[sabledog]

win 98 speed 750 memory 256
after trying to install quake... pc will not start in normal mode...
tried starting using boot disk... gives a message about vfat missing... im not at the pc... im been talking back and forth with a friend...please help..
thanks

[sabledog]

this is the error message...

A Device needed for VFAT initalization is missing............system halted"

[brianF]

Can he start the machine in safe mode????

If your trying to boot windows using a start up disk the message is normal. Windows won't load after booting a machine with a start up disk. The start up disk is only to get booted to the c prompt and doing repair work from their, not to boot windows with.

What happens when he tries to boot the machine without the startup disk

[sabledog]

it goes into safe mode...
i guess he prob get the menu of options that give him choices to go to safe mode.. normal start up ect...

[brianF]

And what exactly happens if he tries to boot in normal mode???

Good guess would be to reinstall the video drivers from safe mode.

[sabledog]

it goes through the boot then starts over again and goes the the menu for the start choices...

we tried the scanreg/restore... no luck... bad command... then we did comfirm start up one by one and only started himem.sys and then tried scanreg/restore.. still no luck...

[brianF]

Try this, I beleive there is a space between scanreg and the /

scanreg /restore

http://support.microsoft.com/default...b;en-us;221512

[sabledog]

i figured we were typing the command wrong...
i went to the article... we tried that....he says it gives him different things to try... no dates to choose from... one of the options it gives him is to restore from backup but the cursor is back at the c prompt.. and he can figure out how to choose the option...
i tried this on my wifes 98 machine... it went straight to the dates to restore..

[brianF]

better give this a read
http://support.microsoft.com/default...;en-us;q188867

[sabledog]

i guess i will go look at it tomorrow.... its so much easier when your in front of the machine.. but i dont have to tell you about this..... thanks for helping.. i will let you know what happens and what i did..
cya
sd