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re: strange problem booting windows Monday, January 2, 2006 at 9:11 pm Posted by bob wells (1636 messages posted) RandomAct, Try bootup in SafeMode. Reboot holding down F8 key, select SafeMode from the Boot menu. From Safe Mode, you may be able to find and repair the problem. If this does not work, Reboot holding down F8 key, select Command prompt only. At the C:\> type scanreg\fix, hit enter. You should see message " Windows is repairing System.dat. This should take a while but pay attention and write down any errors. Type win or exit to return to Windows. Should both fail, Reboot, Select Command prompt only, at the C:\ type, scanreg\restore. You'll see a lits of registry backups. Should be a total of 5, select one that is dated before problems began and that is also preceeded by "Started". You should see message "Windows has successfully restored your Registry. Type exit or win to return to windows, or just manually shut down and reboot. Post back with results. BTW what, exactly, did you try with the Boot disks? BW On Monday, January 2, 2006 at 7:24 pm, RandomAct wrote: >Hi there. I have seen this issue addressed in some form or fashion already, but >no kind of real solution has been offered up. I am running an HP with Win 98SE on >it. When I boot the computer up, I get the HP logo page, and the HD is working, >but after that logo page goes away, there is a blank screen with nothing but the >blinking cursor in the upper left hand corner. I cannot get passed this page. I >have tried a couple of boot disks, and have had no success(of course, I could be >doing something wrong). Any help would be appreciated. [Reply or follow-up to this message] re: strange problem booting windows Tuesday, January 3, 2006 at 12:00 am Posted by gewg_ (4444 messages posted) |...select Command prompt only... |Type win or exit to return to Windows. | bob wells Some quibbles: You won't be *returning* to Windows; you will be *starting* Windows (with WIN). If you type EXIT from Real DOS, it is a waste of time (unless you typed COMMAND first). Invoking a nested copy of COMMAND.COM is called "shelling out". You *can* EXIT from a shell; you can't EXIT from Real DOS. [Reply or follow-up to this message] re: strange problem booting windows Tuesday, January 3, 2006 at 10:06 am Posted by RandomAct (23 messages posted) Here's the main problem. Nothing I do will take me past that blank screen. The closest I got was with my boot disk attempt, and then, it told me that I had an invalid startup disk. I can't go into DOS or safe mode. I'm thinking the key may be a valid boot disk, but is becoming hard to obtain. On Tuesday, January 3, 2006 at 12:00 am, gewg_ wrote: >|...select Command prompt only... >|Type win or exit to return to Windows. >| bob wells > >Some quibbles: > >You won't be *returning* to Windows; you will be *starting* Windows (with WIN). > >If you type EXIT from Real DOS, it is a waste of time >(unless you typed COMMAND first). >Invoking a nested copy of COMMAND.COM is called "shelling out". >You *can* EXIT from a shell; you can't EXIT from Real DOS. [Reply or follow-up to this message] re: strange problem booting windows Tuesday, January 3, 2006 at 11:39 am Posted by gewg_ (4444 messages posted) |||...blank screen with nothing but the blinking cursor in the upper left hand corner |||...I have tried a couple of boot disks ||| RandomAct |Nothing I do will take me past that blank screen. |The closest I got was with my boot disk attempt, |and...it told me that I had an invalid startup disk. | RandomAct | You are going to need a working computer. Try your Startup diskette(s) on that. If the boot floppies are crap, get an executable from bootdisk.com and run it to make a valid bootable floppy. [Reply or follow-up to this message] re: strange problem booting windows Tuesday, January 3, 2006 at 10:42 pm Posted by bob wells (1636 messages posted) Works on mine??? On Tuesday, January 3, 2006 at 12:00 am, gewg_ wrote: >|...select Command prompt only... >|Type win or exit to return to Windows. >| bob wells > >Some quibbles: > >You won't be *returning* to Windows; you will be *starting* Windows (with WIN). > >If you type EXIT from Real DOS, it is a waste of time >(unless you typed COMMAND first). >Invoking a nested copy of COMMAND.COM is called "shelling out". >You *can* EXIT from a shell; you can't EXIT from Real DOS. [Reply or follow-up to this message] re: strange problem booting windows Wednesday, January 4, 2006 at 10:06 am Posted by RandomAct (23 messages posted) Ok, here's where I stand at the moment. I have created a boot disk that actually works...sort of. It will move past that screen and try to start up, and will take me to a command prompt screen. Any command from A: will work, but nothing will work from C:. No scandisk, no nothing. Also interesting to note is that I was finally able to get it to prompt for safe mode with that boot disk in it, but when I select safe mode, it takes me to another command prompt. I tried running from the original Win98 CD, and that always gets hung up and does not complete the startup process. It seems to me like the computer is acting as if the hard drive is brand new, and never been used, which obviously isn't true. The more and more I do this, the more it seems I will have to reformat, and I damn sure don't wanna do that. On Tuesday, January 3, 2006 at 10:42 pm, bob wells wrote: >Works on mine??? > > > [Reply or follow-up to this message] re: strange problem booting windows Wednesday, January 4, 2006 at 11:05 am Posted by gewg_ (4444 messages posted) |I have created a boot disk that actually works...sort of. |It will...take me to a command prompt screen. |Any command from A: will work | RandomAct | That's not **sort of**. It does EXACTLY what it's supposed to do. |but nothing will work from C:. | Now we have a useful symptom. cache of http://www.annoyances.org/exec/forum/win98/t1059355805 +SYS-C cache of http://www.computerhope.com/issues/ch000181.htm +SYS-C [Reply or follow-up to this message] re: strange problem booting windows Wednesday, January 4, 2006 at 11:42 am Posted by RandomAct (23 messages posted) Ok I tried the sys c: thing, and nothing happens. I get a message that says "Invalid media type reading drive c". On Wednesday, January 4, 2006 at 11:05 am, gewg_ wrote: >|I have created a boot disk that actually works...sort of. >|It will...take me to a command prompt screen. >|Any command from A: will work >| RandomAct >| >That's not **sort of**. >It does EXACTLY what it's supposed to do. > >|but nothing will work from C:. >| >Now we have a useful symptom. >cache of http://www.annoyances.org/exec/forum/win98/t1059355805 >+SYS-C >cache of http://www.computerhope.com/issues/ch000181.htm >+SYS-C [Reply or follow-up to this message] re: strange problem booting windows Wednesday, January 4, 2006 at 12:49 pm Posted by gewg_ (4444 messages posted) |I tried the sys c: thing, and nothing happens. |I get a message that says "Invalid media type reading drive c". | RandomAct You have to read the ENTIRE article: cache of http://www.computerhope.com/issues/ch000181.htm http://www.hexff.com/win98_install.php http://www.pcnineoneone.com/howto/clean1.html [Reply or follow-up to this message] re: strange problem booting windows Wednesday, January 4, 2006 at 6:03 pm Posted by bob wells (1636 messages posted) gewg_ has you on the right track if you'll go along with the advice. BW On Wednesday, January 4, 2006 at 10:06 am, RandomAct wrote: >Ok, here's where I stand at the moment. I have created a boot disk that actually >works...sort of. It will move past that screen and try to start up, and will take >me to a command prompt screen. Any command from A: will work, but nothing will work >from C:. No scandisk, no nothing. Also interesting to note is that I was finally >able to get it to prompt for safe mode with that boot disk in it, but when I select >safe mode, it takes me to another command prompt. I tried running from the original >Win98 CD, and that always gets hung up and does not complete the startup process. > > >It seems to me like the computer is acting as if the hard drive is brand new, and >never been used, which obviously isn't true. The more and more I do this, the more >it seems I will have to reformat, and I damn sure don't wanna do that. > > > [Reply or follow-up to this message] Tip: Use one of the [Reply or follow-up to this message] links above to add a message to this thread Search this forum Start a new thread on a different subject Report abuse of the forum Return to the Windows 98 Discussion Forum