can't boot

Have a friends computer that won't boot. It first would just not go into anything like normal, safe, step by step. It would just go back to that same menu. Its a gateway with win me. She says she never got a win me or restore cd with it. Over a year old so they say to bad. It now starting going back to enter password what ever mode you press. And this I haven't seen but the computer came without a floppy drive. So it needs to be redone but no cd. No floppy drive. I have a win 98 but can only be installed on a clean hard drive. Anyway to format this hardrive.
Is there a program I could possible download to cd and use.
Thanks

 

im not o pro but i i just finished reformating and installing win98
so hope i can help? u can get a win 98 start up disk here
http://www.answersthatwork.com/Down...s_bootdisks.htm
if the cdrom is working i dont see why u cant do this but it may not work try to burn this to cd and go into set up when u first turn the computer on usually the del key under advanced bios features hit enter sroll down using the arrow keys til u get to first boot device change this to the cdrom hit escape choose save and exit then if the cd u put the start up info on is in the cdrom it should load but like i said im not a pro but let me no if it works and if it does dont reformat just yet we maybe able fix it alot easier

 

even if u still want to reformat make sure u get all the drivers first motherboard and all at least try to know what make and model all the hardware is first if u get it running at all and can run belarc
advisor its a freeware700kb download or something easy tells everything on the computer hardware serial numbers drivers software erything i wish i new about it befor i just finished my reformat good luck

 

Thanks for responding coolhand
I can boot from cd. But the win 98 I have can only be installed on a clean hard drive . It says you already have an operating system so you cannot use this disk you need to use an upgrade. It doesn't have a format and install option. So I need to get in and format somehow.
I am going to check out this belarc program. That would be nice to use. I will need to know this if I have to find modem etc. drivers.

 

but did you try and save the startup from the link i gave you too cd then boot from that cd that link will contain the formattin you need or can you start with f8 and choose commandprompt and try
typing format c: or what ever drive your formating

 

ok
I figured out how to make a bootable cd from my floppy using easy cd creator. So I can start computer with cd rom support and get to an a prompt. My dos is terrible. Do I type format c here.
Than I will assume I can install this windows 98 as I just used it on new hard drive on another computer and it worked.
Didn't check out the link but then I will look for a program that will tell me whats on her computer without digging inside so I can find the drivers. I believe sandra does that.
Hope thats how it will go. lol

 

yes type format c: at the prompt thenonce formatted get back to te prompt and type setup.exe at the prompt you probly new that but saying it just in case you made need to ad the prompt for the cd rom drive letter