Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!samsung!caen!uflorida!travis!hardy!leoh From: leoh@hardy.hdw.csd.harris.com (Leo Hinds) Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc.misc Subject: Re: DOS 5.0 reseller protection? Message-ID: <3729@travis.csd.harris.com> Date: 20 Jun 91 21:32:23 GMT References: <23618@shlump.lkg.dec.com> Sender: news@travis.csd.harris.com Organization: Harris Computer Systems, Ft. Lauderdale, FL Lines: 40 In article jcmorris@mwunix.mitre.org (Joe Morris) writes: >reisert@mast.enet.dec.com (Jim Reisert) writes: >>I found this to be the case. At one point, after I had upgraded from DOS >>3.3 to DOS 5.0, I screwed up my CONFIG.SYS file and couldn't boot off the >>hard drive anymore. I booted off the old 3.3 floppy ('cause I forgot to >>make a bootable 5.0 disk) but then couldn't access the hard drive anymore! >>The only way to get out of the loop was to re-install 5.0 on the hard drive. >>There was no way for me to make a 5.0 boot disk with the 5.0 upgrade disks I >>had. >I got into this situation in exactly the same manner; the trick was to >bang on the BREAK key while booting the uninstall diskette. Then edit >the bug out of CONFIG.SYS, reboot the fixed disk, and MAKE A BOOTABLE >FLOPPY...dammit. > >Your problem is probably the same one that bit me: the DOS5 installation >rebuilt the FAT to BIGDOS format, which is unknown to DOS 3.3 and prevents >it from recognizing the DOS partition. This must be a common problem ... either through cockpit-error or bugs I ended up with a config.sys of size 0. I couldn't locate my dos3.3 (or 4.0 for that matter) but borrowed a friend's DR-DOS 5.0 ... that booted ok & I was able to re-create a minimum config.sys to get me going again. I tried to re-install 5.0 as a means of re-creating the config.sys, but it apparently "noticed" that I already had dos5 installed and would ONLY let me make a set of floppies (including a bootable one). Another note of interest ... someone who was setting up a new system here (used to the dos4's setup program initializing things for you on a new system without a formatted HD) tried to do the same with the 5.0 upgrade disks he got ... it would only make a set of bootable floppies ... moral of the story, if you run into this difficulty, disable your hard disk & then follow the "normal setup procedure ... after the first floppy has been created, you now have a bootable 5.0 disk. leoh@hdw.csd.harris.com Leo Hinds (305)973-5229 Gfx ... gfx ... :-) whfg orpnhfr V "ebg"grq zl fvtangher svyr lbh guvax V nz n creireg ?!!!!!!? ... znlor arkg gvzr