computer wont boot even with boot disk

[angelratgirl]

finally i think i figure out what is going on with my monitor ( it would give me a torn image for half an hour before the screen would give me a readable display) and now, befor i can download the files i need, my computer has decided to sabatoge me!!!!
(sorry, just a little rant)

i have a Dell Dimension 8200, and a Windows ME o/s

i start it up, and already i notice that instead of having the f2 and the f12 option showing, only the f2 shows... but that doesn't work anyway. nor does the f8 tapping do anything for me.

next, i don't get the ME screen, but rather it tells me some copyright info about my computer and then it says:

diskette drive 1 seek failure
strike F1 to continue, F2 to run setup utility

if i continue, then i get the ME white intro screen ... and nothing else happens.

(okay, i must remember.... i have one of those microsoft split keyboards with the multi media options ,the one which includes an F lock which, when not pressed, will not "activate" the f2 key.)

soooo, now i have access to the startup menu and something is definitely different. to start off, the date is set to september 16, 2002.

any ideas?

the info is still in the computer because when i get the c: prompt and i ask for the dir, it shows me lots and lots of what i know to be my files. but apparently i am still just computer illiterate enough to not be able to access any of them.

the only thing i can think of is that i must have messed something up when i was trying to replace the monitor's drivers.

[DallasDon]

try turnig it off, and between the checking ram,, ram ok,,
verifying dmi pool screen

and the windows screen,, try the tapping F8 thing.

That is known as "safe" mode,, if you get a b & W screen with a few options, use the arrow keys to highlight "last known good configuration. then hit enter


IF it comes back, look in the device manager and click on the video, and choose "roll back driver...

[angelratgirl]

i already got the f8 thing to work but... i do not get the option to use last known good configuration.

all i get is
1 normal
2 logged
3 safe
4 (um, i already forgot)

anyway, normal isnt working and safe bypasses my startup and then works, but roll back driver is not available in the hardware manager screens.

but i did notice that i seem to have a whole lot of extra devices loaded in my device manager.

for instance, i have a cnet pro 200wl pci ethernet adapter installed in my computer which it shows, but there is another ethernet adapter from a different company showing up in the configuration as well. and it is not the one from this computer because this computer uses the same ethernet adapter.

[Rico Mania]

edited post. see the post below. somehow the edit i attempted came out as a double post, with the original not changed at all. sorry.

[Rico Mania]

I would try something like this: The fact that safe mode works means its most likely driver related and it's probably one of your drivers acting up. You can disable your monitor, mouse, keyboard, modem, sound card, network card etc. BUT make sure you have the drivers for everything (except maybe keyboard and mouse) before you do this.

And do it all one at a time.

The way to do this is to go into the device manager (right click on the "my computer" icon on your desktop and then click on properties. In device manager, at each device click properties and click disable (or something to that effect - I haven't used winME for so long not quite sure). Reboot and re-enable them one at a time, rebooting between each thing you inable. When you can fully boot without all the problems you described the last thing you enable is probably the culprit and you should then uninstall then reinstall its drivers.

Hope that helps.

[DallasDon]

How about getting to safe mode, and do a system restore to a time before you installed the drivers?

start/allprograms/accessories/system tools/system restore

Restore my comp to an earlier time, date before driver install