Need Help Booting Windows

[Guybrush Nosehair]

I've been posting about this question on CD Freaks to no avail. After some thought, I realized that this would actually be the smartest place to post this question. So without any further ado, here goes.

I have an old computer that I'm trying to reformat with Win98SE. I know it's really outdated, but it would serve a huge purpose for me. Anyway, I through in the bootdisk, formated drive C:, and then ran the setup the from Win98SE CD. The OS seems to install, but when it gets to the point where it wants to restart, Windows doesn't boot up. I've tried several formats and WinME, but the same thing happens every time. I noticed though that if I go to the C:/ drive and type in "dir," I see a list of folders and a few files. Obviously, things are being written to the drive. However, I can't seem to open any of these files. So, can someone tell me how to get around this? I would be very grateful if someone can help me get this computer back up.

PS. I own both of these operating systems LEGALLY. I know for a fact that the discs work.

I feel it's best to post here because everyone here on this site has dealt with these OS's.

[Oliwerko]

Did you doble-check the boot sequence in BIOS?

It happened to me once that my OS was refusing to boot because I had "HDD 1" as first device, while the "first" one was actually "HDD 0".

[Guybrush Nosehair]

Yeah, I've checked and it's all good. This is getting really frustrating.

[Questionable]

1.) Go into BIOS and make sure that it is set to boot off of your CD/DVD Drive
2.) Make sure your "Ubuntu Live" or "Linux Mint" CD is properly inserted into the CD-Drive
3.) Turn on computer. Computer will boot into OS from CD.
4.) On the desktop click "Install" and follow dialog boxes!

You're done! You've got a low-power free, flexible OS up and running! Enjoy!

[Oliwerko]

Seriously, Questionable, that kind of advice is not what he's looking for I guess. There's always someone who advises people to get another OS, but they KNOW that it's an option, and they're not looking for it.

Keep the help on topic please.

Grim - where exactly does it hang?

[Khris]

It looks like the partition isn't set as active.
Boot from the CD or a boot disk and run fdisk.

[Guybrush Nosehair]

Questionable - I'm aware that I can just install Linux. The reason I'm not however, is because I have hundreds upon hundreds of applications that wouldn't be supported. Aside from that, I don't want to have to learn a new OS right now. Win98 and ME are OS's I'm very familiar with as I grew up using them (and 3.1. Ahh... The good old days). Anyway, at the very least, call it a nostalgic issue. Yeah, I can just play my old games using ScummVm and Dosbox on other computers, but that's not what I'm looking for. Also, I've heard that getting working drivers for Linux is hell. Anyway, back to the main discussion.

Oliwerko - Sorry if I wasn't clear. After the setup completes, it says that the computer must restart for windows to boot. It restarts and just shows a black screen asking for a boot disk. I have the option to start with/without CD support. The only things that seem possible are to either use files off of the CD or to go to the c:/ drive and look up the directory.

Khris - I've tried that in the past, but it didn't help. I suppose I can try it again, but I'm not crossing my fingers.

Anyway, thanks for everyone's help. It's much easier to get an answer here than on MyCE. The mods aren't biased against us Dos Freaks. Anyway, I'm still looking for an answer, so I'm open to suggestions. Just no more of the "Use Linux" crap. I'm sticking to Dos for a reason.

[Questionable]

I had an old WinME PC that wasn't what it used to be, I tried XP but it was slow as HELL, tried a couple Linux Distros and settled on one that I liked. Never had problems with drivers (except setting up my scanner) and most of the stuff that I was planning on using that I wasn't able to run using WINE (or something else) typically had a free and more modern alternative. I understand that you're familiar with it but keep it in mind, especially if it's not going to be your primary PC.

@Oliwerko; my comment was valid. I didn't feel that it was pertinent to comment on why his installation wasn't working but I did feel that there was potential to completely resolve the issue by resorting to a solution outside of the perceived box. I appreciate that you're trying to help him figure out how to install windows, please appreciate that I'm just trying to help him get his (apparently low power) PC working. 

@Grim; Now, I have to admit it's been a long time since I've installed windows (especially 98/ME) but if I am not mistaken, when you reinsert the CD and restart the PC (and gotten the black screen...) there should be an option to repair, if you do this it should be able to tell you whether or not it recognizes a windows install. If so far I'm recalling correctly, this would reveal if there was an issue with the installation itself or not, and if you know for a fact that these CD's do work and a windows installation is not detected wouldn't we have to assume that there is an issue with the hard-drive?
As a side note, the last time I installed Windows was when I built a PC for a friend of mine. I was installing Windows XP and everything was going fine, then came the time to restart. The ASUS splash appeared, Windows XP appeared and then when the WinXP login screen was set to appear the screen went mostly black with some green/yellow/red lines across the screen. I messed around in BIOS and tried re-installing but kept getting the same result. I took every component out (except the CPU) and put it all back in making sure that everything was properly connected and seated. Started the PC back up and it worked fine. I suspect it had to do with something improperly seated (I assume the GPU) but I really have no idea why it wasn't working or started working... but it might be worth a shot.

[Leon]

And when you start from scratch and try to boot DOS first? Does it work then? You say the machine won't start but still you can see files on C: ? What did you do to see them?

[Guybrush Nosehair]

@Questionable Thanks for the help. I'm going to see if I can find the repair program. I know for a fact that the copy of 98SE works because I installed it on another computer a few weeks before this one. I've also tried several copies of ME, so I highly doubt they're all flawed.

@Leon When I turn the computer on, it asks if I'd like to start the computer with or without CD support. The only difference between the two of them is one allows me to browse data in the disk drive. Either way, all that appears is a Dos console that displays in white font "A:/". I then type in "C:/". From there, I can type "dir" where I see a list of files.

Thanks everyone for all your help. Keep the ideas coming. I'm not going to give up on this computer!

Update: I'm currently running a HD surface scan with Scandisk. It's only been going for a few minutes, but it's already found two errors. I'm hoping that this will solve my problem.

@Questionable I'm not sure what the repair program you're thinking of is called. Do you think you might be able to offer a hand and get back to me? It would be greatly appreciated. Until then, I'm still looking for the answer!

[Leon]

Are you sure you removed the floppy disk after the first boot? And normally, after that, you boot only once from the CD to install Windows. After that remove all CD's and floppy's and boot the machine.

If you boot from A:\ it indicates there's still a floppy inserted. If you are on A: insert the floppy, type in "FORMAT C: /S" (without the quotes) to format your harddisk and make it bootable, remove all CD's and floppy's and restart, you should be able to end up on C:\ instead of A:\.

[Guybrush Nosehair]

If I boot up without a floppy in the drive, it tells me to insert a boot disk. Even if I disable the floppy in the boot order, It still asks for a floppy. It will NOT boot. Taking the CD out makes no difference. The surface scan is still going, but it's already found a few problems. When it's all done, I'm going to try another format. If it still doesn't work, I know the HD has gone bad. I'll try and replace it if I can find a descent price.

[Nightshade]

Im not sure but I think your problem might be in your system files, somehow the reboot function isnt following through, maybe you can try replcing the system files, also if you have a choice between 98 and me, do yourself and the rest of the world a favor, use 98 and blow torch the ME cd so it doesnt infest another pc ever lol

[Guybrush Nosehair]

How is it possible for me to replace the system files? Remember that there's no way that the CD's are the problem. I just installed 98SE on a computer using the same CD a few weeks ago.

Still taking in suggestions...