Please help - When I boot my computer I cannot get windows to load, I get the message 'Cannot run program in dos mode' followed by the C:\ prompt. I have tried to reinstall windows but when I restart I just get same message. TIA

Hi Ian A, hi everyone, I guess your system is "programmed" to start in true Dos! Could you copy & paste here in a post, the content of C:\MSDos.sys? That file is a system/hidden file so you will perhaps have to ask for all file display. Then I would like to see the options in MSconfig/General tab. Have a good day, Gérard from Paris, France

Also post back contents of config.sys and autoexec.bat. From dos type: type c:\config.sys and enter. Be sure to include the word 'type'. Then: type c:\autoexec.bat Write down the contents and then post back.

Thanks for your responses I don't know if my system was programmed to start in true DOS?-I used to hit the on button and up would come my Windows desktop. In response to C:\MSDos.sys, and config.sys, I get - CDR101:Not ready reading drive E, Abort, Retry, Fail? I think this is because I tried reinstalling Windows, and it's wrote my CD drive back a letter - I don't know how to change it, or if I need to. In response to autoexec.bat, I get - C:\>SET BLASTER = A220 I7 D1 H7 P320 T6, C:\>SET SBPCI=C:\PROGRA~1\CREATIVE\AUDIO|DOSDRV, C:\> SET CLASSPATH=C:\Program Files\PhotoDeluxe2.0\AdobeConnectables, C:\>, C:\>, C:\>, C:\>, C:\>, C:\>,mode con codepage prepare=((850)C:\WINDOWS\COMMAND\ega.cpi), MODE prepare code page function completed, C:\>mode con codepage select = 850, Mode select code page function completed, C:\> Select code page function completed, C:\> keyb uk,,C:\WINDOWS\COMMAND\Keyboard.sys, C:\>, This makes no sense to me, I hope you might be able to help.THANKS AGAIN

To view the contents of a file you can't just type the file name. You have to precede it with the command 'type'. So it would be: type c:\msdos.sys|more and enter. The '|more' will show the file one page at a time. For shorter files you wouldn't need it. type c:\config.sys type c:\autoexec.bat would be how you would view those 2 files. A .bat file is a text file containing commands. When you typed 'autoexec.bat' you actually ran the file rather than viewed the contents. The cdrom error makes me think you booted from a bootdisk. Unless your system won't boot at all from the hard drive don't use the bootdisk. And if you do boot from a bootdisk the '|more' may not work since I don't think the 'more' command is on it. Both msdos.sys and config.sys can have commands that will cause a system to boot to dos. We need to look at the contents of those 2 files to see if the problem is there.

Hi Ian A, DAVEINCAPS, hi everyone, DAVEINCAPS, thanks for providing details. Supposing you start from the hard disk: At Dos prompt, type down: CD\ (give a [Enter] at the end of each line) TYPE CONFIG.SYS TYPE AUTOEXEC.BAT TYPE MSDOS.SYS You will maybe receive a message such as 'file not found' with msdos.sys, if so type the following lines as we really need the content of this file: ATTRIB -S -H -R MSDOS.SYS TYPE MSDOS.SYS (this file has got oodles of XXXXX lines; you can omit them but take care there should be other lines after the XXXXXX ones). HTH Have a good day, Gérard from Paris, France