boots into Windows the next reboot. It dumps out Windows, leaving a DOS prompt, and reloads Windows when you type EXIT. There is a setting in the configuration utility that will cause the boot menu to be displayed every time you boot, even if you don't press F8. It puts
BootMenu=1
into MSDOS.SYS
Re:AJ_
since you're one for one so far, I will do a search for the setting you mention! Thanks.:)
Re:There is a setting (I can't remember where in Win 98) within Win 98 that you can have it boot to the DOS shell…somehow it must have been checked/altered…I have a feeling it's under My Computer —> Properties —>Advanced or something…
I'd find this option in Win 98 and just change it back…if I had Win 98, I'd look for you, but it's been years!
Good luck!
~AJ
Re:At the DOS prompt, have your dad type "edit c:\autoexec.bat" When it comes up, have him add "win" after the last entry and then reboot….. If it is booting up to a C prompt and Windows starts when he types "win", the IO.SYS and MSDOS.SYS should be fine.
Speed
Re:yeah, PCAnywhere would be a good idea, although it would probably take forever over dial-up:(
You could put the the text I quoted in a file named MSDOS.SYS, email it as an attachment, and have your Dad copy it to the right place.
This is probably what I will do. I want to do a 'dry run' on the w98 PC I found here (a neighbor who had PC problems a while back that I helped:)) to make sure it's doable by my Dad.
I'll let you know if I get that far.
Thanks a million for your help, guys!!:D
Re:FYI my dad is in PA I am in FL, since he finally got high sped internet access i am going to send him a disk with vnc or pc anywhere, (I haven't decided yet) then I am going tohave him install it. that way I can get into his system fully
of course that wouldn't have helped in your situation.
Re:Now that Windows is available, this should be easier to fix. And maybe it is not a bad idea to talk your Dad into doing it. Sometimes getting people to do something like this increases their confidence by reducing their sense that it is all an impossible mystery.
It looks like it has to be something in the MSDOS.SYS file.
You could put the the text I quoted in a file named MSDOS.SYS, email it as an attachment, and have your Dad copy it to the right place. You may have to have him remove the system, and read-only properties from the file on the HD now, which is pretty easy in Windows. But Windows may allow the overwriting by just asking if you really want to do that.
It is kind of a mystery how this happened originally, since it is a hidden system file which is read only. Maybe it was done by some "tweaking" program.
Re:well, typing 'WIN' at the C prompt does in fact launch w98! Thanks aj_UF.
Upon rebooting, it drops to the C prompt again, so I will have to try to go through the files that guy listed.
If I cannot resolve this over the phone, then he may have to live with having to type WIN each time he powers up his PC or just leave it on all of the time.i/expressions/rolleye.gif I will be out there in a couple of months so I can fix it in person then if I have to.
Thanks guys, I appreciate your help. So does my Dad!:D
Re:guy~
the boot disk he has is one I made from within Windows 98. Can't remember where the heck you did that within the system, but it should be good (I hope).
I am optimistic that the "sys c:'may have actually worked….when I told him to eject the floppy, he actually hit the on/off button. By that time he was so flustered he wouldn't try to go through it with me again!:( He has macular degeneration which has limited his ability to see, plus I installed the tower under the desk.
This has made me wonder what I will be like when I am pushing 80…..and scared to death of whatever technology my kids are trying to get me to "embrace"! To think he flew P-47's in Germany when he was 19, and he's is petrified of "doing something" to his PC…..
Anyway, I MAY have a 98se system here I can play with and see exactly what I have to walk him through….
Thanks for the ideas……I truly appreciate it.
Re:It looks like the failure is before the load process gets to the real Windows; otherwise I think there would be some error message on the screen, and I guess there is not. You say there is just a C: prompt, which means that a version of DOS was loaded. At the least the load process stopped at that point.
At the very beginning, there are two system files that the boot loader looks for and loads: IO.SYS and MSDOS.SYS. Ever since Windows 95, IO.SYS contains the whole DOS operating system. (Before that, the OS was made up the two parts.) Both files are read only and hidden, and invisible to a DIR command, without the the switch /ah, which shows hidden files. (DIR /ah) The SYS command copied these files, and COMMAND.COM from the floppy to the HD, I assume. If this was a correct W98 boot disk, that means IO.SYS is correct on the HD. It should be a little over 200K. If it is an old, true DOS file (around 100K) then you will never get all the way to Windows.
Ever since Windows 95, MSDOS just contains some text, most of which is x's for a filler to make it the "correct" size, for some bizzare compatibility reason. The initial text tells the program in IO.SYS what to do. On a plain W98 boot disk (as opposed to a startup disk which will boot up W98 on the HD), the MSDOS.SYS will lack the info telling IO.SYS to boot Windows, I think.
MSDOS.SYS is 2K. The old, true DOS file is something like 50K.
This is what is on boot floppy that I have :
;W98EBD
That's it, just one line.
This is what is on my HD :
Quote
[Paths]
WinDir=C:\WINDOWS
WinBootDir=C:\WINDOWS
HostWinBootDrv=C
[Options]
BootMulti=1
BootGUI=1
AutoScan=1
WinVer=4.10.2222
;
;The following lines are required for compatibility with other programs.
;Do not remove them (MSDOS.SYS needs to be >1024 bytes).
;xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxa
;xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxb
;xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxc
;xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxd
;xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxe
;xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxf
;xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxg
;xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxh
;xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxi
;xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxj
;xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxk
;xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxl
;xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxm
;xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxn
;xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxo
;xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxp
;xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxq
;xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxr
;xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxs
End Quote
Most people will have C where I have H. (Edit: substituted C in place of H as required)
COMMAND.COM is the program that loads DOS programs that you type in at the C prompt, and has a few built in commands (like DIR, DEL, COPY, and TYPE).
So what to do? I don't know a simple way of telling a complete newbie how to check and fix MSDOS.SYS, if that is the problem. It would be pretty involved. (Maybe you could mail your Dad a floppy with the right file on it.) OTOH if you do an "install over itself" of W98, that should get everything working, and be a lot simpler to explain.
If I recall, "TYPE MSDOS.SYS" should display the whole MSDOS.SYS file even if the file is hidden. If that file is OK, then I'll have to get more info and think some more.
Re:Huh….I don't remember that working with 98…..worth a try!
Thanks!
Any suggestions on how to get 98 to boot by itself, or to see what else might be hosed?
Re:Did you have him type WIN at the command prompt and press Enter to see if it would boot into the GUI?
I know with Win95/98, it could be configured to not load the GUI environment and drop you straight to a DOS prompt.
~AJ
Re:someone, help me please!:)
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Tags: celeron 533, windows splash screen