Booting, loading problem

[bertie]

The system won't boot up beyond the first DOS screen after the "Windows 98 Loading" screen.

In DOS, I can see it scans for viruses, says it is OK and then freezes.

One slightly odd thing in the lines of text above this line is that the date is presented as:
":5-01-04" and not 05-01-04, or even 2005-01-04 as I would have expected

I need some files from this PC, which is a Compaq Presario 1200. Last time I used it was 6 weeks ago and it worked fine.

I tried starting the PC with an Emergency Boot Disc, but it wouldn't read it.

Any ideas what may be wrong and how to fix it?

[renegade600]

see if you are able to enter your bio. If so, does the settings seem to be correct? It may be time for a battery change.

[bertie]

Dan,
being a bit of a novice, how do I enter my bio? There is no cursor or any stage that allows me to enter anything - at least not obviously.

I suspect your thoughts on the battery may be correct. I thought it might be possible to bypass battery problems by removing it altogether, but it makes no difference.

I've had weird battery problems with this PC before, but they seemed to disappear after software updates a year or so ago.

thanks

[hypnotizeminds]

I think Dan is referring to your BIOS. Try tapping the F2 key repeatedly and immediately after powering on your computer, you should be able to bring up the BIOS which may also be referred to as "Setup" on the screen. You will recognize it by a whole list of options you've never seen before when powering on.

[bertie]

Yes, I'd already got into the setup mode, and have checked the BIOS settings. Everything seems normal - tho I'm not sure I'd spot if it wasn't. I've also tried returning to default settings and still no difference.

Any other ideas?

[bertie]

I tried HP tech support and they suggested reinstalling Windows 98. After getting into Safe Mode to do this, the system warned me that there was insufficient conventional memory to perform the set up procedure. That is weird as I have 1GB on the C drive and over 250 MB on the D drive.

Am I missing something? / Any recommendations?

Also tried to reinstall the McAfee AV software, and that didn't work either.
The PC is a Compaq Presario 1200 XL111

[hypnotizeminds]

Read this Microsoft article (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/134399/EN-US/) concerning conventional memory. Perhaps it will help you to increase the amount to enough to finish setup.