Solved: Startup

I have desktop computer with WIN98SE. One day all worked OK. Next morning when machine was turned on, the only thing that appeared on the monitor was a C:\> prompt. Had to use a startup floppy disc to get the usual desktop array of icons. Ran Spybot and Ad-aware. No bugs discovered. Removed the floppy disc and used the standard shutdown procedure. Got an Error dialog box stating: "System Error; Windows cannot read from drive A: " Three buttons called Cancel, Abort, Retry. Hit Cancel and shutdown occured.

Can anyone offer a fix for this problem? Thanks muchly.

 

The fix depends on the cause. It may not be a very good sign.

Boot from a floppy. Run scandisk. When it asks whether you want to do a thorough surface scan, say "Yes". It's possible (not certain) that the drive is failing. See if the surface scan finds bad clusters.

 

I think I'd be tempted to try a sys c: at the a: prompt? What do you think Elvandil?

 

Of course. That should almost certainly work, at least temporarily. But what happened in the first place is what bothers me. My experience with that error has not been filled with glee.

 

Well, I am also thinking that since he said it went to a c: prompt on startup, that he could be in a dos loop? Perhaps if he typed exit at the c: prompt? I find it strange, I guess, for the system to start up and go immediately to a c: prompt.

Since the error message is pointing to drive a:

I dunno......thinking out loud I guess

Another thought........."buttons" that said abort, retry, cancel????? Almost sounds like that was in Windows itself, and the shutdown was trying to read to the floppy disk????

 

Yes, but I've also seen this when the boot files are damaged and that was because they happened to fall in damaged clusters on the drive. I wonder what typing "Win" at the prompt will do?

Looks like the OP has left for the moment---maybe tomorrow at around the same time?

 

That's a good suggestion too

He's an Aussie, no telling

 

LOL. It's already tomorrow there. We used to kid with the Aussies. They'd say that they were a whole day ahead of us backward Americans and I'd respond that we just managed to get all our work done a day sooner that they did so we were doing tomorrow's work today.

 

Please ignore my posting. I am back in business after a full reinstall from my recovery CD. Thanks anyway. jmkantor

 

That'll fix it