We have a very old computer that has been broken for several years. I recently took it out in the hopes of installing Ubuntu into it, and makng it usable. I find out that the CD drive isn't acknowledged by the machine. It's name as far as I can discern through the various error messages within the startup is ATAPI IDE CDROM. The drive is working, as far as being able to insert a disc, and whatnot. The problem is that my machine says it can't load. I went into the BIOS to see if there was something there, but that doesn't help. As for Windows 98 itself, it has many problems I believe are occuring from the registry, missing/can't open a device file that I believe is named ConfigMG.vxd, and I have no boot-disc/recovery disc for this machine. I've looked on various tech support sites, but none have addressed this issue, specifically. I can only run a command line. Please help, if possible.

Greetings RobTisdell,

All I can help you with is this: you can download a boot disk from Click Here

Keep checking back because others are real smart in this forum, and willing to help.


Webster

Thanks for the link, but I should probably have metioned before that the machine I'm using now doesn't have a floppy drive. I'm looking for some way I can do this within the machine itself.

Ok just a thought, you cannot actually use the windows user interface, you are using the MS-DOS command prompts? is this correct? if so what is it exactly that you wish to do? do you want to restore the system back to the original system that was installed? first version, before any user changes. if this is what you wish to do I belive that you can do it without the bootdisk. It is kind of like using system restore on an XP machine but on a WIN98 or WIN98se system.

EDIT:

Okay strike that last thing, you would need the bootdisk for the pcrestor.bat function. the only thing I can possibly suggest is that you do a complete re-installation of the OS. although it would be very hard to do so with out a floppy drive. unlike the newer systems who use the CD-ROM drive to boot from as with windows XP the older systems as WIN98 pretty much require that you have a floppy drive. it seems you are out of luck unless you can somehow get in in safemode and repair whatever damage has been done.... my diagnosis, either find a way to install a floppy drive to do a complete OS re-installation, or scrap the computer. That is unless you like the MS-DOS enviroment :-). If I were you I would talk to ranchhand or IRONBENDER they are rather knowledgeable when it comes to these situations. They actually helped me a bunch. happy hunting! :-D

Shayne

Thanks. Well, I guess I COULD set up that disk from a relative's machine. Yeah, I'm stuck on the MS-DOS prompt until I find some way to fix it. Not exactly fun, really.