Troubleshooting Hardware and Software problems
STEPS WHICH CAN COME HANDY:
1. To delete your temporary Internet files and cookies, perform the following steps:
1>Click Start, point to Settings, and then click Control Panel.
2>Double-click Internet Options.
3>Under Temporary Internet Files, click the Settings button.
4>Click the View Files button.
5>Press CTRL+A to select all files.
6>Press
7>Click the Yes button on the dialog box that appears.
8>After all the files are gone, close the window.
9>Click OK, and then click OK again.
10>Close the Control Panel.
2. Reinstalling Dial-Up Connection:
1>Click Start, point to Settings, click Control Panel, and then double-click Add/Remove Programs.
2>On the Windows Setup tab, click Communications, and then click Details.
3>Click to clear the Dial-Up Networking check box, and then click Yes if you receive a message that Dial-Up Networking is required by other components.
4>Click OK until you are prompted to restart your computer (if you are not prompted to restart your computer, restart it manually).
5>After Windows restarts, repeat steps 1 through 4, except click to select the Dial-Up Networking check box in step 3.
3. Outlook Express will not allow any attachments in the Emails:
1> Open Outlook Express on your computer.
2> Click on Tools.
3> In the Options Window click the Security Tab.
4> Uncheck the check box for Do not allow attachments to be saved or opened that could potentially be a Virus.
5> Click on Apply and then on OK.
4. Backup Registry:
1>Click Start, and then click Run.
2>In the Open box, type regedit, and then click OK.
3>Locate and then click the key that contains the value that you want to edit.
4>On the File menu, click Export.
5>In the Save in box, select a location where you want to save the .reg file, in the File name box, type a file name, and then click Save.
5. Reset BIOS settings to Default:
1. Restart your computer and then while it is booting up press F2 Key.
2. Then you will enter the BIOS, then press the F9 key first and then F10 Key to save changes to BIOS and Exit.
3. Then your computer willl restart on its own. This will reset your BIOS settings to defaults.
6. To Enter Safe Mode:
1. Restart your computer after closing all your programs.
2. When your computer is booting press F8 key.
3. Then you can select the Safe Mode option from the screen which appears using the arrow keys. Then press Enter.
4. Similarly you can switch to the Normal Mode.
7. Installing a PCI Video Card:
1> Place the PCI video card in the first PCI slot, the one closest to the processor.
2> On your screen, locate and click the Start button. From the Start menu, click Shut Down. In the Shut Down Windows dialog box, click Shut down the computer, then click Yes.
3> After the computer has been shut down, turn on the computer and begin pressing the F1 key in one-second intervals. If you perform this step correctly, you will see the BIOS menu. If Windows loads normally, repeat this step.
Note: The F1 key command applies to Pentium-based computers only. To identify which key or keys to press, refer to the documentation that came with your computer.
4> In the BIOS Setup Utility, use the ARROW key to select Advanced Options, then press the ENTER key.
5> In the Advanced option screen select the Video Configuration. Then press Enter key.
6> Then set the Primary Video Adapter value as [PCI].
7> Press the ESC key to return to the main menu.
8> Use the RIGHT ARROW key to select the Exit menu.
9> Exit saving changes is selected by default. Press ENTER.
8. How to perform msconfig:
1.From the Start menu, click Run. In the Run dialog box, type: msconfig, and then click OK.
2.In the System Configuration Utility dialog box, click the General tab.
3.Click the Startup tab.
4. On the Startup tab, clear all of the check boxes except igfxtray, hkcmd and any Norton related startup programs like Nprotect, EmailProtect, AutoProtect, if any.
5.Click Apply, and then click Close
6. When prompted to restart Windows, click Yes.
9. Clearing Temporary Internet files and Cookies:
1. In Internet Explorer, from the Tools menu, click Internet Options.
2. In the Internet Options dialog box, on the General tab, click Delete Files.
3. In the Delete Files dialog box, select the Delete all off-line content check box, and then click OK.
4. On the General tab, click Delete Cookies. In the Delete Cookies box, click on OK.
5. Click on
6. Click OK to close the the Internet Options dialog box.
10. Checking CD Drive in Device Manager:
1. Right Click on My Computer on your Desktop and click on Properties.
2. Then Click on Device Manager Tab in the System Properties Window.
3. In the Device Manager, click on the + sign in front of DVD/CD ROM Drives to expand it.
4. Then double click the CD RW Drive listed under it.
5. The CDRW Drive Properties Windows will open. Please check whether the Device Status shows : This device is working properly.
6. You can now close the Device Manager and after closing the CD RW Properties Windows. Also, close the System Properties Windows.
11. Extract Files:
1>Insert your Microsoft Windows 98 CD-ROM in the CD-ROM drive.
2>Click Start, and then click Run.
3>Type: sfc, and then click OK.
4>Click Extract one file from installation disk.
5>Type: cfgmgr32.dll, and then click Start.
6>In the Restore from box, type: drivewin98
Where drive is the drive letter of your CD-ROM drive.
7>In the Save file in box, type: c:windowssystem, and then click OK.
8>Click OK.
9>When the file has been successfully extracted, click OK.
12. Upside down Display:
1>From the Start menu, click Run.
2>In the Run dialog box. type: IGFXCFG. Click OK.
3>In the Intel® Graphics Properties box, click the Rotation tab.
4>On the Rotation tab, click to remove check mark from Enable Rotation, and then click OK.
13. IP Address in Win XP:
1. Goto Start->All Programs->Accessories->Command Prompt.
2. Then type in ipconfig at the command prompt and press Enter key.
3. You can then see the IP Address of the computer listed.
14. Start Menu hidden:
1. Right Click on the Start Menu bar area. Click on Properties.
2. Under the General Tab of the Task Bar and Start Menu Properties, please click on the Auto Hide checkbox so as to uncheck it.
3. Click on Apply and then OK.
15. Changing Virtual Memory Settings on your computer:
1>Open Control Panel.
· From the Windows XP default Start menu, click Control Panel.
· From the classic Start menu, point to Settings, and then click Control Panel.
2>In Control Panel, open System.
· If the computer is in Category View, click Performance and Maintenance, and then click the System icon.
· If the computer is in Classic View, double-click System.
3>In the System Properties dialog box, click the Advanced tab. In the Performance area, click Settings.
4> In the Performance Options dialog box, click the Advanced tab.
5> In the Virtual Memory area, click Change.
6> In the Virtual Memory dialog box, write down 768 in Initial size (MB) and 1152 in Maximum size (MB).
7>After you are finished, click Set, and then click OK.
8> In the System Control Panel Applet dialog box, click OK.
9>In the Performance Options dialog box, click OK. In the System Properties dialog box, click OK. Shut down Windows and restart the computer.
16. System Restore in Windows XP Operating System:
1>Open System Restore.
a> From the Microsoft® Windows® XP default Start menu, point to All Programs, Accessories, System Tools, and then click System Restore.
b> From the classic Start menu, point to Programs, Accessories, System Tools, and then click System Restore.
2> In the System Restore dialog box, click Restore my computer to an earlier time, and then click Next.
3> In the System Restore dialog box, select a day and time from the list when the computer was working properly, and then click Next.
4> Close any open programs, and then in the System Restore dialog box, click Next.
5> After the computer returns to Windows, in the System Restore dialog box, click OK.
6> Determine whether the computer is working properly. If it does not work properly, repeat the preceding steps and select an earlier time and date.
17. Enable both IDE Controllers in BIOS:
1. Restart your computer and then while it is booting up press F1 Key.
2. You will then enter BIOS. In the BIOS Setup Utility Screen select the Advanced Tab.
3. In the Advanced Tab screen select IDE Configuration and press Enter.
4. After that, check whether IDE controller: is set as [Both]. If not then set it's value as Both.
5. Your new Hard Drive will be detected under Primary IDE Slave.
6. Once you have made the above settings you can press F10 Key to save changes to BIOS and Exit.
18. GWScan Steps - To Write Zeroes:
1>When the computer has started to the System Restoration CD, a menu appears.
2>Press the DOWN ARROW key to select BOOT FROM CD-ROM and then press the ENTER key.
3>A Welcome screen appears. Press F1 to continue.
4>At the Main Menu, select Exit Program and then press ENTER.
5>At the A: prompt, type Gwscan and then Press ENTER.
6>You are now in the GWSCAN main menu.
19. Accessing Gateway GoBack:
1>Insert System Restoration Kit CD number 1 in the CD/DVD drive, and then restart the computer.
2>When the computer starts, at the Select an option screen, select Option 2 - Boot from CD-ROM, and then press ENTER.
3>At the Startup Menu screen, select Option 1 - MS-DOS Prompt.
4>Remove System Restoration Kit CD number 1 from the CD/DVD drive, and then insert System Restoration Kit CD number 3.
5>At the command prompt, type: CdGoBack, and then press ENTER.
20. Disable system Restore in Windows XP.
1. Click Start, settings control panel
2. Windows XP classic control panel double click system or in Windows XP category view click Performance and Maintenance, then click system.
3. Click the System Restore tab in the system properties box.
4. Select "Turn off system restore" or "Turn off system restore on all drives"
5. Click Apply
6. A system restore box will come up, "Do you want to turn off system restore?" Click YES
7. Click OK
21. Enable system Restore in Windows XP
1. Click Start, settings control panel
2. Windows XP classic control panel double click system or in Windows XP category view click Performance and Maintenance, then click system.
3. Click the System Restore tab in the system properties box.
4. Clear the "Turn off System Restore" or "Turn off system resotre on all drives.
5. Click Apply and then OK.
22. How to start the computer in Safe Mode
Windows XP
To use a Safe Boot option, follow these steps:
1. Restart your computer and start pressing the F8 key on your keyboard. On a computer that is configured for booting to multiple operating systems, you can press the F8 key when you see the Boot Menu.
2. When the Windows Advanced Options menu appears, select an option, and then press ENTER.
3. When the Boot menu appears again, and the words "Safe Mode" appear in blue at the bottom,
4. Select Safe Mode, and then press ENTER.
Windows 2000
To use a Safe Boot option, follow these steps:
1. Restart your computer, and when the Boot menu appears, press F8.
2. When the Windows Advanced Options menu appears, select an option, and then press ENTER.
3. When the Boot menu appears again, with the words "Safe Mode" displayed in red at the bottom.
4. Select Safe Mode, and then press ENTER.
23. Cryptographic Services not started
1>Right-click on My Computer and choose Manage from the menu list.
2>On the left side, click the + by Services and Applications.
3>Click on the Services Icon that appears and look in the right pane where the services will be displayed.
4> Find the Cryptographic service, and double-click it.
5>Change the startup mode from disabled (or whatever it says) to Automatic.
6>Click the button to start the service.
24. Software has not passed Windows Logo Testing
1. Right-click My Computer and press Manage.
2. Expand Services and Applications.
3. Double-click Services.
4. Double-click Cryptographic Services.
5. Make sure that the Startup Type is set to Automatic and that the service is started. If not, set it, press Apply and OK. Shutdown and restart Windows XP and retry the update.
6. If the update still fails, open a CMD.EXE prompt and type:
net stop cryptsvc
ren %systemroot%system32catroot2 oldcatroot2
net start cryptsvc
Note: To open cmd.exe Goto Start->Run and type in cmd.exe and then press Enter.
7. Exit the CMD prompt and retry you update. If it succeeds, exit this procedure.
8. Open a CMD.EXE prompt and type:
sfc /purgecache
When you receive Windows File Protection successfully made the requested change, type:
sfc /scannow
9. When the command completes, try your update. If it succeeds, exit this procedure.
10. Reinstall your latest Service Pack, hotfixes, and updates.
25. How to open Command Prompt:
1> To open cmd.exe Goto Start->Run and type in cmd.exe and then press Enter.
2> In the Command Prompt Window typein Notepad and press Enter.
3> Exit the CMD prompt.
26. Standby Mode:
In Windows® XP, click Start, then click Turn Off Computer, and then click Stand By.
In Windows 2000 or Windows 98, click Start, then select Shut Down, Hibernate, and then click OK.
27. Q: How do I change the Sound Blaster settings from digital to analog or vice-versa?
http://support.gateway.com/s/SOUND/6001128/6001128A1.shtml
28. Q: I have no sound. How can I quickly check if digital output is enabled or disabled?
http://support.gateway.com/s/SOUND/6001548/600154832.shtml
29. Setting the CD Drive as the first boot device:
1. Restart your computer and then while it is booting up press F1 Key.
2. You will then enter BIOS. In the BIOS Setup Utility Screen select the Boot Tab.
3. In the Boot Tab screen check whether the 1st Boot Device: is set as [ATAPI CD-ROM] if not then set it by selecting it and pressing Enter and selecting [ATAPI CD-ROM].
4. Once you have made the above settings you can press F10 Key to save changes to BIOS and Exit.
30. To Enter MS DOS Mode:
1. Restart your computer after closing all your programs.
2. When your computer is booting press F8 key.
3. Then you can select the MS DOS Mode option from the screen which appears using the arrow keys. Then press Enter. To Exit MS DOS Mode type Exit and press Enter key at the prompt.
4. Similarly you can switch to the Normal Mode.
31. Enable both IDE Controllers in BIOS:
1. Restart your computer and then while it is booting up press F1 Key.
2. You will then enter BIOS. In the BIOS Setup Utility Screen select the Advanced Tab.
3. In the Advanced Tab screen select IDE Configuration and press Enter.
4. After that, check whether IDE controller: is set as [Both]. If not then set it's value as Both.
5. Your new Hard Drive will be detected under Primary IDE Slave.
6. Once you have made the above settings you can press F10 Key to save changes to BIOS and Exit.
32. Downloading and Installing latest version of Internet Explorer:
http://www.microsoft.com/windows/ie/downloads/critical/ie6sp1/download.asp
To download and install the Internet Explorer on your computer, please follow the steps given below:
1> When you click Download, you will be prompted to download a 479 KB setup file called ie6setup.exe.
2> Download it on your Desktop and then double click the ie6setup.exe file.
3> Installation will then begin on your computer.
4> Restart your computer to complete the installation.
33. Changing Screen Resolution:
1>Right Click on your Desktop. Select Properties.
2>In the Display Properties Window, Select the Settings Tab.
3> In the Screen Area click and drag the Slider pointer to reduce the screen resolution.
4>After reducing the Screen Resolution, click on Apply and then OK.
34. Installing Drivers from the System Restoration Drivers CD:
1>Place the Gateway Drivers CD into the CD-ROM drive.
2>In the System Restoration Kit window, select Automatic Installation, select the Intel(R) 82845G/GL Graphics Controller check box, and then click Install.
3>In the Continue dialog box, click OK.
4>The Gateway Application Loader opens. The drivers are installed. Windows restarts automatically.
5>After the computer restarts, the Gateway Application Loader opens again. The settings are finalized. When completed, click OK.
35. Starting the Computer to Safe Mode with Command Prompt:
1. Restart the computer.
a. If the computer is not a member of a domain:
i. From the Start menu, click Turn Off Computer.
ii. In the Turn Off Computer dialog box, click Restart.
b. If the computer is a member of a domain:
i. From the Start menu, click Shut Down.
ii. In the What do you want the computer to do list,
click Restart, and then click OK.
Note: A domain is a group of computers that are part of a network and share a common directory database.
2. As the computer restarts, begin pressing the F8 key after the Gateway BIOS logo appears until the Windows Advanced Options Menu screen appears.
3. On the Windows Advanced Options Menu screen, use the arrow keys to select Safe Mode with Command Prompt, and then press the ENTER key.
4. You will see Please select an operating system to start:
5. Highlight the operating system you would like to start by using the arrow keys and press the ENTER key when you have the appropriate operating system highlighted.
6. You will be asked for the system user name and password. You must log in as an administrator or a user with administrator rights so you have the appropriate security level to run system
Notes restore from the command prompt.
7. You should now see the safe mode with command prompt screen similar to what is shown here. The user name will be the one you selected when logging into safe mode with command prompt.
Changing directories to run system restore.
8. The prompt will read C:Documents_and_SettingsAdministrator> where you will type CD and press the Enter key which will bring you to a C:> prompt. You must type either · CD WINDOWSSYSTEM32RESTORE (if the system has been reloaded) · CD WINNTSYSTEM32RESTORE (if the system has not been reloaded). You can determine this by either asking the customer or by typing DIR from the C:> prompt and verifying which of the Windows directories is present. You will now be at one of the
two prompts below
· C:WINNTSYSTEM32RESTORE>
· C:WINDOWSSYSTEM32RESTORE> prompt.
Running system restore.
9. Type RSTRUI.EXE and press the ENTER key.
10. In the System Restore dialog box, click Restore my computer to an earlier time, and then click Next.
11. In the System Restore dialog box, select a day and time from the list when the computer was working properly, and then click Next.
12. Close any open programs, and then in the System Restore dialog box, click Next.
13. After the computer returns to Windows, in the System Restore Complete dialog box, click OK.
14. Determine whether the computer is working properly. If it does not work properly, repeat the preceding steps and select an earlier time and date.
36. Repair Internet Explorer:
Click on Start --> Settings --> Control Panel --> Add/Remove Programs --> Locate Microsoft Internet Explorer --> Click on it --> Click on Remove --> It will bring up a popup window with three options in which you need to select the option which will say "Repair Internet Explorer". It will start the repair and will resolve the issue.
Reset BIOS settings to Default:
1. Restart your computer and then while it is booting up press F2 Key.
2. Then you will enter the BIOS, then press the F9 key first and then F10 Key to save changes to BIOS and Exit.
3. Then your computer willl restart on its own. This will reset your BIOS settings to defaults.
To Enter Safe Mode:
1. Restart your computer after closing all your programs.
2. When your computer is booting press F8 key.
3. Then you can select the Safe Mode option from the screen which appears using the arrow keys. Then press Enter.
4. Similarly you can switch to the Normal Mode.
Spyware Detection and Fixing:
Use the doxdesk link for detecting spyware and suggest to download Ad-aware from the second link, if needed.
http://www.doxdesk.com/parasite/
http://www.lavasoftusa.com/software/adaware/
To Free Up System Resources
Before Clearing System Resources:
Your computer has 44% resources free, would you like to further free up the computer resources.
We will perform few steps to free up the computer resources.
To free up the System Resurces we have to perform a MSCONFIG to free up the system resources as there may be multiple programs running in the background and they consume a lot of your computer memory. Also, we have to delete the temporary Internet Files and History Folder. Do we have your permission to do so?
After clearing cache:
I have deleted the temporary Internet Files and also cleared the History Folder. This will help to free up your system resources.
Before/While performing msconfig:
I have performed a MSCONFIG to free up the system resources as there may be multiple programs running in the background and they consume a lot of your computer memory. You could see few of them running in the taskbar. I have disabled a few of the unwanted ones to free up the system resources. You will need to restart your machine in order for the new settings to take effect. You will not be able to use these programs in the taskbar once I perform a MSCONFIG; but you could always access them from the desktop or from the start menu programs.
After performing msconfig:
I have disabled some of the non-essential startup programs, which will help to increase the system resources. You will need to restart your machine in order for the new settings to take effect.
Recommendation for running scandisk, defragmentation and disk cleanup and send a web page for the s
I would also recommend that you please perform Scan Disk, Defrag and Disk Cleanup on your computer once in a while in Safe Mode to free up your System Resources.
To Enter Safe Mode:
1. Restart your computer after closing all your programs.
2. When your computer is booting press F8 key.
3. Then you can select the Safe Mode option from the screen which appears using the arrow keys. Then press Enter.
4. Similarly you can switch to the Normal Mode.
To enter Safe Mode please follow the steps given in the link below:
http://support.gateway.com/support/howdoi/safemode.shtml
Tips & Tricks:
Internet Explorer
Speed up Browsing in Internet Explorer -
Start/Run/Regedit
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESoftwareMicrosoftWindowsCurrentVersionExplorerRemoteComputerNameSpace
In the right pane find: {D6277990-4C6A-11CF-8D87-00AA0060F5BF} Value and delete it
Re-install Internet Explorer -
Go to Start/Run, and type :
"rundll32.exe setupapi,InstallHinfSection DefaultInstall 132%windir%infie.inf"
Manually Install Backup in Windows XP Home Edition
Since the feature is not installed on the computer by using the default setup...you can inform the EU to install this utility.
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/using/setup/learnmore/tips/kelly00.mspx
Create a Password Reset Disk Windows XP
If the Eu is unable to log on to the computer as he is unable to remember the password, the only option is FFR....However, you can advice the Eu to create a password reset disk to prevent any such mishaps in the future.
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/using/setup/learnmore/tips/keramidas1.mspx
Turn on High Contrast Windows XP
If the Eu is experiencing a issue with FPD's..LCD's...etc being dim. You can inform the EU to enable this feature.
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/using/setup/learnmore/tips/mag2.mspx
Good mskb link's for Game troubleshooting
Games: The game stops responding or quits unexpectedly
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?kbid=303032&product=gms
Windows Unexpectedly Restarts or You Receive a Stop Error When You Play or Start Microsoft Games
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?kbid=315192&product=gms
How can I increase my Internet connection speed in Windows XP?
This tip is designed for increased BROADBAND speed in Windows XP, but it should work for 56k modems too.
Note: You might also want to read the Increase Broadband Connection Speed in Windows XP/2003 tip for more info.
QoS Packet Scheduler is a method of network bandwidth management that can monitor the importance of data packets and depending upon the priority of the packet, give it higher or lower priority or bandwidth levels. It's not very useful unless you're using apps which are QoS-aware or running a server, so you can gain some network overhead back by turning it off.
Note: This following tip will not work on XP Home Edition.
1. Make sure you're logged on as actually "Administrator". Do not log on with any account that just has administrator privileges.
2. Start > Run > type gpedit.msc (not available in home version).
3. Expand the Local Computer Policy branch.
4. Expand the Administrative Templates branch.
5. Expand the Network branch.
6. Highlight the "QoS Packet Scheduler" in left window.
7. In right window double click the "limit reservable bandwidth" setting.
8. On setting tab check the ENABLED item.
9. Where it says "Bandwidth limit %" change it to read 0 (ZERO).
10. Close gpedit.msc.
Effect is immediate on some systems, some need to re-boot.
Basic things one should know.....
CD-ROM Access Is Missing and Messages Cite Error Code 31, Code 32, Code 19, or Code 39 After You Remove Easy CD Creator in Windows XP:
Solution
To resolve this behavior, follow these steps:
1. Start Registry Editor (Regedt32.exe).
2. Locate the UpperFilters value under the following key in the registry:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESYSTEMCurrentControlSetControlClass{4D36E965-E325-11CE-BFC1-08002BE10318}
3. On the Edit menu, click Delete, and then click OK.
4. Locate the LowerFilters value under the same key in the registry:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESYSTEMCurrentControlSetControlClass{4D36E965-E325-11CE-BFC1-08002BE10318}
5. On the Edit menu, click Delete, and then click OK.
6. Quit Registry Editor.NOTE: After you remove the Upperfilters value and the Lowerfilters value, if you notice lost functionality in a particular program, such as CD recording software, you may need to reinstall that software. If the problem recurs, consult with the software vendor for assistance.
7. Restart your computer.
Outlook has blank E-Mails
Solution
We're increasinly receiving issues about Outlook Express mails being blank.
Perform the following step and check if the issue gets resolved
Type under Start, Run
regsvr32 inetcomm.dll
Click Ok
Restart Outlook Express.
Adding Memory
Visit the following link to learn how to add memory or reseat a memory module.
http://support.gateway.com/s/tutorials/Tu_842316.shtml
How to reseat a CD-ROM drive?
Visit the following link to learn to reseat a CD_ROM drive:
Adding Memory:
http://support.gateway.com/s/tutorials/Tu_839449.shtml
HOW TO INSTALL THE WINDOWS 98 UPGRADE ON A NEW HARD DISK DRIVE
You may have to "tell" the CMOS to boot to the floppy drive first instead of the hard disk.
If you remove partitions, you will destroy everything on them, or, at the least, make it very difficult to recover any data. I use Western Digital's WD DIAGS write zero's capability to take Western Digital drives down to "bare metal." This eliminates possibility any lingering, overlapping partition/boot track problems which sometimes crop up. You could also use FDISK to remove existing partitions on your old hard disk and then proceed with the following steps to clean-install Windows 98. Be absolutely sure you have a good back-up first. Don't trust just one tape if using a tape drive.
A:>fdisk
Will produce the following screen:
Your computer has a disk larger than 512 MB. This version of Windows includes improved support for large disks, resulting in more efficient use of disk space on large drives, and allowing disks over 2 GB to be formatted as a single drive.
IMPORTANT: If you enable large disk support and create any new drives on this disk, you will not be able to access the new drive(s) using other operating systems, including some versions of Windows 95 and Windows NT, as well as earlier versions of Windows and MS-DOS. In addition, disk utilities that were not designed explicitly for the FAT32 file system will not be able
to work with this disk. If you need to access this disk with other operating systems or older disk utilities, do not enable large drive support. [this is usually not a problem]
Do you wish to enable large disk support (Y/N)...........? [Y]
FDISK Options
Current fixed disk drive: 1
Choose one of the following:
1. Create DOS partition or
2. Set active partition
3. Delete partition or
4. Display partition information
Enter choice: [1]
Press Esc to exit FDISK
Create DOS Partition or Logical
Current fixed disk drive: 1
Choose one of the following:
1. Create Primary DOS Partition
2. Create Extended DOS Partition
3. Create
Enter choice: [1]
Press Esc to return to FDISK Options
Create Primary DOS partition
Current fixed disk drive : 1
Verifying drive integrity, xx% complete.
Current fixed disk drive: 1
Do you wish to use the maximum available size for a primary DOS partition
and make the partition active (Y/N) ....................? [Y]
At this point you can press the Enter key and make the entire drive one partition, your C: drive, or enter N and make a partition which occupies less than the entire drive. If you have a large drive, you may want to consider putting more than one partition on it; i.e., make you C: drive 1-2 GB and the rest of the drive (a second partition) your D: drive. You will find that a smaller C: drive will run faster and take a lot less time to defrag. I leave putting more than one partition on the drive as an exercise for the more adventurous. Just be sure the partition for the C: drive is set active and logical drives are assigned to each of the partitions. You may want to experiment...
A:> format c:
Do not use the /s flag with the format command. We do not want to transfer the system files from the floppy to the hard disk. Windows 98 will not install on the hard disk if it already has the system files on it.
HOW TO INSTALL THE WINDOWS 98 UPGRADE ON A NEW HARD DISK DRIVE
There are two ways to install Windows 98 on your hard disk:
· Copy all of the files from the win98 directory on the Windows 98 CD to a directory on your hard disk and install from your hard disk
· Install directly from the CD
Although, I understand Microsoft frowns on the procedure, I prefer the first method for installing Windows 98 on my own hard disk drive. I use the second method when installing Windows on a customer's hard disk. The first method installs faster and every time Windows needs new software or driver from the Windows 98 CD, it will first go to the directory on the hard disk from which it was installed and install the software from there instead asking that you insert the CD. This saves me from having fish-out the Windows 98 CD every time I install new software and hardware, which is often. The advantage of the second procedure is that it saves about 120 MBytes of hard disk space, if in the first method, you leave the files on the hard disk after installation. Furthermore, with the first method, you may still need the CD for some drivers not found in the win98 directory.
Ok, let's install Windows 98:
Method 1
a:> c:
c:>md windows
c:>cd windows (or simply type cd followed by the F3 key)
c:windows>md options
c:windows>cd options
c:windowsoptions>md cabs
c:windowsoptions>cd cabs
c:windowsoptionscabs>copy d:win98*.*
Where d: is your CD-ROM drive.
The c:/windows/options/cabs directory was a convention established with the standard installation some of the OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer) versions of Windows 95. You could copy the win98 directory to any desired directory on your hard disk and install from there, but I continue to use the convention so I can remember where the cab files are located.
Cab or cabinet files are files containing one or more compressed files. Most of the Windows 98 files are in cab files on the CD.
c:windowsoptionscabs>setup /ie
The /ie flag tells Windows 98 not to make a new Startup Floppy during the installation.
Method 2
a:> d:
where d: is your CD-ROM drive letter.
d:> cd win98
d:win98 > setup /ie
Do not run setup from d:. There is a setup.exe there, but it won't work with this procedure.
Just follow the Windows 98 installation prompts. If setup asks you for a directory in which to install Windows, make sure you tell it to install it in c:windows (not d:windows or c:windows.001, etc.).
If you have moved Windows 3.x to the new drive or if you have the old drive attached with Windows 3.x or 95 on it, the upgrade should install ok. If not, setup will say it can't find an old version of Windows to verify before installing the upgrade. It will then allow you to browse to a drive/directory where the old version of Windows is located. If you have Windows 3.x or 95 on floppy, remove your Startup Floppy, if it is still in A:, insert floppy 1 of the old version of Windows in the floppy drive and point setup to the floppy drive. If you have the old version on CD, remove the Win 98 CD, insert the old Windows CD, and point setup to d:, where d: is your CD-ROM drive. I have found that setup won't always find what it is looking for the first time you point it at the drive containing the old version of Windows. Point again; you may have to do it several times, but it should eventually take. When verifying Win 3.x floppies, setup will check several of them. I counted five the last time I did it. (The Win 95 upgrade only checks the first one.)
How to Create a Start-Up Floppy Disk | ||
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A startup floppy disk provides an emergency method for starting the computer when the hard drive is not functioning properly. Three methods for creating a startup disk are described below. The Windows procedures require Windows 95 or 98; the DOS procedure requires DOS 3 or higher (ideal for older systems). | ||
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Windows Startup Disk | ||
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Steps: |
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Click the Start icon and choose Settings. |
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When the Settings menu appears, click Control Panel. The Control Panel window opens. |
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Double-click the Add/Remove Programs icon. |
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Click the Startup Disk tab. |
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Click Create Disk. The computer will request the Windows 98 CD-ROM. |
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Insert the Windows 98 CD-ROM. |
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Label a blank, formatted floppy disk and insert it into the floppy drive. The computer will format the disk and copy system files to the disk. |
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Click OK to exit. The startup disk is ready for use. |
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Tips: |
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This procedure is usually part of Windows installation, but you can use it if you lost your startup disk or bypassed this procedure. | |
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This procedure copies useful diagnostic programs as well as system files onto the startup disk. | |
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Windows | ||
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Steps: |
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Label a blank floppy disk and insert it into the floppy drive. |
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On the Windows desktop, double-click My Computer. |
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Select the 3 1/2 floppy (A:) drive. |
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Open the File menu and select Copy Disk. |
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Change the disk capacity to match your floppy disk (usually 1.4 MB); change the format type if you need to format the disk or if you just want to copy the system files. |
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Type a label for the startup disk (optional). |
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Click to put a check mark next to "Copy system files." |
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Click Start. The computer will format the disk and copy system files to the disk. |
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Tips: |
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To use the startup disk for hard drive partitioning and formatting, copy the DOS commands FORMAT and FDISK to the startup disk. | |
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DOS | ||
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Steps: |
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Start the computer in DOS. To bypass Windows, press and hold the F8 key after the computer displays the system settings. The C: prompt should appear. |
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Label a blank, formatted floppy disk and insert it into the floppy drive. |
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At the DOS prompt, type: FORMAT A: /S. The /S option prompts the computer to copy system files to the floppy disk. The computer will format the disk and copy system files to the disk. |
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Type "No" to end the format command. The startup disk is ready for use. |
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Tips: |
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To use the startup disk for hard drive partitioning and formatting, copy the DOS commands FORMAT and FDISK to the startup disk. | |
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Create the startup disk on the operating system for which it will be used. Different DOS versions, for example, do not communicate with each other. | |
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