Problem With Bootdisk, The thing just doesn't Boot!

[The Noob]

I just try to reinstall a old computer my pa (or dad, daddy, papa, however you call it) digged out of the basement. He thinks he needs a PC...phhrt!

At least he won't go on my nerves anymore.

Anyway, i made a bootdisk for reinstaling the Piece-of-Garbage PC, and the issue is: The damn thing won't boot from Floppy. I did everything i can think of. I made the Win 98 Bootdisk, and changed the Boot-Sequence.

The PC just won't boot.

Any idea how to solve the problem? :hmm:

[SeaToad]

I don't understand why you needed a boot disk.
What did it say on the screen before you tried the boot disk ?
Why did you alter the Boot-Sequence and what did it say on the screen
when the boot disk failed ?
If you downloaded that boot disk from the Internet, It's probably for an
upgraded version of Win98 than what is on that computer.

[The Noob]

There is no windows on this Computer. It's full of old unneeded dos files, and i need the bootdisk to have access to the CD drive to install Win 98. And i need it to Format the Harddrive. For all that i need the boot disk, because the PC says something like this:

"No Valid operating system found, change disk and press a key"

It's driving me nuts. The damn disk won't boot.

[sonar732]

Do a google search for W98SE boot disk. I can't remember where I had mine downloaded from, but that's what I did.

Check this out!

http://www.bootdisk.com/

[goldorak]

Originally Posted by The Noob

There is no windows on this Computer. It's full of old unneeded dos files, and i need the bootdisk to have access to the CD drive to install Win 98. And i need it to Format the Harddrive. For all that i need the boot disk, because the PC says something like this:

"No Valid operating system found, change disk and press a key"

It's driving me nuts. The damn disk won't boot.

How old is the computer ?
If you can't find a bootdisk, try entering into the bios configuration screen and see if there is an option to boot directly from the cdrom as first choice.

[Onkel Neal]

Originally Posted by The Noob

There is no windows on this Computer. It's full of old unneeded dos files, and i need the bootdisk to have access to the CD drive to install Win 98. And i need it to Format the Harddrive. For all that i need the boot disk, because the PC says something like this:

"No Valid operating system found, change disk and press a key"

It's driving me nuts. The damn disk won't boot.

That sounds like the hard drive is not connected or functioning properly.

[Coda]

Originally Posted by The Noob

I just try to reinstall a old computer my pa (or dad, daddy, papa, however you call it) digged out of the basement. He thinks he needs a PC...phhrt!

:hmm:

He is called a parent. He was the one who brought you into the world, protected you and cared for you for a great portion of your life.

In appreciation for this act and as a sign of respect and common decency, the right thing to do would be give him the operational PC you have now, and either use the piece of junk for yourself, or get a new one.


[rant off]


You should be able to boot from the CD, just make a change in the bios to boot from CD. Additionally, it's quite possible that the floppy you are using isn't working. Try booting your working pc with it to test.

[The Noob]

Originally Posted by sonar732

Do a google search for W98SE boot disk. I can't remember where I had mine downloaded from, but that's what I did.

Check this out!

http://www.bootdisk.com/

From that site i have my bootdisk...

Originally Posted by goldorak

How old is the computer ?

I guess from someware 1996 till 1998.

Originally Posted by goldorak

If you can't find a bootdisk, try entering into the bios configuration screen and see if there is an option to boot directly from the cdrom as first choice.

Did never work, not even when the PC was still in working order. I never understood why it won't let CD's boot even when the boot sequence was configured correctly

Originally Posted by Coda

In appreciation for this act and as a sign of respect and common decency, the right thing to do would be give him the operational PC you have now, and either use the piece of junk for yourself, or get a new one.

My parent would disagree with you, just for your information.

I need my Computer. The Piece of junk has only 200mhz, i need power and speed. He said he does not. He only wants to write a few things or browse in the internet a bit, and for that, this PC is enough.

Get a new one? Not Everyone is upper-class who has huge amounths of money availible.

Anyway, this should only be a themporary solution, since in a few months we get a new PC and then he takes this one, wich is with 1.8 ghz a good Computer for Basic stuff.

He is very nice to me in this matter, since he understands my need for fast PC's, so he always buys me a new one and then takes my old Computer. I used the slow mover PC for 2 years, and my current one is the first that is actually able to handle what i always wanted to do with a PC. And after i used this one for 2 years, wich will be in a few months, and we gatherd enought money, we upgrade again, this time to a state of the art PC. He already looks forward to try out my old one by himself.

It's a solution we can all live well with.

Originally Posted by Coda

You should be able to boot from the CD, just make a change in the bios to boot from CD.

Well, i can try it again, but i doubt that it will help anything, since it never worked. But worth a try, thanks.

Originally Posted by Coda

Additionally, it's quite possible that the floppy you are using isn't working. Try booting your working pc with it to test.

We already changed the floppys with the one of another PC we still have, and it did not help.

Originally Posted by Neal Stevens

That sounds like the hard drive is not connected or functioning properly.

I'll open the PC and look inside if the harddrive is connected. And try to replace it with another one.

[Onkel Neal]

Yeah, I had that problem once, the image on the screen was a DOS style outline of a floppy in b&w. I think essentially it means the PC cannot find the operating system, which is on the hard drive. Good luck, mate!

[Godalmighty83]

Originally Posted by The Noob

I need my Computer. The Piece of junk has only 200mhz, i need .

a few years back my mates and i only had ~300mhz machines, mine was the best thanks to a mighty 256mb of RAM, anyway the school threw out some 500mhz machines which we scavenged and nicked the processors.

at 500mhz back then it was OMG so powerful!!

nowadays the average motherboards intergrated grahpics is more powerful, hell my board has a interegrated x300.

sorry just reminiscing.

[madDdog67]

Are you sure it can read the a: drive? check the cable, change it if possible. Is the bios seeking the floppy when it first starts? Check the bios and make sure it sees the floppy drive...that's about all I can think of.

[kiwi_2005]

Connect the old drive up to your PC, make it a slave, then when in windows reformat the drive, sut down take it out and connect back up to the old one and insert bootdisk. Should work if the drive is working on the old pc.

If windowsxp is NTFS and you reformatted old drive then you might have to FDisk the old drive first, when its running on the old pc