Hello, I am having a problem. I was running Windows XP on a custom made computer, something happened with XP and now It wont start correctly. (The user login screen appears than the computer turns off) I do not want to run XP again (I dont have the disc anyways) I cant get into windows anyway, I have tried safe mode and everything. I just want to know how I can get into dos directly when i turn on my computer (is it one of the F keys?) Once i get into dos, how can i erase my hard drive from dos? And finally i would like to install WIndows 98. THANKS NEd

If the system only has Windows XP installed, you won't be able to boot DOS--not from the hard drive, anyway. If this is the case, you will have to boot DOS from a floppy (or possibly CD-ROM). Windows XP is not DOS, it does not run on top of DOS, and it does not include DOS. You could boot a DOS floppy and use the DOS FDISK utility to repartition your hard disk, use FORMAT to format it, and then install Windows 98. There's a plethora of other hard disk partitioning and formatting tools that would allow you to do this. (I like Ranish Partition Manager.)

Sites with 98 boot disks; www.bootdisk.com http://www.geocities.com/k_semler2002/linkz.html OR http://k-semler.filetap.com

PULEASE stop asking questions like this in the DOS forum. What you have is either a WHENOZxp or a WHENDOZ 98 question, WHY??? Because you have/had/is/was Whendozxp on your computer, in other words that is what you are using, and you are wanting to install WHendoz98. I'm not sure, but I THINK if you boot up with the WHENDOX98 startup/boot disc that CAME WITH YOUR legal, bought, retail, version of whendox98, I BELIEVE that between the floppy and the Wendo98 CD, you should be able to FDISK and FORMAT the drive for FAT32. If you DO NOT have a boot disc because you DID NOT buy a legal, bought, retail version of WHendox98, then see above for where to download a boot disc. (hey, www.bootdisc.com) THEN, look up to the top of this page where it says "Howtos" and "Install Guides" and read, read, read.

"I just want to know how I can get into dos directly when i turn on my computer (is it one of the F keys?) Once i get into dos, how can i erase my hard drive from dos? " Sounds like a dos question to me. And it's www.bootdisk.com, not (hey, www.bootdisc.com) Relax name, take a pill.