compaq: install win 3.1?

i just bought a really nice (looking anyways) compaq computer from a thrift store. the first time i powered it on it said key board error, i plugged in the keyboard and it pulled up the compaq system configuration thing. i'm not really sure exactly what it was because i exited it before i realized i probably needed it. now the screen reads :system disk error, replace disk and strike any key when ready. what does this mean? i restart the computer and it goes through checking the ?memory?, it's counting in kbs. i have a win me start up disk that i copied from another. and i also have win 3.1 os that i wanted to install on it, because the store said it had no operating system. i made sure there wasn't a disk in the drive, so what else could this mean? is it the hard drive? and if so, is that a difficult/exspensive thing to replace? i'm trying to get together a cheap and efficient computer for college.
thanks.

 

Hello, welcome to the boards.
The message ':system disk error, replace disk and strike any key when ready' means that there is hard drive, and there is not an operating system installed.
Win 3.1 is not an operating system, it is a graphical user interface for the MS-DOS operating system. You will need to install a MS-DOS operating system before you can install windows 3.1.
You aren't going to like running 3.1 for college, as it will be incompatiable with most of what you will run across while there.
You should consider installing at least 98SE, if the computer has enough speed then XP.

 

okay. so i have ms-dos 6 on a bunch of floppies. how can i install it on the computer? i was planning on puttin win 3.1 in and then borrowing misc people's disks until i could get it up to par. thanks for your help. i was hoping it had a working hard drive. i figured out that if i plug the keyboard in the wrong way, it will say "keyboard error" (of course) but eventually will allow me to choose to boot or go to setup. i've tried both routes. i've gone to setup and it says it has dos 6, but some files are missing. and i've also tried to boot with the dos disk in, and nothing happens, except i think the error message might have changed. while in setup i also found out that it's pentium 1 at 75 mghz, not sure exactly what that means, but is that fast enough for at least win 98?
thanks again,

 

Put Disk 1 of the dos floppies into the computer and boot it up. At the A:\> prompt type in "install" or "setup" and press Enter. If either of these produces no results, do this command, dir a: /p, and post the names it lists.
You may have dos on floppies, instead of dos installation floppies.
Try these command at the prompt:
sys a: c:
Then remove the floppy and see if it boots up, C:\> should appear. This command transfers system files to the hard drive. The abilities of the OS at this point is very limited, but at least you know the drive works.
It is fast enough for 98SE, and it is the better choice to begin with. Since you have 3.1 floppies, that will qualify you for the less expensive Upgade version of 98SE.

 

i think i might just have dos on floppies, not the installation part. the labels say: ms-dos 6 plus enhanced tools. and disk 1 says setup. anyways, i tried booting it with the first disk in and it says invalid system disk....i'll see if i can find anybody with the dos installation floppies.

 

It is possible to get an OS running on the computer without installing DOS the convential way. This is done by using the Sys command in my previous post, and then copying the rest of the files from your floppies into the folder C:\Dos.
Go to the below link and download the Dos 6 file. Doubleclick this file with a floppy in the drive, and a bootable Dos 6 floppy will be created.
http://www.bootdisk.com/bootdisk.htm
Boot up with this floppy, and then do this command.
sys a: c:
If you would like to format the drive, also, do this command instead.
format c: /s /u
In either case, take out the floppy and see if the computer boots up. If it does, then do this command.
md c:\dos
Using your dos floppies, insert each one into the drive, and do the following command. This will copy the dos files from the floppies at A:\ into the folder C:\dos, so the files are there on the drive.
copy a:\*.* c:\dos
If they are stored in a folder on the floppies, insert the proper name into the command below.
copy a:\folder\*.* c:\dos
In any case, it should be ready for Win3.1.

 

thanks so much. i'll try that asap.......ok i think i officially give up. i can't even get a prompt. i tried booting it up with the dos 5 boot disk in the drive and it says invalid system disk... i also tried using a cd-rom to boot it and nothing more. but the really funny thing is i just got a really really old computer with win 95 for free. so if nothing else i can use that one, even if its the same size as my desk!
thanks for your help.