[wannabe1]

Let's just go ahead and zero the drive with Fdisk.....

Using your startup floppy, restart with the floppy in the drive...when it boots to the option screen, press F5 for the A> prompt...at the prompt, type fdisk and press "Enter".

Delete all the partitions beginning with the Logical DOS and ending with the Primary DOS...rebooting between each deletion. When you are finished with this step, your HD will be as it was when you pulled it out of the box.

Put your Seagate cd in the cd-rom drive, exit fdisk (Esc) and reboot.

Let me know when you have completed these steps. Rule #1...when in doubt, do nothing...post back for clarification.

Edited by wannabe1, 05 September 2005 - 05:24 PM.

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Will the Seagate disk work as a selfbooting disk? Most of the stuff I have has to be installed with an operating system, but you can use it to burn a selfbooting disk. I know that you can DL a .iso from Maxtor to make a selfbooting disk.

[Tyger]

Will the Seagate disk work as a selfbooting disk? Most of the stuff I have has to be installed with an operating system, but you can use it to burn a selfbooting disk. I know that you can DL a .iso from Maxtor to make a selfbooting disk.

[wannabe1]

Yes...it is. It appears to work just like MaxBlast with a few features you got to watch out for.

[bamakodaker]

Sorry. Lost it. Toss the laptop. Ripped the power cord. Went for a drive.

I'm back. F5 does nothing. F10 gets me to Computer setup. Floppie seemed to do nothing. What steps do I follow.

[wannabe1]

Sounds like a BIOS setting. When you start you machine, tap the Delete key as it is booting. When you enter the Bios Settings, change the First Boot Device to the Floppy using the + or - keys. Should be under the heading Boot Device Priority (or similar)

Note...If the Delete key doesn't do it, repeat using the F1 key.

Edited by wannabe1, 05 September 2005 - 06:21 PM.

[bamakodaker]

Delete did little, went to full startup with working Windows desktop. Going to try Backspace.

[wannabe1]

As your machine boots, it should tell you at the bottom of the screen which key to press to "Enter Setup"

[bamakodaker]

Somehow got to Startup Menu screen - is that it?

[wannabe1]

Describe the screen for me...briefly....

[bamakodaker]

I've never noticed this Compaq reveal where you should enter anything. Compaq hids all kinds of crap just so they won't be like everyone else stinking computer.

[wannabe1]

Yepper..gotta love them OEM's...that's why I build my own!

[bamakodaker]

Micorsoft Windows 98 Startup Menu

1 - Normal
2 - Logged (|BOOTLOG.TXT)
3 - Safe Mode
4 - Safe mode with network support
5 - step by step confirmation
6 - command prompt only
7 - safe mode command prompt only

Warning: Windows did not finish loading on the previous attempt. Choose Safe mode, to start Windows with a minimal set of drivers.

F5+Safe mode Shift + F5= Command prompt Shift+F8= step by step confirmation [N]

[wannabe1]

Nope...not what we're after. Reboot and watch the bottom of the screen... Should be a line down there that says "Press such and such to Enter Setup"...Press that key

[bamakodaker]

F 1 - 4 do nothing, working my way around

[wannabe1]

Try F10