*Old Gateway (32MB) could be mine if I can get into windows and save a
file before reformatting etc Re install Windows 98. Won' go into Windows
even in " Safe Mode " . Keeps running Scan Disk , " Bad sectors " " Bad
custers " " Long file Name ",, " can't fix ".. I seem to be able to get
into DOS Command Prompt in the Safe Mode , but I don't know DOS. I'm
looking for a text file . I have the Gateway System Disk but can't seem
to get that to run either. Any ideas. Or , at least, point me to a web
page with clear instructions for this kind of procedure ? Thanks. I'm
accessg this forum through an old Mac LC630 12MB 68K. on AOL 3.0.1 ...
so SLOW.... , Marty ( m1p1w1@yahoo.com )*

To save the text file you want, the command is easy. But you have to know the name of the file, and it can't be a long filename. DOS can't handle anything over 8 characters, plus the extension. Here's the command that will save it to a floppy:

copy c:\folder\filename.txt a: note the space, it has to be there.

Or you can change to the directory where the file is located first, and copy it from there. Let's say it's in the Stuff folder. If you're on the A drive you change to C this way:

C: [Enter] then change to the stuff directory:

cd stuff [Enter] Your command prompt should now be:
C:\stuff> type
copy filename.ext a: [Enter] and it will be copied to the A drive. Long filenames can be worked around in some cases, if the file is in My Documents, the DOS name for the directory will be MYDOCU~1 The DOS version included with Windows will recognize that directory if typed exactly as it appears, but the file should be renamed if it has a long filename, to be on the safe side. It can still be copied with the long filename, but I would rename it first.

ren docume~1.txt myfile.txt would be the command to use. Remember the spaces. They have to be there.

DOS 7 Commands (http://www3.sympatico.ca/rhwatson/dos7/)

Learning MS DOS Basics (http://www.tnd.com/camosun/elex130/dostutor1.html)

Vernon Frazee MS DOS 6.22 Commands (http://vernon.frazee.net/ms-dos/6.22/help/)

If scandisk keeps reporting more bad clusters every time it runs, the hard drive is close to gone, it will need to be replaced, Windows will never work right, since every time you shut down it will come up with more errors on the next boot, and you'll be constantly getting corrupted file messages. Had to replace one recently for that reason.


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If you had everything...Where would you put it?

Computer Information Links (http://www.geocities.com/paleopete/)

WOW ! Thanks , Pete. Amazingly good , detailed answer. Think you're right , probably a busted hardrive. Does keep increasing the bad clusters in ScanDisk.
The " long file name " error is just something that comes up now and then as Windows starts. It's not connected with THE file I'm looking for to save. It's a Text file - someone else's - probably in My Docs or Word .
Think you told me how to " Save " it but not how exactly to " search " for it. I get to the " command prompt " in Safe Mode : " maybe a flashing " C " with a slash , maybe a Colon , etc... What would I type first to even begin a search ?
Am sending this right off before checking out the " DOS " links you sent me. Have to seize the opportunity on this old Mac ( 12MB , 68K, AOL3.0.1 ) ... takes so long to get back to this site , if at all.
Thanks again. Don't usually get such considerate replies to these kinds of postings ,
Marty

if you can get to the C:\> prompt then type dir/p. This will display the contents of the C: drive. one page at a time. Things won't necessarily be in alphabetical order, so you will just have to look around. Pressing any key will let you scroll to the next page of listings in a directory. Holding down the control key and typing c will stop the process and return you to the C:\> prompt.

If you think the file you are looking for is in My Documents, then you can type cd\mydocu~1 and enter that directory. Once inside, you can type the dir/p command to display the contents.

DOS doesn't have a convenient searching method. You just have to navagate the directories until you find what you are looking for.

Directories will be marked <dir> and files will usually have an extention.

One more hint, if you are alredy inside a directory and want to back out of that directory one level, just type cd.. (cd and two periods). If you want to go one more directory deeper then you have to type in the full path.
Example: cd\windows will take you from the C: directory into the windows directory. To get into the desktop directory inside the windows directory, you have to type cd\windows\desktop. If you just type cd\desktop you will get an invalid directory warning.

The only other hint I have for you is that if your like me and hate typing, pressing the F3 key will automatically bring up the last command you typed. This is helpfull when the path you are trying to type is getting out of hand. As stated before, DOS is totally unforgiving of mistakes. It assumes you know what you typed, so using the F3 key can save you a lot of misspelling heartaches.

This message will self destruct in 10 seconds.

Some good info there Stone, but one thing you overlooked. DOS does have a limited ability to "search" if you now how. The wildcard * will do it.

Let's say you have a file you know is in the My Documents folder, and its extension is txt. from a bare C:\> prompt, (the root directory of C drive) you would type:
dir c:\mydocu~1\*.txt
and it would list all .txt documents in that folder. If it scrolls off the screen, you can use either the /w switch, or the /p switch. Example:
dir /w c:\mydocu~1\*.txt
would list a wide directory, using 4 (I think) columns, and using the /p switch instead, in the same position, would list the files found one page at a time. The pipe ( | ) will also let you page one screen at a time, but let's not confuse the poor guy...It would be
|more
to do it that way.

The C:\>_ prompt will be exactly that. Just as I typed it here, with a blinking underscore (cursor) after it. As Stone said, you can also change to the target directory, but if you know how to use DOS commands a bit, it's actually not necessary. As typed above, you'll get a directory listing from the my documents folder, even though you pull up the directory from the root of C drive. The file can be copied and saved in the same manner.

copy c:\mydocu~1\myfile.txt a:
would do it, even though you're not located in the my documents folder at the time. The path tells DOS where to locate the file you want to copy. You could actually do it from the A:\> prompt, if you already know where the file is located. The same command line would do it.

------------------
If you had everything...Where would you put it?

Computer Information Links (http://www.geocities.com/paleopete/)

Okay, I'm impressed. Thanks , Stone and Pete. You are the sainted ones. I'm stuck here in a basement with this old slow Mac. Only way to a phoneline and electric outlet. Helping out a friend's grandmom . She has Parkinson's. Zero funds, and just these forums for help. Was losing all hope till you people replied so empatheticly. Why don't you work on the Arab -Israeli conflict? I'll give it all a try , and keep you posted.
With a flourishing salute, Marty

Are you crazy? Those people have been fighting for 2000 years, and they sure as hell won't quit now for some white boy from Texas who doesn't even know where the piece of real estate they're fighting over is.

It's a holy war over there...nothing anyone has said or done for 2000 years has stopped it, nothing but their complete destruction of each other ever will...

------------------
If you had everything...Where would you put it?

Computer Information Links (http://www.geocities.com/paleopete/)

Tried some of the sugested commamds. Ay least the computer started doing things again. Listing everything on drive C , etc. Am dashing this off quickly before really concentrating on all the DOS solutions , but here's something. Typing in the commands suggested by Pete and Stone for a file search ( especially Pete's with the " wildcard ' ) for " mydocu" ; what I get is " volume in drive C has no label " under that " volume serial # is 374B - 19DE " and under that " directory of C:\mydocu~1 " and under that " file not found " ? Of course , I did all this in a quick fashion soon as I got your response , and There may be other details I'm forgetting , but that's it so far. When I get it to list the whole Drive C , I can see " MYdocu " there with <dir> beside it ?
Oh, what do I type when I just want to get back to the Cprompt and start over again ? Also. I'm doing all this in the " Safe Mode Command prompt " , it won't go into just the " command prompt only " ?
So, the Mid East thing : a Hardware or Software problem ?
Thanks again. From the dank basement here in Rye, NY. METS WIN !
Marty

Hey! I forgot all about that wildcard business. If you don't keep up on those commands, they slip away pretty easy.

If you use the searching wildcard function as Pete suggests, you should still be at the C:\>_ prompt when it is finished displaying the info. If you manually navagate into a directory or a few directories deep, the only way that I know to back out is to use the cd\.. command repeatedly until you arrive back at the c:\>_ prompt. There may be an easier way though.

I'm with Pete on the Middle East situation. Religeous fervor reaches beyond reason. Perhaps it is a firmware problem.

Safe journey.

To back out to the C:\> prompt:

cd.. as Stone suggested, will take you back one directory, if you are in c:\windows\favorites\stuff cd.. will take you back to c:\windows\favorites,

cd... with win95/98's DOS 7 will take you back two directories, if you are in c:\windows\favorites\stuff cd... will take you back to c:\windows,

cd\ will take you back to the root directory of C drive, from anywhere, if you are in c:\windows\favorites\stuff\fido\blabla cd\ will take you back to the root directory or C:\>, no matter how deep into the directory structure you are,

C: [Enter] will do the same, basically telling DOS to change drives...

------------------
If you had everything...Where would you put it?

Computer Information Links (http://www.geocities.com/paleopete/)

Okay. Thanks on the " how to get back to c prompt " . Wouldn't be such a dense pest if I could just wiz around the net to all the DOS info sites Pete listed. But this Mac is so slow and fragile with its' sluggish old AOL connection.
1 ) What do you think the " volume in drive C has no label " is about ? After trying " dir c:\mydocu~1\*.txt " and the " dir/w c:\ " etc version .
2) Maybe the document is in WORD or whatever that WORD2000 is called? What then ? Is it on Drive C , or in Windows ? What about just the possible name of the document " scarron " ( obscure old French writer ) ?
3) I've now found the STARTUP DISK . That do me any good ?
4) and various Gateway " System CDs "
5) Don't have a printer here , so I have to walk, from this screen , over to the big work bench where I have the Gateway set up ... punch in some commands , walk back etc... During the day, I borrow another machine and print out...
6) be great if you could just give me a series of possible commands all in a row I could try . Like : " if not that , then this... " etc
7) This is like when a pilot dies , and some passenger has to be talked through a landing . AND ... there's a language problem !

Thanks again. Would understand if this is asking too much .
From the land of the upcoming Subway Series , Marty
( eMailing me would be faster . It takes forever to load and navegate this site : m1p1w1@yahoo.com )

Ok... I'll post this here for anybody else that might come along, but I'll also email it to you.

What do you think the " volume in drive C has no label " is about ? After trying " dir c:\mydocu~1\*.txt " and the " dir/w c:\ " etc version .


That's just the normal stuff you get when using the dir command (telling you which drive you are looking at and which directory you are looking at). It's not critical to the mission. File not found is telling you that there are no text files sitting in the my documents folder.

Maybe the document is in WORD or whatever that WORD2000 is called? What then ? Is it on Drive C , or in Windows ? What about just the possible name of the document " scarron " ( obscure old French writer ) ?


You could try the same search you did before, but use *.doc or scarron.* in place of *.txt. There's a good chance that Word would default to my documents when saving, so that is the best place to start looking. Rather than plugging in blind searches though, it might be easier to just navagate to the directory using the cd\ command and then use the dir command to see what's in there. If the file is not in that directory, then it could be anywhere. I would probably navagate to windows\desktop\, use the dir/p command to see what's stored there. If there are any promising folders in the desktop directory, I would take a look inside of each of them.

If the file is not in that area, then the next place I would look would be c:\progra~1\ (DOS equivalent of program files folder). See if you can spot the directory where Word is located. You are liable to find a bunch of micros~x (x being 1, 2, 3 etc) directories. Word will most likely be inside one of those. At that point, you just have to start looking around. dir/p is your new best friend http://www.PCGuide.com/ubb/smile.gif

I've now found the STARTUP DISK . That do me any good ? and various Gateway " System CDs "


Not really. If you can get to the DOS prompt, then that is all you need.

Don't have a printer here , so I have to walk, from this screen , over to the big work bench where I have the Gateway set up ... punch in some commands , walk back etc... During the day, I borrow another machine and print out...


Sorry about the printer situation... sounds like a pain in the butt. I don't know what it has to do with finding this file though http://www.PCGuide.com/ubb/wink.gif

be great if you could just give me a series of possible commands all in a row I could try . Like : " if not that , then this... " etc


In a nutshell... here's what I would do:

Start at c:\>_ and type dir/p just to see what's available. I'd make a note of any files or directories that might be what I'm looking for. Unless something really stands out on the dir listing of C:, I'd cd\mydocu~1 then dir/p (dir/p is going to show you the contents of any dorectory you enter, so it should be obvious that you will use the command everytime you want to see the contents of a directory). If the file is not there, I would cd\ to get back to C: drive. I would then go searchihg around in windows\desktop\ to see if I could find anything there. If the file is not to be found there, then its cd\ back to c: drive and time to take a look in program files so cd\progra~1 and dir/p. I'd look for the directory that the Word program is stored in. Some programs default to their own folder when you save a file. Most Microsoft programs set themselves up in program files with their folder named "Microsoft xxxx" which in DOS will only be micros~x <dir>, so you will probably have to look through all the micros~x directories that you find. I'd also take a look in all the subdirectories in each micros~x directory.

If I still couldn't find the file, then I'd cd\ back to C: and then cd\windows\ and take a look around. Some programs try to stash there files in the windows folder or a subfolder under windows.

No file? How bad do you want this file?

About the only thing left is to start at C: and start looking through every directory and subdirectory and writing down where you've been so you don't get lost or waste time looking in directories that you have already viewed. If the file is on the computer you will eventually come across it.

This is like when a pilot dies , and some passenger has to be talked through a landing . AND ... there's a language problem !

My favorite scene in Airplane was when everybody was lined up to whoop up on the lady who was freaking out.

Hope you find the file.

ps... once you find the file, the smartest thing to do would be to copy the file to floppy (if the file size is under 1.4 mb). To do this, just slip a blank, formatted floppy into the A: drive and type copy {filename.extension} A: Make sure you remember the : after A, or you'll just end up with a file named "A" in the directory where you are at. So your command might look like copy scarron.doc A: (don't forget the spaces). This command only works if you are currently in the same directory as the file.


[This message has been edited by StoneDragon (edited 10-18-2000).]

Looks like Stone has pretty much summmed up the majority of commands you'll need, and a pretty decent procedure for finding the file.

I think it might be a good idea to go check out a book on DOS from the library and have it on hand, or maybe check around in used bookstores and see if you can find one. In the absence of a printer a book containing the commands and explanations of them would be invaluable. Try to get one covering DOS 5 or later. The later versions don't have all that much that's not available in DOS 5, the commands are mostly the same and all work the same way. The most signifigant differences were the additions of defrag and scandisk with later versions.

------------------
If you had everything...Where would you put it?

Computer Information Links (http://www.geocities.com/paleopete/)

Hey , don't be thinking I didn't find the THING using all of your suggestions/lessons/commands. Was in " mydocu~1 " but as a " .doc " not " .txt " Can't remember how I navigated to it . Mostly the " dir /w c:\ " got me a lot of places. Then the " dir/p ". Managed to copy it onto a floppy, though I haven't tested it yet - meaning put the floppy in a working computer and see if it displays. But did get a " 1 file copied " response from DOS .
A couple of things : Never under stood where the " cd " command came from in your suggestions . I'm thinking it might mean " display drive c " or something ?
Also, when you suggest commands , you have to assume people like me know NOTHING - so you ought to type out he complete suggested command ... including " after the c prompt " ... then the entire new suggestion. Don't assume that any part of the new command suggestion will be a given or remembered from a previous suggestion. Also , WHEN something like " dir/p " would be typed - Still not sure here about that one.
I'll post soon the result of testing the floppy in a working computer. Oh ! Wondering if DOS can't DISPLAY the actual text of a document ? Found the file , but couldn't open it in DOS to see if it was exactly the one I wanted ?
Thanks so incredibly much ( so far ) Pete and Stone. Like two suns coming up on a pair of simultaneous mornings . There ought to be a gleaming white cloud named after each of you ... no wind can change or storm begin to darken.
Marty

DOS will display the contents of a file if you use the type command... as in C:\>type scarron.doc, but a doc file is a proprietary format, so you will probably just get a bunch of machine gobbly-gook scrolling on the screen. You will need Microsoft Word to open that file most likely. Some progs will handle an older doc file, but not the later versions.


Very cool that you managed to find the file without being captured by the enemy!

Sorry for the patchy directions, but that was done at work in between visits from the boss, creating a new company letterhead, typing out a formal letter to a finance company, scanning and faxing 7 pages to another finance comapany etc... The important thing is that you found the file.

Everybody should at least own a copy of DOS for Dummies if they ever plan on looking under windows' hood. It's a good idea to own a copy even if you think you will never have to head down to the "basement". You never know.

BTW... cd stands for change directory and dir/p is the command for display the directory contents, pausing between each screen of results.

Happy DOSing http://www.PCGuide.com/ubb/wink.gif

The edit command should open the file and read it in DOS.

edit {filename}.doc [Enter]

It means exactly what it says...edit the file. The dos editor is normally used to edit txt files, and autoexec.bat and config.sys, but will open and read a couple of other file types as well. Leave out the {}.

------------------
If you had everything...Where would you put it?

Computer Information Links (http://www.geocities.com/paleopete/)

First off ... for Pete : the answer to the riddle is " if I had everything ... I would put it.... EVERYWHERE !
So I march the floppy across the backyards this afternoon, let " lucky " the dog out ( half coyote/half collie ) .. . shoved it in the big working Dell , and there it was : beautifully displayed in Word 2000 ( or some such program - basickly Word ) ... could have wept. Guy who's suposedly dead computer it was with the documents buried inside was - I mean - blown away. On and on about how it was the best writing he had done in years , and how he thought it was gone forever. SO ... Pete and Stone , please feel really good about yourselves. World's a little bit better place for all your altruistic efforts and empathy and patience. Yea, I usually go right out to used bookstores in a situation like this , and purchase some " how to " guide. But that's when I'm back in Philly or New York. This time , I was stuck in an unfamiliar suburb with little chance to leave the immediate area due to pets and elderly somewhat infirm people in my care. So you guys were my only recourse. Thanks. Now to " reformat / re-install " and all that . Probably call Gateway Tech for that, drivers and all kinds of stuff to load. Hey, do you think that ,since I was able to work through DOS ( albeit in Safe Mode ) sucessfully , there's hope for the Hardrive of this machine ? Despite all the bad sectors , bad clusters and such that Scan Disk was reporting ?
Thanks so much again. Retreating in a bow from your glorious presence, Marty

Nope, if scandisk is reporting bad clusters, and reporting more of them every time, the drive is gone...time to go shopping.

Thanks for all the nice comments, that's what we're here for.

After you get another hard drive, get in touch, I have some very good links at my site that will walk you through the fdisk/format/installation process with no trouble, or I can type it all into a post. Been there, done that...all in a day's work, as they say...

Hard Disk Partitioning and Formatting Procedure (http://www.pcguide.com/proc/setup/hdd-c.html) from PC Guide.

How to fdisk a Hard Drive (http://www.sybercom.net/jtmurphy/page11.htm)

Quick Guide to a win98 fresh Start (http://www.hardwarehell.com/fdisk.htm) basically the same for win95.

------------------
If you had everything...Where would you put it?

Computer Information Links (http://www.geocities.com/paleopete/)