My computer started hanging up when I started windows, don't know why. I've tried to reinstall windows thinking maybe a file dropped out. It goes all the way through the install and when it start to load the system config. it hangs up. I can reboot and it starts the last part of install and hangs up agian on loading system config. I am thinking of adding another hard drive with windows already loaded, and slaving the problem drive. I'll then delete the problem windows and use the good one on the master. Am I going about this the right way or is there a simple solution. Please Help.

http://www.mesich.com/COPYCD.html See if Mesich's link will help you out. Maybe if you get the files on the hard drive first it may help. Have you formatted the drive first?

Have not formatted any hard drives. I was wanting to slave the bad os drive and then delete windows,I've got a lot of info on that drive that I don't want to loose. Hopefully I can create shortcuts from the new drive to the old one. But is there a simple solution to my os hanging problem?

Here is a simple solution that I have used many times. Yuor error is most likely being caused by somthing in the old windows, so... simply press F8 at startup to display the startup menu, timing canbe tricky, basically I just start rapidly pressing it once the floppy drive tries to boot until the menu comes up. or you can hold down the CONTROL key from power on till the menu comes up but I've hade trouble with this and just use F8. once at the menu, choose safe mode command prompt. then you should be at C:\> prompt. at the prompt type ren windows windows.bad then, ren Progra~1 Programs.old .(the ~ key is above the tab key.) then run windows setup and choose to install windows into a NEW directory and name it C:\WINDOWS continue install normally and you should be fine, if not the try other hard drive but this may indicate a problem with your computer and/or a driver. Note: running windows that was installed on another machine may not work in all cases. to ensure best results, boot the new windows from the other computer into safe mode via the boot menu and right click on My computer and choose the device manager tab (or button if win 2000/xp) and remove EVERYTHING till it is 100% EMPTY. restart normally and windows will automatically detect some stuff, then once it is done run the add hardware wizard and search for NON-Plug and Play compatable devices. this entire proccess will take a while. so be patient. and it is three in the morning and star trek voyager is coming on so I am going to go my hands are cramping, I've been trying to help a lot of people. See ya. :^)

Just a quick point in response to the last response. If it's hanging as the config.sys loads, then he'll not be able to get into safe mode, command prompt or anything else for that matter. Try booting with the Win98 boot disk. This will at least tell you whether or not you can see the hard disk. You should try running scandisk whilst there too. If no errors, have a look in your config.sys. In case you don't know how to I'll tell, so forgive me for sounding patronising. At the prompt type: 'edit c:\config.sys' If you recognise anything that shouldn't be there, delete it. If you're not sure try using a blank config.sys. Do this by typing: 'rename c:\config.sys c:\config.sy~' Then type: 'edit c:\config.sys'. This will bring up a blank one, but you must put a blank line in it else it won't save. Exit and save the changes. A blank config.sys shouldn't effect Windows, the boot process just needs to see a config.sys file, it doesn't matter if there's nothing in it. Good luck.