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  1. #1
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    Help please. i'm trying to get 4 pcs up and running for an exam on tuesday evening and im having major problems. i dont know the first thing about ms dos ....

    i have 4 harddrives that boot straight into ms dos so im guessing they have no operating system on them am i right?. Well i need to get windows 98 on to the harddrives. is their a command in ms dos i can type to make it start installing from the cd drive?. i dont have a clue and feel so dumb .

    also i have another 2 spare harddrives one boots right into 3.1 and wont allow me to do anything. i want to replace 3.1 as well with 98 if its possible.

    any help would be very welcome.

    (p.s i havent slept all night trying to figure this out its now 8:15am GMT).

  2. #2
    Insert the windows cd into the cdrom on the DOS box.
    type at the c prompt <d:\win98\setup <enter> Substitute d: with whatever your cd rom drive letter is. About 3.1 in program manager go to <File> <run> then type in <d:\win98\setup.exe> Leave out all the<> when you type the commands.
    It's been a while but I think that's how it's done in 3.1. I'm sure some one else will give some input.
    ODE
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  3. #3
    Another way that might be easier is to create a start up disk on a box with win98 and the boot the other boxes from that disk
    On the 98 box got to <Start> <Settings> <Control Panel> <Add Remove Programs> you'll wasnt to go to windows setup and then click around until you find something taht says create a start up disk (I'm on a Mac right now so I don't remember exactly where the create disk is) Once you created the disk, stick in any of the boxes you want to install 98 on and then boot up. When it starts up make sure you select start with Cdrom support. Once you get an <a> prompt follow the steps above for installing on a DOS box.
    Hope this helps.
    ODE
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  4. #4
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    Originally posted by Technics
    Help please. i'm trying to get 4 pcs up and running for an exam on tuesday evening and im having major problems. i dont know the first thing about ms dos ....

    i have 4 harddrives that boot straight into ms dos so im guessing they have no operating system on them am i right?.
    No, you are wrong. They do have an operating system installed already. It's called MS DOS. DOS is an acronym for Disk Operating System. the MS stands for MicroSoft, which distinguished it from the PC DOS once distributed by IBM (MS initially developed DOS for them) and later sold off to Novell.
    Well i need to get windows 98 on to the harddrives. is their a command in ms dos i can type to make it start installing from the cd drive?. i dont have a clue and feel so dumb .
    There are a few ways you can do it. If your CD-ROM of Windows 98 is the full version (rather than an upgrade version) and your CD-ROM drive is a bootable one, change your BIOS settings (boot order) and make the CD-ROM drive the first drive to boot from. Then just put your Windows 98 CD-ROM in the drive and reboot your computer.

    Yo can also do it in the ways that have been mentioned.

    How you replacing Win 3.1 with 98 depends on a few things. If there are no files you wish to save on that drive (or you have made backup copies on floppies or tape), and if you have the full install version of 98, you could just use fdisk, wipe everything out, and start from scratch.

    Remember that with multiple hard drives, the additional ones must be configured as slave drives with jumpers, though you cna have two set as master drive if they are on separate channels (most pcs have two IDE channels). Your CD-ROM is probably set as the slave on one of them.

    All the above assumes you have EIDE drives. It's a bit different with SCSI drives.



    [Edited by Duster on 10-28-2000 at 09:30 AM]
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  5. #5
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    Yep, I was going to say what Duster's said. Set the BIOS to boot from CDROM first. If you have Upgrade version, that's okay, you just need to copy the win95 dir to your harddrive first, and point the upgrade path to that one.

    I suppose that your hard drives are all formatted already, as they are for most of the time. But if they are not, insert win98 CD, choose boot from CDROM to MS-DOS, type fdisk and create new patrition, then format it and restart.

    To speed up installation, copy the win98cab dir in your Win98 CD to your C hard drive, by doing that, you don't have to insert win98 CD in every time it has new driver. I really hate to see that prompt.

    There is exception, in some cases computer will not detect the Win98 CD when you choose boot from CDROM, due to incompatible CD-ROM, motherboard... etc. in this case, you have to use Win98 floppy boodt disk. That's it.


  6. #6
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    I had a case of that- generic CD-Rom that didn't get picked up by DOS. Was a bit of a bit in the buttocks. Had to search for a generic driver, blah blah blah. I still twitch over it.
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    • Chicken

  7. #7
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    i tryed the c prompt i got something like this -

    C:\>d:\win98\setup
    Incorrect dirctory path


    Although it is on d drive any ideas?.

    and the windows disc is an upgrade not full installation. I couldnt get the bios to make it boot from d drive only and c.

  8. #8
    try typing d:
    then at the d prompt type cd win98 then type setup

    *edit* I just realised that the > belongs there *edit*

    [Edited by ODE on 10-28-2000 at 01:48 PM]
    ODE
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  9. #9
    I'm going to try my previous post all over again since I realised it didn't make much sense.
    At the c:\> promt type d: <enter> then at the d:\> prompt type <cd win98> then at the d:\win98> prompt type <setup.exe>
    ODE
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  10. #10
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    Unhappy

    No luck .

    it keeps saying invalid drive specification.

    could it be something in the bios causing this?. i have everything set to auto like i was taught to. This is becoming a nightmare.

  11. #11
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    i finally got it to read the d drive. i gave it one last swing with trying from the a drive and it worked.

    now its asking me to fix TMP files.

  12. #12
    Well that could mean one of many things. Two possibilities are:
    1) you cdrom is not d:
    2) you don't have a driver for your cdrom for DOS

    Solution

    You can use the win98 start up disk to install a driver for your cdrom. Keep in mind that the cdrom drive letter will most likely be e: since the start up disk will create a RAM Drive and make it d:

    If none of the above works you might want to crack open your box and check the Master/slave settings like Duster mentioned.
    Keep in mind that if two IDE devices share one cable than one has to be the master and the other has to be tha slave.

    Also keep an eye on the boot up screen and see if your BIOS is detecting all of your devices. It should list the type of device and whether or not it is configured for master or slave. It might abbreviate it like PM (Primary Master) PS(Primary Slave) SM (Secondary Master) SS (Secondary Slave) or some variation like that.

    I gotta run but I will check back in a couple of hours to see how you are coming along
    ODE
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  13. #13
    Did scandisk fix the errors? If you can get back to the DOS prompt a:\> type <scandisk c:>

    ODE
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  14. #14
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    Thumbs up

    Thank you ODE. it is now finally starting to install from the cd rom.

    Thank you very much.

    I'll keep you posted on how it turns out.

  15. #15
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    Just to let you know they are working perfectly now .

  16. #16
    Good deal!
    ODE
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  17. #17
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    Question

    another quick question - I've been wanting to know this for a while. Once i did it by accident and can't remember how i did it.

    When you come to logon it gives you a username and password option. how do i make it so they have to use and username and password?. because when i currently press cancel it lets me login. Which is not very secure.

    and no the comps arent networked.

  18. #18
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    *note: could be VERY wrong*

    I think if you were to enter a password ONCE, you'd need it to get in. Since there is no password set then cancel or ok works.
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    • Chicken

  19. #19
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    Chicken is right. If you enter a password in the login screen, Windows will save it and require it for subsequent logins. Don't kid yourself that it adds much security, though, as it is easily defeated. It's the software equivalent of the keyboard lock that many computers have. There are about 3 different keys among millions of PCs, so it represents a minor inconvenience rather than a security measure.
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  20. #20
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    Using a password the first time doesn't necessarily guarantee others won't get in. Just try with a different login/p/w combo and you'll see what I mean.

    To force *all users* to login with a username/password, go to Start --> Settings --> Control Panel, then choose Passwords and enable authentication for each user.
    My 2 Cents.... (or is that 2.2 cents inc. GST...?)

    Have a think about this : Programming is like sex. Make a single little mistake, and you'll be supporting it for the rest of your life.

  21. #21
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    Thanks guys.

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