Can't boot - no WIN.COM 2

[LABAY]

W98 SE2

For first time in 5 yrs, when trying to boot, after displaying end of autoexec.bat, DOS screen says C:\"cannot find WIN.COM" and stops booting. Did it twice.

Each time, I entered C:\WINDOWS and then WIN.COM, booting completed and PC seems normal.

I have no idea what caused this. How can I fix it?

 

[Win98User]

Hi,
I believe this will work;

Boot to Dos prompt with CD support (via boot disk probably).
With your Windows CD in the Drive;

extract E:\win98\win98_29.cab win.cnf /L c:\windows\win.cnf

This assumes that E: is your CD ROM.

locate the Win.com file in the windows directory and delete it.

then rename the win.cnf file to win.com

Regards. Running a PC without backups is like driving a car without a seatbealt. Your knack'ed when you crash!

 

[LABAY]

extract E:\win98\win98_29.cab win.cnf /L c:\windows\win.cnf

There is no win.cnf in the .cab, above.

LB

 

[Win98User]

Sorry, I haven't got that disk here.

I am trying to do it from memory, lol. So I have just had a look on the net and it appears to bve Win98_25.cab

Regards. Running a PC without backups is like driving a car without a seatbealt. Your knack'ed when you crash!

 

[LABAY]

This time I get "no matching files" for either WIN.CNF or WIN.COM

 

[Win98User]

OK (but it should be there) here is the other command I didn't give before;

First, locate the first cab file in the directory that will replace the Win98_25.cab

then type;

extract /a E:\win98\x win.cnf /L c:\windows\win.cnf

Where is is the first cab file. This will then search all the cab files in progressive order until it finds the right one.

Please let me know where it is found.


Regards. Running a PC without backups is like driving a car without a seatbealt. Your knack'ed when you crash!

 

[Win98User]

If that was garbled (and I thought it was, lol)

Go to the directory with the cab files on the CD and see what is the name of the one listed first. Use that file name in the place of Win98_25.cab

Good luck.

Regards. Running a PC without backups is like driving a car without a seatbealt. Your knack'ed when you crash!

 

[LABAY]

I fixed it.

I replaced my current autoexec.bat file with an earlier one. The problem went away. Not exactly sure why.

However, there was a path statement buggered up yesterday when I installed RESKIT from the CD.

I had also previously done a FIND on the CD for WIN.COM and WIN.CNF and disn't find them. They may be zipped up on the disk so wouldn't find them.

Anyway, appreciate your help.

-Larry

 

[Win98User]

Thanks for the update - but for others who come looking...

For information (Now I have got my hands on a 98SE disk), the following command worked for me (Names have been changed to suit the drives/folders on the machine I used);

extract h:\win98\win98_25.cab win.cnf /L c:\Mtemp

From a DOS window the file is then renamed (do a dir first to see the file name);

rename wincnf~1.cnf win.com

the win.cnf file is then renamed win.com

You then and place it in the Windows directory.

All the best. Running a PC without backups is like driving a car without a seatbealt. Your knack'ed when you crash!

 

[Win98User]

Further, the cabs required for win.com are;

Windows 95 floppy disk #3
Win95_03.cab of the original Windows 95 CD-ROM
Win98_28.cab of the original Windows 98 CD-ROM
Win98_25.cab of the Windows 98SE CD-ROM

Thanks to a link from CrustyOldBloke.

http://www.computerhope.com/issues/ch000021.htm

Thanks Phil. Running a PC without backups is like driving a car without a seatbealt. Your knack'ed when you crash!

 

[lideho]

LABAY,
Sounds like the path statement in your autoexec.bat has been changed and the old autoexec.bat you switched to has the proper path in it. Use edit to open each autoexec file and see if the path= line contains an entry c:\windows. This line tells the computer which directories to look in to find the programs you want to run (eg. win.com).

 

[zipfactor]

thanks win98user, you just got me out of a sticky situation.

cheers.

 

[sgtjwhite]

Do you need to have an Autoexec.bat file in the rood dir? if not rename it to Autoexec.bxt and reboot. Your problem should go away
Later...