How do I get to a DOS Prompt?

[QueSpr04]

How do I get to a DOS prompt prior to windows booting up? Is there an f(*) key that i can hit to stop the boot sequence and take me to a DOS prompt?

 

[SkipCox]

F8 is usually the solution. A boot disk will work too. What OS are you using?

Skip

http://home.comcast.net/~skip9/index.html

http://scc.i8.com

 

[QueSpr04]

Well, i am trying to format some hard drives so our company can put them up for an auction. They have a different OS. Some have XP, 98, 95, and 3.1. I went to

http://www.bootdisk.com

and downloaded DOS 5.0, DOS 6.22, Windows 98, and Windows 95 Boot Disks. However, when I shut the pc down, put in the boot disk, start it back up, I do not get the DOS prompt. It gives me the message "NTLDR is missing Press any key to start". When I remove the disk and press a key, Windows continues to boot up normally. Please help!

 

[edfair]

Change your boot order in CMOS for floppy first.
Any of the bootdisk floppies will work if the floppy is the first device to boot to.

Ed Fair
Give the wrong symptoms, get the wrong solutions.

 

[QueSpr04]

Well, i am trying to format some hard drives so our company can put them up for an auction. They have a different OS. Some have XP, 98, 95, and 3.1. I went to

http://www.bootdisk.com

and downloaded DOS 5.0, DOS 6.22, Windows 98, and Windows 95 Boot Disks. However, when I shut the pc down, put in the boot disk, start it back up, I do not get the DOS prompt. It gives me the message "NTLDR is missing Press any key to start". When I remove the disk and press a key, Windows continues to boot up normally. Please help!

 

[cdogg]

After making sure that the floppy is set as the first boot device in the BIOS, be sure to use the Windows 98 floppy you made. Using a Win2K or WinXP floppy when that operating system is not installed will cause the error you are seeing.

Besides, to get to the kind of DOS prompt you're looking for, use 95 or 98 disks only.

~cdogg
[tab][navy]For general rules and guidelines to get better answers, click here:[/navy] faq219-2884

 

[SkipCox]

That should certainly work. I'd recommend you try something like "killdisk" to write zeros to the drives. It's pretty easy to recover company information off a drive that's only been formatted.

I happen to use a Me boot disk for about everything but a 98 boot disk will work just as well.

Skip

http://home.comcast.net/~skip9/index.html

http://scc.i8.com

 

[paulrw1]

The best way I have found (esp. if you can get your company to spring for it)is to use Partition Magic. It'll wipe out ANY partition... AND you can create diskettes to run it from your floppy.

Speaking of using a floppy, make sure the floppy drive is enabled in the BIOS, otherwise no floppy diskette will work.