Windows 98

[Nightowl]

I hope I am writing this in the right area, and if not, please let me know. I have an old Toshiba Satellite laptop that I have that I want to put back into use again. I purchased a small motor dyno, and the software that I will be downloading for it, will run on this laptop

Problem is, I can't get windows to come up. I have used the startup disk that I made many moons ago, but can't quite figure out what to do to get it to run again.


It will boot up but it never makes it to windows. I have tried the safe mode feature with no luck. any ideas other than junk it? I want to find out how to fix this thing without taking it in and have it worked on. I remember the last time I used it about 6 years ago, there was no problems with it or getting on line, tho only at 56K with it at that time.

Any ideas where to start?

Thanks,

Richard

 

[Tmagic650]

Install Windows XP... Win98 is way obsolete

 

[Mictlantecuhtli]

It will boot up but it never makes it to windows.

So what happens then? It boots to DOS prompt?

You can press F8 when booting for boot menu, then select boot logging to see what happens.

 

[Nightowl]

Install Windows XP... Win98 is way obsolete

It may be obsolete, and I agree with you on that, but this software is 1990's stuff, and it shows the the operating systems that it will support for my application. My dyno is early 1990's, and XP is not listed to work with it, so I really have no choice, but that is all this laptop is going to be used for. It has to hook up to the dyno, and run its software. I would really wish it would run on XP, but the manufacture gave me the operating systems it will work on from DOS, 3.1, win 95, win 98. Right now, all I have is the DOS sortware, but can upgrade to a cd, instead of diskettes.


Richard

 

[Nightowl]

So what happens then? It boots to DOS prompt?

You can press F8 when booting for boot menu, then select boot logging to see what happens.

The utility said to hold down the control key which I did, but reading thru that and trying some of it, didn't help. It is in the shop right now. I tried, but somethings are above me.

Richard

 

[Tmagic650]

Hi Richard,
XP does have a compatibility mode for older software... Windows 98 and even DOS. You might check into it

 

[Nightowl]

Hey thanks. That I will look into. I was very hesitant to try and load that DOS software into there, not knowing if it would take it, or what problems I would encounter. I have not done it yet for that purpose. Any suggestions? If that would work, I would be able to dyno motors in the house, and take it with me to the track to also do it there. The dyno runs on a car battery to spin those little motors to high speed. Thanks.

Richard

 

[Nightowl]

The computer is up and running with ME. All they did was reload the computer. My question is this. Did they have to wipe the hard drive to do this? If so, lets say I wanted to do this myself, how do I go about this? Also wondering where on the computer, in the files perhaps, that would tell you how old a computer is, like year wise?
Thanks.


Richard

 

[SNGX1275]

Likely they did just wipe the hard drive and install. You could do this yourself if you had a full install disk of Windows ME. That disk is bootable, and would allow you to format and install during one of the initial screens after booting from the disk.

You can actually get ME Upgrade or Step-Up to do a full install too, but those disks aren't bootable and you would need to boot from a floppy and then enter DOS mode with cd rom support, then you'd launch setup.exe from the drive (likely d:\setup.exe)

As far as figuring out the date, it wouldn't be in any files after a format/clean install, but there is software available that would give you information like that. SiSoft Sandra is the first one I can think of that would likely be able to give you that information. There are others that people use for hardware information, but it has been so long since I've used one I forget what others are.

 

[Nightowl]

So, can you talk me thru the process on how it would go? I have the original software, so that is not the problem, complete with the key. I few things I don't understand, like wiping the hard drive. If I was to do that, I would click on the C drive in explore, right click and click on delete. Is the the process? After that I am not sure how to proceed. If I wipe the hard drive, don't I also delete the OS? If that is true so far, now I have a clean hard drive, and you just load the diskettes in order that is on the diskettes? eg. 1-2-3-4-5-6-? Thanks

Richard

 

[gbhall]

The computer is up and running with ME. All they did was reload the computer. My question is this. Did they have to wipe the hard drive to do this? If so, lets say I wanted to do this myself, how do I go about this? Also wondering where on the computer, in the files perhaps, that would tell you how old a computer is, like year wise?
Thanks.
Richard

yes, I am pretty sure they wiped the hard drive.

To find the age of the computer, you can find the date in the bios (date OF the bios to be precise). To get into the bios, you normally just press delete (or some other key depending upon the PC concerned, such as Esc or F1), from the instant the screen shows anything during the boot process from cold. Your PC would then be younger than that bios date by a few months.

I am not sure if you are now asking how to install the software you want to run on the newly installed OS windows ME?. Or are you wanting to reinstall the OS (or some other operating system, such as Win98 or DOS?)

If installing the dyno system is what you are after, then the procedure is simply to open settings / control panel and click on 'Add or remove programs' icon. Along with the list of installed programs there is a button 'add new program, which in turn leads to a screen with a button to add a program from CD or floppy. At which point you ensure the first floppy disk is in the drive (and nothing in the CD drive), and click on that button. Then just follow the prompts.

After that, you run your dyno program from within the Windows ME operating system just by clicking on the programs icon which will appear on the desktop. Note you may have to confirm during the dyno install that you want an icon on the desktop.

Although your software does not specify that it runs under Win ME I would be amazed if it did not. Come back for further advice in that case.

 

[Nightowl]

I guess I should of clarified that. I have another laptop of old age that I would like to practice on to try to reload it. I am just not sure of the steps, so I thought I would ask. I am not going to erase anything on the laptop I just had fixed.:haha: I just want to try it on the other one that I don't use. I believe that one had 3.1 on it. Like I said, it is old, but I have the old software for it, so I would like to give it a go, I just wasn't sure how to proceed.


Richard

 

[SNGX1275]

You'll have to format the drive from within the non-gui part of the 9x install. You can't boot into Windows and format the drive because you are running Windows on the drive you are trying to format. If you've booted off a floppy or the cd you can format during the install (or prior to if you are in dos mode from the floppy).

 

[Nightowl]

Okay, a stupid question then. Just what did they do when I took the laptop to them, and they reloaded it? Was this hours that it took or what? You said it needed to be reformatted, so how do you do this once you wipe the hard drive? Is there some program you have to use or something? Its kind of like this. If a person asks me how to change a water pump, I can give him an outline of what he needs to do the job, and how to do it. If he still wants more info, then I get him a book, with step by step instructions on how to do it. If there is such a book for doing this to a computer, I would be willing to buy it.

Richard

 

[SNGX1275]

Probably took 2 minutes to "wipe" the hard drive. Reformatting is the same as wiping in this sense. I'm saying the 98/Me install disk is what the computer starts off of, so it loads the setup from the disk, doesn't need the hard drive to do that. Then since it is running off the disk you have control to format the hard drive then (the setup will do that for you).

You may be able to find a Windows 98 for Dummies book at a used book store, I used to have one a while back and I think it would cover this.. But essentially what I'm saying is if you boot off the hard drive you won't be able to format that hard drive because in doing so you'd wipe out what you are running to format (like cutting the limb of a tree you are standing on). Booting off a install disk is like you standing on a lift cutting a branch next to you.

 

[gbhall]

You talk of having the 'old software' for the old laptop. You speak of Windows 3.1, or more likely 3.11 Windows for workgroups. That came on 9 floppy discs. Be careful who you tell, you may be contacted by various museums keen to get hold of a copy !

You install it by putting #1 in the drive and switching on. It will format the hard drive itself. Feeding the disks when told to do so takes about 10 minutes in total. You then have a working operating system with the ability to install applications, just like today, but they have to come on floppy disks too.

Some time last year I actually did install 3.11 in a virtual box on WinXP pro just for fun, and it worked perfectly well. Lightning fast, of course, but the inability to talk to the rest of the PC except via floppy disks was a killer.

 

[Nightowl]

Thats what I have. Do I have to wipe the hard drive first before putting that #1 disk in, or will it just overwrite everything thats on the hard drive?


Richard