System Halted

[EAA Docent]

I have an old PC with Windows ME. When I go to start after it goes through
all it's stuff I get the following.

IFSMGR
IFSHLP.SYS not found.
System halted.
What does it meen?

I want to wipe the hard drive before I donate it.
I have a couple of free downloads that you folk's suggested earlier on.

I tried using the disk that came with the PC when it was new.
I used the disk in the past before with no problems.
When you put the disk in you would restart the PC and follow the instructions.
Now I don't even get that far. All I get is the message as above.

Is there a way of correcting the problem?

 

[Carey Frisch [MVP]]

How to Recycle Your Computer:
http://www.treehugger.com/files/2006/04/how_to_recycle_1.php


--
Carey Frisch
Microsoft MVP
Windows Shell/User

---------------------------------------------------------------

:

I have an old PC with Windows ME. When I go to start after it goes through
all it's stuff I get the following.

IFSMGR
IFSHLP.SYS not found.
System halted.
What does it meen?

I want to wipe the hard drive before I donate it.
I have a couple of free downloads that you folk's suggested earlier on.

I tried using the disk that came with the PC when it was new.
I used the disk in the past before with no problems.
When you put the disk in you would restart the PC and follow the instructions.
Now I don't even get that far. All I get is the message as above.

Is there a way of correcting the problem?

 

[Michael Jennings]

You say the CD with ME won't install Windows? Try cleaning it:
http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=clean+a+CD

Your BIOS needs to be set to boot from the CD:
http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=set+BIOS+boot+order

If you haven't wiped your hard drive yet, first autonuke it with DBAN:
http://dban.sourceforge.net/

 

[EAA Docent]

I tried cleaning the recovery CD but it still wont read.
I keep getting the message IFSMGR, IFSHlp.SYS, System halted.
I'm at a loss.

 

[Michael Jennings]

I'm sorry I could't help you make the ME OEM recovery work.

You don't want a data thief to exploit information on the hard drive.
Before you dispose of it, make sure the hard drive can't be exploited.
One way to do this is to overwrite it with random data. Another way
to do this is to bash it with a hammer or saw it with a carbide blade.

I suggest that you remove the hard drive from the computer and think
about what you're going to do with it. Dispose of the rest of the ME
era computer either by finding someone who wants the parts, paying
a recycling center, or depositing the stuff in a dumpster - it's junk.

An alternative would be to make the DBAN floppy, autonuke the
hard drive, install Ubuntu, then donate an old working Linux box.

 

[EAA Docent]

Good Morning Mike,
Thanks for your responce.

As I may have mentioned, I get the message Ihave shown. There seems no way
to get past it. Even when I put in the recovery CD it will not read it. I
just get the System halted message. There must be a way?
What caused this problem? It was working fine before I got my new Dell in
December.
It is not being used in any way.
I just want to clean the hard drive the re-install "ME"

 

[Michael Jennings]

IFSMGR
IFSHLP.SYS not found.
System halted.

If you are getting the message you have shown, you have not blanked
the ME computer's hard drive. If you get the message when you try to
boot the recovery CD, BIOS is not set to boot from CD first.

Here is a link about the message - you might want to look at this one:
http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=258471
The resolutions there will only work if BIOS doesn't boot from hard drive;
the computer has to boot from a startup floppy, or an ME install CD.

You will need to access BIOS and remove the hard drive from booting.
Here, again, is a link to a great many links on how to accomplish that:
http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=set+BIOS+boot+order

Discover BIOS and select what device is set to boot up the computer.