REAL problem with formatting harddrive

[Decline]

This is not about my computer, it's my dad's..
He wants to format his computer (with only c because of viruses and a lot of annoying bugs and stuff. He uses windows 2000 prof.
This would normally be easy. The problem is that we can't turn the cd-rom/diskette as the 1st boot drive. That's because when he starts the BIOS setup he comes to a SCSI setup screen (yes he has scsi..). So we can NOT use cd-rom or diskette! How can we then get into DOS (of course without being inside windows since windows is on c: and that's the drive we need to format) ??

(We have a diskette with DOS on, that can be used to boot with + original win2000 cd)

Is there another way to get into DOS or the BIOS settings ?

PLEASE help, he's got lots of problems and lots of work to do

 

[edfair]

SCSI setup comes after the option for setup. And if it is a really fast machine I've found that it requires the delete key pressed at about the same time as the power switch to force it into setup. And it won't hurt to hold it down.
SCSI setup should be an option that can be turned off in one of the setup screens.
You also have the option of pulling the card, or maybe of crippling it completely if it is built on the M/B. Ed Fair
unixstuff@juno.com
Any advice I give is my best judgement based on my interpretation of the facts you supply. Help increase my knowledge by providing some feedback, good or bad, on any advice I have given.

 

[Decline]

Yeah I'll try it...
Decline

http://www.rognan.net/~thomlie

 

[legend2b4]

Total agreement with edfair... Had the same prob on my machine

pull the card and setup you bios

hold down [DEL] as soon as the keyboard powers-up

ie Numlock led lights

 

[Decline]

yeah the DEL key thing worked. But I'm not done yet...
I tried to change it so it booted SCSI (the cd-rom drive), A, C and several other options. But it simply wont boot from the windows 2000 cd! On this computer that is no problem so it's not the cd it's something wrong with.
The a: boot works, and then I can format, but how can I install windows after the format if I can't boot from cd?? hmm..

Decline

http://www.rognan.net/~thomlie

 

[edfair]

Please understand that it is hard to tell you good answers since we don't know your SCSI screen.
The SCSI card shoul have come with drivers for DOS. Ususally , there is a setup file that adds the required drivers to the operating system. The same drivers can be added to the boot disk. First would be the stuff in config.sys, think most call it ASPI , then a CD driver. Then the CD is accessed with mscdex in autoexec.bat. And once the CD is available you can move to it.
There is possibly a choice in the SCSI setup screen to allow booting from the CD. Since the SCSI setup attaches before the OS loads it seems to me that it would be one. Most I've dealt with act this way, but there are more SCSI cards out there than I want or try to support.
What kind of SCSI card? I may be able to duplicate the screen. Ed Fair
unixstuff@juno.com
Any advice I give is my best judgement based on my interpretation of the facts you supply. Help increase my knowledge by providing some feedback, good or bad, on any advice I have given.

 

[gavrc]

Do you have other SCSI devices on the card as well? This could be confusing the boot.
Gav
A problem with Windows??? Never...

 

[Decline]

SCSI card and cd-rw (and that's the one being used. He's got a normal cd-drive too, but it doesn't work, but it is connected...)
Decline

http://www.rognan.net/~thomlie

 

[RassTuten]

Hi,

Hope I haven`t misunderstood your question. How about using a win98 or ME original bootdisk? As far as I know it finds most SCSI-drives as well as IDE? Boot from this to get your cd working and start winnt.exe from the i386 folder.

Hope this helps!

 

[RassTuten]

Hi,

Hope I haven`t misunderstood your question. How about using a win98 or ME original bootdisk? As far as I know it finds most SCSI-drives as well as IDE? Boot from this to get your cd working and start winnt.exe from the i386 folder.

Hope this helps!