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Q138991: Problems Using Windows 95 or MS Plus! Startup Disk

Article: Q138991
Product(s): Microsoft Windows 95.x Retail Product
Version(s): 
Operating System(s): 
Keyword(s): 
Last Modified: 18-DEC-2000

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The information in this article applies to:

- Microsoft Windows 95 
- Microsoft Plus! for Windows 95 
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SYMPTOMS
========

When you start your computer with the Startup disk, you may not have access to
certain drives, such as CD-ROM drives, compressed drives, or logical drives
located on hard disks on which geometry translation is normally performed by a
real-mode driver. In addition, other devices that require real-mode drivers may
not function properly.

CAUSE
=====

This problem may be caused by any of the following conditions:

- If you are unable to access a compressed drive after starting your computer
  with the Startup disk, you may not be loading the necessary third-party
  compression drivers in the Config.sys file, the Startup disk may not have
  been properly updated for the third-party compression software you are
  running, or the Startup disk may not contain the correct version of the
  real-mode DriveSpace compression driver.

- If you are unable to access a CD-ROM drive or other device that requires a
  real-mode driver in the Config.sys file after starting your computer with the
  Startup disk, the Config.sys file on the Startup disk may not be loading the
  necessary driver. The Config.sys file on the Startup disk is not
  automatically updated to load real-mode drivers that are necessary for
  devices installed in the computer.

- If you are using a third-party software tool to perform geometry translation,
  and you are unable to access one or more of your uncompressed drives after
  starting your computer with the Startup disk, the Config.sys file on the
  Startup disk may not be loading the necessary driver, or it may not be
  possible to completely start your computer from the Startup disk.

RESOLUTION
==========

To resolve the problem, refer to the appropriate section below.

Compressed Drives
-----------------

Third-Party Compression:

If you are using third-party compression software that requires a real-mode
driver in the Config.sys file, you must manually update the Config.sys file on
the Startup disk so that it loads the necessary driver. For information about
the proper syntax for the real-mode compression driver, refer to the
documentation that came with the software or contact the software manufacturer.

If the third-party compression software that you are using loads the real- mode
compression driver before the Config.sys file is processed, the Startup disk
must be updated so that the real-mode driver is loaded when you start your
computer with the Startup disk. For information about how to do so, contact your
software manufacturer.

DriveSpace 3 Compression:

If you installed Microsoft Plus! for Windows 95 and currently have DriveSpace 3
compressed drives on your computer, but you did not update the Startup disk when
you installed Microsoft Plus!, you must manually update the Startup disk to have
access to your DriveSpace 3 compressed drives when using the Startup disk.

When you create a Startup disk in Windows 95 when Microsoft Plus! is not
installed, the real-mode DriveSpace compression driver is one of the files that
is placed on the disk. This allows you to access your DriveSpace compressed
drives when you start your computer with the Startup disk. When you install
Microsoft Plus! and choose to update your Startup disk, the DriveSpace files on
the disk are updated to the DriveSpace 3 versions. This allows you to access
your compressed drives when using the Startup disk if you choose to convert your
existing compressed drives to DriveSpace 3, or if you create new compressed
drives after you install Microsoft Plus!. If you choose not to update your
Startup disk, you are unable to access your DriveSpace 3 compressed drives when
using the Startup disk.

For information about manually updating the Startup disk after Microsoft Plus! is
already installed on your computer, please see the following article in the
Microsoft Knowledge Base:

  Q136900 Manually Updating the Startup Disk After Installing Microsoft Plus!

CD-ROM Drives or Other Devices
------------------------------

If you have a CD-ROM drive or other device that requires a real-mode driver in
the Config.sys file installed in your computer, you must manually update the
Config.sys file on the Startup disk so that it loads the necessary driver. For
CD-ROM drives, you must also update the Autoexec.bat file on the Startup disk so
that it loads the real-mode MSCDEX driver.

For information about the parameters for the real-mode CD-ROM driver and MSCDEX,
or for information about the syntax for the real-mode driver for another device,
refer to the documentation that came with the device or contact the hardware
manufacturer.

NOTE: You may be able to obtain the correct parameters for the real-mode CD- ROM
driver and MSCDEX from the Config.dos and Autoexec.dos files in the root folder
of your boot drive. These files represent the Config.sys and Autoexec.bat files
that you were using before you installed Windows 95. If your CD-ROM drive
functioned properly before you installed Windows 95, the Config.dos and
Autoexec.dos files should contain the correct parameters for the real-mode
CD-ROM driver and MSCDEX.

Drives with Geometry Translation Software Installed
---------------------------------------------------

If you are using a third-party software tool that requires a real-mode driver in
the Config.sys file to perform geometry translation, you must manually update
the Config.sys file on the Startup disk so that it loads the necessary driver.
For information about the proper syntax for the real- mode driver, refer to the
documentation that came with the software or contact the software manufacturer.

If the third-party software tool that you are using to perform geometry
translation uses a real-mode driver that is stored in the root folder of the
boot drive and is loaded from the Master Boot Record, you may not be able to
completely start your computer from the Startup disk. You may need to partially
start your computer from the hard disk before inserting the Startup disk and
continuing the boot process. For information about how to do so, refer to the
documentation that came with the software or contact the software manufacturer.


MORE INFORMATION
================

If you do not have a Startup disk, you can create one in Windows 95. To do so,
double-click the Add/Remove Programs icon in Control Panel, click the Startup
Disk tab, and then click the Create Disk button. If you cannot start Windows 95
normally, you should use these steps to create a Startup disk on another
computer that can start Windows 95. If you have Microsoft Plus! installed on
your computer, the computer that you use to create a Startup disk must also have
Microsoft Plus! installed.

NOTE: If you can boot your computer to a command prompt, but cannot start Windows
95 normally, you may be able to manually create a bootable floppy disk by using
the SYS command to copy the Windows 95 system files from your hard disk to a
floppy disk. To do so, place a floppy disk in drive A, type the following
command, and then press ENTER:

  " c:\windows\command\sys c: a: " (without the quotation marks)

This command copies the system files from the root folder of drive C to the
floppy disk in drive A. If there is a problem with the system files on drive C,
the same problems will exist with the system files that are copied to the floppy
disk.

Additional query words: emergency repair disk ebd speedstor

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Keywords          :  
Technology        : kbWin95search kbGamesSearch kbPlusSearch kbZNotKeyword3 kbPlus95

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