[mellowrod]

I have very little computer experience so patience and any help will be greatly appreciated.

I switched on my monitor this morning to find my computer displaying a Dos screen, which I will type in full below, the worrying thing I found was though at the top of the screen it says ' Microsoft Windows 98 Startup Menu '. Now this computer was originally loaded with Windows 98, but at least a year ago we chaged it to XP???

Anyways, below is exactly what the screen says:

Microsoft Windows 98 Startup Menu

1. Normal
2. Logged (\BOOTLOG.TXT)
3. Safe mode
4. Step-by-step confirmation
5. Command prompt only
6. Safe mode command prompt only

Enter a choice Time Remaining

Waring: Windows has detected a registry/configuration error.

Choose, Command prompt only, and run Scanreg

The following file is missing or corrupted: C:\WINDOWS\HIMEM.SYS
The following file is missing or corrupted: C:\WINDOWS\DBLBUFF.SYS
The following file is missing or corrupted: C:\WINDOWS\IFSHLP.SYS
The following file is missing or corrupted: COMMAND.COM

Type the name of the Command Iterpreter (e.g., C:\WINDOWS\COMMAND.COM)
C>_



Thats the lot, I haven't a clue what to do, so any help will be greatfully appreciated. I have the disks for Windows 98 Recovery and Windows XP.

I hope someone can help... :-(

Roddy

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If you can get in with safe mode then click start then run then type sfc /scannow then press enter to replace system files, if no change then try start then help and support then undo changes to my computer with system restore, you should only need to restore to a couple of days ago.

If you also got last known good configuration as an option, go with that

[Retired Tech]

If you can get in with safe mode then click start then run then type sfc /scannow then press enter to replace system files, if no change then try start then help and support then undo changes to my computer with system restore, you should only need to restore to a couple of days ago.

If you also got last known good configuration as an option, go with that

[mellowrod]

Thanks, but cant get in with safe mode, when I select 3, the screen flickers for a moment and then returns to previous display as below...

[austin_o]

Do you have a boot disk or bootable cd? Boot from it and then try Keiths suggestion.

[mellowrod]

I have a Recovery CD Rom for Windows 98 and a cd Rom for XP. I'm not sure which to insert though as the error message beings with " Microsoft Windows 98 Startup Menu ". Also if I insert one of these what do I then need to do?

[austin_o]

there is a guide for xp repair at the top of this forum, at http://www.geekstogo...ws_XP-t138.html

but for starters, boot from the xp cd and try keiths suggestion. He was the first to reply to your post. Give that a shot first.

[mellowrod]

Trying to get the computer to pick up on the CD rom now seems to be a problem, AAAGGGHHH!!!

[gerryf]

Well, this is an interesting problem.

I hate to break in here since both Keith and Austin are very competent but I think they missed something....this WAS a windows machine, but it was upgraded to windows xp

Is that correct?

How many drives do you have on this machine? One or two?

What kind of machine (make model)?

I have a cockamamie theory....

[mellowrod]

Was originally installed with Windows 98 and about a year ago we changed that to XP Pro. I don't have a recovery disc for the XP Pro, but I do have a recovery disc for XP Home, but when I boot using this it tells me that no installations are found, and Im not given the option to repair. Apparently this happens if the data or partition on my drive is corrupted. And it says if I reinstall I'll lose everything.

Its a fujitsu siemens / celeron.

One hard drive, one cd rom, one cd rw.

[gerryf]

do you, by any chance, have norton goback on this thing?

[mellowrod]

Not that Im aware of...

[gerryf]

http://www.tweakxp.c...icle153115.aspx

Go to the above link and download the rc.iso

burn that iso as a cd (not burn it on a cd---do you know how to burn an image?)

See if that will allow you into a recovery console

[mellowrod]

No Im not sure how to do that, can you explain please?

[gerryf]

do you have a second computer and what OS?

[mellowrod]

I do have a second computer, XP.