Partitioning question

Ok, I have posted this one before, but I'm still hoping someone that knows something about this will come along. Here's the problem:

I'm trying to replace the h/d in a friends old NEC notebook. It was dead
when I got it. No OS,no manual or software. It first booted with a bad
checksum error. The cmos battery was dead (I replaced it),when I boot it,
the system does recognise the new 6gig h/d. It tells me the save to disk
feature is disabled. Please run phdisk. The h/d has never been partitioned.
I've read if I choose phdisk /create /partition, I have to state how much
disk space to use for the save to disk feature. However,if I choose phdisk
/create /file, it will figure the amount of space needed and display it in
killobytes. Which it does.

It says "please imput size(Minimal : 21166)KB: ".

I can type in that amount or anything higher than that it and it tells me,

"ERROR:
The specified partition is too small to use the Save to Disk feature. Please
specify a larger partition size or invoke PHDISK without a size parameter to
use the default size. "

I have doubled and even tripled that size with the same message.
I can't find anyway to invoke phdisk without a size parameter. That option
does not appear. It has:
1. Create Partition
2. Create File
3. Reboot
4. Exit

If I choose Create Partition, it still ask for a file size and does the same
as when I choose Create File.

What am I doing wrong????

Also, I read somewhere that the suggested save to disk file size should be
8meg. Then I found an 8meg memory card under the h/d. Is this supposed to be
the STD storage? And how the heck do you set up that?

When I get this done, I'm sure the bios needs to be updated. But I can't find any info on the motherboard from the NEC page, or anywhere else. After I get the OS installed, I can run Adia32,Bios wizard, or something to get all the info for drivers.

Any help will be welcome as I'm pulling my hair trying do this myself.

Thanks in advance, Blu

 

I'll try

I would think your boot disk is not a standerd startup disk? Try a win98 startup disk, they are everywhere. Select boot without cdrom support on first menu. Now type fdisk at the prompt [enter] select create new primary partition {enter} after the partitions created you must restart the puter again to take effect. Select without cdrom support again & then at the prompt type format C: /s/u [enter]
BTW this will be a dos partition & then you should install win98se. They are everywhere too

 

BINGO

this thing doesn't take the standard disk. It's supposed to have phdisk instead of fdisk. I don't have the original startdisk, but I found phdisk creates a special partition for the save to disk feature. I downloaded a 98 disk and it wouldn't give a prompt. I don't know why. I'm bringing it up to a prompt by using my win me start disk, then inserting the phdisk.exe floppy I downloaded. I'm going to have to create a startup disk after I get everything loaded.

Blu

 

phhhhhhhhdisk

Ok I see phdisk isn't a typo, eh. Do you use a phloppy disk as well, just kidding