windows won't start

[catfish]

my computer tells me the following file is missing or corrupted:himem.sys, and that there is an error in my config.sys file on line 21. cannot type edit config.sys, tells me bad command or file name, and i don't know what to do, anyone have ideas, i am basically novice in some aspects. thanks

[Vernon Frazee]

Windows 98 doesn't really need the C:\CONFIG.SYS or a C:\AUTOEXEC.BAT files.
[list=1][*]Click Start|Run, type command and press [Enter]
[*]At the DOS prompt, type the following three commands, pressing the [Enter] key after each:

   ren c:\config.sys *.bak
   ren c:\autoexec.bat *.bak
   exit
[*]Click Start|Shutdown...|Restart the computer?|Yes[/list=a]

Note: If one of the old program you use ever starts to fuss you can rename C:\CONFIG.BAK back to C:\CONFIG.SYS and C:\AUTOEXEC.BAK back to C:\AUTOEXEC.BAT to reactivate them.