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I have windows xp on my desktop. However, when I turn the computer on, all I get is a black screen with this on it:
Starting MS-DOS...
Bad or missing C:\DOS\SETVER.exe
Error in CONFIG.SYS line 1Bad or missing C:\DOS\HIMEM.SYS
Error in CONFIG.SYS line 2
HMA not available:Loading DOS lowC:\>C:\DOS\SMARTDRV.EXE/X
Bad command or file name
C:\>I don't have any disks as the computer was given to me. All of my documents and pictures and EVERYTHING for the psat 4 years is on this computer. WHat can I do to get it to load? PLEASE PLEASE HELP!!!!
F8 is actually done just before Windows starts to load.
To salvage your personal files, you could remove your harddrive,
then install it on another computer as a SLAVE drive.
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ask some family and friends (especially people with Dell PC's) if they have the XP home install disc. Make sure you get the XP number and then try a repair installation, that way you won't lose anything except the critical updates:
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/...
After that, when you go to activate windows, just put in the numbers that are on your tower for activating windows.Some HELP in posting on Computing.net plus free progs and instructions Cheers
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Don't take a chance with a repair install. Follow Chuck's advice and connect the hard drive to another system and save your files first.
You can get an inexpensive adapter to easily connect it to a USB port.
XpUser4Real, my worry is that a mistake might be made and 'full' install done instead of a repair.
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hmmm, that puzzles me when I gave the EXACT link for a repair.
I would do a repair if another PC was not around to do a slave
setup.Some HELP in posting on Computing.net plus free progs and instructions Cheers
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"hmmm, that puzzles me when I gave the EXACT link for a repair."
I probably should trust that people will read and follow directions exactly, but I'm afraid that I don't. Doing a repair install is kinda tricky because of the way Microsoft worded the directions. I think it's kinda easy to misread/misinterpret the instructions. But maybe it's just me. :-)
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CD won't load. I can't get past the screen with the bad file names on it. I can't get to the start up screen or anything.
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aegis1, did you actually click on the link I gave?
hhalvorson, are you following the instructions?
Some HELP in posting on Computing.net plus free progs and instructions Cheers
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XpUser4Real, I didn't check the link. It has excellent instructions. But I still feel the safest thing to do is save the files first. You never can tell what can go wrong, hardware problem, power glitch, etc. But I do tend to be overly cautious.
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