Emergency Boot Floppy

Once you boot to the floppy, are you changing the directory from A:\ to C:\?

At the A:\ prompt, typ cd C:\ and press Enter. You may have to repeat this, but it should eventually get you to a C:\ prompt, which is your hard drive.

Actually, I have files for cd-rom support (and two cd drives on the system at my desk). When I boot, the last message on the screen tells me that the first cd is assigned c:\ and the second is assigned d:\

Also, I did just try cd c:\ (and cd d:\ and cd b:\). All of them, including many multiple tried (20+ with F3 key) just returned me to the A: prompt.

What I had been doing to check for the presence of the hard drive was "dir c:". This gives me a list of files in the first cd (if I insert a disk after boot). If I try dir e:, I get an 'invalid drive specification' error.

Thanks!

If the Hard Drive is using doublespace you won't see it as you need to load the drivers and emulation in the autoexec.bat and config.sys files and this is for the W95 PC. The W98SE PC should not do this unless you have an upgrade that took you from Win 3.1 to W98 or W95 up and that drive was also using doublespace. Did you make the boot disks on the PC's you are trying to boot? This is important if you have things like doublespace that another PC will not include in your boot disk as it would if you made it from the PC that you will be booting. I hope this helps .......
fishnbanjo


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Thanks for the clarification. I can get to the C: and D: drives (the two cd-rom drives) by following your instructions. But I still get the 'invalid drive specification' when I try the same thing with E: and F: (cd e:\ e: ).

If it makes any difference, I could always see the contents of the cd drives just by doing a 'dir c:' from the a: prompt, even without doing the 'cd c:\' command. And I could always log on to the c: and d: drives without doing the 'cd' command first (just by typing 'c:').

I also just tried booting without cdrom support. No changes in the results. Hard drive still invisible ('invalid drive specification' no matter what drive letter i use).

Any further ideas?

Thanks!

mblatt wrote:
- Also, I did just try cd c:\ (and cd d:\ and cd b:\).
- All of them, including many multiple tried (20+
- with F3 key) just returned me to the A: prompt.




Your C:\ or hard drive letter apparently changes to something else when you boot to the floppy - probably E:\, if, as you say, your CD-ROM drives are occupying C:\ and D:\. As I mentioned in the first post, you may have to repeat this sequence (I do, under Windows ME, but not Win98), but you need to change the directory (which is what "cd" means, in this instance - change directory) to whatever drive letter your hard drive now has. You should then be able to run dir for a directory of that drive.

Example:

A:\(type) cd X:\ (Where "X" is the hard drive) - press Enter. You'll probably get another A: prompt. Type X: (omitting the "cd", the space, and the \ you typed the first time) and press Enter here, and it should get you to the hard drive. The reason you got "invalid drive specification" is because you have not yet changed to the drive you're looking for (i.e."X:\"), or to one which actually has a directory to view.

You can also save some boot time and grief by selecting "Boot with out CD-ROM support" (assuming you have no need for them), - this narrows down the number of options you'll have to wade through to do what you want to do, in some instances. Selecting "Without CD ROM support" may affect what drive letter your hard drive gets in DOS, though, so keep this in mind, if you select this option.

http://www.microbiz.com/ts9.htm










"Annoy the boring."

Message Edited on 05/24/02 05:37PM by Goonboy

Thanks for the suggestions. All of the Dell systems are running the OS they came with (no upgrades or re-installs). And I don't believe any are running doublespace (what's the best way to tell if they are?).

The bootdisks came from the systems they're trying to boot.

Any other thoughts? CMOS settings?

Thanks!

I figured out that the problem was being caused by having GoBack installed

Thanks again!!

I figured out that the problem was because I had GoBack installed.

Thanks again!!

Goonboy wrote:
- mblatt wrote:
-- Also, I did just try cd c:\ (and cd d:\ and cd b:\).
-- All of them, including many multiple tried (20+
-- with F3 key) just returned me to the A: prompt.
-
- Your C:\ or hard drive letter apparently changes to
- something else when you boot to the floppy -
- probably E:\, if, as you say, your CD-ROM drives are
- occupying C:\ and D:\. As I mentioned in the first
- post, you may have to repeat this sequence (I
- do, under Windows ME, but not Win98), but you need
- to change the directory (which is what "cd"
- means, in this instance - change
- directory) to whatever drive letter your hard
- drive now has. You should then be able to run
- dir for a directory of that drive.
-
- Example:
-
- A:\(type) cd X:\ (Where "X" is the hard
- drive) - press Enter. You'll probably get another
- A: prompt. Type X: (omitting the "cd", the
- space, and the \ you typed the first time) and press
- Enter here, and it should get you to the hard drive.
- The reason you got "invalid drive specification" is
- because you have not yet changed to the drive you're
- looking for (i.e."X:\"), or to one which actually
- has a directory to view.
-
-
- You can also save some boot time and grief by
- selecting "Boot with out CD-ROM support"
- (assuming you have no need for them), - this narrows
- down the number of options you'll have to wade
- through to do what you want to do, in some
- instances. Selecting "Without CD ROM support" may
- affect what drive letter your hard drive gets in
- DOS, though, so keep this in mind, if you select
- this option.
-
-
- target=_blank>http://www.microbiz.com/ts9.htm
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
- src="http://muddville.homestead.com/files/Gsiguno.
- gif"alt=":-þ">
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- .gif"alt="Get out! Leave while you still can!
- Aiyeeee!">
-
- "Annoy the boring."
- color=white>
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- Message Edited on 05/24/02 05:37PM by Goonboy