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Windows 95 GUI won't start

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  • 04-12-2003 5:46pm
    #1
    theshadow
    Registered Users Posts: 119 ✭✭


    Hi there,
    A friend asked me to have a look at his PC, Compaq Presario 5520. He was getting the following error:
    Invalid system disk
    Replace the disk, then press any key
    I located a windows 95 startup disk and checked the c: drive which looked fine so I copied over the system files using "a:\sys c:"
    Now the machine boots but only to c:\ prompt. The windows 95 screen flashs briefly before returning to the c:\ prompt. Any way of fixing this without re-installing OS?
    Thanks in advance.


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    #2
    sceptre
    Registered Users Posts: 19,608 ✭✭✭✭sceptre


    What happens if you type

    win

    at the c prompt?

    (I'm not offering this as a solution, just an aid to diagnosis)


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    #3
    ColmOT [MSFT]
    Closed Accounts Posts: 545 ✭✭✭ColmOT [MSFT]


    You may need to edit the autoexec.bat file to tell it to load win.com.

    Windows 95 was a long time ago, and I can't really remember much about Win 9x in general :-(

    See if this helps.


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    #4
    OfflerCrocGod
    Registered Users Posts: 6,317 ✭✭✭OfflerCrocGod


    Hold it!! do you work for the Evil Empire Colm?, I mean Microsoft - sorry slip of the tounge, well do you?.


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    #5
    ColmOT [MSFT]
    Closed Accounts Posts: 545 ✭✭✭ColmOT [MSFT]


    Yeah - I do...

    I figured, I might as well help people since I'm in the development side of things in Microsoft...

    No harm in free support!! :-)


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    #6
    Capt'n Midnight
    Moderators, Recreation & Hobbies Moderators, Science, Health & Environment Moderators, Technology & Internet Moderators Posts: 91,792 Mod ✭✭✭✭Capt'n Midnight


    You'll need to check the msdos.sys file

    in C:
    dir msdos.sys /as
    if it is 6 bytes long then it's one from a floppy and won't work - it has paths to windows etc .
    you can copy one from a windows 98 pc - it's just a text file.

    attrib msdos.sys -r -a -s -h
    quickest way to copy it form a win98/5 PC is to
    xcopy msdos.sys a: /h
    xcopy amsdos.sys c: /h

    if you press F8 on startup and then choose step x step you should see how far it gets now..

    The splash screen is only a bmp image (in IO.sys) so you can have it displayed on a boot floppy. .. (the bar at the bottom is just a pallete changing loop - no processing is used..)

    I take it you have already typed in WIN to get it working..


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    #7
    theshadow
    Registered Users Posts: 119 ✭✭theshadow


    Cheers all. Actually I found the solution late last night on microsoft support site, it was the msdos.sys all right.
    http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=KB;en-us;149110&
    Thanks again.


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