Installing wndows 95
Install Questions
I am trying to instal windows 95 on a reformatted machine. The HD is completely blank. What do I need to do?? Will it work if I just drop the CD in the CDROM?
Everytime I boot my computer up to get to the a: to FDISK the system, I get an ero message that says "NTLDR is missing" press any key to restart. I have no idea where to go from here...... I am trying to follow the direction from above and FDISK the computer before I instal win 95
Help.... Thanks
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06-24-2003 12:25 AM
[Neo770]
Ultimate Member
Registered: Oct 2001
Location: Gold Coast,Australia
Posts: 1023
Sounds like you need to set the BIOS to boot from A: first so you can boot from the floppy then run fdisk.
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06-24-2003 12:28 AM
Auswak
Member
Registered: Jun 2003
Location: California USA
Posts: 30
The Partitioning Procedure
Insert the boot disk into the floppy drive and then restart your computer.
As the system begins the boot process and boots to the startup disk, your CD-Rom drivers will begin to load. For now, you can ignore them.
When the system finishes the startup or boot process, you will see the MS-DOS prompt on the screen, which will look something like this: A:\>
At the MS-DOS prompt, type "Fdisk" (without the quotes) and touch enter.
You will then be asked whether or not you want large hard drive support or the FAT 32 file system. An explanation of the FAT (File Allocation Table) can be found elsewhere at this web site. Suffice it to say that if you choose N or No at the prompt, you will be limited to FAT 16 and a 2 gigabyte partition size, while FAT 32 does not have this limitation. Therefore, selecting "N" will give you FAT 16 and a 2 gigabyte partition and "Y" will enable large hard drive support, or the FAT 32 file system. Answer "Y" and let's move on.
At the next menu, you will be provided with a number of choices:
1. Since we are deleting the original partition, select 3 from the menu - Delete ......
2. Next, select 3 from next menu to delete any logical DOS drives first;
3. Next, delete any extended DOS partitions you find, (menu item 2) and then delete the primary partition (menu item 1) both on the second menu after selecting 3 delete from the first menu.
4. Now restart your computer and boot back to the Start Up Floppy. Again type "Fdisk" (no quotes) at the MS-DOS prompt.
5. At this point in time you will need to have decided how you want to partition your drive. If you want to use FAT16 or a primary FAT16 partition, then respond to the question about large drive support by selecting "N". If you want to use FAT 32 and large hard drive support, then select "Y".
6. Make a primary partition (menu item 1 then select 1). Select the partition size. The maximum for FAT 16 is about 2.1G, and for FAT 32 you can select the drive size you desire up to the limits of the drive or the motherboard bios limitations if there are any. Only create the primary partition at this time. You can make the entire drive a single primary partition or you can segment the drive any way you wish, such as primary, then extended logical drives. Once this has been done, touch the ESC key a few times to exit Fdisk and then restart the computer and boot back to the Startup Disk. If you want to install a second partition or logical drive, then follow the instructions in #7. If you want only one single partition, then move on to step #9.
7. At the MS-DOS prompt, again type Fdisk. This time, when asked about large disk support, select "Y". Use menu item 1 and then 1 (if you did not create a primary partition using FAT16 above). Next use Menu item 1 and then menu item 2 to create an extended DOS partition. Make this the size of the rest of the drive. (this is not needed if you made the whole drive a primary partition).
8. Next select menu item 1 'create ...." then menu item 3 to make logical DOS drives. Make the size whatever you want up to whatever space is available. You may create one or more logical drives.
9. Make sure that you use menu item 2 in Fdisk to set the primary partition as active, as if you forget you won't be able to format that partition and your computer will not provide any clue as to why not.
10. Restart your computer to the Startup Floppy, and then format the partition<s> you have created. The correct syntax at the MS-DOS prompt is "Format c:/s" (without the quotes) and touch enter.
11. Once the format has completed, remove the Startup Disk from the floppy drive and restart the system and verify that the drive(s) that you fdisk'd are accessible and readable. If you have done everything correctly, your computer will boot to a C:\> prompt.
12. Now reinsert your Startup disk and boot to it. You are now ready to install the operating system.
Hope this all helps.
I am pretty sure you are ready to just startup the machine with the startup floppy and then insert the CD, but just incase you had not FDisk correctly I gave you all the info you should need.
Good Luck
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06-24-2003 12:35 AM
Eraserhead
Junior Member
Registered: Jun 2003
Location: London, England
Posts: 13
One additional note: If you're installing the original version of Win95 and not OSR2, set FDISK to "N" for large disk support, since Win95 1st release does not support FAT32
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06-24-2003 12:45 AM
live4sking
Junior Member
Registered: Jun 2003
Location:
Posts: 13
How do I create a boot disk?
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06-24-2003 10:39 AM
Auswak
Member
Registered: Jun 2003
Location: California USA
Posts: 30
Go here and download the files to a 3.5" Floppy
http://www.drd.dyndns.org/fr_index.html?/disks.html
I would recommend using the blue one (DOS self-extractor disks)
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06-24-2003 10:47 AM
dustyrun
Member
Registered: Oct 2001
Location: Louisville,KY
Posts: 367
Or you can go to this SITE for all you bootdisk needs. been helpful to me in the past.
Rick
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06-24-2003 01:24 PM
omalleytrading
Member
Registered: Apr 2003
Location: Albany, NY
Posts: 118
My Windows 95 memory is a bit vague, but wasn't there a Setup Floppy you needed to run before going to the CDROM? Sounds like you don't have that -- which is probably why you're having so much trouble.
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06-24-2003 02:28 PM
Theophylact
Ultimate Member
Registered: Oct 2001
Location: inside the Beltway, outside the loop
Posts: 1068
You do need CDROM support to load Win95 (unless you're doing it from the 25-floppy installation set!); if your machine's BIOS doesn't support booting from the CDROM, then one of the downloadable boot disks with CDROM drivers will do the job.
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06-24-2003 02:47 PM
Reknup
Member
Registered: May 2003
Location: Cocoa Beach, Florida
Posts: 84
As you hear...
You need a boot disk.... a:\
download a windows 95 boot disk... it will just instruct you to put a disk into your a:\ and it does the rest...
Now check your bios and make sure your A:\ boots on start
Put the CDROM in, put the disk in A:\
Start computer.... It should say System Disk Detected (or something)
It should then load some files into memory required to begin installation of 95... Asking to use CDROM support (press yes)
If this doesnt happen... (cuz all boot disks are different)
Ms-dos is a way...
Becareful though... I had bootdisks change the CDROM drive on me
Find out the letter of the CD-ROM drive and type (lets say its d:\)
D:\Setup.exe
Into MS-dos
like i said boot disks can and will change your drive letters around
I had this problem. i found it listing my CDROM as R:\ (sigh)
Goodluck
I hope this Helps
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06-24-2003 03:21 PM
live4sking
Junior Member
Registered: Jun 2003
Location:
Posts: 13
How do you check your BIO's???
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06-27-2003 11:49 PM
live4sking
Junior Member
Registered: Jun 2003
Location:
Posts: 13
Win 95 format
ok, I figured out how to change the boot drive to a:
I put the boot disk in and still get a message the says "non-system disk or disk erroe.....replace a strike enter.
I can not get to the a: to FDISK
What gives????
Help
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06-28-2003 12:06 AM
NDC
Xtreme Member
Registered: Jun 2000
Location: Burbank, CA
Posts: 7363
You sure that's a bootable foppy disk?
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06-28-2003 12:37 AM
live4sking
Junior Member
Registered: Jun 2003
Location:
Posts: 13
I went to the website listed above and save the bootdisk file to a floopy.....
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06-28-2003 01:14 AM
ragtop
Ultimate Member
Registered: Oct 2001
Location: Milwaukee, WI
Posts: 1349
Reformat that floppy & download the image to it again. Sometimes you have to try a couple times before you get a clean image. Also: I always use a WIN98 boot disk. As others have said, it has CDROM support built in & can make it easier to install your WIN95.
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06-28-2003 01:26 AM
live4sking
Junior Member
Registered: Jun 2003
Location:
Posts: 13
Alright..... Almost there!!!
I Formate the drive, got the c: like it says above... Last step
Drop in windows cd and it should stat loading the program, but is not. my system says booting from cd, starting windows 95 and goto a c:
Is there special command I need to type for the program to start installing????
Do I need to have the boot disk in??
Thanks again
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06-28-2003 02:57 AM
VHockey86
Member
Registered: Jan 2003
Location: New York
Posts: 432
In the BIOS make it so your CD-ROM boots before the hard drive
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06-28-2003 03:21 AM
live4sking
Junior Member
Registered: Jun 2003
Location:
Posts: 13
It is ......???????
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06-28-2003 03:45 AM
thePh@r@oh
Member
Registered: Jan 2003
Location:
Posts: 453
try this when it goes to C:> like that type D: it should switch to your cdrom drive then type setup it should go from there.
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06-28-2003 03:50 AM
brainchild
Ultimate Member
Registered: Oct 2001
Location: Monett Missouri
Posts: 2714
Once you get to the C:\> just type D:\setup,and answer the questions.
<edit my stupidity DOH!>
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Ok, I went through all of these steps bbove seccseccfully!!!
But now!!!!
Now it says "invalid media type reading in D" abort,retry,fail??????
How do I find out which drive letter is the CDROM?
I am to the point of dropping in the install CD and nothing happens.
Help , I am very new to this computer stuff.
Thanks
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