While in the middle of trying to make my winD'oh!s 85, HP computer safe to donate or be cannibalized or whatever, my wife informed me that the girls might want to play games on it. So, in the middle of deleting everything but the bare bones DOS stuff, I stop and say "No problem, I've got the install media". Well, there is a problem. The computer can't see the CD drive, so I can't repair my Windows installation. Do any of my Windows wizard BBs have any ideas about how to get the system to see the CD?
TIA
I need computer help
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Rexer25
- It's all his fault. That'll be $10.
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I need computer help
Enough already. It's my fault! Get over it!
That'll be $10, please.
That'll be $10, please.
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Bob Juch
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It can't see the CD from DOS or it can't see it when you try to boot from it?
If the former, try booting the Windows CD.
If the former, try booting the Windows CD.
I may not have gone where I intended to go, but I think I have ended up where I needed to be.
- Douglas Adams (1952 - 2001)
Si fractum non sit, noli id reficere.
Teach a child to be polite and courteous in the home and, when he grows up, he'll never be able to drive in New Jersey.
- Douglas Adams (1952 - 2001)
Si fractum non sit, noli id reficere.
Teach a child to be polite and courteous in the home and, when he grows up, he'll never be able to drive in New Jersey.
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Rexer25
- It's all his fault. That'll be $10.
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- Joined: Mon Oct 08, 2007 10:57 am
- Location: Just this side of nowhere
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Sir_Galahad
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Have you tried booting to a [gulp!] DOS disk with a CD-ROM driver loaded? I keep several of these handy just in case. Do you see the drive listed when you first boot the system? Have you verified that the cables are in place? Does the drive tray eject? Does the drive light come on when you insert a disk?
"All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing" - Edmund Burke
Perhaps the Hokey Pokey IS what it's all about...
Perhaps the Hokey Pokey IS what it's all about...
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Bob Juch
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I'll guess you have a dead CD-ROM drive then.Rexer25 wrote:It can't see the CD when I try to boot from it. Or from DOS, for that matter.Bob Juch wrote:It can't see the CD from DOS or it can't see it when you try to boot from it?
If the former, try booting the Windows CD.
I may not have gone where I intended to go, but I think I have ended up where I needed to be.
- Douglas Adams (1952 - 2001)
Si fractum non sit, noli id reficere.
Teach a child to be polite and courteous in the home and, when he grows up, he'll never be able to drive in New Jersey.
- Douglas Adams (1952 - 2001)
Si fractum non sit, noli id reficere.
Teach a child to be polite and courteous in the home and, when he grows up, he'll never be able to drive in New Jersey.
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Rexer25
- It's all his fault. That'll be $10.
- Posts: 2899
- Joined: Mon Oct 08, 2007 10:57 am
- Location: Just this side of nowhere
Not yet...I need to see if I've got one around here. If not, I'll scavenge at work and get one.Sir_Galahad wrote:Have you tried booting to a [gulp!] DOS disk with a CD-ROM driver loaded? I keep several of these handy just in case.
YesSir_Galahad wrote:Do you see the drive listed when you first boot the system?
No, but the lights blink as the BIOS finds the driveSir_Galahad wrote:Have you verified that the cables are in place?
YesSir_Galahad wrote:Does the drive tray eject?
YesSir_Galahad wrote:Does the drive light come on when you insert a disk?
Lemme try the DOS boot disk...I bet that'll solve it.
Thanks for your help.
Enough already. It's my fault! Get over it!
That'll be $10, please.
That'll be $10, please.
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Rexer25
- It's all his fault. That'll be $10.
- Posts: 2899
- Joined: Mon Oct 08, 2007 10:57 am
- Location: Just this side of nowhere
Thanks.Bob Juch wrote:I'll guess you have a dead CD-ROM drive then.Rexer25 wrote:It can't see the CD when I try to boot from it. Or from DOS, for that matter.Bob Juch wrote:It can't see the CD from DOS or it can't see it when you try to boot from it?
If the former, try booting the Windows CD.
Enough already. It's my fault! Get over it!
That'll be $10, please.
That'll be $10, please.
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15QuestionsAway
- Posts: 497
- Joined: Tue Oct 09, 2007 5:43 pm
Another option is to go into the BIOS and check:
a: whether the CD-ROM drive is seen by the system
b: the boot device order
If the CD-ROM can be seen by the BIOS, put the CD-ROM as the first boot device and see if you can then boot from the Windows CD.
If the BIOS doesn't see the CD-ROM, check that your drive cable is seated correctly, both on the CD-ROM drive and the motherboard end. Since you see lights, the power cable is obviously connected.
However, if you're really running Win 95, I'd consider this machine fully amortized. Dell sells some astoundingly cheap entry level machines nowadays.
a: whether the CD-ROM drive is seen by the system
b: the boot device order
If the CD-ROM can be seen by the BIOS, put the CD-ROM as the first boot device and see if you can then boot from the Windows CD.
If the BIOS doesn't see the CD-ROM, check that your drive cable is seated correctly, both on the CD-ROM drive and the motherboard end. Since you see lights, the power cable is obviously connected.
However, if you're really running Win 95, I'd consider this machine fully amortized. Dell sells some astoundingly cheap entry level machines nowadays.