my computer won't load up past the Windows 98 screen.. HELP!!!

[adwolf16]

I restarted my computer last night, and now it won't start up at all.. I have no idea what could be the problem, since I did nothing different than I normally do, but I'm realllllly hoping someone can give me some help. All of this stuff is completely foreign to me, so I'm going to go into as much detail as possible about what's going on:


The only way that I can turn the computer off is manually
When I turn it on (after shutting it down manually), it takes me to the Compaq screen for a moment, then to the Windows 98 screen for a moment, then to the "Microsoft Windows 98 Startup Menu" screen (with the "Normal", "Logged", "Safe Mode", etc. options)
If I start it in Normal Mode, at the bottom of the Startup Menu screen, it says "The following file is missing or corrupted: DBLBUFF.SYS" and "The following file is missing or corrupted: IFSHLP.SYS", among other DOS-y things that go by too fast for me to read... then it goes to the Windows 98 screen for a while, then the screen goes black. From here I can't ctrl+alt+del or anything, and I have to shut down manually.
If I start in Safe Mode, it goes to the Windows 98 screen for a moment, and then gives me the following message: "VFAT Device Initialization Failed - A device or resource required by VFAT is not present or is unavailable. VFAT cannot continue loading. System halted." Again, I can't restart from here, and have to shut down manually.
I contacted Compaq for help, and they had me do the following: Tap F10 three times at the Compaq screen, then choose "Set Defaults and Exit" at the Compaq Computer Corporation Setup Utility screen. This didn't do anything.
They then sent me a link to the following Microsoft Support page: http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=139063 . I looked at the possible resolutions, but have no idea where to go from there (it tells me to start in Safe Mode Command Prompt Only and then copy Ifshlp.sys into the Windows folder, or to edit Config.sys -- but I have no idea how to do any of that if I can't even get Windows to start!!)
After searching this forum, I started in Safe Mode Command Prompt Only and typed in "win" after the C:\>, and it says "HIMEM.SYS is missing. Make sure that the file is in your Windows directory."


This is everything. PLEASE please tell me that this is fixable, at least without having to do a System Restore (this all happened IMMEDIATELY after I finished a big term paper -- I restarted the computer because I had gotten kicked offline and needed to email it to myself for backup!)

[saphalline]

What kind of computer is this and how old? It's a Compaq with Win98, right? That's a good start, but more info on the system would help.

Off-hand, I'd say either the hard drive is failing or you got a major virus infestation. There are way too many corrupted system files.

For starters, I'd suggest taking out your hard drive and plugging it into another computer. See if you can get at your data that way. Right now, it's imperative that you get that term paper! If that doesn't work, let us know. If it does work, the next step is to use the Win98 CD that came with your computer (you kept all the CD's, right?) and try to do a repair installation. That won't touch your data, but it will try to fix any OS system files. The repair routine for Win98 was archaic, though, and I don't expect any miracles.

If the hard drive is too far gone, the manufacturer's diagnostic tools will tell us more. When you take out the hard drive, be sure to write down the manufacturer and model number so we can give you a link to the correct tools.

[Sylvander]

This may not be nearly as nasty as it looks.
I doubt if your files are no longer in position.
More likely the configuration files have changed for the worse and are pointing at the wrong file locations, which is easy to fix. :)
At restart go to a Startup menu and choose "Command Prompt Only" and enter...
C:\>scanreg /restore
And choose the configuration [registry + other config files] backup that was automatically made by scanreg on the first successful startup of the day when the problem was introduced .

The root cause [I]might be an infestation, so it would be nice if you could scan for infection from outside of the Windows environment [anti-virus prog on a bootable floppy or CD].
It would be even better if you had an image backup of C: that you can restore using a program loaded from a bootable floppy or CD.
This would restore the whole C: partition, not just the configuration files.
But the above is really worth trying first because it might produce an instant fix, like magic. :D
Especially since your software MIGHT NOT be infected.

There are many useful programs on the free EBCD below that can help if needed.
The "File Manager" would allow you to browse your files on C: and check that all these "missing" files are in fact still in their proper locations.
"MS Scandisk" will scan your file system for errors and fix any found.
"Registry Tool" will scan your registry and fix any errors found.
"Drive Fitness Test Utility" will test your HDD.
"Image for DOS" will backup the contents of your partition to an image file [it must be saved on some other FAT[32] partition than the one backed up].

1. How to make a free “Smart Boot Manager” floppy
http://www.pcguide.com/vb/showthread.php?t=41498
This makes it easier to boot a chosen drive [particularly the one holding the EBCD].

2. How to make a free EBCD bootable CD
http://www.pcguide.com/vb/showthread.php?t=41485
This has a number of useful utilities included including "Image" [for DOS, by Terabyte] & "File Manager".

[adwolf16]

What kind of computer is this and how old? It's a Compaq with Win98, right? That's a good start, but more info on the system would help.

Off-hand, I'd say either the hard drive is failing or you got a major virus infestation. There are way too many corrupted system files.

For starters, I'd suggest taking out your hard drive and plugging it into another computer. See if you can get at your data that way. Right now, it's imperative that you get that term paper! If that doesn't work, let us know. If it does work, the next step is to use the Win98 CD that came with your computer (you kept all the CD's, right?) and try to do a repair installation. That won't touch your data, but it will try to fix any OS system files. The repair routine for Win98 was archaic, though, and I don't expect any miracles.

If the hard drive is too far gone, the manufacturer's diagnostic tools will tell us more. When you take out the hard drive, be sure to write down the manufacturer and model number so we can give you a link to the correct tools.

the computer is a Compaq Presario 5360, from 1999 (i'm pretty sure that's the year, at least).. i went ahead and took it out of the casing, but i'm realllly not sure what i'm looking at in here, so i don't know that i'll be able to unplug/replug the harddrive without messing everything up even worse! i see all kinds of labels, but i really don't know which one tells me the manufacturer and model number (i see a lot of things that say SiS, though i don't know if that means anything.

i do have all of the CDs that came with the computer, but the only one that actually does anything when i put it in is the Quick Restore one -- and that's definitely a last resort. i just don't even know how to make any of the CDs register, since i can't get any further than the command prompt stuff.

This may not be nearly as nasty as it looks.
I doubt if your files are no longer in position.
More likely the configuration files have changed for the worse and are pointing at the wrong file locations, which is easy to fix.
At restart go to a Startup menu and choose "Command Prompt Only" and enter...
C:\>scanreg /restore
And choose the configuration [registry + other config files] backup that was automatically made by scanreg on the first successful startup of the day when the problem was introduced [it automatically makes a backup at the 1st successful boot on each new day = GREAT].

The root cause might be an infestation, so it would be nice if you could scan for infection from outside of the Windows environment [anti-virus prog on a bootable floppy or CD].
It would be even better if you had an image backup of C: that you can restore using a program loaded from a bootable floppy or CD.
This would restore the whole C: partition, not just the configuration files.
But the above is really worth trying first because it might produce an instant fix, like magic.
Especially since your software MIGHT NOT be infected.

There are many useful programs on the free EBCD below that can help if needed.
The "File Manager" would allow you to browse your files on C: and check that all these "missing" files are in fact still in their proper locations.
"MS Scandisk" will scan your file system for errors and fix any found.
"Registry Tool" will scan your registry and fix any errors found.
"Drive Fitness Test Utility" will test your HDD.
"Image for DOS" will backup the contents of your partition to an image file [it must be saved on some other FAT[32] partition than the one backed up].

1. How to make a free “Smart Boot Manager” floppy
http://www.pcguide.com/vb/showthread.php?t=41498
This makes it easier to boot a chosen drive [particularly the one holding the EBCD].

2. How to make a free EBCD bootable CD
http://www.pcguide.com/vb/showthread.php?t=41485
This has a number of useful utilities included including "Image" [for DOS, by Terabyte] & "File Manager".

well, i tried the scanreg/restore thing, but it just took me right back to the black screen after it restarted. :( i'm currently downloading the EBCD file, which will take a while since i'm currently on a phone modem. i'm guessing that once that's all done, i'll need some more info on exactly what to do (will this CD be like the quick restore -- aka, will it automatically start up when i restart the computer with the disk in the cd drive?)

[adwolf16]

and so you all know, my only concern is retrieving my paper.. i'm getting a new computer for law school next year, and i was literally hours away from replacing the problem computer (my parents' computer, that i got when i started high school) with the one i'm on now (and have been using for the past 4 years at college).. once i get my paper off of it, this computer is going to get an Office Space-style beat-down :)

[mjc]

How big is the paper and do you know the path/title?

If it is under about 1.25MB then, grab a boot floppy, boot to it and then copy the paper to the floppy...

[Sylvander]

"will it automatically start up when i restart the computer with the disk in the cd drive?"
It's a bootable CD, so you must either go into the BIOS Setup and make the CD-drive first in the boot menu...
Or else you make the FDD first in the boot menu and use the “Smart Boot Manager” to choose to boot the CD-drive [the method I prefer].
To do that you startup the PC with the “Smart Boot Manager” floppy in the FDD and the EBCD in the CD-drive.
A boot menu will be displayed on screen, you choose the CD-drive, and the EBCD boots and a menu of white text on a black background is displayed.
The "File Manager" is item 2 on the 1st menu.
If you hit "Enter" [or type 1 and hit "Enter"] you will be taken to the 2nd menu,
Run MS Scandisk [3rd item on that 2nd menu] first of all, to make sure there are no file problems, or to fix any found.
If you suspect your HDD may be faulty you could run the Drive Fitness Test utility [item 7 on the 1st menu] before Scandisk.
To go back to the 1st menu to run the Registry Tool, you choose Reboot at the bottom of the menu and come back into menu 1.

"my only concern is retrieving my paper"
File Manager can be used to browse to any file[s] [the paper] and copy it to a floppy or another partition or drive. [It won't burn it to a CD though]
I find this easier than DOS loaded from a boot or Startup floppy.
The Linux Operating System loaded from a free bootable Knoppix CD (http://www.knoppix.org/) can be used to browse, view and copy files to an external USB "device" [HDD perhaps, or memory stick][if you have one, or can borrow one], that could be taken to another PC.
It can be used as an emergency OS to get you online etc, and will demonstrate that your hardware is ok, and your files are ok [hence only Windows is faulty].
These kinds of disks are great to have hanging about for times like these.
If [in the future] you make "Image" backups of C: to another partition, this kind of problem could be fixed in about 15 to 30 minutes.
And you are proof against every kind of software problem, which creates a feeling of security and certainty.

[adwolf16]

"will it automatically start up when i restart the computer with the disk in the cd drive?"
It's a bootable CD, so you must either go into the BIOS Setup and make the CD-drive first in the boot menu...
Or else you make the FDD first in the boot menu and use the “Smart Boot Manager” to choose to boot the CD-drive [the method I prefer].
To do that you startup the PC with the “Smart Boot Manager” floppy in the FDD and the EBCD in the CD-drive.
A boot menu will be displayed on screen, you choose the CD-drive, and the EBCD boots and a menu of white text on a black background is displayed.
The "File Manager" is item 2 on the 1st menu.
If you hit "Enter" [or type 1 and hit "Enter"] you will be taken to the 2nd menu,
Run MS Scandisk [3rd item on that 2nd menu] first of all, to make sure there are no file problems, or to fix any found.
If you suspect your HDD may be faulty you could run the Drive Fitness Test utility [item 7 on the 1st menu] before Scandisk.
To go back to the 1st menu to run the Registry Tool, you choose Reboot at the bottom of the menu and come back into menu 1.

"my only concern is retrieving my paper"
File Manager can be used to browse to any file[s] [the paper] and copy it to a floppy or another partition or drive. [It won't burn it to a CD though]
I find this easier than DOS loaded from a boot or Startup floppy.
The Linux Operating System loaded from a free bootable Knoppix CD (http://www.knoppix.org/) can be used to browse, view and copy files to an external USB "device" [HDD perhaps, or memory stick][if you have one, or can borrow one], that could be taken to another PC.
It can be used as an emergency OS to get you online etc, and will demonstrate that your hardware is ok, and your files are ok [hence only Windows is faulty].
These kinds of disks are great to have hanging about for times like these.
If [in the future] you make "Image" backups of C: to another partition, this kind of problem could be fixed in about 15 to 30 minutes.
And you are proof against every kind of software problem, which creates a feeling of security and certainty.

ugh, i don't know if any of this stuff will work.. for one thing, my floppy disk drive has been out of commission for a long time now.. i think it got unplugged when my dad tried to install a CD-R drive, and nobody ever bothered to fix it. As for the EBCD, i downloaded the WINRAR archive, but it gave me an error message when i extracted it (the DOS window that pops up when i run makeebcd.exe says "ERROR: Could not open file: SETTINGS.XML"). And even if i could get this to work, i don't know anything about the BIOS stuff -- the Compaq service person gave me instructions for how to get to it (the "tap F10" thing), but his instructions just took me to the Compaq Computer Corporation Setup Utility screen; i've never actually seen the word BIOS on any screen i've been to.

i do know (or, at least, can figure out) the path/file name of the paper.. i'm assuming there's no easy way that i can just type in some magic words into the command prompt to tell it to copy the paper onto my memory stick?

i really appreciate the help so far, though.. i'm a math teacher, so i know how frustrating it can be to try explaining stuff to someone who has no idea what you're talking about :cool:

[mjc]

And even if i could get this to work, i don't know anything about the BIOS stuff -- the Compaq service person gave me instructions for how to get to it (the "tap F10" thing), but his instructions just took me to the Compaq Computer Corporation Setup Utility screen; i've never actually seen the word BIOS on any screen i've been to.

What that Compaq Computer Corp. stuff means is that "This is really a BIOS setup program, but since we don't want the average user to know that, we'll call it something else"...so that F10 routine is what you'll need to follow, but instead of resetting everything to factor defaults, look around for something saying "boot order" or similar...

i do know (or, at least, can figure out) the path/file name of the paper.. i'm assuming there's no easy way that i can just type in some magic words into the command prompt to tell it to copy the paper onto my memory stick?

Unfortunately, probably not. This machine is begining to look really old, so I'd say the chance of it being able to boot to a USB device as slim to none and nearly the same chance of using a USB outside of Windows.

[adwolf16]

What that Compaq Computer Corp. stuff means is that "This is really a BIOS setup program, but since we don't want the average user to know that, we'll call it something else"...so that F10 routine is what you'll need to follow, but instead of resetting everything to factor defaults, look around for something saying "boot order" or similar...

ah okay, i did find a "Boot Order" option (the cd-rom drive was already first).. now if i could only figure out why the EBCD isn't extracting correctly..

[adwolf16]

by the way, i took someone's advice and typed in "dir/s dblbuff.sys" at the prompt, and it returned "Volume in Drive C has no label" and "Directory of C:\ File Not Found".. those don't sound good at all to me, but what do i know.. are those phrases deal-breakers, or is there still a chance?

[mjc]

dblbuff is not really needed, but since it is very likely called in one of the config files, which you can't edit without booting into at least DOS, then without it you won't be able to get into Windows...

[Sylvander]

"it gave me an error message when i extracted it (the DOS window that pops up when i run makeebcd.exe says "ERROR: Could not open file: SETTINGS.XML")"
When you extract the archive [to a folder on your HDD] you get a system of folders and files.
You can put those in any handy location you like.
[I put mine in a 00tmp folder on my E: partition as shown in the image below.]
The settings.xml file MUST be in the same folder as the makeebcd.exe program file.
You can do this on ANY PC running Windows I believe.
Is settings.xml locked or something? No file attributes should be set.
If in WinXP do it whilst logged in as administrator.

"i'm assuming there's no easy way that i can just type in some magic words into the command prompt to tell it to copy the paper onto my memory stick?"
I managed to make a DOS boot floppy that includes the "Duse.exe" USB driver for DOS, which gives DOS access to USB devices.
If you send me a personal message giving an email address to send to, I could send you the floppy's files for you to copy to a floppy of your own.
You could try that out, and if it gives you access and you can figure out the DOS commands, you may indeed be able to use DOS to copy the file[s] to a USB memory stick.
Better to use Knoppix though; more comprehensive in what it offers.

[Sylvander]

Here are the contents of my ebcd-0.6.1-pro folder.
Notice both the makeebcd.exe & settings.xml files.

I could probably make arrangements to make an EBCD iso file available for download off a hosting site, but its a 143 MB file, and you only have a slow connection.
What do you think?

[Sylvander]

I've sent the USB for DOS floppy disk files to ErnieK and he is going to host them and post a link here. :)

He says the 143 MB is too big for him, so I'll investigate other possibilities and get back.

[Sylvander]

Found a free hosting website to which I can upload an iso file. :)

If you give me an email address, I can send you a link to the site and you can download the iso file from there, then burn it to CD. :D :cool:

[ErnieK]

Alex here is the link or the file/zipped folder (USB for DOS). I will keep it permanantly there.
http://www.erniek.eclipse.co.uk/downloads/usb4dos.zip

[Sylvander]

Anyone can download the EBCD iso file from HERE (http://www.verzend.be/v/2658082/Ebcd061p.iso) for the next 7 days [until Thur 1st June].