Yesterday - Athlon XP 1800+, XPhome, 768Mb RAM, Asus A7V266E m/b, WLAN
network - all running fine
(One minor glitch - 3.5" Floppy access no longer available, tried 2 drives,
3 cables - still "error 40" and u/s. Disabled in BIOS - MONTHS ago). Fully
protected with AV, Spybot, AdAware, MSSpyware, etc etc. and defragged
regularly.

Today - "One-peep" (normal) boot, all BIOS screens seem OK, but error
"Windows could not start - .....config file missing or corrupt. Insert
system disk in CE and press "r" at this screen"

PROBLEM. BIOS recognises/correctly identifies the CD Drive, BUT (even after
selecting it as first boot device in BIOS) it WILL NOT go to XP CD to
boot/repair - just loops the entire boot sequence )any keyboard key
re-starts the boot, including "r".

Cannot get to a command prompt.

Any ideas, what next?

"Silvabod" <nospam@thank.you> wrote in message
news:AGFcf.5927$c66.2910@newsfe3-gui.ntli.net...


Silvabod

Power disconnected, reseat all cards, leads & socketed items, tighten any
loose motherboard & card screws (gently).
Dedust.
Restart
Measure Power Supply voltages are within 5%
If still no go.
Reduce Pc to Motherboard, CPU, Ram & video.
If now going add bits till culprit found (take note of power supply possibly
dropping it's bundle under load)
If not going substitute parts with known good PC till culprit found.

Other than that several possibilities come to mind (and combinations of)
1 your hard drive has died
2 Power Supply ripple (chinese capacitors inside)
3 Blown capacitors on motherboard (same chinese capacitor issue)
4 Dirty CD Rom lens.

best luck
Paul.

PC, <abuse@local.host>, the tattered, rock-bottom fuckster, and dealer in
salted cow manure, stammered:
BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH! *LMFARO*

He'll fucking need it if he reads your shite, you fucking, brain-dead
turkey.


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Tdquggbjitqtgugsrkuvatbjegegbotqtgevegsrepvujqgegs r.

Zewibpsjpbjxst
Vrhjdwfmfgrzmrtrwjvwgwsqfhjkgajzfrgmjarsvrgkzk.

Qwiwckrcfztmfzskwcj

Appreciate the methodical approach! Thanks ...(bit stuck with voltage
testss - have a spare brand-new bigger PSU, doddle to switch to that
instead - and I know it works!).
Later ...


"PC" <abuse@local.host> wrote in message
news:6VFcf.255$vH5.17830@news.xtra.co.nz...

"Silvabod" <nospam@thank.you> wrote:

|>Yesterday - Athlon XP 1800+, XPhome, 768Mb RAM, Asus A7V266E m/b, WLAN
|>network - all running fine
|>(One minor glitch - 3.5" Floppy access no longer available, tried 2 drives,
|>3 cables - still "error 40" and u/s. Disabled in BIOS - MONTHS ago). Fully
|>protected with AV, Spybot, AdAware, MSSpyware, etc etc. and defragged
|>regularly.
|>
|>Today - "One-peep" (normal) boot, all BIOS screens seem OK, but error
|>"Windows could not start - .....config file missing or corrupt. Insert
|>system disk in CE and press "r" at this screen"
|>
|>PROBLEM. BIOS recognises/correctly identifies the CD Drive, BUT (even after
|>selecting it as first boot device in BIOS) it WILL NOT go to XP CD to
|>boot/repair - just loops the entire boot sequence )any keyboard key
|>re-starts the boot, including "r".
|>
|>Cannot get to a command prompt.
|>
|>Any ideas, what next?
|>


Can you boot from a USB device? I can post how to turn a Pen drive
into a Win98 bootdisk if so.

--
History's Worst Software Bugs
http://www.wired.com/news/technology...,69355,00.html

"Pen drive", as in USB memory stick? I have the stick, and USB ports on that
pc, so, could give it a try!

One possible prob - C: is NTFS (no FAT) - should not affect "bootable" USB
stick, if the BIOS will allow it to be used - need basic CD drivers on
(which, with a W98 "boot" would be there... )
All I really need to do is get to a command prompt - do that, battle's half
won (haven't yet got down to stripping the pc). Thanks, Trax - please post
Silvabod

"Trax" <Pennywise@DerryMaine.Gov> wrote in message
news:fvn6n1hsfgbk70h0o95f95re7b6i2rih2l@4ax.com...

"Silvabod" <nospam@thank.you> wrote:

|>"Pen drive", as in USB memory stick? I have the stick, and USB ports on that
|>pc, so, could give it a try!
|>
|>One possible prob - C: is NTFS (no FAT) - should not affect "bootable" USB
|>stick, if the BIOS will allow it to be used - need basic CD drivers on
|>(which, with a W98 "boot" would be there... )
|>All I really need to do is get to a command prompt - do that, battle's half
|>won (haven't yet got down to stripping the pc). Thanks, Trax - please post

Download http://tinyurl.com/6zheh this HP utility will make the memory
stick bootable.

Download Win98SE bootdisk (gives CD support)
http://bootdisk.com/bootdisk.htm

Use Winimage to extract the Win98 boot disk to a directory.
http://tinyurl.com/s4h

Run the HP utility and format the USB device, for a dos system point
it to the extracted boot disk Directory.

Copy the boot disk directory files to the Memory stick - skip the ones
already copied.

Boot up with the memory stick (bios setting) enable CD support, On
error just keep hitting enter or Control-C you will be at a dos
prompt.(a:\>)

NTFS will be a problem and you will need a driver for it. This ISO
creates a bootable CD and has a NTFS driver included, and can be
copied to the USB device - Which I haven't tried yet.
http://www.9down.com/modules.php?nam...ticle&sid=2979

On some CD's it's all located in the ntfs.cab and winzip will open and
extract the files.

Other CD's it's a file called ntfs4dos.uha which needs to be extracted
with the included uharcd.exe file (run it to read how to use it)

Lots of work, good luck.


|>"Trax" <Pennywise@DerryMaine.Gov> wrote in message
|>news:fvn6n1hsfgbk70h0o95f95re7b6i2rih2l@4ax.com. ..
|>> "Silvabod" <nospam@thank.you> wrote:
|>>
|>> |>Yesterday - Athlon XP 1800+, XPhome, 768Mb RAM, Asus A7V266E m/b, WLAN
|>> |>network - all running fine
|>> |>(One minor glitch - 3.5" Floppy access no longer available, tried 2
|>> drives,
|>> |>3 cables - still "error 40" and u/s. Disabled in BIOS - MONTHS ago).
|>> Fully
|>> |>protected with AV, Spybot, AdAware, MSSpyware, etc etc. and defragged
|>> |>regularly.
|>> |>
|>> |>Today - "One-peep" (normal) boot, all BIOS screens seem OK, but error
|>> |>"Windows could not start - .....config file missing or corrupt. Insert
|>> |>system disk in CE and press "r" at this screen"
|>> |>
|>> |>PROBLEM. BIOS recognises/correctly identifies the CD Drive, BUT (even
|>> after
|>> |>selecting it as first boot device in BIOS) it WILL NOT go to XP CD to
|>> |>boot/repair - just loops the entire boot sequence )any keyboard key
|>> |>re-starts the boot, including "r".
|>> |>
|>> |>Cannot get to a command prompt.
|>> |>
|>> |>Any ideas, what next?
|>> |>
|>>
|>>
|>> Can you boot from a USB device? I can post how to turn a Pen drive
|>> into a Win98 bootdisk if so.
|>>
|>> --
|>> History's Worst Software Bugs
|>> http://www.wired.com/news/technology...,69355,00.html
|>


--
Blue Ball Machine
http://blueballfixed.ytmnd.com/

Trax <Pennywise@DerryMaine.Gov> wrote:

|>Use Winimage to extract the Win98 boot disk to a directory.
|>http://tinyurl.com/s4h

Go figure I missed a step.

Download and install WinRar
http://www.rarlab.com/download.htm

Right click on the boot98se.exe file and select extract to boot98se.
The file in this directory is a IMA file that Winimage will extract to
a directory of your choice.

--
Blue Ball Machine
http://blueballfixed.ytmnd.com/

Thanks, Trax! As you say, lots of work - for tomorrow, now, it's late.

Silvabod.

"Trax" <Pennywise@DerryMaine.Gov> wrote in message
news:9j77n11qu6n07leb2jspbiclp863u55en1@4ax.com...