Old Computer PLZ need help

mattbean · 06-18-2008, 08:31 PM

Ok, so I have this old computer sitting here, and I just got a new monitor for it so I could use it again. But here is my problem: I turn it on and everything. Then it says "Operating System Not Found". I have a copy of Windows 95, Windows ME and Windows XP but none of them work.

My system Specs are:

Processor type: Pentium II
Processor speed: 266 MHz
Cache Ram: 512 kb
Total Memory: 128 MB

I was wondering if maybe someone could help me get through this problem.

**OldGrayGary** · 06-18-2008, 10:39 PM

Hi Matt

Enter the Bios Setup screens for your computer, and look for a menu entry for "Boot Order" or "First Boot Device". If it is available, set the first boot device to the CD-drive. Then see if the PC will boot from your WinMe CD. WinMe is a reasonable choice for a 266mhz PII PC. If your system hardware is OK, you should be able to install WinMe on the hard drive. If you choose WinMe, make sure the hard drive is ready for it --- delete any current partitions, and create a Primary DOS Partition, and mark it active (you can use fdisk to do this), then let WinMe setup find and format the partition with FAT32 for you (during WinMe setup, answer "yes" to the question "enable large hard disk support?" to format with the FAT32 file system).

You can receive the "No Operating System Found" message when your PC has the floppy drive listed as the first boot device, and you've left a non-bootable floppy diskette in the drive. If the first boot device is set to the hard drive, and it is blank, you can see the message then also (or if the hard drive has failed, has a bad cable, or is misconfigured).

Best of luck
. . . Gary

mattbean · 06-18-2008, 11:23 PM

thanks man, Im gonna try it now. I will let you know if it works.

mattbean · 06-18-2008, 11:31 PM

Ok, well I turned it on and changed first boot order to My CD rom and I then saved changes and rebooted with my Windows ME cd in the tray and its not letting me go to setup. Any ideas?

**OldGrayGary** · 06-19-2008, 08:48 PM

Hi again

That's good - that the computer can boot from the WinMe CD. That tells you that on at least a very basic level your computer is passing the POST tests (Power-On Self-Tests), and that the basic components (motherboard, cpu, memory, cd-drive) are functioning well enough to get ready to load an operating system.

Now you need to see if the hard drive is OK. If it is in good working order, you'll need to delete any partitions currently on it, and create a Primary DOS Partition (you can use the fdisk tool to do this). Then try installing WinMe from the CD again. You'll need a WinMe CD that is not a "Recovery Disk", but that has a full copy of the operating system files on it. (You can only use a Recovery Disk on the system that it shipped with -- it's unlikely a PII system shipped with WinMe).

To see if the hard drive is OK, run diagnostics --- http://tacktech.com/display.cfm?ttid=287
To delete the current partitions & create a new Primary DOS partition, try fdisk --- http://www.msdos.windowsreinstall.com/fdisk.htm

Best of luck
. . . Gary

(if you'd like, you can download a file that can create a bootable WinMe floppy diskette, set the Bios to boot from the floppy first, cdrom second, and hard drive third -- then start the PC with the floppy, then run fdisk and do your partition work --- http://www.bootdisk.com --- )

ezhilforum · 06-20-2008, 12:08 AM

1. go to bios change boot divice i) cd rom ii) hdd0 save & exit
2. u can use win98 bootable cd or any one os bootable cd or floppy then install os

mattbean · 06-21-2008, 01:18 AM

well i have tried and all that, and now i tried with win 95 and its not working. I realized that the win me was the upgrade version. but my windows 95 is the actual one. but it still wont work. i have the boot order right. How would i go about doing this with no other programs?

Jlp1928 · 06-21-2008, 05:14 AM

Hi Matt,

Some (Most?) 98/95 install CDs do not boot. Get a Startup Disk, boot that and run Setup on the CD. Any 98 startup disk will work or make on on any 98 system thats running. It's at Control panel, AddRemove Programs, Startup Disk. You can also download one. The right one sets up the CD and boots to DOS.

Good Luck, Jim

kkaek · 06-21-2008, 07:22 AM

Hi Matt,
You might save a little time and frustration if you check to be sure the drive is working properly. Remove the cover and check to see which hard drive is installed. Example: a Western Digital. Go to Western Digital's home page and download their diagnostic program and it will tell you if the drive itself is capable of being programmed. A little research at this stage, locating all the componet ID's and acqiring original drivers for the Win95 OS will allow you to rebuild the drive and then UPGRADE to the WinME. Then all your components ie: CD Rom, sound and video will have the correct drivers for the hardware that is installed on the machine BEFORE you spend hours trying to make it work after you have succeeded in loading an OS. Not all old machines are plug N play, so they don't automatically install the correct drivers. Good Luck and I hope that helps.

**OldGrayGary** · 06-21-2008, 11:00 PM

Hi all

Matt -- I can't imagine you are going to want to run Windows 95 on a PII machine. It should run Windows Me well, if the hard drive is healthy enough.

Try the drive diagnostics - those will let you know for sure if your hard drive is in good enough shape to install anything on it. If the hard drive is bad, no operating system in the world is going to install on it.

As a test, you could run the computer entirely from the CD-rom and system memory, if you have at least 256 to 512mb installed -- if a Knoppix CD can start your computer & run OK, then at least your know the other parts are OK --- http://www.knopper.net/knoppix/index-en.html

Also: if you want an easy-to-use bootable CD for running the hard drive diagnostics, try the Linux-based "Ultimate Boot CD" --- http://www.ultimatebootcd.com --- it has many diagnostics tools included on it, it's free, and it's a simple download ...

Instructions for creating the bootable CDs are available from the same sites in the links, as are instructions for creating the diagnostic disks.

Best of luck!
. . . Gary

P.S. .. you certainly can use the WinMe to boot with, and to clean-install WinMe with (you just insert the Win95 CD as "proof of prior version" when prompted by WinMe setup . . . windowsreinstall.com has a nicely detailed explanation for this

Quote:

Installing a Windows ME Upgrade CD without a Previous OS installed

Begin the windows install as if it was the full version, during the install you will be prompted for a previous operating system, at his point put your old operating system CD in the drive and browse to the WIN98 folder (for Windows 98) or WIN95 folder (for Windows 95). Click ok, the windows upgrade will confirm this is a full version and continue with the upgrade (after you replace the upgrade CD)

... but before rushing ahead to that, make sure the hard drive is OK, and has a Primary DOS Partiton setup on it.

Carson · 06-29-2008, 08:37 AM

@Mr Old, I think what Jlp1928 meant was that Windows ME disks were very often simply data disks; they were not bootable insofar as automatically anticipating you were commencing an install, as XP disks were.

Actually I have personally never seen a bootable ME disk, although I guess they were made, as you suggest. But Jlp1928 is giving the same advice that I would, because he is not expecting ME to react to the insertion and acceptance of the CD. In that case, any boot floppy, usually a Windows 98 or a Windows ME boot floppy, was very commonly used before the CD, to get things going; from there, the person would hop across to access the ME install.

But for a novice, really nothing at all happens in a typical attempt to put on the program. Everything is working just fine, but more is expected of the end-user. XP kind of comes out and shakes you by the hand.

06-18-2008, 08:31 PM	#1 (permalink)
mattbean Registered User Join Date: Jun 2008 Posts: 4 OS: xp	Old Computer PLZ need help Ok, so I have this old computer sitting here, and I just got a new monitor for it so I could use it again. But here is my problem: I turn it on and everything. Then it says "Operating System Not Found". I have a copy of Windows 95, Windows ME and Windows XP but none of them work. My system Specs are: Processor type: Pentium II Processor speed: 266 MHz Cache Ram: 512 kb Total Memory: 128 MB I was wondering if maybe someone could help me get through this problem.

06-18-2008, 10:39 PM	#2 (permalink)
OldGrayGary Mentor, Microsoft Support Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Woodland Hills, CA Posts: 1,978 OS: Windows 98se/2000/XP/Vista	Re: Old Computer PLZ need help Hi Matt Enter the Bios Setup screens for your computer, and look for a menu entry for "Boot Order" or "First Boot Device". If it is available, set the first boot device to the CD-drive. Then see if the PC will boot from your WinMe CD. WinMe is a reasonable choice for a 266mhz PII PC. If your system hardware is OK, you should be able to install WinMe on the hard drive. If you choose WinMe, make sure the hard drive is ready for it --- delete any current partitions, and create a Primary DOS Partition, and mark it active (you can use fdisk to do this), then let WinMe setup find and format the partition with FAT32 for you (during WinMe setup, answer "yes" to the question "enable large hard disk support?" to format with the FAT32 file system). You can receive the "No Operating System Found" message when your PC has the floppy drive listed as the first boot device, and you've left a non-bootable floppy diskette in the drive. If the first boot device is set to the hard drive, and it is blank, you can see the message then also (or if the hard drive has failed, has a bad cable, or is misconfigured). Best of luck . . . Gary __________________

06-18-2008, 11:23 PM	#3 (permalink)
mattbean Registered User Join Date: Jun 2008 Posts: 4 OS: xp	Re: Old Computer PLZ need help thanks man, Im gonna try it now. I will let you know if it works.

06-18-2008, 11:31 PM	#4 (permalink)
mattbean Registered User Join Date: Jun 2008 Posts: 4 OS: xp	Re: Old Computer PLZ need help Ok, well I turned it on and changed first boot order to My CD rom and I then saved changes and rebooted with my Windows ME cd in the tray and its not letting me go to setup. Any ideas?

06-19-2008, 08:48 PM	#5 (permalink)
OldGrayGary Mentor, Microsoft Support Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Woodland Hills, CA Posts: 1,978 OS: Windows 98se/2000/XP/Vista	Re: Old Computer PLZ need help Hi again That's good - that the computer can boot from the WinMe CD. That tells you that on at least a very basic level your computer is passing the POST tests (Power-On Self-Tests), and that the basic components (motherboard, cpu, memory, cd-drive) are functioning well enough to get ready to load an operating system. Now you need to see if the hard drive is OK. If it is in good working order, you'll need to delete any partitions currently on it, and create a Primary DOS Partition (you can use the fdisk tool to do this). Then try installing WinMe from the CD again. You'll need a WinMe CD that is not a "Recovery Disk", but that has a full copy of the operating system files on it. (You can only use a Recovery Disk on the system that it shipped with -- it's unlikely a PII system shipped with WinMe). To see if the hard drive is OK, run diagnostics --- http://tacktech.com/display.cfm?ttid=287 To delete the current partitions & create a new Primary DOS partition, try fdisk --- http://www.msdos.windowsreinstall.com/fdisk.htm Best of luck . . . Gary (if you'd like, you can download a file that can create a bootable WinMe floppy diskette, set the Bios to boot from the floppy first, cdrom second, and hard drive third -- then start the PC with the floppy, then run fdisk and do your partition work --- http://www.bootdisk.com --- ) __________________

06-20-2008, 12:08 AM	#6 (permalink)
ezhilforum Registered User Join Date: Jun 2008 Posts: 4 OS: windows xp sp2	Re: Old Computer PLZ need help 1. go to bios change boot divice i) cd rom ii) hdd0 save & exit 2. u can use win98 bootable cd or any one os bootable cd or floppy then install os

06-21-2008, 01:18 AM	#7 (permalink)
mattbean Registered User Join Date: Jun 2008 Posts: 4 OS: xp	Re: Old Computer PLZ need help well i have tried and all that, and now i tried with win 95 and its not working. I realized that the win me was the upgrade version. but my windows 95 is the actual one. but it still wont work. i have the boot order right. How would i go about doing this with no other programs?

06-21-2008, 05:14 AM	#8 (permalink)
Jlp1928 Registered User Join Date: Sep 2006 Posts: 300 OS: Win98	Re: Old Computer PLZ need help Hi Matt, Some (Most?) 98/95 install CDs do not boot. Get a Startup Disk, boot that and run Setup on the CD. Any 98 startup disk will work or make on on any 98 system thats running. It's at Control panel, AddRemove Programs, Startup Disk. You can also download one. The right one sets up the CD and boots to DOS. Good Luck, Jim

06-21-2008, 07:22 AM	#9 (permalink)
kkaek Registered User Join Date: Jun 2008 Posts: 1 OS: XP service pack 2	Re: Old Computer PLZ need help Hi Matt, You might save a little time and frustration if you check to be sure the drive is working properly. Remove the cover and check to see which hard drive is installed. Example: a Western Digital. Go to Western Digital's home page and download their diagnostic program and it will tell you if the drive itself is capable of being programmed. A little research at this stage, locating all the componet ID's and acqiring original drivers for the Win95 OS will allow you to rebuild the drive and then UPGRADE to the WinME. Then all your components ie: CD Rom, sound and video will have the correct drivers for the hardware that is installed on the machine BEFORE you spend hours trying to make it work after you have succeeded in loading an OS. Not all old machines are plug N play, so they don't automatically install the correct drivers. Good Luck and I hope that helps.

06-29-2008, 08:37 AM	#11 (permalink)
Carson Registered User Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: Vancouver, Canada Posts: 24 OS: Windows ~ XP Pro SP2 and Vista	Re: Old Computer PLZ need help @Mr Old, I think what Jlp1928 meant was that Windows ME disks were very often simply data disks; they were not bootable insofar as automatically anticipating you were commencing an install, as XP disks were. Actually I have personally never seen a bootable ME disk, although I guess they were made, as you suggest. But Jlp1928 is giving the same advice that I would, because he is not expecting ME to react to the insertion and acceptance of the CD. In that case, any boot floppy, usually a Windows 98 or a Windows ME boot floppy, was very commonly used before the CD, to get things going; from there, the person would hop across to access the ME install. But for a novice, really nothing at all happens in a typical attempt to put on the program. Everything is working just fine, but more is expected of the end-user. XP kind of comes out and shakes you by the hand.