MS-DOS compatability mode-DRIVE C using ???  BIOS a mess!!  Lost CD-ROM ?? What do I do???
397285
have you done a virus scan ?  back in the old days (of win98), computer viruses used to knock c-drives into compatibility mode.\n\nif you've done that, you can always remove them from the device manager and reboot - that will make windows re-recognize them and that might get rid of the problem too (tho you'll be prompted to reboot several more times).\n\ni've also had that problem if the bios settings were messed up (say, if the floppy drive was deactivated or the cd-rom had its settings misconfigured).\n\ngood luck !!
919570
There is nothing else you need to do. It should have worked. \n\nTry to see if the drive is visible from the bios when you start the system. It might be that there is a conflict with some other device that is sharing the same IDE cable. Try changing it from master to slave or the opposite! (there is a little jumper on the back of the drive for doing this).
248300
With most new operaing systems you shouldn't need any driver CD. I have a very strong feeling that the solution is in the BIOS setting.\n\nGood luck.\n\nBhalo achho to. Ami BD'r bangali.
178634
if this is a win 98 system . boot up in dos or with a boot disk get to the dos prompt type  get to the root directory and type Fdisk/MBR , might work not guarenteed . depends on damage .Oops a little more info. sorry had to go. but anyway after enter this command you will not see anysignificant activity . just reboot again...hopefully fdisk will have fixed the problem and you wont have to worry about file recovery.
960749
format your c drive and do a clean installation of XP... make sure you have the drivers for your monitor...
228822
I had a friend who did the same thing, he put xp on and realized it could barely boot up. Just put in the win98 cd and let it format the drive during installation. Make sure you have all the drivers for 98 BEFORE installing. Find out what drivers you will need. That is the hardest part by far.
1158317
Your best bet is to go to Microsoft Downloads and download their compatibility wizard on your machine first, it will tell you what you have that won't work before you start. I am using the 64 bit version now and I love it.
838986
I did that once, changed the BIOS setting but didn't SAVE&exit - Here's hoping its not justme thats dumb! ;)
870980
you cannot format from the bios.. you need some raw formatting executives like fdisk, which are generally shiped with the hard drive or are available on their website.. do the same carefully cause a `low level format' requires care and doing the same too many times might cause problems on the same (bad sectors etc.)
610398
hey me again..the only way to do this that i know of is in DOS\nand its complicated\nall thats in those is info for system restore
824729
will it boot into safemode (f8 on boot)? if so do a system restore ... if not ur sol i think ...there wont be any other backup unless you made one ... if you know what files then pull ur drive and stick it in the machine ur using now and copy the files you need to the system folders ...
894778
.\nWe know what normal looks like, but your description of "stuff like local disk c is all over the place" is so vague that no one can understand the problem.\n\nI would suggest that you do not format;\njust go to your last known good configuaration:\nthat would be a restore point BEFORE the problem began.\n\n1.  Click START > Programs > Accessories >\n2.  Click System Tools > Click System Restore\n3.  Select a date prior to the problem, and then follow the prompts to complete the wizard.\n\nh2h
366614
back up all your data first...\n\ninsert your windows cd into your drive, reboot your pc and make sure you bios is set to boot from cd.\n\ngo through the questions and answer them.\n\nin about an hour your done...\n\nunless you have hardware that the windows cd doesnt contain drivers for, then you have to install those too... you should have these drivers but if not dont despair, you should be able to get them back.
739160
What OS are u running? \nDo u care about data C:  HD holds?\nNO : Reinstall windows, while installation u'll set C disk size.\nYes : DO NOT OPERATE WITHIN WINDOWS.\nU should be looking for 3_rd party software.\nI'm running and Acronis Diks Director.\nAnd recommend it to u.
279029
What are you upgrading from?  If you are in any version of Windows I would install the CD-ROM before doing any upgrade.  The XP software will do the rest for you once the CD ROM is installed.  I think most versions of BIOS will detect the CDROM for you if you are building a computer from scratch.  I have bootable disks but I have not used them in years.  If you download anything make sure it is from a reputable site and that it will work with the version of DOS that you have on your PC.
6039
Your BIOS must support booting from USB devices.  On system startup you need to get into your BIOS (usually F2 - check manufacturer's specification), and find where you can specify the boot order.  Select a low-numbered boot order item, and set it to USB-HDD (if availble, otherwise another USB option).  This may require several attempts until the right device option is found.\n\nSince most USB drives are ATAPI-compliant, your BIOS should detect it as if it were an external USB hard drive.\n\nJust make sure you specify a boot order BEFORE your internal hard drive (usually HDD, or IDE0), otherwise your system will always boot to the hard drive.\n\nAlso, you need to format the USB drive as a bootable drive.  If you can get the system to boot from a DOS, Windows or Linux floppy disk, you can try installing DOS, Windows 95/98, or Linux (Win2000, and WinXP require more than 256Mb for sytem files).  Your system will likely assign the USB drive as the C:&#92; drive (MAKE SURE THIS IS THE CASE BEFORE FORMATTING!!!).\n\nKeep in mind that most USB drives are slower than hard drives, so performance may not be up to par.  The newer "high-speed" drives are faster, but not comparable to a real hard drive.\n\nIf no options work, your Micro Valut may not be ATAPI-compliant, or it's USB-HDD firmware may not be compatible with your system.  I had this happen with a SanDisk Cruzer mini, but a PNY Attache worked.\n\nIf I may make one suggestion as well...make a bootable CD with your images instead.  CD's are much more rugged, and cannot be accidentally erased.  Duplicates are EXTREMELY cheaper (about 5 cents vs. $20) than the USB drive solution.  Many more BIOS' support booting from CD (for about 10 years now), so compatibility is usually not an issue.  All of the commercial CD-burning packages (including most of the LITE versions) support making bootable CD's.  The only trick is to make a bootable floppy that it can use to create the boot image on the CD.
62672
I don't use one.  After formatting go to your BIOS options and have the PC Boot from CD-ROM before Hard Disk.