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Thread: Bootstrap program

  1. #1
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    Bootstrap program

    Im not sure where to put this, but im having trouble booting my other drive. It says it cannot find command.com. When I type in the path of C:\DOS\command.com it says something like "invalid DOS version." How can i change it so that it can use DOS 6.0s command.com? Will i have to change the boot program?

  2. #2
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    This probably should of been posted in The hardware forum.

    When you say boot program, do you already have a OS on the HD? IF you do have a OS on the HD what is it, win 98, xp ect.

    Seems like c:\DOS\command.com is not the right folder for it. On most Windows comptuers its located either at c:\windows\system32\command.com for XP-2000
    For Win 98 its c:\windows\system\command.com I believe.

    =

  3. #3
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    cheyenne1212: since when are Operating Systems hardware related? Although maybe a software forum should be added...

    NeuTron: I dunno.. but yer posts are starting to irritate me. This does have to do with the bootstrap program. The bootstrap located on the MBR is looking for a different version of files then the ones he is pointing to.

    rock986: Computers boot in a specific order.

    Boot Process (dumbed down)
    - Bios asks the CMOS where to look for an OS
    - CMOS gives a boot order (A,C; C,A; CD-Rom, A, C) (Assume we look at C. which is what yer comp is doing)
    - The first part of your harddrive is the Partition Table and the first part of the Partition Table is the MBR (Master Boot Record). The BIOS asks the MBR To boot.
    - The MBR Looks for the System Boot Record (DOS Boot Record, Windows Boot Record.. Linux. whatever) (We'll assume DOS since your playing with command.com)
    - The DOS Boot Record Looks for IO.SYS (DOS, Win9X) (on NT/2K/XP it would be ntldr)
    - IO.SYS Looks for MSDOS.SYS (executes config.sys)
    - MSDOS.SYS looks for command.com (executes autoexec.bat)
    - Command Prompt

    If you are getting invalid DOS Version then you are loading ntldr or the Win9X version of IO.SYS but then playing with the DOS6 version of command.com the files are incompatible with eachother.

    You are going to have to point to the correct version of command.com (check cheyenne1212's post) or use a bootdisk. Your other option would be to clear your MBR so it's not looking for specific OS files... try fdisk /mbr. I don't know the circumstances of why you are trying this.. but those are some possible fixes. Hopefully this will help ya out a bit.

  4. #4
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    cheyenne1212: since when are Operating Systems hardware related? Although maybe a software forum should be added...
    Long day at work.
    Good idea about software forum though.


    If I remember correctly woldn't you point to the correct source for command.com by using a command like this

    path=c:\windows\system\;c:\windows
    or
    path=c:\windows\system32\command.com

    Something like that I think.
    =

  5. #5
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    the path command set's the folders that the OS looks in when you type just the executables name. so if $PATH = C:\windows;C:\windows\system32 and you typed ping it would look in c:\windows and c:\windows\system32 for ping.exe.

    However with rock986's problem he's being asked for a command interpretter on boot-up (that's how I interpretted it anyways). The path command would be after he was in the command interpretter

  6. #6
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    Red face

    I'll just let you handle this.

    I'm gonna go to bed.

    c'ya
    =

  7. #7
    The Iceman Cometh
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    When I type in the path of C:\DOS\command.com it says something like "invalid DOS version."
    It sounds like you're trying to use a command.com which is incompatible with your current boot files. You mention you're trying to use DOS 6.0? What you're going to have to do is insert the first DOS 6.0 floppy and type sys.com This will overwrite your old boot files with the ones for DOS 6.0. That will allow you to use the command.com from DOS 6.0. One note of caution, however. If you do this, you may be unable to boot any other operating systems you have on that machine.

    AJ

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