Hard Drive Failure? Save my old computer.

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around troubleshooting a potential hard drive failure on an older Pentium I computer running Windows 95. Participants explore issues related to booting, system disks, and the feasibility of running modern applications on outdated hardware.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Technical explanation
  • Debate/contested
  • Homework-related

Main Points Raised

  • The original poster describes a "DISK BOOT FAILURE" message and seeks clarification on what a "SYSTEM DISK" is and whether it can be downloaded.
  • Some participants inquire about available CDs and floppies, suggesting that reinstalling Windows might resolve the issue.
  • One participant mentions that the term "system disk" refers to any disk with a valid operating system, such as a bootable CD-ROM.
  • There are suggestions to reinstall Windows 95 or 98, with some participants expressing skepticism about using such old operating systems.
  • Concerns are raised regarding the feasibility of running Java programs on a machine with only 16MB of RAM, with some suggesting alternative programming languages like C.
  • One participant reports that the computer started working again without any intervention, leading to speculation about the hard disk's condition.
  • Another participant suggests that the hard disk may be failing, citing issues like a stuck head actuator due to inactivity.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express a range of opinions on the best course of action, with no consensus on whether to reinstall Windows or use alternative programming languages. The discussion remains unresolved regarding the overall condition of the hard drive and the best approach to running applications on the old computer.

Contextual Notes

There are limitations regarding the assumptions about the hardware capabilities and the specific requirements for running different operating systems and applications. The discussion also reflects uncertainty about the state of the hard drive and the implications of its potential failure.

JasonRox
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Hard Drive Failure?! Save my old computer. :)

I have an older computer and it was working just yesterday, and I was just about to use it to do calculations 20 hours a day, but that doesn't look like it will happen.

It's a Pentium I - 133Mhz computer, and it runs Windows 95. The current display is...

DISK BOOT FAILURE, INSERT SYSTEM DISK AND PRESS ENTER

I have no clue what they are talking about when they say "SYSTEM DISK". What specifically is it? Since I probably don't have it, can I download it?

Other info...

I just installed a DVD/CD-Writer in it, on Friday, to replace the non-working CD Drive. I did not burn any cd's or anything like that, I just did a simple test to see if it works and it did. After that, I tried to install Windows 98, but you need Windows 98 Upgrade, so I didn't bother with that anymore.

Also, it was not being used for about a year too, and I just pulled it out to start using it.

That's about all I have to say that can relate to a possible problem.

MORE HELP ABOUT SOMETHING ELSE...

I wanted to upgrade to Windows 98 because I wanted to run some Visual Basics .NET applications, but since I couldn't do that... I thought why not learn JAVA since Windows 95 can run that. I was thinking to just build the program on my "faster" computer and transfer it to the old one. There is one problem though, I can't open MS-DOS on my Windows XP computer. It mentions something about not being able to run under windows applications or something. What can I do?

Note: I would like to save my Pentium I if possible, and I still want to learn JAVA even if it dies.
 
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Hard Drive Failure?! Save my old computer. :)

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I have an older computer and it was working just yesterday, and I was just about to use it to do calculations 20 hours a day, but that doesn't look like it will happen.

It's a Pentium I - 133Mhz computer, and it runs Windows 95. The current display is...

DISK BOOT FAILURE, INSERT SYSTEM DISK AND PRESS ENTER

I have no clue what they are talking about when they say "SYSTEM DISK". What specifically is it? Since I probably don't have it, can I download it?

Other info...

I just installed a DVD/CD-Writer in it, on Friday, to replace the non-working CD Drive. I did not burn any cd's or anything like that, I just did a simple test to see if it works and it did. After that, I tried to install Windows 98, but you need Windows 98 Upgrade, so I didn't bother with that anymore.

Also, it was not being used for about a year too, and I just pulled it out to start using it.

That's about all I have to say that can relate to a possible problem.

MORE HELP ABOUT SOMETHING ELSE...

I wanted to upgrade to Windows 98 because I wanted to run some Visual Basics .NET applications, but since I couldn't do that... I thought why not learn JAVA since Windows 95 can run that. I was thinking to just build the program on my "faster" computer and transfer it to the old one. There is one problem though, I can't open MS-DOS on my Windows XP computer. It mentions something about not being able to run under windows applications or something. What can I do?

Note: I would like to save my Pentium I if possible, and I still want to learn JAVA even if it dies.

Note: I know this is two threads, but no one seems to visit the other forum.
 
What CD's and 3.5 floppies do you have, and how much data would you like to save?
 
Thanks, for replying. :)

I don't care about any data. If it starts from scratch, well then I don't care. All I care about is that Windows is working and that I can run simple *.exe files or Java Applications on it.

I will be using it to just test things over and over again.

So I have...

Windows 98 CD
Windows 95 CD

I also have a box of Floppies that say things like...

1433VQH-X INF FILE for Windows 95
Mouse Drive - V. 02/96 for Windows 95 or DOS.
PFS: WindowWorks
PCI VGA VC-962 Utility Disk

There are more, but that is the kind of stuff that is in it.

What do I need?
 
You are good to go, I think. Crank in one of those windows cds, well I would not put in a windows cd, but if that is your choice, then go for it :smile:

I have only installed xp, about a billion times, so I am not sure of how 95 or 98 install, but it should probably be quite straightforward. When your computer starts up go to the bios. There are different ways to do this depending on your computer, just look for something like "enter setup" or "bios setup" and it will tell you what key to press. Mine is "del" Change your computer to boot from the cd drive, then save, reboot, and it should start up (as long as your cd is in there).

edit... by your title I thought your computer was in serious trouble or your hd with all of your important work was gone :eek:
 
The term "system disk" refers to any disk which has a valid operating system on it. A bootable CD-ROM, like the Windows installer CD, is an example of a system disk.

You should probably just reinstall a fresh copy of Windows on it, and see if you can get it to run reliably. Note that Windows 95 and 98 are 10 and 7 years old, respectively. You really should not use them; use 2000 or XP instead.

- Warren
 
It's fine to use Windows 2000 on a Pentium I? It only has 16mb ram, but I think it can handle up to 64-128mb ram.

I haven't tried it out yet, but thanks for all the help in advance.
 
I didn't do anything, and now it works.

?
 
JasonRox, I don't suggest running java programs on that old machine. Those 16MB will easy be filled up by the virtual machine.
 
  • #10
Its most likely a bad/corrupt boot sector on your disk. You can fix it by using the install disk to do a repair. At the cd drive prompt prompt you can type "fixboot" and then restart. See if that works first. Think its called fixboot. Something like that anyway. /help for list anyway.
 
  • #11
dduardo said:
JasonRox, I don't suggest running java programs on that old machine. Those 16MB will easy be filled up by the virtual machine.

What can I run?

I only planned on having a program to create a ever growing list of primes.
 
  • #12
Then use another language, like C.

- Warren
 
  • #13
chroot said:
Then use another language, like C.

- Warren

I know nothing about it.

Can I compile a program without actually buying a program? Everything is available online for Java, but not Visual Basics.

I'd consider it though.
 
  • #14
JasonRox said:
I know nothing about it.

Can I compile a program without actually buying a program? Everything is available online for Java, but not Visual Basics.

I'd consider it though.

Go to http://www.cygwin.com and download the Cygwin installer. It's basically an environment for Windows that allows you to run Cygwin-compiled UNIX applications. In the package options, you'll see GCC - install it. That'll give you the full GNU Compilter suite, which includes a C compiler, a C++ compiler, and a Fortan compiler.

You can also head over to http://www.activestate.com and download their (free) Win32 Perl distribution. There's plenty of free development options available for the Win32 platform.
 
  • #15
JasonRox said:
I didn't do anything, and now it works.

?
That sounds like your HardDisk is going bad.
The oil dries out and the head actuator gets stuck.
If the machine has been sitting off for a long time, this problem could go away with a little use.

A corrupt boot sector will not fix itself.
 
  • #16
NoTime said:
That sounds like your HardDisk is going bad.
The oil dries out and the head actuator gets stuck.
If the machine has been sitting off for a long time, this problem could go away with a little use.

A corrupt boot sector will not fix itself.

This makes sense. I let it sit there all day with that message, and then I shut it off and turned it back on... and bam it worked.
 

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