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Here's the problem. I was in the middle of downloading a file from the net, then the Disk Cleanup window pops up with the options to CLEAN or CANCEL. I clicked on CANCEL, but after that there's an iexplorer.exe error that tells me that I need to reinstall 98SE. When I try to do this, I get an error message like:
"Please wait while setup initalizes"
"Scanning system Registry"
"Windows Setup requires 7340032 bytes available on your"
I tried to access C: thru DOS and it says invalid media type, I try to boot in safe mode to no avail. The C: drive is not being recognized. Is there anything that can be done to save this disk without using FDISK and reformatting? Any help will be greatly appreciated, thanks in advance.
Sounds a bit like HD trouble but RAM can often cause bizzare symptoms. If you've more than one stick of RAM try each one on it's own in first position.
Otherwise, if you can get into DOS "somehow" (bootdisk?), then try scanreg /restore
See what others have to say obviously.
DerekW
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"that tells me that I need to reinstall 98SE. When I try to do this, I get an error message like:
"Please wait while setup initalizes"... So, does that mean you attempted to reinstall Windows 98? If so, at what point did you get the error message?Life is more painless for those who are brainless.
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You'd get that kind of message during a clean install on an unformatted drive - is that what was attempted?
Saying that XP is the most stable MS OS is like saying that asparagus is the most articulate vegetable
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jboy, no! It was a disk I've been using for a while, it was formatted when I first diid the original install. I believe the disk was full to capacity. After I chose not to cleanup disk, that's when I ran into the problem.
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Make sure the drive is properly identified in cmos/bios setup. Open the case and make sure the data cable is tight. Run fdisk, option 4 and post back what it says.
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Jennifer, yes I tried to reinstall over top of the already existing OS (both 98SE) to keep the files that were on it. I get the error message in DOS after I type the D:setup.exe prompt.
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"it was formatted when I first diid the original install"
Well... yes - most are. Just wanted to be clear on the type of installation you're attempting.
Full drive or not, that's an unusual message for an existing installation - as DAVE says, ensure the drive is seen in the BIOS
Just how big of a drive is this? 'Disk full' messages should have started popping up early on, before the drive was at capacity
Saying that XP is the most stable MS OS is like saying that asparagus is the most articulate vegetable
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Meanwhile... as preservation/recovery of data is probably high on your list and concerns at this time... Before going any further... if practical/possible slave the drive as is to any working system (fat32 compliant - i.e. '98/ME/W2K/XP (even 2k3?)and transfer it all off the drive entirely (to CDR/RW/DVD etc...) - and verify the copies are valid. Strongly recommend you make copies not backups of data... This naturally presumes the drive is recognised etc. in that other working system...
Once data "saved" perhaps a defrag may be possible via that working system? This "may" free up a little space and allow things to proceed as you were hoping to earlier?
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In DOS A:\> I switch to C: I type C:\>dir and get "Invalid Media Type reading drive C" then I hit F (for fail) then it reads "volume in drive C has no label" then I hit F again 2 times then I get "Fail on INT 24" then it goes back to C: prompt. So then I hook up my XP drive as master, and 98SE as my slave. Once I get into XP, I see the 98SE drive as Local Disk (E:) This is what I get when I click on the properties:
Type = Local Disk
File System = RAW
Used space = 0 bytes
Free space = 0 bytes
Capacity = 0 bytes
(Drive E is full with blue)
I tried running everything on it thru XP but nothing recognizes it. Everything I do leads me back to the possibility of FORMATTING.
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The OS isn't finding a partition on the drive. If you ran fdisk, option 4 it would respond with 'no partitions defined'. If you're lucky the problem is a bad or loose cable. Otherwise, assuming the drive is good, you'll need some disk recovery software--and that may not help either.
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You could try 'Partition Doctor'. I've seen feedback from a few people that said it bailed them out.
http://www.ptdd.com/ptdmoreinfo.htm
Do yourself a favor BACKUP!
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