Windows defaults to MS DOS after start or restart

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Guest

We have a PC that wants to automitically default to MS DOS mode after (what
seems) a startup procedure. Any guidance to trouble shoot this would be
appreciated.

thanks
Andy
 
andy said:
We have a PC that wants to automitically default to MS DOS mode after (what
seems) a startup procedure. Any guidance to trouble shoot this would be
appreciated.

thanks
Andy
Click to expand...

What operating system do you use? Windows 98?
 
Sorry pegasus -- windows 2000, let me know if you know some easy method to
trouble shoot this.

someone told me it may be best to start over(re-image) - that would be
fine, but I can't seem to remember how to copy files from DOS to a floppy.
I'm not enamored to that possibility.

your help appreciated
andy
 
This sounds like an upgrade from Windows 98. The information of what op sys to boot into should be in boot.ini a hidden file on the root of the active partion at boot.
 
shaking my head back and forth continually and making the sounds of a cartoon
charahracter "...on the root of the active partion at boot."

partion? what!

Mr. George Hester, you just went (way) over my head.

Andrew
 
In my first reply I tried to establish if you were indeed running
Windows 2000. Some novice posters do not appreciate that
Windows 98 is not the same as Windows 2000. Your subject
line refers to MS DOS, and since there is no MS DOS under
Windows 2000, I got suspicious.

George then tried to find out if you had perhaps a multi-booting
PC. The question did not seem to mean much to you. So let's
get down to details:

1. When you boot your machine, you get some messages
from the BIOS, e.g. the number of disk drives you have etc.

2. After the BIOS messages, the operating system cuts in.
See if you can press the Pause key to stop the boot process,
then report what you see on the screen. Press the space
bar to resume the boot process.

3. Do the words "Windows 2000" ever appear on the screen?

4. When the machine has finished the boot process and is
in what you call "MS DOS", type the following commands
and report the replies and effects:
ver
path
set comp
type c:\boot.ini
exit


andy said:
shaking my head back and forth continually and making the sounds of a cartoon
charahracter "...on the root of the active partion at boot."

partion? what!

Mr. George Hester, you just went (way) over my head.

Andrew
Click to expand...
sys to boot into should be in boot.ini a hidden file on the root of the
active partion at boot.
 
Pegasus & also to George,
I'll go through the start up as you suggest and get back to you. I see your
point now that it may be an upgrade form 98. thanks so far --I'll post later
today.

(point of clarification: I am corresponding through my primary desktop and
not the one I ma having problems with)

thanks
andy
 
You know Pegasus there was a command code that could be entered into MSDOS that would transfer control back to Windows 98 for the boot process. If that was never done the machine would always boot to MSDOS. Do you remember it? I think it was win /c
 
This is probably the wrong group to discuss Windows 98
issues but yes, you're mostly right. The command was just
plain win . Nothing else. Are you suggesting that
my initial suspicion could have been correct, that the OP
might be running Windows 98, not Windows 2000?


You know Pegasus there was a command code that could be entered into MSDOS
that would transfer control back to Windows 98 for the boot process. If
that was never done the machine would always boot to MSDOS. Do you remember
it? I think it was win /c
 
No I'm thinking that boot to MSDOS was enabled when the upgrade Windows 98 process was done. So if they boot to MSDOS then type win like you said they just might boot right into Windows 2000. ???
 
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