I was googling around for a solution to my problem and found this thread which seemed to be the same problem I was having :

http://www.computing.net/dos/wwwboard/forum/14473.html

and replied with this :

It is arriving at a DOS prompt (C:/windows etc. ) and I can do stuff like dir/p and see all my files. Any ideas on how I can get back into XP ? :{

just in case you dont read the original thread when I boot up my computer it just goes straight into DOS after some crazy stuff flies down my screen I cant read.

Y'know, there's an entire forum here devoted to Windows XP.

This isn't it.

"DOS" under XP is an emulation - which is computer jargon for 'let's pretend'

Never argue with an idiot. They will only bring you down to their level and beat you with experience

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Hi

Yup that question was not very clear in the previous thread. Hopefully you can answer some simple questions to determine if you are finding yourself in true dos or emulation.

Obviously if you have only ever installed XP on the disk as all NTFS, its extremely unlikely to be a true stand alone dos.

As it happens the world isn't as nice as we'd all like it to be and some "nasties" can have a bit of fun with the fat32 partition some of us use for data sharing.

Anyhow for starters type:

ver

It says?

How much space is used and how much free space is on c:

dir /s

Are any recent dates assigned to files that you are able to view. Do you see any files or programs that are on your XP system

You don't see any normal XP startup when you first boot?

How quick do you get this "prompt" from the time when the hard drive first boots (Not when you first turn the computer on, but after the bios stuff).

What happens if you type exit or quit?

PS .. Ignore my previous comments in previous threat about MS fdisk -- it is apparently NTFS aware. I seem to remember having trouble with other non dos file type systems, but that may have been my own fault.

The problem (as per the subject line) seems to pretty plainly lie within the realm of WinXP rather than DOS - so, I'm sure, does its solution.

If your OS is WinXP, for best results, post in the XP forum - it seems straightforward enough, but perhaps I'm missing something(?)

The referenced thread is in no way illuminating - one of the many dead end posts we get @Computing.Net - a question, many opinions but no follow up from the OP.

Interestingly, the general consensus in that thread was that the question belonged elsewhere...

Never argue with an idiot. They will only bring you down to their level and beat you with experience

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jboy,

You're exactly right. But if XP isn't loading and running, I don't see how any emulation is going on.

I like anenfan's suggestion of dir and ver.

A side order of set probably wouldn't hurt.

If you see path, prompt, compec and not much else, it probably IS DOS.

If you get a laundry list, it probably ain't.

M2

Hi

Yes it very well to point out the difference between non emulation and emulation. Can we rule out this doesn't involve dos, not entirely.

Anyhow, well simply -- the question is here. It may most likely, not involve, non-emulated dos, but we could ask some questions anyhow. It shouldn't be too hard, to help them and offer some clarity. It hasn't been particularly helpful for any member to berate a questioner, for chosing the wrong forum to post in. Very few actually ever ask a question at computing.net ever again.

Most who post a question are more than just lost, and its getting silly to see the top responses, to those who are quite lost, is - ask somewhere else. How many people see dos or command as just "batching and scripting" and not as a stand alone operating system?

How many of the posts that die quickly as the questioner never responds, due to their sensitive nature and harsh responses. I'd also expect many (of the questioners) have come across general interest forums with howlers aplenty, and from what they experience, appears to be the same here.

Hopefully in this case, Matt will respond, and we can confirm that it is or isn't emulation.

M2 good idea with the command

set

Anyhow if the commands exit or quit don't work, or however one gets out of XP's command mode, Matt may have to post a more involved question/explanation in the XP forum. It certinly could be some script gone wrong.

However Matt may well know how to set up XPs configuration once they have a GUI, so that command (emulation) isn't loaded on the next reboot.

This question is wildly different from that of snake88. In that instance, we didn't even establish if someone had fdisked and then formatted (fat xx) with system files. Nor did we find out if a current fat32 partition was present, which had been maliciously subverted via whatever means.

Stop argueing this is NT not MSDOS.

Post http://www.computing.net/dos/wwwboard/forum/15290.html

was about NT and it has run to nearly 20 posts, this is a DOS forum, absolutely no NT, OS/2, Unix, BeOS, CP/M etcetc.

Please MATT (hola99) repost this in the XP Forum, you can repair XP from either the Bootable CD or SETUP Diskette Set, that is the way it was written, no need to reinvent the wheel!

Hi

Martin, quite right this is a dos forum...But first lets establish whether its non emulated or not. Its getting silly really, how about we just establish what we are dealing with, instead of jumping up and down whilst chanting.

Justin has made it more or less clear what sort of questions he'd expect in which forum, but from time to time, someone is going to sit and think, well, where should this question go.

Many of those who ask here instead of XP, don't fully understand what is meant by emualtion. I'm sure a few havn't seen emulation in XP, until command line rears its head, and they need to ask. Maybe they think - hey this doesn't look like what's in XP. I wouldn't know, cause most are blow out of the water, so to speak, and never ask again in computing.net again.

I believe in these instances, if it offends someone its not about true dos then they ignore it and not respond. The forum is after all about helping other members. Those who do respond, will probably at some point, politely explain the difference between non and emulated dos, and secondly after establishing that there is no fat32 on their drive or the problem most definately is XP itself, point them in XP's direction if they know of no solution themselves.

Please MATT (hola99) repost this in the XP Forum, you can repair XP from either the Bootable CD or SETUP Diskette Set. You do not need or are required to use any form of MSDOS or MSWINDOS, just the line commands in XP setup.

The people who are more experienced with XP can take you thru this. Ookee Dokee

"Help .. cant get into windows XP"

My mistake... clearly this question belongs in the Linux forum

Never argue with an idiot. They will only bring you down to their level and beat you with experience

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jboy,

I love you, brother.

M2

It may seem like we're being a miserable lot - too fussy and stubborn to help the poor deluded users of XP/NT Operating Systems.

There is no other forum here @Computing.Net where the questions unrelated to the focus of the board outnumber those that are - it's going way beyond frustrating - we seem to be losing contributers as well.

For anyone having doubts regarding site policy, read on:

"I usually only remove messages on the wrong forum if the user makes a blantent mistake (like asking a XP question on the 9x forum). In cases such as those, I don't have too much regrets about removing the message. If people are that careless of what they are doing, they shouldn't be suprised if their messages disappear.

Justin"

Never argue with an idiot. They will only bring you down to their level and beat you with experience

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YES we have lost a lot of frustrated responders:

Weibner, Mick C, X86, 4004 etcetc

But found this on another forum where NT questions were posted in a DOS Forum and to quote:

"But as someone pointed out CP/M has it roots in UNIX, so maybe we should call it the "FLASHING CURSOR LINE COMMAND O/S" and whatever flavour could all be in one FORUM"

This is a brilliant idea?? anything which is command line in one forum, I could learn about all Unix flavours, CP/M, Basic flavours, MSX Basic, Risc O/S flavours, OS/2,
and the list goes on, 30 years since the TRS was launched all have command line in one forum, OH! joys of joys. TRA LA LA

JW can we have all the antagonistic responders back in this forum please!!!!

Oh, man, i can't post my CP/M questions here? No 8 bit questions allowed!

Best