----- Original Message -----
From: "Mike Berry" <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Monday, January 15, 2007 7:41 AM
Subject: [PCBUILD] No Operating System
Hello All,
I don't know if anyone can help with this problem or not. I have a computor
which was bought from one of Canada's biggest computor suppliers. It started
having major problems a few months ago. I finally formatted the hard drive
and now the problem seems much larger!!
All I have is a recovery disc suppied by the company..it does nothing.
When I boot the computor I get a message saying no operating system.
The files are(or were, I should say) ntfs not Fat32,a change that I
made..to haha speed up the computer!! I have windows 3.1 (full version) and
the windows 98 upgrade disc. It will not accept these either. I've tried
partition magic......won't load......and many other things even a recovery
disc from the most reputable computor company ....Which supplied my new
computor.
I have 2 questions:
1) Can any one save this machine as it now is?
2) I've been assured that if I buy the full version of Windows XP Home that
it will install ,Do you think that is correct??
I can't get a dos prompt or anything, only that there is no operating
system,or when I try and load Windows 3.1 that it is a non system disc.
It came with With Windows XP Home pre-installed.
Thanks,
Mike Berry
++++++++++
One of the reasons that I like to build my own computers is that I have
control of the parts and can restart if I care to. This is not as easy as
it used to be before Windows XP, and, of course, the flip side is that it
may not boot up when first plugged in!
When you reformatted the disk, you destroyed the operating system. You
don't even have DOS. That is why none of your software will work.
Evidently the "system restore disk" does not contain the operating system.
This is one of the ways the integrated computer builders can save money and
offer you such a nice discount over building a computer yourself.
Answers to your questions:
1) Of course. You didn't do anything to the hardware. It is good as new.
2) A full version of XP Home should install fine. Or, you could save about
half and get an OEM version form somewhere like Newegg.com. This is
particularly attractive if you plan on upgrading to VISTA when it comes out.
Or, you could wait for VISTA, which is coming out soon, I think. However,
there is no assurance that VISTA will work with your hardware.
The most significant problem that I forsee is that the purchased XP will not
have the drivers on it for the particular on-board hardware that you have.
Another one of the ways that integrated computer builders save money is by
putting all the hardware on the motherboard. For example, the video may not
be on a separate card, but on a chip on the motherboard. If you had an
Nvidea video card, you would have the driver disk and could reinstall the
drivers, or else you could download them. However, the video "should" still
work without the drivers. Perhaps the drivers that you need are on the
restore disk?
(I am a little out of my area here, as I have not bought a new computer in
about twenty years.)
Have you tried calling the vendor for help and advice. They may have a free
or low-cost way of restoring your operating system. I would call them before
spending a couple of hundred dollars on a new copy of XP. After all you ARE
licensed to run XP on your computer!!!!
Finally a little lecture. When you send a question like this, you should
always include (say, at the bottom) a list of the hardware that you are
using. In this case, at a minimum, you should have included the name of the
manufacturer and the model number of the computer. It is entirely possible
that someone on the list has had a great deal of experience with your
computer model or very similar ones.
Good luck resolving your problem.
Dean Kukral
PCBUILD's List Owners:
Bob Wright<[log in to unmask]>
Drew Dunn<[log in to unmask]>
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