PC won't install Windows - Please help!

[kadeeu]

I have an older Pentium system that was experiencing problems. It was crashing during the printing process and telling me I was missing some VXD files during the system load process so I decided to reinstall Windows 98. It was going fine until it was time to reboot after it had finished the file copying part. It got to a certain point and displayed this message:

While initializing device OS:
Error: An I/O subsystem driver failed to load
Either a file in the .\iosubsys directory is corrupt,
or the system is low on memory.

I replaced the files IOS.VXD and IO.SYS after booting with the special Win 98 boot disk, but I get the same message. Any suggestions before I reformat the hard drive.

 

[TheVrolok]

Replace all the files in the dir if you can, I can't remember each in dividual file but I know that if you screw any of 'em up you can get that error. If you need to know the file list, just reply.

 

[kadeeu]

When you say the dir, do you mean the c: root directory? And by replace the files do you mean all the hidden system files? Thanks.

 

[SillyMan]

use scandisk to scan your hard drive doing a surface scan if you end up doing a reformat to make sure your hard drive is not going bad on you

 

[TheVrolok]

No, I mean the files in your c:\windows\system\iosubsys

Volume in drive C is WIN 98
Volume Serial Number is 681E-28E8

Directory of C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM\IOSUBSYS

10/08/2000 05:26a <DIR> .
10/08/2000 05:26a <DIR> ..
04/23/1999 10:22p 9,952 BIGMEM.DRV
04/23/1999 10:22p 24,406 ESDI_506.PDR
04/23/1999 10:22p 25,741 HSFLOP.PDR
04/23/1999 10:22p 13,242 RMM.PDR
04/23/1999 10:22p 23,650 SCSIPORT.PDR
10/09/1998 11:47a 22,167 IOMEGA.VXD
04/23/1999 10:22p 11,311 ATAPCHNG.VXD
04/23/1999 10:22p 59,133 CDFS.VXD
04/23/1999 10:22p 13,884 CDTSD.VXD
04/23/1999 10:22p 32,419 CDVSD.VXD
04/23/1999 10:22p 18,809 DISKTSD.VXD
04/23/1999 10:22p 10,194 DISKVSD.VXD
04/23/1999 10:22p 57,642 DRVSPACX.VXD
04/23/1999 10:22p 9,926 NECATAPI.VXD
04/23/1999 10:22p 19,270 SCSI1HLP.VXD
04/23/1999 10:22p 11,067 TORISAN3.VXD
04/23/1999 10:22p 18,491 VOLTRACK.VXD
05/24/1999 03:10a 84,893 drvwcdb.vxd
04/23/1999 10:22p 29,497 apix.BAK
04/10/2000 07:10a 20,047 cdralvsd.vxd
11/26/2000 11:29a 40,508 Acbhlpr.vxd
07/29/1999 01:02a 101,916 UdfReadr.vxd
10/25/2000 08:16a 22,603 APIX.VXD
01/06/2001 08:07a 62,833 cdudf.vxd
01/06/2001 08:07a 44,551 cdrpwd.vxd
01/06/2001 08:07a 156,911 cdudfrw.vxd
04/10/2000 07:10a 197,984 CDR4VSD.VXD
27 File(s) 1,143,047 bytes
2 Dir(s) 5,142,216,704 bytes free

Those ^ If a certain few of those get messed up you get some serious problems, like the one you have. It'd be good to restore all of 'em you can. You might just have to end up reformatting, but if you do, scandisk like kadeeu said to so that you know if the drive will work again.

 

[Pederv]

If you've checked the hard drive, have you tried playing with the memory yet?