Sure. Make sure you back up all important data.
Then while booting the pc when you see the dell logo hold down cntrl and tap f11 key. After that you will be able to follow the prompts
Ahh, you've got one of the old XPS models with Windows 98! You had us going there--everyone was presuming you had one of the modern XPS models with the Ctrl+F11 PC Restore system. (Reusing old model designations is one of the dumb things Dell does.)
There was no recovery system on those old models. You cannot restore to factory settings, you can only reinstall a fresh Win98, to which you'll have to install the drivers and extra software yourself. Do you have the Windows 98 reinstallation CD? If not, you're stuck.
"the ctrl f11 fuction at the start up screen doesnt seem to work"
Troubleshooting steps:
(1) Are you sure you have a DSR (PC Restore) partition? When you boot into XP, take a look in Disk Management (Start>Run>"diskmgmt.msc") and look at the schematic "map" of Disk 0. If you see an "unknown" partition of about 3-5 GB at the end of the disk with no drive letter, that suggests your DSR partition is still there.
(2) Do you have a Dell MBR? This is easily overwritten, so even if your system shipped with the Dell MBR, it might not necessarily still have it. The telltale sign of the Dell MBR is a black screen with a single blue line at the top, with "www.dell.com" in white-on-blue letters. This screen should appear for 2 seconds between the POST phase (Power-On Self Test, with the giant blue Dell logo) and the XP splash screen (when XP starts to boot).
(3) If the answer is yes to both, then make sure you're pressing Ctrl+F11 at the right time. When the POST phase starts, you'll see the blue Dell logo, there will be a brief delay, then the "F2" and "F12" prompts will appear in the corner of the screen. After POST completes, you'll see the 2-second pause with the blue-line, followed by the XP splash screen.
You must press Ctrl+F11
after the F2/F12 prompts appear, and before the end of the 2-second blue-line pause. Hold down the Ctrl key, press down the F11 key, then release both keys together. (Note: contrary to urban legend, it's okay to press the keys more than once.)
jpzeel
16 Posts
0
March 2nd, 2006 01:00
Then while booting the pc when you see the dell logo hold down cntrl and tap f11 key. After that you will be able to follow the prompts
Hope this Helps
Jpzeel
bdtwet
3 Posts
0
March 3rd, 2006 02:00
I'm a computer idiot.
There are seven options in the "Microsoft Windows 98 Startup Menu".
None that mention cleaning the hard drive.
1.
bdtwet
3 Posts
0
March 3rd, 2006 02:00
Sorry, These are the options.
1. Normal
2. Logged (\BOOTLOG.TET)
dg1261
623 Posts
0
March 3rd, 2006 04:00
Ahh, you've got one of the old XPS models with Windows 98! You had us going there--everyone was presuming you had one of the modern XPS models with the Ctrl+F11 PC Restore system. (Reusing old model designations is one of the dumb things Dell does.)
There was no recovery system on those old models. You cannot restore to factory settings, you can only reinstall a fresh Win98, to which you'll have to install the drivers and extra software yourself. Do you have the Windows 98 reinstallation CD? If not, you're stuck.
eazydoezit
1 Message
0
May 21st, 2007 22:00
dg1261
623 Posts
0
May 21st, 2007 23:00
Troubleshooting steps:
(1) Are you sure you have a DSR (PC Restore) partition? When you boot into XP, take a look in Disk Management (Start>Run>"diskmgmt.msc") and look at the schematic "map" of Disk 0. If you see an "unknown" partition of about 3-5 GB at the end of the disk with no drive letter, that suggests your DSR partition is still there.
(2) Do you have a Dell MBR? This is easily overwritten, so even if your system shipped with the Dell MBR, it might not necessarily still have it. The telltale sign of the Dell MBR is a black screen with a single blue line at the top, with "www.dell.com" in white-on-blue letters. This screen should appear for 2 seconds between the POST phase (Power-On Self Test, with the giant blue Dell logo) and the XP splash screen (when XP starts to boot).
(3) If the answer is yes to both, then make sure you're pressing Ctrl+F11 at the right time. When the POST phase starts, you'll see the blue Dell logo, there will be a brief delay, then the "F2" and "F12" prompts will appear in the corner of the screen. After POST completes, you'll see the 2-second pause with the blue-line, followed by the XP splash screen.
You must press Ctrl+F11 after the F2/F12 prompts appear, and before the end of the 2-second blue-line pause. Hold down the Ctrl key, press down the F11 key, then release both keys together. (Note: contrary to urban legend, it's okay to press the keys more than once.)