CD-R & OS problems

[dessl]

Hi,

I'm a first time PC builder and having some probs with the CD-R and also installing the Win98SE OS.

* Using the startup diskette, the ramdisk gets created but the cd-r driver only gets loaded maybe 10% of time. The other 90%, I'm getting a "File not found" message and the cd-r driver doesn't get loaded. When I recreate the startup diskette on my existing pc, I'm sometimes successful loading the driver - but the startup diskette seems to be only one-time use, and the next time I try it get the file not found message again.

* Those few times I have loaded the cd-r drivers, I have tried unsuccessfully to install the Win98. Have tried running setup.exe from the CD, and also copying the files to the c: drive and running it. Encountered various probs, including: hang-ups, disk errors during scandisk (after fixing them, more hang ups), messages about corrupt command.com and .cab files.

If it's relevant, specs: Soyo KT 333 Ultra mobo, Athlon 2000 XP cpu, 80GB HD (only one partition), Lite-On CDRW. Have checked all switches and connections and they seem ok. Have not yet flashed the BIOS. Have re-formatted and re-partioned multiple times.

If anyone has any ideas I'd really be grateful -- I'm nearly at the end of my rope! Thanks in advance for your help.

Dess

 

[BaldHeadedDork]

Hey, first of all, welcome to the neighborhood!

On some systems I've built, I've had problems using a boot floppy disk for 98SE. My solution has just been to boot from the CD, which has always worked like a charm.

I don't know how familiar you are, but here is the list of stuff you have to do to install Win98SE:

1) Start with the Win98SE CD in its drive. After POST, you will get a screen asking if you want to start the computer from the hard disk or the CD. Choose the CD.

2) The CD should next ask if you want to install support (drivers) for the CD-ROM. Select yes. The Win98SE CD will install a set of generic drivers. They're generic, but they work with every CD I've ever installed in a computer including several Lite On models, so I don't think a bad driver is your problem.

3) After this, you might taken you into a blue screen with grey text asking if you want to proceed with installing Windows. 98SE has this DOS wizard for setup, but I've found that its more hassle than its worth. Check the bottom to see which key you hit to exit the installer and hit it.

4) Now you're back at the black DOS screen, with something like "A:" or "D:" with a carrot arrow flashing at you. Enter this line (without the quotation marks) "D: FDISK"

5) This should take you into FDISK to set your boot partition. Follow the menu screens to create a boot partition and use the recommended settings. After creating the boot partition, FDISK will warn you that you have to reboot before the settings will take effect, so reboot with the Win98 CD still in the drive.

6) At the reboot, start the computer from the CD again. You don't have to reinstall the support for the CD drive, but it won't hurt anything if you do by mistake. Get back to the black DOS screen you were at when you started FDISK.

7) This time, format the hard drive by entering "D: FORMAT C:\S". The "\S" part is something that catches up a lot of first time builders. You have to use that on the drive where you install your OS to let the format program know that this is going to be a System drive, and needs to be formatted with the Boot Sector you created in FDISK.

8) With an eighty gig hard drive, you can take a long, long lunch while its being formatted. When its done you don't need to reboot. You'll be returned to the "D:" DOS prompt. Now enter "D: SETUP" The DOS screen will state that it needs to test your drive before installing Windows and ask for your permission to proceed. Answer yes and let it run a quick Scan Disk.

9) What you should see next is a Windows screen and the actual Win98 installer. Follow the prompts through, but this time remove the CD before rebooting.

10) Finally, near the end of installing Win98 you might be prompted to reinsert the Win98 CD to install some various files. After you put the disc in, a window will come up with "A: " in a pulldown box along with the familiar OK and Cancel buttons. Do not press enter or click on the OK button until you type D:\WIN98 in the box. This is retarded, but after asking you to reinsert the Windows CD, you have to specify for Windows exactly where the CD is.


And that's how to install Win98 in ten easy steps. If you're still having problems with the CD drivers, make sure your jumpers are set in the proper location and that your jumper position matches the correct placement of the drive on the IDE cable if your cable has ends for two devices.

Since you only have one optical drive and one hard drive, I would set the jumpers for each to Master, put both on individual cables (top connector if you are using two connector cables) and plug the hard drive into the IDE0 port and the CD-RW into the IDE1 port.

Also, make sure in your BIOS that RAID is disabled (since you're only using one drive) and that your boot order is at the default setting. I would not recommend reflashing the BIOS. If all of this fails and you have a clean Win98 CD, you'll need to eliminate which component is causing the problem. Right now, if you determine the motherboard is bad Soyo has to cover it. If something goes wrong while flashing the BIOS, and until you know otherwise you should presume it will on this system, you're screwed. Warranties do not cover any problem related to updating the BIOS.


Hope this helped-Good Luck!


BHD

 

[dessl]

BHD,

Thanks for the detailed reply. Am continuing to have problems with the install and getting a variety of errors -- beginning to suspect it may be a RAM issue with my 512 stick. Attempting to borrow a friend's RAM and will try the install again.

cheers,
Dess

 

[Captain Slug]

BHD forgot to note that you'll need to change the BOOT ORDER in your BIOS in order for your computer to boot from the CD-ROM drive first.