My son's old Fujitsu Lifebook laptop spontaneously lost Windows 98. I attempted to use a bootdisk (98 SE) to retart. I received the following:
Microsoft Windows 98 Startup Menu with 3 options.
It doesn't matter which option I choose, I receive the same message.

Windows has detected that drive C does not contain a valid FAT or FAT 32 partition. There are several possible causes. Three options are given: The first one, FDISK does not work because the harddrive is not detected. The other 2 don't apply because I am not using a third party program to partition and I can't scan for a virus because c isn't detected.

Well, since I received an A prompt, I tried changing to C and it worked, or at least I thought so.
The following was received:
Volume in drive C is MS-Ram Drive
Directory of C:\

Atrib.exe chkdsk.exe command.com. debug.exe edit.com
ext.exe extract.exe format.com help.bat mscdeex.exe
readme.txt restart.com scandisk.exe scanddisk.ini sys.com

15 file (s) 594,217 bytes
0 dir(s) 1,4,872 bytes free

The harddrive that is installed is 2.6 gigs. I've also tried a 2.0 gig HD and a 1.6 gig HD. None of them worked, always the same message.

Since I had a C prompt, I tried to install Win 3.1. I received a message that says your system does not have enough available disk space to sset up windows. Windows requires a minimum of 6,144,000 byes of disk space.

I've gone into setup to see what could be wrong but couldn't detect anything unusual. HELP!
EMoti

The C: prompt you got is a RAM disk created by the boot disk. This is a simulated disk that only exists in memory. As the hard disk in not being recognised, it gets the letter C:, the next letter in line after A and B which are always floppy disks.

The first thing to do is to check if the hard disk is being recognised in the BIOS. If it isn't, no amount of messing with installation disk will do any good until it is.

If it is being detected then the chances are that the Master Boot record has been corrupted. You will need some diagnostic software to sort that problem.

Stuart

Thanks for the reply. I should have included that the harddrive is not being detected and the bios doesn't show any obvious changes that need to be made that would make the bios detect it. Is there a solution other than replacing the motherboard?

Motherboard??

If the BIOS is not detecting the drive, then the drive is almost certainly the problem.

Diagnostics may (or may not) be helpful - some require the drive to be registered in the BIOS - but otherwise there is not a whole lot else you can do.

On a desktop model it would be advisable to check or replace the cabling, but this would be problematic on a laptop

Computers in the future may have only 1,000 vacuum tubes and perhaps only weigh 1 1/2 tons.

- Popular Mechanics, 1949

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The better solution would be to replace the laptop. For a machine that old, unless you can find running parts for under $100, a newer machine would be a better investment. I have two Fujitsu's both slightlt older than yours. No USB, dying batteries and not enough RAM. I'll keep using them until the die, but not invest more into them.

Thanks for both of your replies. I've tried 3 different hard drives that I know are good, so it is definitely not the drive. Of course replacing the laptop is always an option. I've never come upon a problem like this before and wanted to add to my personal knowlege. It has to be unusual for an operating system to just up and leave and for a bios not to recognize a good HDD. What gets me is that there are no options. But thanks anyway. I will have to junk it I guess and let him continue to use his desktop
Emoti

Sorry - I'd missed that in your intitial post - sure, the onboard controller is the likely culprit, although it wouldn't hurt to swap the cable (if there is one).

Basically, if a drive doesn't register in the BIOS, there is not a whole lot you can do with it

Computers in the future may have only 1,000 vacuum tubes and perhaps only weigh 1 1/2 tons.

- Popular Mechanics, 1949

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