Help loading Windows using DOS prompt

My secondary system is still running on Win95. Yesterday at startup, it said
to insert a bootable media in the appropriate drive. I did that, using my
up-to-date 98/95 system startup disk. At A:/ prompt, I changed to C: drive,
but got the message to insert disk 2 into cd-rom drive. (The Command.exe
works fine because I succeeded in doing a scandisk /all /surface scan with no
errors or corrrupt files found.) When I typed in sys c: and sys.com, I got
back a message to insert disk 2 into drive A:/.
Problem: My system came pre-installed with Win95----so, are there any other
DOS commands that will restore windows to desktop?

At the prompt type: scanreg /restore and press Enter. Note the space before
/.
Select a registry backup prior to the date the problem started.

--

Brian A. Sesko { MS MVP_Shell/User }
Conflicts start where information lacks.
http://basconotw.mvps.org/

Suggested posting do's/don'ts: http://www.dts-l.org/goodpost.htm
How to ask a question: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/555375




"chip618" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:845046EC-603A-4C10-AF85-(E-Mail Removed)...
> My secondary system is still running on Win95. Yesterday at startup, it said
> to insert a bootable media in the appropriate drive. I did that, using my
> up-to-date 98/95 system startup disk. At A:/ prompt, I changed to C: drive,
> but got the message to insert disk 2 into cd-rom drive. (The Command.exe
> works fine because I succeeded in doing a scandisk /all /surface scan with no
> errors or corrrupt files found.) When I typed in sys c: and sys.com, I got
> back a message to insert disk 2 into drive A:/.
> Problem: My system came pre-installed with Win95----so, are there any other
> DOS commands that will restore windows to desktop?

Brian,
I am still struggling with the problem. I was certain that the scanreg
/restore would have worked. When I tried it, I received the following
message: "Need to create an MS-DOS Boot Partition to setup Windows." This
task of upgrading such an old system is getting deep!! I even tried to
re-format the entire hard drive, but was denied that with a message that
said: "Cannot format a Network Drive".... hmm, interesting, huh?
Do you have any other suggestions in resolving those 2 issues?
Thank you very much
chip618
"chip618" wrote:

> My secondary system is still running on Win95. Yesterday at startup, it said
> to insert a bootable media in the appropriate drive. I did that, using my
> up-to-date 98/95 system startup disk. At A:/ prompt, I changed to C: drive,
> but got the message to insert disk 2 into cd-rom drive. (The Command.exe
> works fine because I succeeded in doing a scandisk /all /surface scan with no
> errors or corrrupt files found.) When I typed in sys c: and sys.com, I got
> back a message to insert disk 2 into drive A:/.
> Problem: My system came pre-installed with Win95----so, are there any other
> DOS commands that will restore windows to desktop?

Before trying to reinstall, create a Win98 boot disk w/CD support.
http://www.bootdisk.com/
Please read Read1st in the right pane for instructions on how to create the
boot disk from the downloaded file.

Boot with the disk in drive.
At the prompt type and press Enter after each line.
c:\
dir /p *The /p scrolls one page at a time. To return to the prompt at any
time press ctrl+c.

Is the c: drive populated? If so, is the windows directory present and
populated? If so, will windows boot if you type win and press enter at the
prompt?

Before ever attempting to fdisk/format drive, always make sure you have:
Backups of any important data files you need.
Hardware drivers.
The original system install disk and ProductKey, NOT ProductID, if installing
original OS. PK not needed if using an upgrade disk to install a newer OS.
Original OS disk needed to qualify upgrade.
Upgrade installation disk and ProductKey if installing a newer OS.
DOS boot disk:

If you need the product key, have not formatted your drive and can still
access Windows, MVP George Gedye has an app ( RegInfo ver3 ) that will pull it
from the registry for you.
http://www.mvps.org/PracticallyNerded/
Click on Software, click on Applications, scroll down to RegInfo ver3.
Or
Your Product Key can be found in the registry. Go to Start > Run, type in:
regedit and hit enter. Navigate to:
Hkey_Local_Machine\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Curr entVersion
Click once on CurrentVersion, the name not the +, and scroll to ProductKey in
the right pane.

If you can’t boot Win98, but haven’t formatted the system drive, then boot
with a startup floppy or to a command prompt and run either of these:
C:\Windows\command\Find /I “ProductKey� c:\windows\system.dat
C:\Windows\command\Find /I “ProductKey� c:\system.1st

If these steps aren’t possible (you already formatted it), US customers can
contact Microsoft at: 1 800 642-7676. They will issue
retail and OEM product keys after verifying data located on the W98 CD.

If you still wish to format/reinstall, boot with the 98 boot disk in the
floppy drive.
At the prompt type and press Enter: fdisk
If prompted to support large disks, press Enter. Default should be at Y.
In fdisk remove any extended logical partitions first, then the extended
partition and finally the primary partition.
Recreate a primary partition and any extended/logical ones if desired and you
have the space.
Press Esc to back out when finished.
Reboot with the boot disk still in drive. Take note at the end of the boot to
DOS on the drive letter assigned to the CD drive.
At the prompt type and press Enter:
format c:
assigned cd dl:\ *ex: d:\ fi the drive was assigned d:
setup.exe

Follow the prompts.


--

Brian A. Sesko { MS MVP_Shell/User }
Conflicts start where information lacks.
http://basconotw.mvps.org/

Suggested posting do's/don'ts: http://www.dts-l.org/goodpost.htm
How to ask a question: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/555375




"chip618" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:2397E6C8-C2BC-4296-8D62-(E-Mail Removed)...
> Brian,
> I am still struggling with the problem. I was certain that the scanreg
> /restore would have worked. When I tried it, I received the following
> message: "Need to create an MS-DOS Boot Partition to setup Windows." This
> task of upgrading such an old system is getting deep!! I even tried to
> re-format the entire hard drive, but was denied that with a message that
> said: "Cannot format a Network Drive".... hmm, interesting, huh?
> Do you have any other suggestions in resolving those 2 issues?
> Thank you very much
> chip618
> "chip618" wrote:
>
>> My secondary system is still running on Win95. Yesterday at startup, it said
>> to insert a bootable media in the appropriate drive. I did that, using my
>> up-to-date 98/95 system startup disk. At A:/ prompt, I changed to C: drive,
>> but got the message to insert disk 2 into cd-rom drive. (The Command.exe
>> works fine because I succeeded in doing a scandisk /all /surface scan with no
>> errors or corrrupt files found.) When I typed in sys c: and sys.com, I got
>> back a message to insert disk 2 into drive A:/.
>> Problem: My system came pre-installed with Win95----so, are there any other
>> DOS commands that will restore windows to desktop?

Brian,
Wow! Thanks for such detailed instructions! I shall work on it all later
this evening when I have a lot of quiet, alone time :-)
I'll re-post as to my succuss of your suggestions...
chip618

"Brian A." wrote:

> Before trying to reinstall, create a Win98 boot disk w/CD support.
> http://www.bootdisk.com/
> Please read Read1st in the right pane for instructions on how to create the
> boot disk from the downloaded file.
>
> Boot with the disk in drive.
> At the prompt type and press Enter after each line.
> c:\
> dir /p *The /p scrolls one page at a time. To return to the prompt at any
> time press ctrl+c.
>
> Is the c: drive populated? If so, is the windows directory present and
> populated? If so, will windows boot if you type win and press enter at the
> prompt?
>
> Before ever attempting to fdisk/format drive, always make sure you have:
> Backups of any important data files you need.
> Hardware drivers.
> The original system install disk and ProductKey, NOT ProductID, if installing
> original OS. PK not needed if using an upgrade disk to install a newer OS.
> Original OS disk needed to qualify upgrade.
> Upgrade installation disk and ProductKey if installing a newer OS.
> DOS boot disk:
>
> If you need the product key, have not formatted your drive and can still
> access Windows, MVP George Gedye has an app ( RegInfo ver3 ) that will pull it
> from the registry for you.
> http://www.mvps.org/PracticallyNerded/
> Click on Software, click on Applications, scroll down to RegInfo ver3.
> Or
> Your Product Key can be found in the registry. Go to Start > Run, type in:
> regedit and hit enter. Navigate to:
> Hkey_Local_Machine\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Curr entVersion
> Click once on CurrentVersion, the name not the +, and scroll to ProductKey in
> the right pane.
>
> If you can’t boot Win98, but haven’t formatted the system drive, then boot
> with a startup floppy or to a command prompt and run either of these:
> C:\Windows\command\Find /I “ProductKey� c:\windows\system.dat
> C:\Windows\command\Find /I “ProductKey� c:\system.1st
>
> If these steps aren’t possible (you already formatted it), US customers can
> contact Microsoft at: 1 800 642-7676. They will issue
> retail and OEM product keys after verifying data located on the W98 CD.
>
> If you still wish to format/reinstall, boot with the 98 boot disk in the
> floppy drive.
> At the prompt type and press Enter: fdisk
> If prompted to support large disks, press Enter. Default should be at Y.
> In fdisk remove any extended logical partitions first, then the extended
> partition and finally the primary partition.
> Recreate a primary partition and any extended/logical ones if desired and you
> have the space.
> Press Esc to back out when finished.
> Reboot with the boot disk still in drive. Take note at the end of the boot to
> DOS on the drive letter assigned to the CD drive.
> At the prompt type and press Enter:
> format c:
> assigned cd dl:\ *ex: d:\ fi the drive was assigned d:
> setup.exe
>
> Follow the prompts.
>
>
> --
>
> Brian A. Sesko { MS MVP_Shell/User }
> Conflicts start where information lacks.
> http://basconotw.mvps.org/
>
> Suggested posting do's/don'ts: http://www.dts-l.org/goodpost.htm
> How to ask a question: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/555375
>
>
>
>
> "chip618" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
> news:2397E6C8-C2BC-4296-8D62-(E-Mail Removed)...
> > Brian,
> > I am still struggling with the problem. I was certain that the scanreg
> > /restore would have worked. When I tried it, I received the following
> > message: "Need to create an MS-DOS Boot Partition to setup Windows." This
> > task of upgrading such an old system is getting deep!! I even tried to
> > re-format the entire hard drive, but was denied that with a message that
> > said: "Cannot format a Network Drive".... hmm, interesting, huh?
> > Do you have any other suggestions in resolving those 2 issues?
> > Thank you very much
> > chip618
> > "chip618" wrote:
> >
> >> My secondary system is still running on Win95. Yesterday at startup, it said
> >> to insert a bootable media in the appropriate drive. I did that, using my
> >> up-to-date 98/95 system startup disk. At A:/ prompt, I changed to C: drive,
> >> but got the message to insert disk 2 into cd-rom drive. (The Command.exe
> >> works fine because I succeeded in doing a scandisk /all /surface scan with no
> >> errors or corrrupt files found.) When I typed in sys c: and sys.com, I got
> >> back a message to insert disk 2 into drive A:/.
> >> Problem: My system came pre-installed with Win95----so, are there any other
> >> DOS commands that will restore windows to desktop?
>
>