okay i need help

m_potsmoker4444 · 11-17-2006, 08:34 PM

i have a old IBM laptop i was fooling around one day and formatted the seperate parts of the harddrive the same type NTFS and i have tried to get help but they couldn't help every time i start up i put a windows 98 disc into cause i can't put anything bigger or else it will crash but yeah it says start from hard drive and the other option is start windows 98 setup i pick that one then it says start windows setup with cdrom the other is start with partiall help form cd rom and the other is start withou out cdrom support i picked to start setup it works for a while then it says runtime error r6003 then i can type freely and today i tried to type some techinal stuff ( i am not to computer literate) i put in setup then it runs then i have to create a temporary memory thing and i have to make a partition in MS DOS how woul i do that or do i do something different

**OldGrayGary** · 11-18-2006, 01:16 AM

Hi m_potsmoker4444

. . . and Welcome to the Tech Support Forums.

Since the laptop is an IBM, if you have access to another working computer, visit the IBM support website & download a manual for that model. While there, download the drivers for your laptop's model also - for whatever version of Windows it is that you wish to install & use.

The manual can help you enter the Bios Setup for your laptop & make sure that the settings are OK. [Of course, it's also good for a great deal of other useful information, too].

Depending on how old the laptop is, it could have a special Recovery/Restore partition on the hard drive. You'll need to decide if you wish to keep that or not [those details will be in the manual]. If you have any Recovery/Restore CDs for the laptop, those can restore the hard drive to the condition it was in when first sent out from the factory - repartitioning, reformatting, & reinstalling things to their original state.

You'll need to do some homework about installing operating systems. NTFS cannot be used for a Windows 98/98se/Me system (use FAT32 for Win9x).

If you want to clean install Windows 98se, and the laptop's hard drive is smaller than 64gb, boot the computer with the CD, choose "Start Computer with Cd-Rom support", and from the command prompt, use the fdisk command to delete the current partitions. Then create a Primary DOS partition. Reboot, and choose to install Windows 98se from the menu. Setup will detect that the hard drive needs formatting - let it do so. When asked to "Enable Large Hard Drive Support?" answer "Yes" (this will have Setup format the partition with the FAT32 file system native to Windows 98se). Then just follow the prompts.

If you have the option to use Windows 2000 or Windows XP instead - these operating systems provide much more stability (Win9x doesn't multi-task as well), widespread program compatibility, and security.

Whatever you choose to install, make sure you are disconnected from any networks during the installation. And have your firewall, antivirus, and antispyware programs installed & running before reconnecting to networks afterward. Many antivirus/antimalware programs will allow you to download the latest version of both the program and the virus/malware definitions ahead of time - so that you can be up-to-date right after installing.

For more details on installing ---
Windows 98se --- http://www.windows98.windowsreinstall.com/
Windows 2000 --- http://www.windows2000.windowsreinstall.com/
Windows XP Home --- http://www.windowsxphome.windowsreinstall.com/
Windows XP Pro --- http://www.windowsxpprofessional.windowsreinstall.com/

If you suspect any of the hardware, test the memory --- http://www.memtest.org --- and the hard drive --- http://www.tacktech.com/display.cfm?ttid=287

Best of luck
. . . Gary

Jlp1928 · 11-21-2006, 12:20 PM

Hi, The 98 boot disk can boot you into DOS to see if the computer works at all, but can not read the NTFS formatted Hard drive nor can 98 use NTFS. If you intend to use 98SE then use FDISK on the 98 boot disk to repartition the drive and use FORMAT /S to format it using FAT32. You will have to download the drivers for the machine to get everything going again.

Good Luck, Jim

11-17-2006, 08:34 PM	#1 (permalink)
m_potsmoker4444 Registered User Join Date: Nov 2006 Posts: 1 OS: 98	okay i need help i have a old IBM laptop i was fooling around one day and formatted the seperate parts of the harddrive the same type NTFS and i have tried to get help but they couldn't help every time i start up i put a windows 98 disc into cause i can't put anything bigger or else it will crash but yeah it says start from hard drive and the other option is start windows 98 setup i pick that one then it says start windows setup with cdrom the other is start with partiall help form cd rom and the other is start withou out cdrom support i picked to start setup it works for a while then it says runtime error r6003 then i can type freely and today i tried to type some techinal stuff ( i am not to computer literate) i put in setup then it runs then i have to create a temporary memory thing and i have to make a partition in MS DOS how woul i do that or do i do something different

11-18-2006, 01:16 AM	#2 (permalink)
OldGrayGary Mentor, Microsoft Support Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Woodland Hills, CA Posts: 2,240 OS: Windows 98se/2000/XP/Vista	Hi m_potsmoker4444 . . . and Welcome to the Tech Support Forums. Since the laptop is an IBM, if you have access to another working computer, visit the IBM support website & download a manual for that model. While there, download the drivers for your laptop's model also - for whatever version of Windows it is that you wish to install & use. The manual can help you enter the Bios Setup for your laptop & make sure that the settings are OK. [Of course, it's also good for a great deal of other useful information, too]. Depending on how old the laptop is, it could have a special Recovery/Restore partition on the hard drive. You'll need to decide if you wish to keep that or not [those details will be in the manual]. If you have any Recovery/Restore CDs for the laptop, those can restore the hard drive to the condition it was in when first sent out from the factory - repartitioning, reformatting, & reinstalling things to their original state. You'll need to do some homework about installing operating systems. NTFS cannot be used for a Windows 98/98se/Me system (use FAT32 for Win9x). If you want to clean install Windows 98se, and the laptop's hard drive is smaller than 64gb, boot the computer with the CD, choose "Start Computer with Cd-Rom support", and from the command prompt, use the fdisk command to delete the current partitions. Then create a Primary DOS partition. Reboot, and choose to install Windows 98se from the menu. Setup will detect that the hard drive needs formatting - let it do so. When asked to "Enable Large Hard Drive Support?" answer "Yes" (this will have Setup format the partition with the FAT32 file system native to Windows 98se). Then just follow the prompts. If you have the option to use Windows 2000 or Windows XP instead - these operating systems provide much more stability (Win9x doesn't multi-task as well), widespread program compatibility, and security. Whatever you choose to install, make sure you are disconnected from any networks during the installation. And have your firewall, antivirus, and antispyware programs installed & running before reconnecting to networks afterward. Many antivirus/antimalware programs will allow you to download the latest version of both the program and the virus/malware definitions ahead of time - so that you can be up-to-date right after installing. For more details on installing --- Windows 98se --- http://www.windows98.windowsreinstall.com/ Windows 2000 --- http://www.windows2000.windowsreinstall.com/ Windows XP Home --- http://www.windowsxphome.windowsreinstall.com/ Windows XP Pro --- http://www.windowsxpprofessional.windowsreinstall.com/ If you suspect any of the hardware, test the memory --- http://www.memtest.org --- and the hard drive --- http://www.tacktech.com/display.cfm?ttid=287 Best of luck . . . Gary __________________

11-21-2006, 12:20 PM	#3 (permalink)
Jlp1928 Registered User Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Chicago Posts: 441 OS: Win98, XP, 2000	Hi, The 98 boot disk can boot you into DOS to see if the computer works at all, but can not read the NTFS formatted Hard drive nor can 98 use NTFS. If you intend to use 98SE then use FDISK on the 98 boot disk to repartition the drive and use FORMAT /S to format it using FAT32. You will have to download the drivers for the machine to get everything going again. Good Luck, Jim