floppy prompts and error

before I get in deeper , right now I have a windows 98SE disk that is a floppy to get things going, it came with the computer, and I don't have the foggiest on what to type in the prompt, All I want to do is install the CD-ROM drivers that belong there ,the CD ROM player is broke,that's why I cant reboot it up with the proper loading disk that came with it, but If I can get the drivers back in there then I may buy a new C.D. drive, and another problem with it is the error that pops up sometimes[ this explorer program will shut down a kernel DLL32 page fault error has occurred] so there is 2 major problems with this dell laptop inspiron5000 windows 98SE, can either one be fixed with a floppy if so,I really dont under stand all these prompts and autobatch files Bios and all , I would have to walked through this step by step,is it worth it all? the first thing I must know is who ,where what and how do I get the right drive in my computer by the proper prompts on the black screen for the floppy 98 SE disk

 

Boot from the floppy disk and when you see the boot options menu, choose with cdrom support. When you select it, it loads drivers for the cdrom into memory and the cdrom should work. There's nothing else you need to do to get it to work.

One thing though. When you use a 98 floppy like this, your cdrom will be one drive letter higher than it usually is in windows. For example, if the cdrom is usually drive d, it'll be e when you're using the boot floppy. If you watch the screen while it's booting it'll tell you what letter the drive is shortly before it stops at the a: prompt.

To see if the drive works, simply type E: (or whatever letter the cdrom drive is) at the prompt. If the a prompt changes to e, it's able to access it. To see if it can read the files on the drive type "dir" (without the quotes) at the e prompt. If it shows you a list of files and folders on the drive, the drive is working and you should be able to use it to install windows. If it can't read the files and you receive an error message, assuming you've checked all cables and connections, you probably need a new drive.

What happens when you type dir at the e: prompt?

 

results of floppy Boot

==========================================================
It came up as D: so I typed in dir, driver oemdoo1 unit 0-- came up, then I typed in Autoexec bat and =No CD Rom drvice drivers found,

whats this mean ?

 

The bootdisk you're using must not have cdrom drivers on it. Go here and download the Win98SE OEM bootdisk. After you've downloaded it, put a floppy disk in the floppy drive and then double click on the file you downloaded. Once it's done making the disk, reboot with the bootdisk in the drive and when it stops at a menu, choose with cdrom support. Then try the commands again. What happens?

 

floppy boot disk info

I get invalid system disk remove install new disk and hit any key, I did an erase then a full format and then I did an erase and no format and the the program 98SE OEM run it and re insatalled it ack into the laptop and Got the same invalid,Ill a parcial format now, Oh I noticed a mirror 1&2 on the boot up menu where I made the copy.

 

now this time it came up to drive a:>Dir> 2 files 0 Dir (s)
On drive C:> it came up with 87 files and 21 dri(s)

 

Did it say 2 files or 22? If you ran the dir command on a win98 boot floppy it should show 22.

Assuming that's a typo, did you try changing to the cdrom drive from the a: prompt (you need to put a cd in the drive first)? If so, did you run the dir command from there?

If it's not a typo, then something didn't get done right when you made the disk. Is that from the bootdisk you downloaded? For what we're trying to accomplish here, you need to use the downloaded bootdisk.

I know you said earlier that your cdrom drive doesn't work but I'm wondering if it's a hardware problem or a problem with windows. If you can view the contents of a cd from DOS in this manner, the drive is working and you should be able to use it to reinstall windows if that's what you want to do.

 

floppy down load

,yes I get a:>dir 2 files 0 drive

I think IM not doing something right with the down load,because when I finish it I install it in my laptop computer and turn on the computer , it should boot up like the windows 98SE that came with the computer, that one works fine, but when I install the one I made ,I get this[invalid system disk replace and hit any key] ,am I leaving something out when I make up the disk at down load. first I erase the disk , then I format the disk, then I go to the site windows 98SE and click a box appears and asks to save or open I save , the icon of my floppy is in the top of the box I click save and another box comes up complete,that's it . I installed the original dell emergency disk if you wanted to start all over again, and it wont spin up in the drive, the only thing that works is the little light that flashes to eject out the disk.

 

I use this WinME bootdisk from Radifed. Just format a floppy then install this to it (self-extracting).

http://radified.com/Files/bootmec.exe

 

That's what you're doing wrong. When you download the file, save it to your hard disk. Then put a floppy disk in the drive and then double click on the file you downloaded. It will then write the disk the way it needs to be for it to boot. You can't just download the file and put it on the disk. It will never work that way. Try It the way I said and it should work for you then.

 

redone the floppy

It worked I sved it on my desktop then sent it to the floppy, it took in my laptop but still came up no ready I have sent you a private message but when I inserted some images I doubled up on the Http:// so take one out and it should pull up the pictures of some screen shots.

 

I got your PM but the links to the pictures were bad. I got a page not found on both of them. I went to the site they're hosted on and found a page where you can verify the link. I pasted in both links and it said invalid link for both of them. Maybe you can try it again. It might help if I can see what you're looking at.

If I understand correctly, the floppy disk you made does boot to the a: prompt now. Is that correct?

You said it still says not ready. When do you get this message? When you try to switch to the cdrom drive? What does it say exactly? Again, a pic would help. If you're doing things correctly and it won't change to the cdrom drive, there's a problem with the drive. The 98 bootdisk has drivers for it and it should work (assuming you choose to boot with cdrom support). Either the drive is bad or it could possibly be a bad cable or connection. If you have a spare cable around you could try changing it. Otherwise, maybe disconnect and reconnect the cable at both ends to make sure it's connected good.

Remember, the cdrom drive will be one letter higher than it is in windows. If it's d in windows it'll be e. If it's e in windows, it'll be f, and so on.

Try this. When you boot from the bootdisk, choose "with cdrom support ". Watch the screen and just before it goes to the a: prompt look to see if you see any error message related to the cdrom.

 

This time your pictures worked for me. I've attached them to this thread so others can see them if need be. The blue screen is the help file. It's not much help for most, I know, but that's what it is. The other pic with the error message shows that you do have the bootdisk made properly and the drivers for the cdrom are working properly.

As to the error, a cdr101 error generally points to a hardware problem but not necessarily. You'll also get that error if you don't have a cd in the drive when you type the dir command. Also, you'll get that error if you have an audio cd in the drive at the time. So, if you were using an audio cd at the time, try a data cd of some type.

Otherwise, if you had a data cd in the drive and received that error, it may be that the drive isn't working. However, it can be caused by a bad cable (not likely in this case as it's a laptop) or the drive's lens could be dirty and need cleaning. A dirty disk can cause trouble too.

Anyway, the disk you have there should be all you need to install windows with if you can get the cdrom working. If you can get past that you should be good to go.

 

floppy and cd disk

thanks Zander ,I had a data cd in the drive and received that error, it was the Dell Cd that came with the laptop, so the floppy is good that I made? I cleaned the lens I checked everthignto be tight and fitted right, its got to be a bad cd drive. One more question, I have an intermitting page fault err kernel32 dll. would this have any thing to do with the cd player?

 

Yes, it appears the bootdisk is good. As for the kernel32.dll errors, that can be a tough one. Almost anything can cause them. Hardware, display drivers (or any other driver for that matter) , memory, some software that's running in the background, overheating cpu, etc. I used to get the explorer caused ones once in a while in 98 if I had the active desktop turned on. Without it running I never got them.

I guess I'd start by diabling everything that runs in the background except for your firewall and antivirus although they could even be the cause. I wouldn't turn them off though until I had something to replace them. Also disable the active desktop if it's running.

If it's a driver that causes it and it's a different one each time, have a look at this.

For starters, have a look at this.
Troubleshooting Kernel32.dll errors and Invalid Page Faults