Unable to reinstall Windows 95

[robert23]

I have a Packard Bell computer with Windows 95. I get errors and want to reinstall the operating system. When I put the Packard Bell Master Restore Diskette Ver 3.61W and Packard Bell Master CD PC-Doctor TM Diagnostics disks in I get the message: Unable To Create ERROR.LOG and can proceed no further. Does anyone know how to fix this? Robert

[robert23]

NARROWING DOWN THE PROBLEM

I'm making a boot disk to solve the problem I wrote about earlier but it's not quite working yet. I believe I've narrowed the problem down to the AUTOEXEC.BAT file and the link between the CD-ROM drive and the sound card. Here's where things stand now:
==================================================
current CONFIG.SYS on boot disk

DEVICE=A:\HIMEM.SYS
DEVICEHIGH = A:\HXCD-ROM\LTNIDE.SYS /D:MSCD000
==================================================
current AUTOEXEC.BAT on boot disk

SET BLASTER=A220 I5 D1 T4
@ECHO OFF
PROMPT $P$G
PATH C:\WINDOWS;C:\WINDOWS\COMMAND;C:\
SET DIRCMD=/O
SET TEMP=C:\PBTOOLS\WINTEMP
SET WINPMT=[WINDOWS] $P$G
A:\WINDOWS\AZTPNP.EXE /A
LH A:\WINDOWS\COMMAND\MSCDEX.EXE /D:MSCD000 /M:20 /S /L:Q
==================================================
current AUTOEXEC.BAT on C Drive

SET BLASTER=A220 I5 D1 T4
@ECHO OFF
PROMPT $P$G
PATH C:\WINDOWS;C:\WINDOWS\COMMAND;C:\
SET DIRCMD=/O
SET TEMP=C:\PBTOOLS\WINTEMP
SET WINPMT=[WINDOWS] $P$G
C:\WINDOWS\AZTPNP.EXE /A
LH C:\WINDOWS\COMMAND\MSCDEX.EXE /D:MSCD000 /M:20 /S /L:Q
==================================================
The boot disk now works if I put C instead of A in the AUTOEXEC.BAT file so I guess that means I found the right CD-ROM driver code but I know the value needs to be A
When I put A in it won't work so I think that means some of those Cs in the AUTOEXEC.BAT boot disk file needs to be As and maybe I don't need a few of those addresses that are in the AUTOEXEC.BAT file. Does anyone have ideas what I should try next?

[jtdoom]

hi

make a diskcopy of that recovery/restore floppy

the original should be permanently write protected, and working from a NOT write protected COPY of that floppy could perhaps solve this cannot create error.log problem.

[robert23]

Thanks for responding. What eventually solved my problem was this erase and boot disk download from PuterGeek:
http://www.putergeek.com/downloads/#win95b_boot (http://www.putergeek.com/downloads/#win95b_boot) It's a great tool

I used it to erase the hard drive but not to re-install Windows 95 because it is designed for use with the Windows 95 disk from Microsoft. Since my Windows 95 program was on the Packard Bell CD it wouldn't re-install it but it got me to the point where the Packard Bell Master Restore 3.5 floppy and CD Rom would work again. I was real happy, so happy I found some 16 MB 72 pin simms and upgraded the computer to 64 MB. While at the computer surplus store where I got the simms I found another computer I'm playing with now. It's a Compaq with 512 MB and I used the PuterGeek disk to erase the memory. (It works on Windows 98 also) I ended up using another 98 boot disk to install the 98 program. http://www.shaneo.com/bootdisks/ (http://www.shaneo.com/bootdisks/) wboot98se.exe and the Compaq is up and running. The trickiest thing about the 98 installation for me ( I'm a novice) was reading enough of the instructions to realize that the CD ROM drive (usually the D drive) becomes an E drive for awhile in the install process and I had to type in E: (not D:) before typing in CD WIN98 The Windows 98 situation is a different problem and there's something I need to fix even though it's working. I'll write about that in another post in the 98 section.