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Windows ME won't start up


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#1
ploush

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Hi!

my computer freezes at the "auto-detecting Pri Master" line....
But, when I press Esc to abort, Windows won't start.
I have a boot disk and I have tried to use it with no success.
I won't even start on safe mode.

Help!!!

Thanks!
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#2
acklan

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As simple as it sounds you may only need to replace your CMOS (motherboard) battery.
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#3
My2Cents

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Hi!

my computer freezes at the "auto-detecting Pri Master" line....
But, when I press Esc to abort, Windows won't start.
I have a boot disk and I have tried to use it with no success.
I won't even start on safe mode.

Help!!!

Thanks!

s owhat did you do with the boot disk did you try a DIR the c;\ drive to see if it was reconised
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#4
ploush

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well... it was recognised, but it isn't anymore.... I don't know what happened. Now when I try to start on safe mode, I get the A: prompt, but it can't find the C drive.... :whistling:
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#5
wannabe1

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Hi ploush...

Boot with the Startup disk (floppy) and when you get to the options screen, press F5 to get a command prompt. At the A:\ prompt, type c: and press "Enter". Does it go to a C:\ prompt or give you an "Invalid Drive Specification" error?

wannabe1
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#6
ploush

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Ok, so when I insert the boot disk and type C:, I get the "invalid drive specification" error. I have tried a Windows ME boot disk and also a Windows 98 boot disk and I get the same results.
What does that error means? and, what can I do??

Thanks!
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#7
wannabe1

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That error indicates that your HDD is not being detected. Have you checked to see if it shows in BIOS?
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#8
ploush

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In the BIOS, I pressed F3 to detect all HDD, and it said that the Pri Master was not installed. But then, I pressed Enter on Pri Master, and it detected the Hard Disk.
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#9
wannabe1

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Is your BIOS set to "Auto" detect the drive?
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#10
ploush

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How do I know if it's set to Auto detect the drive?

Yes, it's set to Auto

Edited by ploush, 09 June 2006 - 11:34 AM.

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#11
wannabe1

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If it is detected in BIOS, we should be able to access it from command prompt.

Boot with the Win98 startup disk and choose the "Start with cd-rom support" option. When you get to the A:\ prompt, type c: and press "Enter".

Do you still receive the "invalid" error?
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#12
ploush

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I've started with CD-rom support and it said that "windows 98 has detected that drive C does not contain a valid FAT or FAT32 partition".

But now, I do have access to the C prompt
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#13
wannabe1

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At the C:\ prompt, type dir and press "Enter". Is a list of files/folders displayed? If yes, is "Windows" in the list?
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#14
ploush

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I do get a list of files. But it's a pretty short list and there is no WINDOWS.

When I typed dir, it said: Volume in drive C is MS-RAMDRIVE. Then there was a list of about 15 elements.
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#15
wannabe1

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This isn't sounding good...the ramdrive should have been assigned the D: designation. This tells me that the Primary Dos Partition is either gone or is so corrupt that it cannot be used. Do you have an installation cd for the operating system?
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