Back up your data.
Pop in the Windows 98 disk and format the hard drive.
Reload Windows 98.
Using the disks that came with the computer, re-load your drivers for the
motherboard and for other devices.
Write back to us if there are any remaining issues.
David Grossman


----- Original Message -----
From: <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Thursday, December 01, 2005 2:10 AM
Subject: [PCBUILD] Boot into external HD from floppy with no internal HD?


> No one repied to my request for help, so I'm re-posting my query.  If no
> one can help me directly, a pointer to perhaps a more appropriate list for
> the Q would be appreciated, thanks.
>
>
> I have a P266 laptop which has died and would appreciate some advice as to
> how to mend or modify it to get more life out of it.
>
> It's a Medion Lifetec with floppy drive, CD-ROM drive, 3GB HD and 96MB
> SDRAM.
>
> The fault began as a blue screen of death message saying can't write to
> HD, a fault which would clear itself, but became more persistent,
> eventually trashing the OS.  When checked out with QuickTech Pro running
> out of a boot floppy the entire machine is fine, and either the HD checks
> out fully, or it fails to recognise its existence at all, putting up error
> code 4E. Anyone know what that means?
>
> Latterly it won't recognise the HD at all.
>
> The HD has been swapped out with a known good one, and when recognised at
> all the 3GB original has always checked out, so I don't suspect the HD
> itself.
>
> The BIOS allows booting from CD or floppy, but no other device.  There are
> 2 USB ports and PCMCIA slots.
>
> Ideally I would like full function back, but failing that I would like to
> be able to continue to use the machine at least as a portable photo
> viewer, which had been one of its main uses.  It occurs to me that As I
> have an external HD which uses the USB port I might be able to put an OS
> on this and hand over to it from a floppy or CDROM boot up, but I don't
> know how to go about this.
>
> Does anyone knows how to do this?    It's important to stress that this
> isn't a floppy boot up into the internal C: drive, as that part of the
> machine is defunct, but a boot up straight into an OS on an external drive
> through the USB port.
>
> I have been advised that the machine is uneconomical to repair (isn't
> everything these days?!) given that the fault is likely to be something on
> the motherboard, but that's still uncertain.
>
> I have Windows 95, 98, and xp.
>
> Any way forward will be much appreciated.
>
> Thanks,   Neil Taylor
>
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