Windows not starting - please help a dimwit

[sebastman]

Hello there,

My computer has recently had a new hard drive fitted. Since then when I switch the PC on I get the followig message in DOS:

Microsoft (R) Windows 98 etc etc
C:\>

and thats it!

A friend typed in dir> and the following was displayed:
Volume in drive C has no label
Volume Serial Number is 0E68-13E9
Directory of C:\
COMMAND COM 93,890 04-23-99 10.22pm
1 file 93,890 bytes
0 dir 19,082 23 MB free

As you can tell my knowledge of computers is more than limited but if someone would be kind enough to tell me what is wrong and how I can fix it I would be very grateful.

Thanks.

[BertImmenschuh]

That computer has only a few files installed on its hard drive to make it bootable. There is no Operating System installed. The boot files are from Windows 98 Second Edition.

<font color=blue>Good judgement comes from experience, and experience comes from bad judgement.</font color=blue> <font color=green>Experience is a wonderful thing. It enables you to recognize a mistake when you make it again.</font color=green>

[bach8351]

Did you install an additional drive or replace your existing drive? If you replaced your existing drive, you will need to insert your W98 CD and boot to it and install your operating system and all the drivers. If you installed an additional drive, you are booting to the wrong drive. It was installed wrong.

[sebastman]

Thanks for your replies.

A new drive was installed (not me but a PC repair shop). Does that mean nothing was copied from my old hard drive?

[BertImmenschuh]

I'm afraid so.

<font color=blue>Good judgement comes from experience, and experience comes from bad judgement.</font color=blue> <font color=green>Experience is a wonderful thing. It enables you to recognize a mistake when you make it again.</font color=green>

[bach8351]

I find it hard to believe that a shop technician would be so obtuse as to not install the Operating system on a drive he installed. Time to find a new shop. I hope the shop gave you your old drive. Find another shop and if your old drive is functional with not too many disk problems, have them Ghost your old drive to your new drive. Takes 10 minutes and all will be exactly as you remembered. Some issues that might arise would be a huge difference in size. Say going from an 8gb drive to a 40gb. Cluster sizes will have to be changed(which any competent tech can do in 15 seconds). Also, some older Mobos have a size limitation on them This can sometimes be overcome by either updating the BIOS or a drive overlay. You might want to ask a shop you are considering going to if they are familiar with those issues before taking the machine to them. Still can't believe the dummies didn't install the OS in your new drive!!