Can't Get into Windows 98
I have W98 Full Version. The hardware other than maybe Hard Drive is working Fine. I have put other drives on to check the other hard ware on the PC. My Problem: When I attach my 30 Gig drive and boot up the PC It will show me the startup information. It evens shows the windows 98 logo and then will go and check again and show the W98 logo. Here is where the problem start it will then go back to dos and give me the following error messages: D:\Windows/Sytem vrtwd.386 & Vfixd.vxd.
Note here: It is showing a "D" Drive when in past it was "C" in the dos mode. With the two error messages.
I am thinking that something need to be set in the registry but do not know how to get to the registry in dos. It does not allow me to go the the "Safe Mode" as after it sees the second W98 logo it goes directly to dos and shows my "C" drive as "D" with the two error messages.
I need to know is there a way to get into the registory? and possibly change and what to change? Also what are these 2 error messages. Input and step by step instructions are needed.
Note: I am using the same PC to do this message without any problems with hardware and I have also checked the bios and everything is okay.
Can someone give me feed back. But please do give step by step
instructions.
More clarification of my W98 Question
I tried your Suggestions but...
The reason we know that it is in the registry is because we have tried to restore the files and it keeps looking for them in:
D:\windows/system
But we know windows is installed in:
C:\windows/system
And the two files are there and have been extracted to there.
NOTE: There is no windows installed in D: because there is no D: drive. There is only one master Hard Drive.
When we reboot the computer and the registry goes through it's cycle the registry tells us D:\windows/system. So it can't find the files we extracted to the right folder.
Any suggestions?:confused:
Don't you hate when nobody READS the problem description?
Hmmm... fascinating...
I have a wacky, zany solution that just might work. Maybe.
As follows:
- Boot to "Command Prompt Only."
- Create a directory called wacky off the root of C:
- In this directory, create a windows directory, enter THAT directory and create a system directory.
- Copy those two "missing" files into c:\wacky\windows\system
- Type the command edit c:\autoexec.bat and press enter.
- Add the line subst d: c:\wacky to the top.
- Chances are the mouse won't be working, just exit the editor by using these three keys in order without holding any down: alt f x
Now, reboot and go normally-- you may get in this time. Once in, run Regedit and fix those references... a search for those filenames in Regedit would be a good start.
You may wonder what this all does: Basically, you've created a fake \windows\system directory, but the subst command tells DOS and Windows that this directory exists on the D: drive.
A long shot, yes. But try it. It can't hurt.
Re: Can't Get into Windows 98
Quote:
Originally posted by PandaBear
When I attach my 30 Gig drive and boot up the PC It will show me the startup information. It evens shows the windows 98 logo and then will go and check again and show the W98 logo. Here is where the problem start it will then go back to dos and give me the following error messages: D:\Windows/Sytem vrtwd.386 & Vfixd.vxd
Have you been playing around with partition's on your 30G drive.
To me it sounds like you might have a partition C: and a partition D: and the D: is set as the Active partition so it tries to boot off D:.
If you formatted C: and / or formatted D: using a Win98 boot disk and the /s switch it will put some minimal system files on the drive which would account for the Win98 logo being displayed.
However I would expect it to stop at DOS prompt nomally if Windows was not installed, so it sounds like something funny going on with your install.
Try loading with a Win98 bootdisk and then run FDISK and select Y for large hard drive support and select the option to display partition information and write it all down and posy back so we can see if it is something like that.