command interpreter

LarryG66 · 06-12-2009, 01:12 PM

I had a compaq presario 4406rsh ,4000 series given to my kids with a quickrestore cd & disc. I used the cd & disc and it asks for a serial number There r no numbers's on the machine that match. It says not valid number. I remove the restore cd and disc and now it says "Type in the name of the Command Interpreter, (e.g., C:\WINDOWS\COMMAND.COM). What do I do now? PLEASEE HELP

machinestate98 · 06-12-2009, 06:40 PM

Registration Key Codes can be a real problem if you don't know them. I'm not completely sure if "name" is referring to a path\directory.

machinestate98 · 06-12-2009, 07:02 PM

Ahhh, it just dawned on me that the reason why the computer is asking for the name of the Command Interpreter is because once you remove the CD, it knows that it therefore can't do a full system rebuild (windows and all), and so therefore it settles for the next best thing, which is a Command Interpreter or dos prompt.

**blah789** · 06-12-2009, 08:13 PM

I googled a little bit and I found this
https://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/...cc=emea_africa
If you click on "where do i find my serial number" it shows you you're supposed to look at the code on the shipping box! Which I'm sure you don't have.
I'd call Compaq and give them any serial number on your PC and maybe they can look up their database and give you the original serial number.

When a DOS program exits, it returns to DOS. If for whatever reason DOS isn't loaded in memory it will ask for the location of command.com. That's the command interpreter (that's the thing that shows you the command prompt A:\> or C:\> and waits for you to enter commands). If you're booting from a CD, the most likely location is
A:\COMMAND.COM
Type in that (with the CD in the drive) and it should return you to your command prompt.

machinestate98 · 06-13-2009, 11:07 AM

If all else fails, and you can't do the install, I would as a last resort obtain a new copy of your favorite version of Windows on a CD, with the registration key, wipe everything off the hardrive and start over. Works fine if this is not a laptop, but at least you won't have throw you computer away.

06-12-2009, 01:12 PM	#1 (permalink)
LarryG66 Registered User Join Date: Jun 2009 Posts: 1 OS: xp?	command interpreter I had a compaq presario 4406rsh ,4000 series given to my kids with a quickrestore cd & disc. I used the cd & disc and it asks for a serial number There r no numbers's on the machine that match. It says not valid number. I remove the restore cd and disc and now it says "Type in the name of the Command Interpreter, (e.g., C:\WINDOWS\COMMAND.COM). What do I do now? PLEASEE HELP

06-12-2009, 06:40 PM	#2 (permalink)
machinestate98 Registered User Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: Mississippi Posts: 6 OS: Win98 w/ IE6	Re: command interpreter Registration Key Codes can be a real problem if you don't know them. I'm not completely sure if "name" is referring to a path\directory.

06-12-2009, 07:02 PM	#3 (permalink)
machinestate98 Registered User Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: Mississippi Posts: 6 OS: Win98 w/ IE6	Re: command interpreter Ahhh, it just dawned on me that the reason why the computer is asking for the name of the Command Interpreter is because once you remove the CD, it knows that it therefore can't do a full system rebuild (windows and all), and so therefore it settles for the next best thing, which is a Command Interpreter or dos prompt.

06-12-2009, 08:13 PM	#4 (permalink)
blah789 TSF Enthusiast Join Date: Aug 2008 Posts: 2,291 OS: Windows 2000 SP4 and Windows XP SP3	Re: command interpreter I googled a little bit and I found this https://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/...cc=emea_africa If you click on "where do i find my serial number" it shows you you're supposed to look at the code on the shipping box! Which I'm sure you don't have. I'd call Compaq and give them any serial number on your PC and maybe they can look up their database and give you the original serial number. When a DOS program exits, it returns to DOS. If for whatever reason DOS isn't loaded in memory it will ask for the location of command.com. That's the command interpreter (that's the thing that shows you the command prompt A:\> or C:\> and waits for you to enter commands). If you're booting from a CD, the most likely location is A:\COMMAND.COM Type in that (with the CD in the drive) and it should return you to your command prompt.

06-13-2009, 11:07 AM	#5 (permalink)
machinestate98 Registered User Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: Mississippi Posts: 6 OS: Win98 w/ IE6	Re: command interpreter If all else fails, and you can't do the install, I would as a last resort obtain a new copy of your favorite version of Windows on a CD, with the registration key, wipe everything off the hardrive and start over. Works fine if this is not a laptop, but at least you won't have throw you computer away.