I have a problem with my pc. It was working perfectly well yesterday, but when i booted it today it gives me a message that says:

THE FOLLOWING FILE IF MISSING OR CORRUPTED: C:/WINDOWS/HIMEM.SYS

THE FOLLOWING FILE IF MISSING OR CORRUPTED: C:/WINDOWS/DBLFUFF.SYS

THE FOLLOWING FILE IF MISSING OR CORRUPTED: C:/WINDOWS/IFSHLP.SYS

TPYE THE NAME OF THE COMMAND INTERPRETER (E.G./ C:/WINDOWS/COMMAND.COM

C>

I have not tried to install windows 98 or uninstall it so that cannot be the problem. If anyone has any idea as to how to fix this withought having to re-install windows 98, i would deepLy appreciate it.

Thanks in advance

First verify in cmos/bios setup that the hard drive is properly identified--usually as AUTO. If you had to make changes there then save the new settings, reboot and see what happens.

If the drive was already ID'd properly then boot up with a 98 SE bootdisk and at the a:\> prompt type sys c: and enter. When it's done, remove the disk and reboot the computer. Post back what happens.

I am not that experienced at computers so i did not get half the things you said. Plus what is the 98 boot cd. Is it the floppy or the cd. If it is the flooppy i dont think i have oit

You can download files to create a bootdisk at several places. I think I'll just email you the one I usually use. In the email I'll explain how to create the disk.

The file should be there.

I mentioned going into cmos/bios setup. If you're not familiar with that, when you first turn on the computer there should be, among other things, a message that tells you how to do that. It'll usually be something like 'press DEL to enter setup'. It may not be the DEL key. Sometimes it'll be F1 or F2.

umm i did not recieve an email yet.

My email adress is pulkit_k1@yahoo.com

OK, I'd sent it to the email address you entered when you wrote the post. I'll go ahead and resend it to the one you just listed.

Do you have an OEM system like Compaq, Dell, Gateway, etc? If you do, that will affect the advice that you need to get. Different approaches are needed to fix an OEM system than a Generic one.

Sorry, I do not check for private messages

I have an IBM

Pulkit

Just an aside (please excuse me lecturing) but NEVER leave your email address in open text on a forum or the spammers will pick up the "at sign" and give you mountains of junk email.

There are ways to disguise it but on here we can get your email address safely by just clicking on your name, and no spammers engines will do all that.

DerekW

IBM is going to be either F1 or F2 to enter setup. Did you get the file?

yes it is F1. i think i will have it on floppy by tommorow cause i have to go out now

Thanks a lot again

P.S. I may need help after i put it on floppy

Okay i am done ahead of time. Now can you tell me what to do. I have put the sttachment on my floppy disk.

OK, post back when you're ready. The sys c: command probably won't fix it but it should get you to a c:\> prompt. Then we'll check to see if the missing files are actually there. Probably also run a scandisk of C:

So you've created the bootdisk?

Make sure a: is the first boot device as I explained in the email and check that the hard drive is properly identified. Then boot up with the bootdisk and run the 'sys c:' command.

dont get how to make the floppy drive my boot source. I inseter the disk and it is giving me c> not a:> How dom i get that

It'll be somewhere in the bios setup, maybe something like 'boot options'. You just need to make sure A: (or the floppy drive) is the first one.

I don't have an IBM set up right now. If you can't get it figured out I'll set one up to see exactly how to do it.

I cant figure it out

I tried to just insert the floppy disk and it ran through but then it flashed a message that said

Disk I/O error
Replace the disk and then press any key

Now what do i do.

The file I sent needs to be extracted with something like winzip and then you run the file. You can't just copy the file to a floppy disk as the file only creates the bootdisk, it's not the bootdisk itself.

If you've done all that then there's probably a problem with your floppy drive. Has it worked OK in the past?

It may also be the disk. You may want to create another bootdisk using a different disk.

It's possible you may be able to boot from the cdrom if you have the 98 installation cd. In that case you'd need to set the cdrom as the first boot device in cmos/bios setup.

Okay my floppy disk works for sure cause i do most of my wirk using it so that cannot be the problem. And i opened the attachment file and let it transfer itself to the floppy. I did not copy it to the floppy disk so that cannot be the problem. The problem i am having is i dont know how to set the floppy drive as my first boot devise. Can you help me with that.

OK I should have an IBM of that era in the other room. Give me a little bit of time to set it up.

I also have the Windows 98 Cd. Do I have to install it all over again. If not will it format the drive. If yes then i do not want that because i have som work on the drive and i have not backed it up. If you can somehow boot the stuff needed from the 98 Cd withought formatting or reinstalling windows that would be much appreciated.

When you get to the page that says CONFIGURATION/SETUP UTILITY use the arrow keys to scroll down to START OPTIONS and hit enter. STARTUP SEQUENCE should be highlighted. Hit enter. Then under PRIMARY STARTUP SEQUENCE it'll show the 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th boot devices. You can change them by using the right and left arrow keys. If you're going to boot from the floppy have DISKETTE DRIVE 0 as the first boot device. Have the hard drive as the second device.

Hit ESC a couple of times to get back to the CONFIGURATION/SETUP UTILITY screen and scroll down to SAVE SETTINGS and hit enter. Hit enter again when the SAVE SETTINGS box opens. Then scroll down to EXIT SETUP and hit enter. Hit enter again when the confirmation box opens.

Then it reboots. Be sure to have the bootdisk in A:

If it comes to reinstalling 98 you can do it without formatting with an over-the-top installation. That should keep all the existing software.

But first we need to see if it's going to be an easy fix or if there's a problem with the hard drive.

...to get in bios press del key,

in bios settings change boot order from:ex; c,cdrom,a ~ , to a,c cdrom,

to create floppy at dos prompt,
format a: /s
reboot with floppy installed,use
at a prompt, sys c: ,

check folder, \windows\command ~ for files

try also booting in safe mode(f8) in dos c: prompt,

if safe mode windows mode works try sfc.exe,
and extract from cd files needed,from system folder,

may try reinstalling win98 over from cd, (not a clean install), with option of saving old files if drive has space only,no need to format, documents and other files should not be effected,

how might have files been misplaced prior?

It says Disk I/0 error
Replace the disk, and then press any key

Okay so what will happen if i try to put in the Windows 98 Cd. Will i have to install the drivers again for a printer camera and mp3 player. I dont even know if i have them all. Can you pleae reply fast. I am getting so frustrated at this computer

before reinstalling win98,...
best check drive c:
run "scandisk" for errors, to make sure drive c: is not cause of problem, no use reinstalling if errors still occur,

...Disk I/0 error...? check cables

as for drivers for other software,maybe, only if in system folder, and create priority conflict with each other~ camera and printer,
not so much mp3 player,

how can i check scandisk?

if cd works, from win98 run scandisk c: at prompt

if not, copy to boot floppy and run at a: prompt scandisk c:

so i put the windows 98cd in then what happens and what do i do

Scandisk is on the bootdisk I sent. To run it, boot from the bootdisk and at the prompt type scandisk c: and enter. When it gets done with the basic check it'll ask about doing a surface scan. Go ahead and do that too. It'll probably take awhile but that will check to see if the hard drive has any bad spots.

but when i try to boot from the floppy it gives me the error

Or boot from the cd. It doesn't matter. If you do a reinstall of 98 everything should be the same as it was, including drivers. But a reinstall may not be necessary.

From C prompt type scandisk (then hit Return key).

DerekW

...Disk I/0 error...? did you check cables, to drives and motherboard,

and have you tried booting from cd?

also extracting info

.

ok so i select startup options and pt cd-rom as my first choice and hard drive as my second now it is giving me the same message about the type in the command interpreter
?

Ooops, sorry my #34 overlapped a few posts.

DerekW

...Disk I/0 error...? did you check cables, to drives and motherboard,

and have you tried booting from cd?

also extracting info

.

I tried booting from the cd but it still is giving me the same message

info at:

http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=296636

erred
...
1. Start your computer with CD-ROM support by using your Windows 98 startup disk.
2. Insert the Windows media into the CD or DVD-ROM drive.
3. Type the following command line (where drive is the drive letter of the CD or DVD-ROM drive), and then press ENTER:
drive:
For example:
D:
Note: If you have an original equipment manufacturer (OEM) installation of Windows, your Windows installation files may be located in the C:\Windows\Options\Cabs folder on the hard disk.
4. Type the following command line, and then press ENTER:
cd\win98
5. Type the following command line, and then press ENTER:
extract /a /y /e /l c:\windows base4.cab himem.sys
6. After the file is extracted, restart your computer.

I dont get it. I started it with cd support but then what do i do it just takes me to a screen that says Type the name of the Command Interpreter

C>

wHAT DO I DO

Go back to DAVE's #1.

From the C prompt with the floppy still in the drive type:

a: (hit Return key)

sys c: (hit Return key)

Remove floppy and see if it boots up.

DerekW

info
Type the name of the Command Interpreter:

http://www.easydesksoftware.com/news/news11.htm

in C:\Windows\Command is file Sys.com , copy if possible to floppy bootdisk to run,

check cables and connections,

might try friend or nieghbour to help hands on...

What are you talking about?
What do i do. Can you please give me clear instructions from begining to end as to how to install Window 98 from a cd.

If it's leaving you at a c> and asking about command interpreter then you're still booting from the hard drive. Maybe you cd isn't bootable. What does it say on the disk?

It is a burnt 98 cd

okay i put in the cd and now it says

Start Windows 98 from Cd-Rom
Startcomputer with cd rom support
Start computer without cd rom support

Which one do i choose

If it's an OEM copy then it should boot. I don't think the retail version is bootable.

In order to do anything, including a reinstallation, you have to boot with something besides the hard drive.

If the bootdisk I sent doesn't seem to work you can download one from www.bootdisk.com.

Either the 2nd or 3rd. Then run scandisk.

. . . and do the surface scan too.

Never mind i booted with the floppy and now it is like

The following file is mising or corrupted: Command.com

Type the name of the Command Interpreter (eg. C:/WINDOWS/COMMAND.COM

A>

What do i do

Make another bootdisk using a new or newly formatted disk.

But it already boted from this one

I did a>command.com

and now it says a:/>

what do i do nw

Type scandisk c: and enter. Do the surface scan also.

It said:

Scandisk is unable to check a drive because there is no extended memory driver loaded on your computer

To check this drive, make sure that you have a HIMEM.SYS file on the disk from which you are starting up your computer, and then restart using the command prompt only option (not safe mode, command prompt only). Depending on the location of the HIMEM.SYS file, you may need to add a line such as DEVICE=A:/HIMEM.SYS or DEVICE=C/WINDOWS/HIMEM.SYS in the CONFIG.SYS fle on your boot drive

What do i do now

Make another bootdisk with a new or newly formatted disk.

It is important that you give correct information. ALL DOS references use backslash - you'll get in an even bigger muddle if you continue to change everything to forward slash in DOS.

When it said "check a drive", do you mean check "A" drive?

DerekW

how do you type a backward slash

and why another bootdisk

.. with the backslash key which is next to Z.

DerekW

next to z??????

Okay i was able to run scandisk and now it says

Scandisk found 25,141,248 bytes of data on drie C that might be one or more lost files or direstories, but which is probably tking up space

To look at the data choose save. Scandisk saves it in the root dorectory with a filename such as FILE 0000.CHK. Then use the TYPE command to view the contens of the file

The bootdisk is corrupted because it's not loading correctly. I just made a bootdisk with the file I sent and it worked just fine. That's why you need to make another.

The location of the backslash may vary with the keyboard. You just have to look for it.

Just delete it.

Did you do the surface scan?

can you send me another

The bootdisk file should be OK. Just create a disk the same way you did before. Unless you deleted it. In that case I'll send it again.

I cant get to the surface scan because when i get to the one before it called free space and it says there are errrs and then it exits.

Have it fix the errors and then run scandisk again.

it said that some files were lost and they have been reclaimed as free space

I ran the scandisk and it is complete. It also said that i had some files lost and they were reclaimed as free space in my drive. Now can you tell me what to do.

Thanks

Umm i would appreciate it if you could reply faster. I really need my computer fixed.

Thanks

If you want it fixed fast your best bet is to take it to a shop. Folk just come and go on here and attend only when they have sufficient free time.

Do I take it that if you now do a normal boot you are back to that "Command Interpreter" message? If so, just to get it out of the way, I would now try what I suggested in #42 - it might be different now that the HD error is fixed.

If that doesn't help then look at the link Bofra gave in #43. It gives a step by step procedure for dealing with this type of error.

Only after you've done all that (in my opinion) should you consider re-installing. In which case I'm happy to spell it out here.

DerekW

UM now it wont boot from the floppy or the hard drie. I can get to the command message at all

The screen is black with the following sign

-