No jboy,..all I want to do is to get back into my Win98 operating system, and if possible,get rid of the XP stuff !! Dan .. Yes .. I tried to install XP "OVER" the 98. I tried Jam's link, but I don't get a page that shows the A:\> promp !!. On start up I get 1 page with some scecs on it, this then changes to another page that displays the KB Memory counter and also allows you to enter the set up page. After the Memory counter stops, it flashes to a 3rd page for a second, before stopping at the final page (full page of specs)with a message telling me that it's "booting from a floppy..OK". A couple of seconds later the "NTLDR is missing" message appears.. Cheers .. Ken kenny

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It sounds like you either; 1. need another floppy boot disk as the one you have isn't working, or 2. your floppy drive may be faulty. With the NTLDR coming up, it means the floppy was skipped because boot files were not found, and it proceeded to the hard disk for boot files. Try this Win98SE Boot Disk*. Please read the notes below on the proper way to make the boot floppy on one of your disks. Choose "Boot with CDROM support". (Note as well that not all Win98SE CD's are bootable. (In case you might try to boot from the CD.) *The above bootdisk image file is a self extracting file and has to be executed (run) from a running Windows machine in order to create the actual startup diskette. (This image file produces the same bootdisk which 98SE creates.) This downloaded image file will format the floppy disk, write the files to the disk, then verify the file write, so it'll take a minute or three to create the bootdisk. Ensure the floppy drive is set as the first boot device in the bios. NOTE: When you boot a machine with this boot floppy, it creates a RAMDRIVE in system memory to contain DOS system tools. Thus it will move your "normal" CDROM device/drive letter "up" one level. (If your CDROM is normally E: it will be F: when booting with this bootdisk.) The path to the found CDROM will be set with the bootfiles however, so entering A:\>f:\setup is the same as entering A:\>setup at the A:\> prompt. There is no need to include the cdrom drive letter. The CDROM device letter will be assigned near the end of the floppy boot process, right after MSCDEX is loaded. It's a good day when you learn something

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Forgot to add; If you're happy with the partitioning layout of the hard disk as it is, then the fdisk exercise can be bypassed. ~Definitely format~ C: though before you run "Setup" for the 98 installation. It's a good day when you learn something

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Hey jboy! It's a good day when you learn something

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In reference to response #10, you may need to change your boot order to have Floppy listed before HDrive.

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From #7; "... with a message telling me that it's "booting from a floppy..OK" ... A couple of seconds later the "NTLDR is missing" message appears... This indicates the boot order is OK. It's a good day when you learn something

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I missed that Dan.

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Make sure you end up with FAT32 if you are installing W98. Hindsight, but I reckon this post would have run more smoothly if we had been given the background and intentions at the outset. A point for future posts... DerekW

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Thank's gang. Will try this on the weekend..fingers crossed !! What about the CMOS ?? It was set originally up as "User" (set parameters manually) and was lost when I went to look thru the other options "Auto" "CDROM" and "ARMD"... kenny

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Set any IDE drive parameters to "AUTO". It's a good day when you learn something

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Dan. That looked promising, I now have a A:\> prompt , but what do I enter ??.. You mention.. "~Definitely format~ C: though before you run "Setup" for the 98 installation". I have no idea what this means ..? Cheers. kenny

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My post here outlines pretty much in detail two scenarios for 98SE formatting and setup. (Post #2, HARD DISK sub heading.) It's a good day when you learn something

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Dan. Does this operation destroy all the work I have stored on my computer ?.. kenny

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If you format a partition (drive), it sets all sectors on the media as "available" for data. Therefore, yes, anything on there will be overwritten with new data. Hypothetical scenario: You have a C: drive (partition), a D: drive (partition), and a CDROM drive (E:). If you format C: (your boot_O/S drive), everything on that drive is lost. The D: drive remains intact unless you format it as well. You have to tell the format command the specific drive you want formatted, and ~only~ that drive is "erased". It's a good day when you learn something

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Dan. Not sure what I have done wrong, but I am back into my machine..but looks a bit weird. 1)Icons are different. 2)My files remained, but all photos are now black & white and grainy. 3) My USB does ports no longer work, and I get the message telling me that "Windows does not detect a mouse"(this where my mouse runs from).. If I interperated your advice correctly, I was to go to HARD DISK, and choose a scenario.. I then chose what I thought was the second one .."To run setup from the CD, etc.. I put a copy of a Win 98 CD in the drive,(a burnt copy)..I then put in "setup" at the prompt. It then went to "scandisk", before loading Win98. 20 minutes later it was all over. What now ?? kenny

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So Windows is now installed and working? Sounds a lot like you now have driver issues which is not uncommon after reformat. Someone else might know your particular machine but depending on what it is you either need chipset drivers or individual ones (video drivers for starters). While you are waiting for further advice download this freebie which will tell you a lot about your machines hardware (assuming you have not got the info already to hand): EVEREST or it's predecessor:- AIDA32 This will either help you to locate the drivers yourself or provide useful info for others helping you. DerekW

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