Okay, my current laptop no longer has a floppy-drive, but luckily my old one
does, so lets see...
And I know her PC has a floppy-drive too.

I found me an old floppy and indeed it seems to work. So all I need to do
is insert this floppy in her PC now and start it, right?

Thanks by the way Andrew!


"Andrew E." <eckrichco@msn.com> wrote in message
news:008D0F57-7F0E-4CFB-B0E4-E1686FF5FE15@microsoft.com...
> Thier is no "format" cd service on a cd,the only format would be on a
> floppy
> disk which are "raw" from the mfg,or one wants to erase.Some (very few)
> cdrw
> devices can erase a cd,if the option is there,youre cdrw can,if not,it
> isnt
> possible.
>
> "Ellen" wrote:
>
>> Hi Db,
>>
>> first problem is, when I insert an rewritable CD in my laptop, go to
>> windows explorer and click on the D:-drive, select FORMAT, there there is
>> only one option and well "Full".
>> There is no option named "make startup disk" (see printscreen).
>>
>> I do have a "Create an MS-Dos startup disk" option when I select the
>> C:-drive as described, however it is not hightlighted.
>>
>> Ellen
>>
>> "db" <databaseben.discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
>> news:eDyyWoXSHHA.4028@TK2MSFTNGP03.phx.gbl...
>> hello Ellen,
>>
>> yes, you can make an emergency boot
>> cd from your system, regardless of
>> any updates.
>>
>> I'll keep this posting flagged so you
>> can take whatever time you need to
>> provide a status for me.
>>
>> stay warm...
>>
>> - db
>> "Ellen" <e.denan@hone.xp> wrote in message
>> news:uLJ6$PXSHHA.4672@TK2MSFTNGP03.phx.gbl...
>> Hi Db,
>>
>> since it is late here (Netherlands) I will read your steps
>> tomorrow, when I have more time.
>> I think it should be no problem at all to make that emergency boot
>> CD from my system... but will it matter that my laptop is from a
>> different brand?
>>
>> And secondly my windows XP will be more up-to-date then hers, since
>> she has NO internet access and therefore never ran Windows updates.
>>
>> As I recall from making a boot disk once for W98, this all should
>> not matter, but just double-checking!
>>
>> Appreciate your help and talk to you tomorrow... some of the steps
>> (like working on her PC) I will not be able to do so tomorrow, but only
>> later this week, due to other appointments I already made.
>>
>> Best regards for now!!
>>
>> "db" <databaseben.discussions.Microsoft.com> wrote in message
>> news:eAwKpAXSHHA.4404@TK2MSFTNGP03.phx.gbl...
>> Hello Ellen,
>>
>> Ok, I can understand the situation. So
>> lets try to take it step by step. Here
>> we will first get a boot cd made from your
>> computer. Then we will try looking into
>> the cmos settings:
>>
>> Firstly, do you have the ability to make
>> cd's from your laptop? If so, then
>> make an emergency boot cd from your
>> system.
>>
>> To make an emergency boot cd, insert
>> a blank writable cd into your drive.
>>
>> Then go into your file explorer, right click
>> on your cd drive and the format command
>> should be indicated.
>>
>> Select it and ensure that the make startup
>> disk is selected. Afterwards eject it and keep
>> it handy.
>>
>> Secondly, Lets focus on the dysfunctional pc's
>> cmos/bios settings.
>>
>> Briefly, inside the cmos/bios there are a number of
>> settings that enable the motherboard to
>> see the physical hardware connected to it.
>>
>> Most all of the motherboard cmos settings
>> can be manually entered or there will be
>> options to have it automatically search for
>> the correct settings.
>>
>> If the harddrive settings have been wiped
>> out due to the powerfailure, then this would
>> be a cause for the hd not being recognized.
>> So this is what you will focus on when inside
>> the cmos/bios menu.
>>
>> To access the cmos/bios you will need to
>> press and hold down a key like the del key
>> or f2 key and then press the power on
>> button to the pc. Depending on the
>> motherboard it would be either the del key
>> or the f2 key. So try the del key first.
>>
>> Press and hold down the del key and push your
>> power button on. If it beeps then you
>> can release the key and you should see a cmos screen.
>>
>> If the del key was not the right one, then
>> you will likely be taken to the screen with
>> the error message. So, you need to retry
>> and reboot using the F2 key instead. (The
>> motherboard manual will notate which key
>> is required to access the cmos, if the two
>> above do not work)
>>
>> When you get into the cmos, briefly browse through
>> all the settings to get a feel for it. You should
>> find a tab or a subscreen dedicated to the harddrives.
>>
>> Here is where the harddrives, master and slave,
>> should be listed and sizes indicated. If there
>> is no harddrive listed, then is a cause for loosing
>> recognition of the hd.
>>
>> As a convenience, there could be listed on the screen
>> as well a key to push for automatic search
>> of the harddrives. Be using this option the specs
>> for the connected harddrives will populate those blank
>> fields automatically.
>>
>> If the harddrive(s) settings do not populate
>> the fields then we need to take some more steps.
>>
>> If the specs do or are populating the subscreen then save
>> and exit the cmos.
>>
>> Then we will go to the next step depending on your
>> discovery..
>>
>> - db
>> then they will have to be manually entered.
>>
>>
>>
>> "Ellen" <e.denan@hone.xp> wrote in message
>> news:%23mKRHsWSHHA.480@TK2MSFTNGP02.phx.gbl...
>> Hello DB,
>>
>> thanks for your reply.
>>
>> Yes, I am pretty sure her PC was turned off, in that sence she
>> listens well to me (She has Down Syndrom and was home with her parents on
>> the weekend).
>> Unless somebody in her house used her PC, but I hope not, since
>> it is her private room.
>> The Error message however also mentioned something about a
>> power failure.. so it is kind of confusing to me, what really happend.
>>
>> Bear with me, please, but how can I check if the cmos didn't
>> loose it's settings... I never heard of CMOS to be honest, so...
>> ~worried look~
>>
>> Further they re-installed her hard disk last August (since it
>> crashed somehow) and the store gave CD's as well for system restore.
>> Now if I use them how can I prevent using these CD's, which are
>> the only ones I (she) have, that a system restore is done...
>> I did a few system restores in the past on my own laptop, but
>> it has been too long ago for remembering all the options it offers to
>> choose from...
>>
>> Thanks for your patience!
>> Ellen
>>
>> "db" <databaseben.discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
>> news:uWECMXWSHHA.1180@TK2MSFTNGP05.phx.gbl...
>> hello ellen,
>>
>> well unless the pc was on during a power
>> failure, then there should have been no
>> problem.
>>
>> but if the pc was in use and there was
>> a power failure, then generally a chkdsk
>> could fix a problem occurring with the
>> master file table.
>>
>> first make sure that the cmos
>> didn't loose it settings in particular
>> with the harddrive(s).
>>
>> secondly i suggest to boot up with the
>> win cd and go into recovery console.
>>
>> at the c prompt you can run the following
>>
>> chkdsk /r
>>
>> then run a regular chkdsk again just
>> to double check the state of the file system
>>
>> afterwards type exit and try
>> to boot normally again.
>>
>> - db
>>
>>
>> "Ellen" <e.denan@hone.xp> wrote in message
>> news:eProEkVSHHA.1600@TK2MSFTNGP05.phx.gbl...
>>
>> Hi All,
>>
>> a friend called me yesterday if I could come over, since
>> her PC wouldn't
>> start.
>> She was away for the weekend but she understood from her
>> room-mates that
>> there was a power failure (There was no power for a while,
>> due to whatever
>> reason).
>>
>> I just visited her a little bit ago and the problem is,
>> that if you turn on
>> her PC, it
>> will not start windows at all and comes up with a screen
>> suggesting
>> to start in normal mode or go back to the last working
>> configuration,
>> but both options have as result you return to this same
>> "error' screen.
>>
>> Safe Mode doesn't work either, since if I try this option I
>> also return to
>> the "error' screen.
>> I tried to do a Safe Mode with Restore function (Since the
>> Restore Function
>> on this machine (HP Pavilion F1723) is hidden under F10 and
>> not on Cd's) and
>> when I tried this, I received an UNMOUTABLE-BOOT-VOLUME
>> Error.
>>
>> The only restore I know is a System Restore and I was
>> hoping I do not
>> have to go that way, since of course she didn't make any
>> back-ups.
>>
>> Thanks for any advice!
>>
>> Ellen
>>
>>
>>