Right well, i had windows 98 on my PC except many things were going wrong, and I decided to format drive C: I installed Windows 3.1 from disks and restarted the computer only to be told "invalid system disk.." etc I understand this means that the hard drive has no system files and can't function, maybe i should have installed MSDOS 6.22 first, but having read the other posts I've found that after using a boot disc when I type "sys c:" from the A drive, i get this "Incorrect DOS version". I'm proper lost can anyone help? I don't have windows 98 on cd, I have DOS 6.22 on disks, Windows 3.1 on disks, and Windows 95 on disks. I'm think i'm gonna have to install all 3 of them in that order because WIN95 won't install from DOS. System files on my hard drive, can't do it.. help!!! please!!!

You only need Windows95 if it is a full version which it should be if it is a Legit Floppy Version, will be either 95 or 95a, with FAT16 support. http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;158238 You need to FDISK/Format first which can be undertaken by booting with the MS DOS 6.xx Disk1 and hitting F3 twice to exit which will take you to a A:\_ prompt: http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;255867 DO NOT BAN THE MESSENGER

Boy, have YOU been misinformed. First, Whenox 3xx series is NOT NOT NOT an operationg system, integrated like the Whinedoz 9xx series are. That is, FIRST you take a machine and install some version of MS-DOS (like 6.22) and get that working, at least that's the correct way. Whanoz 3xx series is nothing more than sort of a separate program that runs on top of DOS, in some manner os speaking like any other file manager for DOS, like Xtree Gold, except that 3xx did have, of course, other features. Now, Whineblows 9xx, whether it be 95, 98, or ME, is an integrated system, already has "DOS" if that's what you insist on calling it, integrated right in the install process. Here's the deal: Whenever you install a system YOU USE THE MATERIALS THAT CAME with the system that you are GOING TO INSTALL. That means, that you use the Winoz9x materials AND NOTHING ELSE to install it, UNLESS you have an UPGRADE version of 95, and then you STILL USE THE 95 materials to start with-----that is---you DO NOT first install anything else. Now, at some point in the 9xx install process (IF IF IF it is an upgrade version) it will "want" to see proof that you have the prior version, that is, Whenoz3xx, and you can shove whatever it wants of the 3xx disks in there, and let it search until it's happy. LET IT BE KNOWN that there is also a simple way around this very here problem, and that is, you can use any text editor, like DOS "edit" or Whinedows "Notepad" to "make" two fake files, copy them to your blank hard drive, and that will satisfy the install process. AGAIN---you only need the preceeding IF you have an 9xx upgrade disk instead of the "full install". Now, IF you are installing 95, there are different versions, some of which are FAT16 only, the later ones of which are FAT32, so you might need to "fiddle" to get a proper version of a bootdisk downloaded (if need be) to "match" what you have. For the most part, however, I pretty much use FAT32 for everything I can. The question I have, just what do you have for Win9xx install media? Is it floppies, CD, and what version? (upgrade, complete, etc)

Thanks for the response, I have got windows95 on about 13 floppy disks, I think its important to know that there is absolutely NOTHING on my hard drive, it's completely blank. Getting it up and running again is something i'd very much like but that message: "Incorrect DOS version" (as well as so many other things) is confusing me. Is there a way to get the hard disk functional again so that i can start re-installing things?

What are you using for a boot disk? You should be able to boot up with disk 1 of your '95 installation set.

Well this is it, on start up my computer will say "Invalid system disk, please replace and press any key" Only you can't replace cos its the hard disk. I've got a windows 98 boot disk, and a boot disc for MSDOS 6.22, which do boot the computer to A:\prompt, but from there i've no idea what to do as nothing works with my totally blank HDD

I'm talking about "disk 1" of your '95 installation, doesn't it boot? Is this an upgrade disk set?