DOs in XP

[Guest]

Real basic question....I dont really consider myself a newbie but I dont know
how to load windows xp in dos mode. F8 says safe mode options but no dos!

I think I got a virus - blue screen of death saying 'unmountable hard drive'
and computer is not restarting in safe mode OR in last known config. - just
shuts down after windows xp splash screen. Want to reformat and reinstall
windows (something I long wanted to do....)

Any clues?

 

[Bruce Chambers]

Real basic question....I dont really consider myself a newbie but I dont know
how to load windows xp in dos mode. F8 says safe mode options but no dos!

There is no way to reboot a WinXP PC into Real Mode DOS unless
you've set up a dual-boot system. The WinNT family of 32-bit graphical
operating systems, of which WinXP is the latest generation, has never
used, included, or "ridden upon" MS-DOS. The Recovery Console's CLI
(Command Line Interface) is the closest you can come to the old "DOS mode."

I think I got a virus - blue screen of death saying 'unmountable hard drive'
and computer is not restarting in safe mode OR in last known config. - just
shuts down after windows xp splash screen.

That's doesn't sound at all like a virus, but it does sound very much
like a hard drive failure. Check the hard drive manufacturer's web site
for a diagnostic utility you can download and use to test the hard
drive. You should also check with the motherboard manufacturer to see
if there's a BIOS patch available to address any known issues with the
IDE controllers.

Want to reformat and reinstall
windows (something I long wanted to do....)

Simply boot from the WinXP installation CD. You'll be offered the
opportunity to delete, create, and format partitions as part of the
installation process. (You may need to re-arrange the order of boot
devices in the PC's BIOS to boot from the CD.)

HOW TO Install Windows XP
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=KB;en-us;316941

http://www.michaelstevenstech.com/cleanxpinstall.html

http://www.webtree.ca/windowsxp/clean_install.htm


--

Bruce Chambers

Help us help you:



You can have peace. Or you can have freedom. Don't ever count on having
both at once. - RAH

 

[David Candy]

The XP CD is bootable.

 

[Mike Hall \(MS-MVP\)]

Fed

Windows XP has no DOS mode, so is not possible..

Go to this site for info on how to restore your boot.ini file..

http://www.windowsreinstall.com/install/winxp/howto3/unmountable.htm

 

[David Candy]

And all your options are, where do you think they'd put the instructions? On the CD.

 

[Guest]

Thanks very much Mr. Chambers, Mr. Candy and Mr. Hall. Extremely prompt
response! I checked up on the MS help page and it did say that the specific
binary error may be fixed by:
1-going into bios and disabling hdd caching
2-UDMA drive controller being replaced by 80 pin instead of 40 pin.

Thing is its a Toshiba Satellite 5105 laptop - so the pin should not be a
problem! I did see a BIOS patch on Toshiba support - but how do I install it
(or the hdd diagnostic utility with no windows?) At least it ain't a virus -
thanks guys, you're all doing a great job here with the responses!

 

[Bill Helbron]

Mike,

Your statement that "XP has no DOS mode" was very interesting since I have a
minor but minor issue - I'm using a 1280 x 1024 screen resolution. When my
system initially boots, the "DOS" BIOS window comes on very briefly (so briefly
that you bearly have time to read it!), followed by a "DOS" info screen, then
the normal XP start-up window. The issue is that these "DOS" screens are at very
low resolution - certainly not at 1280 x 1024. Why are these screens not at the
higher resolution?

Bill

 

[David Candy]

Nothing to do with dos that isn;t involved at all.

 

[Mike Hall \(MS-MVP\)]

Bill

The initialisation screen is not DOS.. it may look like a screen running
DOS, but that is where it ends.. you must also bear in mind that Windows has
not yet started, so any settings pertinent to your Windows installation will
not have initialised at that point..

ALL computer systems run an initialisation screen at start up, whether they
run Windows, UNIX, Linux, DOS etc.. none of the screens are attributable to
DOS.. anything appearing on your screen at start up is generated by code
encapsulated in the system's BIOS ROM chip, and will appear completely
independent of whatever operating system is present on the system drive..

DOS was/is an operating system in it's own right, not a screen appearance..
if my memory serves me correctly, it was originally QDOS (Quick Dirty
Operating System), later changed to DOS (Disk Operating System)

Microsoft Windows NT, 2000, and XP are not GUI (Graphical User Interface)
shells running on a DOS (DOS 7) base as per Microsoft Windows 9x/ME..

Some of the old DOS commands are available in Command Prompt, but that does
not mean that DOS, the operating system, exists in XP.. what it means is
that some of the old, familiar DOS commands will still do something within
XP..

 

[Bill Helbron]

Hi Mike,

Thanks for the info! The main reason I asked the question in the first place is
that I always noticed that the initial screen that came up was in a large
DOS-like font and some of the text was actually off the left side of the screen.
That's why I had thought it was resolution-related, but I didn't think about the
fact that XP hadn't loaded yet!

Bill

 

[Mike Hall \(MS-MVP\)]

Bill

For many, anything that isn't in a Microsoft Window is perceived as DOS,
even Linux initialisation procedures and versions without the GUI part..
lololololol.. Linux users know better thankfully, as do the more technical
Windows users.. I remember having a University graduate stand with me as I
loaded AIX onto an RS H50.. His first question was "How long does it take to
load?".. His next question was "What version of DOS is that?"..

The answer to question one was '12 minutes'.. I had to go to the restroom
after question two..

 

[Theodore Baldwin Boothe III]

Bill

For many, anything that isn't in a Microsoft Window is perceived as DOS,
even Linux initialisation procedures and versions without the GUI part..
lololololol.. Linux users know better thankfully, as do the more technical
Windows users.. I remember having a University graduate stand with me as I
loaded AIX onto an RS H50.. His first question was "How long does it take to
load?".. His next question was "What version of DOS is that?"..

The answer to question one was '12 minutes'.. I had to go to the restroom
after question two..

Serious question here: After question 2, what made you need to go to
the restroom? To laugh or?

 

[Mike Hall \(MS-MVP\)]

Both..

--
Mike Hall
MVP - Windows Shell/User

Serious question here: After question 2, what made you need to go to
the restroom? To laugh or?

 

[Bruce Chambers]

Mike,

Your statement that "XP has no DOS mode" was very interesting since I have a
minor but minor issue - I'm using a 1280 x 1024 screen resolution. When my
system initially boots, the "DOS" BIOS window comes on very briefly (so briefly
that you bearly have time to read it!), followed by a "DOS" info screen, then
the normal XP start-up window. The issue is that these "DOS" screens are at very
low resolution - certainly not at 1280 x 1024. Why are these screens not at the
higher resolution?

Those aren't "DOS" screens in any way, shape or form, nor can any
Windows display settings have any possible effect on them. They're
displays produced by your motherboard's BIOS. If you're unhappy with
them, contact the motherboard manufacturer for support or to suggest
changes to their product.


--

Bruce Chambers

Help us help you:



You can have peace. Or you can have freedom. Don't ever count on having
both at once. - RAH

 

[S. Taylor]

You should be able to "compress" the display to get the text back onto the
screen.
I've found that most (if not all) of the more modern monitors rememeber
different
setting for different display modes.
So compressing the view during post shouldn't effect the display of the xp
desktop.

 

[Bill Helbron]

I'm using a Samsung 913V Monitor and NVDIA GeForce FX 5200 card. Weh I go to
Control Panel>Display>Display Properties>Advanced>SAMSUNG 913V and NVDIA GeForce
FX Properties>Monitor, I can change apparently only the Screen refresh rate or
uncheck the "Hide modes that this monitor cannot display" box. Do either of
these apply, or is there somewhere else to look?

Bill

 

[S. Taylor]

Yes, i'm talking about the controls on your monitor itself.
The Display properties windows only controls settings that are in effect
when windows is loaded.

Your monitor (on a desktop pc) will haves controls that are found either
through a panel door
on the bottom front, under the front edge or on the left-side front corner
on the underside.