Restoration problem

[Daveo_1]

I turned on my computer one day and Windows wouldnt load because of an error in GDI.Exe. It told me to reinstall Windows.

When I put my recovery CD into my "N" drive, my HP DVD/CD drive, it would load the recovery program. Then it would say it couldn't read CD101 on the "M" drive, my HP CD burner. I switched the CD from the N drive to the M drive and it would still get a read error. All it could do was format my computer but it couldn't transfer the recovery files to the computer.

What do I need to do to get Windows back up considering I don't have a Windows 98 CD since all HP gives is the recovery CD?

[Peter Toldi_1]

When you have this problem are you actually booting from the recovery CD with your DVD/CD drive?

[Daveo_1]

When I first boot up with the recovery disk in, it's in my "N" drive which is my CD/DVD drive. After the recovery program boots up, it doesn't want to read anything anymore because it's set on reading the info off the CD from my "M" drive, which is my CD burner.

But it says it gets a CD101 error from the M drive and it can't read it.

[Seth Hollist]

Can you tell it what drive you want it to read from? Also, drive M and N seem high for CD-rom drives, usually they'd be somewhere closer to D, E or even F and G. Do you have a ton of disk drives in this machine or something?

[Daveo_1]

I would prefer it to read from my "N" drive because it is my CD/DVD drive and I'm under the impression you should leave CD burners (My M drive) for just burning CDs. On boot up it doesn't start anything if the recovery CD is in the "M" CD burner drive.

They are named M and N by default via HP. I mean you can name drives whatever you want, but for whatever reason HP named these drives M and N for me.

I think it wants to read the M drive by default because it is located above my N drive on my tower (which I have no idea why HP arranged that way).

As for my drives, Ive got a C, A, M, N, and Z (ZIP drive).

But I dont see why those other drives matter. My main problem is the recovery CD only boots from the N drive but then it wants to read the CD from the M drive even though it keeps getting a CD 101 read error, whatever that is.

[Peter Toldi_1]

Your problem is very simple.
The recovery CD is set up for M drive and only works if your boot drive is M, but you have two CD drives and your boot drive is N because the way dos assigns drive letters and the way the config.sys file set up on the recovery CD.
Just disconnect your second CD drive until you done your recovery.

[Daveo_1]

Okay I went back and mapped out everything that happened.

#1. Turning on the computer one day, I get this error:
"There is an error loading GDI.EXE . Please reinstall Windows."
Then my computer would turn off.

#2 I put the recovery CD in my "M" drive, which is my CD-Burner. It doesn't load the CD. I shut down, and put the CD in my "N" drive, which is my CD/DVD drive. It loads the CD.

#3 After the loading begins, I get this error:
"CDR101: Not ready reading drive M
Abort, Retry, Fail?" I Abort/Fail (they do the same thing in this case) and it goes to format and restore my computer

#4 It still doesn't read the CD after retrying, but it still formats my computer. Aborting and Failing brings me to a new colored screen that says:
"Read fault on drive M Enter/Okay Esc/Cancel"
Hitting Enter does nothing, I hit Esc to cancel.

#5 After that screen I go to a black screen and get this error message:
"There is either no HiColor DAC or the mode can't be set."
Then the computer shuts off.

One thing to note is it doesn't matter if the CD is in the M drive or not, it still can't read it and it still formats my computer either way.

This is the best account I can give you.
Now that I think I've been a bit clearer, is there a different solution other than disconnecting my "N" Drive?

[anonymous_1]

I have 2 solution'z...try to re-assign the drive letter'z to make N (cd/dvd) > M (cd/dvd) & M (cd burner) > N (cd burner) either by some config file (config.sys) thru bios boot order or by taking off the case switching the cable'z & might also take a jumper change to pick one to be master (secondary master that is...not override the hd) or primary slave. Depending on the level u had to go thru to do that this could just be temporary & u switch back after u're recovered or u don't wanna go thru all that again to reverse it. I think the cd/dvd should be main anyway. The other way is just make N (cd/dvd) > D (cd/dvd) & see if that work'z. A way I just thought of is again with the bios boot order...if it will boot from N & not M maybe u could make M boot 1st (1st as in cd drive'z {wherever they are in the list make the one on the bottom on the top}) Ok just thought of this M isn't even in the boot order at all cuz if it was it would boot no matter which order there in (unless it'z after the hd) just if u have a boot disc in N that make'z a screen N come up & a disc in M that make'z an M screen come up & the boot order had N first & boot u'd get the N screen...take the disc out of N & boot u'd get the M screen so try to get M in the boot order (to use this option & boot from the burner). After all that I think my 1st solution won't work until after u do the get M in boot order one.

[Peter Toldi_3]

You can switch cables if you want different solution, but there is a few things to consider like the jumper setting on the back of your drives. Also you never mentioned you current IDE set up, or if one of your drive is SCSI. Since you only have to run recovery once and you main focus is to get your Operating System back again I was trying to do it the easiest way for you.

[Daveo_1]

Okay but say I disconnect my N drive, will it be forced to load the CD from the M drive? Because it doesn't read it from the M drive right away as it is, so what will garuntee it will when the other drive is disconnected?

Sorry for not mentioning that last part, I was just focused on getting my CD drives to read the CD in some way.