Any COMPAQ Guru's Out There - Help

Ref: this Thread

What we have is:

1. A Compaq that had Windows 95 on it

2. Windows 98 (upgrade) was installed over the top of the Compaq Windows 95 system - from an external cdrom

3. Corrupted installation, files missing etc

4. All they have is this Upgrade Windows 98 CD and the original Compaq Windows 95 restore CD

Choice's:

1. Manually remove Windows 98, which can be done and try the restore CD

2. Format the drive and install Windows 98 Upgrade ( i have emailed them how to do this)

3. Format and try the restore CD ???????? - I'm not sure here...

we have tried everything to get the sucker working. I'm not into Compaq or Restore CD's any suggestions?????

Hi Murf.. I was following that thread with some interest.. I'm no expert on restore type cd's but what about installing 98 to D.. that would presumabley save the data on C and make it accessible when 98 is running. At which point the user can at least save the files she needs then the option to format C if desired at some point wouldn't wipe them.

Thats a good idea. At least would give them time to save the files, I am in contact with them by email, and apparantly any data worth saving is already backed up. So their decision, I think FORMAT and start over is the best. Was hoping that somehow using the restore CD would work, but since win 98 is already installed over the top don't see how.

I can show them how to wipe Win 98 off without a format, then I wonder if the restore CD would then work?? I really need to read up on this restore cd as I have never used one.

I just tried to quick restore but the CD Drive still is not accessable. I don't know how I am going to windows back on this computer. The CD drive appears to run but does not read the info on the disk.

Hi Murph, The restore disk has the operating system and Compaq "stuff" on it. Using it is just like a reinstall. If they had a compaq quick recovery disk you could run that and all would be well.

In this situation, I would run the FDISK and see what you have for partitions. Then format which will wipe the hard drive clean. Then the restore disk.

See previous thread tells what is on the drive as far as partitions.

OK,

so if they format C: then run the restore disk it should work? Right? That would put windows 95 back on....

One thing about some restore cd's is they will check to see if the OS is already installed on a drive before it allows you to restore it. One cd-one computer. That prevents that cd from being used on multiple computers. so wiping the drive would also wipe the data the restore cd will look for. At least that's the way a restore cd I used on an old NEC worked..

If nothing wrong with the MOBO, yes. As I recall there is something in the BIOS that the restore disk looks for.

HELP

He has formatted the C: partition using a win 98 boot disk.

Now when he boots and select's w/cdrom support it is not finding it. Says "device driver was not found: 'mscdoo1' ".

It's a 16 speed. Is there something special about a Compaq, will we have to load a Compawq cdrom driver on the boot disk......

What model Compaq is it? Some of the older Compaq QuickRestore cd's were accompanied by a special boot floppy for performing the restore.
Also there are two type of Compaq restore cd's, 1. that will completely reformat and partition and then reinstall the OS, drivers, and software, and 2. a software restore cd that will only work if the original partitions are still intact.
Of course here it seems that he just can't get the dos cd drivers working, so i suspect it is an older quick restore that should be used with the companion Compaq boot floppy.
If you post the model number I can find out what the proper QuickRestore cd and boot floppy is.

it is a compaq presario 4712. I have the disk and cd but no way of getting the cd to work. I have tried using it. when it got to the insert cd. it told me it could not read the cd or rei;nsert it.

Are you 100% sure that it is a matching set of floppy and CD? I believe it should have the model number on both.
I work in an authorized Compaq service center and I can verify the part numbers of the quick restore floppy CD combo if you want me to.

ok the number on the cd is 183771-004 and the number on the disk is 242569-004. I am pretty sure that these are correct, at least compaq says they are the ones that I was sent to fix my computer a few years ago.

As long as your CD-ROM drive is an IDE drive (fully spec compatible), I have a CD-ROM driver that should allow DOS access to it. Let me know if you need a copy of it.

Here is where we are through email.

I made a new config.sys and autoexec file for him with a Compaq cdrom driver, I screwed up a couple of times in making them so having him put on hard drive then boot from the hard drive. Here is what he is doing.

1. Drive has been formatted with system files on it.
2. Had him copy the following to the root directory C:

- mscdex.exe
- himem.exe

Had him make a director on the HDD cdrom and in that directory placed the cdrom driver:
- Cpqidecd.sys


Made him a Autoexec.bat file to go on the hard drive:

Autoexec.bat

MSCDEX.EXE /D:mscd001

Made him a config.sys file

Config.sys

DEVICE=HIMEM.SYS
DOS=HIGH,UMB
FILES=100
BUFFERS=20
DEVICE=c:\cdrom\cpqidecd.sys /D:mscd001

He's doing it now I think, then rebooting without the boot disk

See anything wrong here????