Compaq Quick Restore Problems

Hey everybody, this is my first ever post here so here it goes. I have a Compaq 5170 which was made b4 Jan 1999.It became bogged down, got real slow and I lost some files due to a virus. I saved as much info as I could and tried to do a Quick Restore with the original disk but all it would do is open up the Quick Restore screen , I click the full restore button, it boots down to a black screen, the red Compaq logo comes up, then changes to a black screen with a flashing curser. That is as far as it goes, the key board and mouse are inoperable and I have to power down and up (after ejecting the QR disk). The system comes back up with no apparent changes and works the same. Now for some history.The first thing I did to it when it was new was do a full QR as per Compaq because it had a video problem. It worked just fine but didnt fix the prob. It was fixed under warrenty by a Compaq Tech. He installed 2-3 softpacs,a new mother board and finally a new monitor. (it was the monitor). Over the next 31/2 years it got a virus and the cdrom started having sporatic lockup probs. Mcfee got rid of the virus and I installed a HP cdrw. After reading what I could find on Compaq community They advised me to restore the sytem to original configuration and do a fdisk to remove all partitions. this part worked. All partitions were removed and then formatted. I tried the QR disk and it did the same thing. (BLACK SCREEN) . I paid $4o bucks to Compaq support for them to tell me the same things(along with ordering new QR disk with 3-4 update disks)They also told me I would be better off to obtain a copy of Win98 and forget about trying to QR. The new disk did not work either. I have tried a few different ways to get this thing going and no dice. I finally did load Win 2000 on it with few problems. Then Win 98 no problems. I am either wanting to QR this thing to get my Windows license back or after a ton of reading just try to get Win 98 working with my original COA License. I did a info.bom search and nothing came back. I did find the bomid file on theQR disk. Nothing there that i recognize as pertaining to uiabomwrxxx.What stumps me is why QR worked 4years ago and now it won't. Mother board change? maybe virus nailed bomid ? Any help would be much helpful. It looks like a lot of Compaq owners cant get their systems to restore either(or get thier COA back) after all the reading I have done. Thanx in advance!!

Did you put the cd in the cdrom, reach back and turn the computer off. Wait 30 seconds and the turn it on?

Doing just a reboot normally fails.

But I see you had the new QR cds, so try the above as the bomid should be on the new cds and install. Unless those are just copies of the early 99 master QR cds. Those made after Sep 99 are setup where they will add the Bomid to the new hdds instead like the olders systems.


"I finally did load Win 2000 on it with few problems"

Doing that wiped the Bomid off the hdd. And if I may make a recommendation. Just get a 98SE full install cd and install it. Lots less hassle, and Compaq butchered 98 and will not admit it. I fixed that by getting the 98SE upgrade and installing it. Run fine for years. After it died, I built a new computer. Not worth fixing money wise for me.

I've got a '99 CPQ Pressario 5070 and I'd recommend buying a copy of w2k. That way you'll have a license and a decent OS. You're not going to be able to transfer the license to another machine with the QR option. And with any machine this old, no matter what OS you're using the machine's not worth the cement it would take to make the thing sink. (so much for the "boat anchor" analogy...lol)

There's a good reason why those CPQ people had to merge to stay alive. Good thing too, now we can get rid of both companies with one bankruptcy.

You can get a full version of w2k here for $135 US. Then you'll have an OS and license that will easily transfer from one machine to another.

Thanks a bunch for the replies. The cold boot procedure gives me a black screen with a flashing curser. I can go over there right now and that thing will boot Win 98SE right up. But It will not give me my original COA Win98 back. Thats what I am after. Sure there are much improved systems out there. But that system works just fine for the use i was getting out of it. Evidently at the black screen the QR disk is looking for the elusive bom#. I have read elsewhere in this forum about extracting the bomid out of the boot floppy thru uaidump.exe(hlp). This comes back file not found. Anyone else have any other ideas or solutions?

Unless you made the Compaq rescue disk and boot to them. Best bet, buy a OS.

Forgot, you can tke it into a authorized repair place and they will do it. But, $$$$ involved that way too.

Hi dalejr these can be a real b***h when they don't go as originally planned. I worked for Compaq for years before HP sent our jobs to India. I'm not surprised at all that they took your $40 bucks and didn't fix a thing. I feel sorry for all my former clients who have to deal with such third rate support and battle with trying to understand foriegner's accents when they bought an American product.

Lets see if we can get this puppy to roll over, sit up and beg for you. :)

First detach everything except for the keyboard monitor and mouse. Any new hardware installed on the inside of the computer will also have to be removed as well. You can leave the CDRW Drive if it is the only CD drive you have.

Next we want to reset the BIOS defaults: Starting from a powered off state the moment you see Compaq in red come up in red quickly tap repeatedly on the 'F10' key. From here reset the BIOS defaults. Before you restart insert the QR CD.

On reboot quickly tap repeatedly on the 'F8' key once at the Windows 98 startup menu select safe mode command prompt and press enter. This will bring us to an A prompt in DOS. From here type N: then press enter ( a virtual drive created when booting off the QR). From N:\ type "dir fdisk.* /s" without the quotations if memory serves it should show up in N:\tools if it doesn't search the A drive it may show up in A:\cpqs\tools or A:\System.

Once you have determined which directory it is in change to that directory eg. from the A prompt type cd cpqs\tools to go to A:\cpqs\tools. From here type fdisk /mbr then FDisk remove all partitions. Then recreate one partition that uses the maximum amount of space available for the primary partition. Shut down completely and restart. The QR CD should format the drive and continue from there]

This N drive thing. HMMMMM. Interesting. I will get that thing dusted off and try this procedure. I think it has a nother modem in it but i still have the original one somewhere(IT WAS A REAL PIECE OF WORK). Best I remember the last time I fdisked it I created 1 large partition. Then tried the QR cd and got a black screen. After fdisk does the partition need to be formatted or not. I have a boot disk I made AFTER the tech put the new motherboard in it. I also have a disk called QRST5 I made off of the QR disk itself. All it does is tell you what kind of system you have and if anything is wrong. THANKS CALPITOR. Im excited I got a hold of an ex employee. Also thanks to the other responses also. Any reply is greatly appreciated.I will be away for awhile (turkey day stuff) but will be back on later this evening.

No need to format QR should do everything for you. If you can't find the original modem, and yes Compaq always had grand modems, just remove the one you upgraded to.

Tapping F8 on reboot with theQRCD in still leads to a black screen with flashing cursor. Without the cd I get to the startup menu select safe mode command prompt and I get C: I type in A: and I get not ready reading drive A abort retry fail. Anybody got anything to add?

"Tapping F8 on reboot with the QRCD in still leads to a black screen with flashing cursor."
Its either bad CDs, what condition are they in? Which QR CD are you trying to boot off of? When you spoke to Compaq did they verify the new QR CD part number? or a problem with the drive; reseat connectors? perhaps try another drive?

"Without the cd I get to the startup menu select safe mode command prompt and I get C: I type in A: and I get not ready reading drive A abort retry fail. Anybody got anything to add?"
Booting off the QR CD loads virtual drives A drive will no longer be the floppy drive and another drive, N will also be created. You have to successfully boot off the QR CD for these virtual drives to be created. When you boot to down to safe mode command prompt and switch to A there has to be a floppy in the drive this is why you got an error.

When I talked to Compaq they assured me the would "fix" this problem. That was in July 2002. I have the original QuickRestore disk which came with the computer when it was new. Compaq and a few other people told me I had a bad QR disk so I ordered a new one. While I was on the phone the person I talked to didnt speak my language very well but informed me that for an extra sum I could get "update disks" for the 5170. They shipped me an exact visual copy of the QR disk( with the same numbers) along with 4 Presario Software Enhancement CDs. I now have 2 QR CDs. The Compaq techs (3of them) told me to basically give it up and buy a copy of Win 98 for $70 and load the drivers myself. They did tell me if I did this before my week was up to call back and they would help me with the drivers. They really tried to blame this on a bad hard drive. I have checked connectors and all are in good shape except for the one that plugs in on the hard drive. When I tried pulling it off the keeper on the plug pulled off. I did try another hard drive and got the same thing. At one time I did get an error on the hard drive but it doesnt show up now. A buddie suggested that I try switching plugs around on the mobo but I dont quite understand how to set the jumpers up on the hd, zipdr, cdrw. By the way the hard drive I tried was a 1.7gig Seagate.

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Originally posted by dalejr
A buddie suggested that I try switching plugs around on the mobo but I dont quite understand how to set the jumpers up on the hd, zipdr, cdrw. By the way the hard drive I tried was a 1.7gig Seagate.

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dale what components make up your system please? and what is the serial number to your Presario? I would like to compare the original configuration with what you have in front of you.

Its a Compaq 5170 Presario bought new in October 1998. #6839BX25L286. Pen2 350 Maxtor 10gig hd 128ram Zip drive cd-rom Win 98. I replaced the cd-rom with a HP 9510i cdrw. I still have the original cdrom. I can get it to work sometimes if I needed to re-install it. It presently has Win98se loaded on it.

I went ahead and fdisked again. created 9524 Mbytes of primary dos. Made it active. Powered down and back up with QR in the tray. Got that familiar black screen with the flashing curser. I wonder where that other four hundred some odd megabytes of space went? Any body have that bomid # for that computer. It might be whats missing.

Is the Jumper onthe Hard dribe set to Cable Select?