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Windows Forum / Windows Me / Setup / September 2006Install CD required for boot
I have just re-installed WINDOWS ME in a new hard drive using the OEM (Dell) system CD. After the initial installation, I removed the system CD to install some other drivers. After the subsequent "restart your computer" instruction, I found a text message on the monitor that it was an invalid boot disk and to insert a boot disk in the floppy drive. After puzzling over this I realized I had removed the system installation CD. When I reinserted the system installation CD, I then got a two line screen asking if I wanted to boot from the CD or the Hard Drive. There was a time out and it defaulted to the hard drive. Either way, selecting the Hard Drive resulted in the ME system starting normally. So it now appears that every time the ME system is booted, it must see the system installation CD in the CD drive to make the choice of CD or hard drive, otherwise it gives the "invalid boot disk" error. I went through the whole install procedure again, with the same result. This is a friend's system, and I have not had any experience in installing an ME system. Any ideas as to why this is happening? Obviously, keeping the install disk around for every time the system is booted is a workaround, but this should not be. Don Robertson Go in the BIOS and change the boot order to boot to the hard drive before the CD. John > I have just re-installed WINDOWS ME in a new hard drive using the OEM (Dell) > system CD. After the initial installation, I removed the system CD to [quoted text clipped - 15 lines] > > Don Robertson Sounds like the BIOS boot sequence needs re-setting. It's probably set for CD first then HDD or FDD next etc. Just change to the appropriate sequence of your choice. Mart >I have just re-installed WINDOWS ME in a new hard drive using the OEM >(Dell) [quoted text clipped - 24 lines] > > Don Robertson No, I thought of that. I even temporarily disabled the CD drive. Then I get the invalid boot disk error even when the CD is in the drive. Don > Sounds like the BIOS boot sequence needs re-setting. It's probably set for > CD first then HDD or FDD next etc. Just change to the appropriate sequence [quoted text clipped - 30 lines] > > > > Don Robertson Did you fit a large hard drive - larger than the original? Sounds like you may have some sort of 'drive overlay' installed on your HDD. Can you see your HDD if you boot from a 'Standard' WinMe floppy Startup Disk? See "Cannot Access Hard Disk After Booting from Floppy Disk" http://support.microsoft.com/kb/245162/en-us Or, does the Dell CD install GoBack? See "Error Messages May Be Displayed When Using Windows Me Startup Disk with Adaptec GoBack Software" http://support.microsoft.com/kb/266342/en-us You may need to consult the User Manual to see if there any non-standard OEM 'features' provided by Dell. Mart > No, I thought of that. I even temporarily disabled the CD drive. Then I > get [quoted text clipped - 45 lines] >> > >> > Don Robertson Or the disk doesn't have an active partition, or necessary system files are missing. John > Did you fit a large hard drive - larger than the original? > [quoted text clipped - 65 lines] >>>> >>>>Don Robertson Hi John, I did wonder about that too. When fitting the new HDD, did the OP run FDISK correctly? "How to Use the Fdisk Tool and the Format Tool to Partition or Repartition a Hard Disk" http://support.microsoft.com/kb/255867/en-us Mart > Or the disk doesn't have an active partition, or necessary system files > are missing. [quoted text clipped - 70 lines] >>>>> >>>>>Don Robertson Might just get away with a sys c: command? Boot, using your WinMe Startup (floppy) Disk. Select 'With CD-ROM Support' and wait for the A:\> prompt. At the prompt, type "sys c:" (No quotes but notice the space before the c and the colon after it) then press return. Remove the floppy and re-boot your machine (Ctrl+Alt+Del should do it) See if that gets it to recognise the C: drive Mart > Hi John, I did wonder about that too. When fitting the new HDD, did the OP > run FDISK correctly? [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] > > Mart And also, is the new hard drive correctly "jumped" and at the proper location on the IDE cable. The Master/Slave relationship might not be proper. Assuming of course that it is an IDE drive and not a SATA. I doubt that computers with ME originally installed have SATA controllers. The drives have to be properly recognized in the BIOS and shown to be in the right order. DOS/Windows 95/98/ME don't like to boot on slaved drives. John > Hi John, I did wonder about that too. When fitting the new HDD, did the OP > run FDISK correctly? [quoted text clipped - 79 lines] >>>>>> >>>>>>Don Robertson John and Mart, Thanks guys. The sys c: trick didn't work, but there is a good chance I didn't do the fdisk right. I know just enough about this to be dangerous. I will read the recommended document on how to use fdisk. I'm not sure I understand about dos partitions, extended partitions etc. I HAVE tried several combinations of jumper settings, trying both Master and Cable Select as well as both connectors on the ribbon cable. I can access the c: drive from the dos boot floppy. I have found an autoexec.bat file buried deep in WINDOWS subdirectories. I was thinking somehow the problem is in this file, but don't really understnd what is going on. Will try to figure out what I did with fdisk and format. This hard drive was used elsewhere and is not brand new, but passes the scandisk tests. Don > And also, is the new hard drive correctly "jumped" and at the proper > location on the IDE cable. The Master/Slave relationship might not be [quoted text clipped - 89 lines] > >>>>>> > >>>>>>Don Robertson Hey guys, Success at last!! After trying several things I got from the instructions for using fdisk, to no avail, I saw a seemingly illogical instruction in the Dell reference manual, in the section for reinstalling WINDOWS. It said to set the boot sequence in the bios to the CD ROM first, to run the install program THEN reset the sequence to FLOPPY first. When I did this, it booted to WINDOWS ME with nothing in either CD or Floppy drive. Doesn't make sense (to me) but it works. The MS instructions said to format the DOS partition with format c: /s. When I tried this, I got a message that DOS no longer supported the /s argument. This with the WIN ME boot floppy DOS. I had reformatted and re-installed several times before I stumbled on the floppy first bit. Thanks for your interest and suggestions. Don Robertson > John and Mart, > Thanks guys. The sys c: trick didn't work, but there is a good chance I [quoted text clipped - 105 lines] > > >>>>>> > > >>>>>>Don Robertson |
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