Building my First comp and need help plz.

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C

ComputerNewbie

Member
Jun 22, 2000
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Hi, I manage to install the Abit KA7-100, Athlon750, Crucial 128mb sdram, geforce2, samsung955df, 30GB Quantum Fireball LM and Floppy Drive and everything boots up fine and i pressed "DEL" to go to settings and the floppy drive was already found i put it as drive A and i auto detected my HD. So it looked like it read the HD And the Floppy.

So then it restarted but the same message keeps poping up after it says "Verifying DMI Pool Data" another message pops up saying "Disk Boot Failure, Insert System Disk and Press Enter" I tried both Mobo disks but same msg keeps displaying.

Can someone please help a newbie out?
 
V

Viper GTS

Lifer
Oct 13, 1999
38,107
433
136
You need to boot off a floppy, create a partition on the hard drive (via FDISK), & format it as a boot disk. Then pull the floppy out, & reboot. The comp should boot you to a DOS prompt (booting off the HD), after which you can install your CD-ROM drivers & install Windows.

Another thing, your mobo is probably set to boot off of HD first, which is why you're not able to boot off the floppy. Switch to boot from floppy first, HD second. Then you'll be able to boot from the floppy.

Viper GTS
 
C

ComputerNewbie

Member
Jun 22, 2000
92
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No, it said "First Boot device: Floppy" and the second Boot device is the HD. And plz explain step by step this is my first time building a comp.

Do i have to copy MSDOS from my old computer into a disk and then use it for my new system?

Or does my Mobo disk have that included but theres another problem? Or mabey i have to do that in a later step?



 
C

ComputerNewbie

Member
Jun 22, 2000
92
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Just pulled the floppy cable from the mobo and i get the same message so mabey i have something plugged wrong or gotta change some settings?
 
V

Viper GTS

Lifer
Oct 13, 1999
38,107
433
136
You have another machine around? From a DOS prompt, type "format a:/s". Then drop fdisk, format, & mscdex.exe onto the floppy.

Boot off the floppy. From the A:> prompt, type fdisk. Create a primary partition, use FAT32, yada, yada, yada. Reboot off the floppy again. The partition is now valid, it's time to format it.

Type in "format c:/s".

When that completes, copy mscdex.exe onto the root of the HD.

Pull the floppy, reboot again.

You should boot from the hard drive.

Install your CD-ROM drivers. The installation should create autoexec.bat & config.sys files for you.

Reboot again from the hard drive, you now have CD access. Install Windows.

Viper GTS
 
BoberFett

BoberFett

Lifer
Oct 9, 1999
37,562
9
81
Are you sure the floppy is connected correctly? Perhaps the cable is upside down? I've never seen a motherboard that would detect a floppy drive, it's always chosen manually.
 
S

Sukhoi

Elite Member
Dec 5, 1999
15,346
106
106
It sounds like a blank hard drive. He needs to hook up the floppy and hard drive, and then boot to a nice boot disk. Then he can use FDISK to partition the hard drive, then he needs to format the drive, and finally install the operating system. Does Quantum have any overlay software he could use to easily partition/format like Western Digital has?
 
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Soccerman

Elite Member
Oct 9, 1999
6,378
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well hold on a sec... if you have Windows 98, you should be able to boot right from the CD. Go directly to Windows setup where you install it..

Making a Boot disk and getting CD drivers on it, IMHO is just a roundabout way of doing the same thing if you don't have a bootable CD.

in order to boot from CD, you have to change the setting in your BIOS so that it looks at the CDROM for a boot disk.

I'm pretty sure you know where to find where the setting is on your BIOS. If not, just ask.
 
S

Soccerman

Elite Member
Oct 9, 1999
6,378
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in any case, it sounds to me like you never had a problem in the first place. the 'problem' was finding software to boot up with...

Unless I took this totally wrong of course...
 
S

Sukhoi

Elite Member
Dec 5, 1999
15,346
106
106
Soccerman, so if I put in a Win 98 SE CD and turn on my computer with the BIOS set to boot to CD, can I FDISK, format, and install 98SE without using a boot disk? I'm going to be out of town until Monday, so this is a prethanks for the reply. :)
 
M

medic

Diamond Member
Oct 9, 1999
5,160
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Create a full windows startup disk on the other computer.
Don't install an overlay!
Boot to the A: prompt
Type FDISK (press enter)
Enable large disk support (yes)
Create one large Primary partition, make active, reboot.
A: prompt format C: /s

The last step above you may not need, you can go into the bios and set to boot from your CDROM and reboot and W98 will start and format by itself.

You can also reboot with the W98 bootdisk, choose CDROM support, insert W98 CD, at prompt type setup
 
C

ComputerNewbie

Member
Jun 22, 2000
92
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I do have my Plextor 12/10/32 which i'm gonna use as a CDROM and a windows98 CD

I installed my Plextor and then in the first screen instead of saying Quantum Fireball it said Plextor sumthin and then I got a diffrent message it was somthing like Booting from CDROM: Failure it kept reapting all the way down and never stoped till i took the CD out.
 
M

medic

Diamond Member
Oct 9, 1999
5,160
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0
From the other computer:

Control Panel/Add Remove Programs/StartupDisk

FDISK will be on it after you make it.
 
C

ComputerNewbie

Member
Jun 22, 2000
92
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Ok you guys have given me alot of diffrent stuff to do. Which one should i try first? Should i try to format the HD from the CDROM or just go and copy fdisk to the floppy drive. I think the floppy is easier because I have to make sure the CDROM is installed correctly and might cause more problems.

WHat are the mobo disks for?

 
C

chucky2

Lifer
Dec 9, 1999
10,018
37
91
OK, try this:

1. Go into your BIOS and set the boot sequence to boot to the CD-ROM. Before exiting and saving, insert the Windows 98 CD into your CD-ROM drive and close the drive door. Save then exit the BIOS setup and let your computer boot.

2. The computer will boot off of the Windows 98 CD and will ask if you would like to boot off the Hard Drive or the CD...choose to boot off the CD.

3. The CD will then display a list of 3 choices. The First will be to start Windows Setup, the Second will be to start the computer with CD-ROM support, and the Third will be to start the computer without CD-ROM support: Choose Option 2.

4. The computer will boot-up. Insert the 3.5" floppy that came with your '98 CD.

5. At the prompt, type "a:\fdisk" without the quotes. A program called fdisk will run that will allow you to setup how your hard drive will be partioned.

6. The first screen will ask if you would like to enable Large Disk Support. Make sure Y is selected and hit the Enter key.

7. Choose Option 1.

8. Choose Option 1 again.

9. Fdisk will perform a search of your hard drive. When it is done, it will ask you if you would like to make the drive the largest possible (bear with me here, I haven't done this in a while). Choose Y to make you hard drive one big drive. Fdisk will do its thing and when its finished prompt you to restart your computer.

10. Hit the Enter key again and you will exit back to the prompt. Hit the reset key on your case. If you haven't hooked that up, hit the Ctrl, Alt, and Delete keys at the same time and the computer will reboot.

11. When the computer reboots, choose to boot from the CD again.

12. Again, choose Option 2. When you get to the prompt, type in "d:\win98\format c:" without the quotes. This should start the format program. Tell format that you are sure you want to format the drive. When format is done formatting the drive, it will ask you waht you'd like to name it. You don't have to put in anything here, but if you want, go ahead and type in something 11 character or less. When you are done, hit the Enter key and you will be back at the prompt.

13. Reset the computer again.

14. When the computer reboots, choose to boot from the CD again.

15. This time, when the computer gives you the 3 options, choose Option 1 "Setup Windows...." (or whatever Option 1 says). Windows setup will now start.



If I've botched this up, someone PLEASE correct me.

Chuck

Edited to correct typos and add the format of the drive.
 
C

ComputerNewbie

Member
Jun 22, 2000
92
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OK its 11:20 pm here in Miami,Florida and I gotta go to sleep for first day of summer school tommorow :( Tommorow i will try what you guys told me and give you guys and update. Also thanks alot for the help.
 
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Soccerman

Elite Member
Oct 9, 1999
6,378
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well, hold on, I don't think you really need to format and or fdisk. I remember trying to install a CD on my friends computer, we formatted the way we wanted to, but for some odd reason, it formatted on it's own.. weird. in any case, I think the Windows installer can format or fdisk on it's own. I don't remember exactly, but I think you might also be able to just boot up in DOS from the CD.

I've done this sooo many times, I have my own disk in case I want to do this, but recently, I've never really needed it, because all I do, is format the C: when I want to delete all data, then reboot with CD in drive and the installer comes up.

basically, the roundabout way WILL get you what you want, but you can try just popping the CD in with the BIOS set to boot off it, and who knows. if it doesn't work, oh well, you wasted 1 minute. if it does work, you saved.. what? 3 or more minutes? don't remember how long it takes to FDISK, but you can do a quickformat (type format /q I think).

sorry for being kindof vague, it's just I haven't used DOS too much recently.
 
Y

yata

Senior member
Jun 2, 2000
746
0
0
ComputerNewbie,
Did ya set the jumpers on your hard drive? Its manual should teach you how to configure it as your master drive.
 
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