I have an old 4gb desktop running WinMe .I used it for low level work,word documents,56k dial up(in emergency if other computer crashes) etc.It started booting into safe mode. I could not boot back to normal desktop(restore was off).I decided to reformat.With the ME boot floppy disk in it would not read and I got requests to format disks repeatedly.
Suddenly I had floppy drive problems.I had the bright idea of producing a Me boot disk on CD rom and installing Nero cdrw floppy option to enable file transfer(system has no usb).Using CDRwin and some files off the net I burned a disk.The disk seems to work to a point.I can get as far as a command to boot without cd rom support.Then to C prompt.Of course when I enter `format c:`
I get the classic` bad command`prompt.

Clearly the best thing to do is scrap the system andI have never installed a floppy drive.I really dont need a more powerful machine hence the lame attempts at getting around problem.

I would be very grateful for any suggestions other than pulling the plug, as a way around the problems and does not require hardware update?

Thank you

Will normally boot into Safe Mode if previously computer had been shut down incorrectly eg using the main switch at front of computer instead of "Start" etc.
Then your computer will not permit you to go back to "Active Desktop" when you click this option - is this correct??

When you have attempted to start again - reformat etc - with the ME floppy boot disk have you ensured that the BIOS is set to boot to floppy first??

Please write your sentences in a simpler manner---this is very difficult to follow.

Do I understand that you DO have a physical floppy drive, and that you believe it is defective?

You DON'T have floppy installed?

What version of ME CD do you have? That is, is it an "upgrade", or "store bought RETAIL," or "OEM" on a branded name (factory) computer. Won't that CD boot?

For example, "store bought" "full" versions of Winho98 won't boot. To make a bootable CD, you find a "boot image" such as from bootdisk.com

You do, however, have to have new enough Nero that will "make" a bootable CD from an "image" rather than from a floppy.

You burn a "bootable CD" using this bootdisk image, and put the "install" files off your ME cd onto the new, burned CD.

In fact, let's say you have a "legit" factory built computer, with a legit key/license, but you broke the restore CD. It is possible to make a Winho reinstall CD right off the hard drive, IF the install files are on the hard drive. You just have to find them. I'm not all that familiar with ME, but in '98, used to be in \options\cabs

I believe ME puts them somewhere else.

(According to this page, they are in C:\Windows\Options\Install)

http://www.windowsnetworking.com/j_helmig/wmecabs.htm

You just conjure together files like fdisk, format, and whatever other utilites you want, and put those, along with all the cab files, in a folder. Then you "make" a bootable CD, put your saved folder on there, and then try it on a spare hard drive.

I guess I don't have to tell you, that the time to have learned all this was BEFORE the hard drive crashed.

(laughing at myself, I've been here)