Gah I hate gateways. I have a huge problem.

My boss wanted me to fix her laptop and the first thing I tried to do was to upgrade the OS from win 98 to win 2k. The comp crashed in the installation and subsequent tries at rebooting with win 2k pro full CD result in it getting as high as 18% before it freezes. I decided that despite Gateway's website assuring me that win 2k was installable, I would try to get back to win 98. The restore disk, predictably, is long gone and I don't know if gateway is too proprietary to handle an fdisk, and anyway I only have a win 98 upgrade disk on hand. I have tried to re-run win 98 setup but can't get past the...compliance thing where it asks for a certain file. So I've been using a combo of a boot floppy and trying to cold boot. Boots fine from the boot floppy, and I've been trying to extract files from the win98 upgrade cd to the c: drive, just so I could try to get it to boot in safe mode. Now it's at the point where a cold boot results in it saying that there's a problem with sys.ini or system.ini, that setup needs to be run, then just shutting off. I've tried backing up the registry based on commands given in this forum (C: scanreg /restore, c:\windows\scanreg /restore, c:\windows\command\scanreg /restore), and it thinks, plays with the floppy, and tells me it's a bad command. It was telling me there was a problem with config.sys, but after some extractions that message went away. Can anyone tell me what I can/need to do based on materials at hand (win 2k pro full install, win 98 upgrade cd) so I don't have to tell my boss I've made her a lovely 24 lb., 200 mhz pentium mmx, 32 mb ram paperweight? Sorry so long.

well for starters, you going to need way more RAM then 32 meg. 200mhz isn't going to run win2k very well and XP is out of the question for those specs. I would suggest Staying with Win98.

Ah. Right. Let me elaborate:

I know it needs more RAM. Heck, it just needs to be a whole new laptop but RAM's what can get replaced if I can get this thing up to some sort of snuff. I've already decided that I'm staying with Windows 98, it's getting back to it that's giving me a rash. I hate XP anyway, and since I'm not the one using the rig, I don't care if it stays on win 98 forever at this point. I just really got to get it to boot.

My suggestion at this point would be to get a 98 disk from someone, and reformat and start all over. Don't worry about proprietary stuff at this point, it's shot anyhow. Do an Fdsik and reformat, then install 98. If you have to buy it, you can get it reasonable on Ebay and still keep your job. You also could use the I had a lightning strike at my house and the thing blew up routine, but your credibility would rapidy deteriorate. Good Luck...

Keep Smiling
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you can use your 98 upgrade disc to do a clean install, if yo have a copy of win95 or win3.1.

After my initial panic attack, i realize i can probably 'borrow' a copy of windows 98 from my MIS dept (thank gawd for the li'l techies). I'm just worried that formatting and trying a clean install of windows 98 won't work with the gateway, the same as if it were tried with, say, a compaq or hp or whatever. I'll try to see if I can nab a copy of windows 95 to worm past the upgrade compliance thingie, which is what I think you're driving at, bobsmock. I was just hoping for a 'miracle cure' keystroke combo that would have fixed this.

You don't have to reformat. Rename the Windows directory to "winold." Then cd to winold and rename win.com to w_n.com and win.ini to w_n.ini. I am going from memory, so this may not be 100% correct, but I think renaming those two should do the trick.

Then create a new folder called "Backup" or whatever-- just make sure you don't overwrite an already existing folder. Move everything that's on the hard drive into that directory.

Now reinstall Windows 98. There's a trick for doing a clean install using an upgrade CD. You don't really need Win 3.x or Win95 if you use the trick. Search the web and you should find it. Actually, I think the trick is to create a new Windows directory and then put an empty text file in it that you've named "win.com" (no quotes). That may not work anymore, though.

Of course, this won't work if there isn't enough space left on the HDD. But it's a good method if you don't want to lose what's on the hard drive.

Good luck.

Phil

"Beware the barrenness of a busy life." - Socrates

LOADING WINDOWS 98 upgrade as Full Version

HTH

Dave

There are 24 hours in a day, and 24 beers in a case. Coincidence?
I think not!

I would suggest that if you can get your hands on a copy of windoze 95 that you keep it on that because my dads 986 mhz with 576 meg's of ram is sluggish with win me, so... you get the point

HOPEING TO UPGRADE VERY VERY SOON!!!!!

Fred,

>986 mhz with 576 meg's of ram

Win95 on this system would be a waste of a perfectly good PC.

Dave

If Wile Coyote had enough money for all that Acme crap, why didn't he just buy dinner?