Urgent help, delete system files

[Mary]

Hi, Friends,

I need your guys' help urgently. I am still using Window 98 for my Pen III
desktop. Yesterday I misktakenly deleted the system files ( I am not good at
computer). These deleted files are in the recycle bin because I did not empty
the recycle bin. When I restarted the computer, the only information in the
screen is :"invalid system disk. Please replace the system disk, then press
any key to start...".

Can not get into safe mode. Does not response to any keys or F1-F12, or
alt+ctrl+del". I do have a Recovery CD when I bought the computer almost 9
years ago. The options are: Diskette backup, user backup, user restore and
factory restore. I do not have window 98 system disk.

I was in panic this morning, and I am calming down now. What can I do to
repair the operator system? How can I get back to Wndows, or retrieve those
deleted system files from recycle bin? I do not want to delete my 10 years
private files (I do not have backup) and the softwares I installed in the
computer?

Please help!!!!! Thanks, Mary.

[Gary S. Terhune[_2_]]

How did you delete the system files? You can't possibly have delete them
all. They either wouldn't let you or you'd endure an immediate full crash of
the system. So you must have only deleted some of them. Please explain,
step-by-step- how you accomplished this deletion. What folder or files did
you delete?

--
Gary S. Terhune
MS-MVP Shell/User
http://grystmill.com

"Mary" > wrote in message
...
> Hi, Friends,
>
> I need your guys' help urgently. I am still using Window 98 for my Pen
> III
> desktop. Yesterday I misktakenly deleted the system files ( I am not good
> at
> computer). These deleted files are in the recycle bin because I did not
> empty
> the recycle bin. When I restarted the computer, the only information in
> the
> screen is :"invalid system disk. Please replace the system disk, then
> press
> any key to start...".
>
> Can not get into safe mode. Does not response to any keys or F1-F12, or
> alt+ctrl+del". I do have a Recovery CD when I bought the computer almost 9
> years ago. The options are: Diskette backup, user backup, user restore and
> factory restore. I do not have window 98 system disk.
>
> I was in panic this morning, and I am calming down now. What can I do to
> repair the operator system? How can I get back to Wndows, or retrieve
> those
> deleted system files from recycle bin? I do not want to delete my 10 years
> private files (I do not have backup) and the softwares I installed in the
> computer?
>
> Please help!!!!! Thanks, Mary.

[Jeff Richards]

The message you are seeing is not related to files that you can delete from
Windows. It is possible that the disk drive is faulty, or partially
corrupted.

Check that you haven't accidentally left a disk in the floppy disk drive.

What prompted you to delete files? Was there an error message or some
problem that you were trying to solve?
--
Jeff Richards
MS MVP (Windows - Shell/User)
"Mary" > wrote in message
...
> Hi, Friends,
>
> I need your guys' help urgently. I am still using Window 98 for my Pen
> III
> desktop. Yesterday I misktakenly deleted the system files ( I am not good
> at
> computer). These deleted files are in the recycle bin because I did not
> empty
> the recycle bin. When I restarted the computer, the only information in
> the
> screen is :"invalid system disk. Please replace the system disk, then
> press
> any key to start...".
>
> Can not get into safe mode. Does not response to any keys or F1-F12, or
> alt+ctrl+del". I do have a Recovery CD when I bought the computer almost 9
> years ago. The options are: Diskette backup, user backup, user restore and
> factory restore. I do not have window 98 system disk.
>
> I was in panic this morning, and I am calming down now. What can I do to
> repair the operator system? How can I get back to Wndows, or retrieve
> those
> deleted system files from recycle bin? I do not want to delete my 10 years
> private files (I do not have backup) and the softwares I installed in the
> computer?
>
> Please help!!!!! Thanks, Mary.

[philo]

"Mary" > wrote in message
...
> Hi, Friends,
>
> I need your guys' help urgently. I am still using Window 98 for my Pen
III
> desktop. Yesterday I misktakenly deleted the system files ( I am not good
at
> computer). These deleted files are in the recycle bin because I did not
empty
> the recycle bin. When I restarted the computer, the only information in
the
> screen is :"invalid system disk. Please replace the system disk, then
press
> any key to start...".
>
> Can not get into safe mode. Does not response to any keys or F1-F12, or
> alt+ctrl+del". I do have a Recovery CD when I bought the computer almost 9
> years ago. The options are: Diskette backup, user backup, user restore and
> factory restore. I do not have window 98 system disk.
>
> I was in panic this morning, and I am calming down now. What can I do to
> repair the operator system? How can I get back to Wndows, or retrieve
those
> deleted system files from recycle bin? I do not want to delete my 10 years
> private files (I do not have backup) and the softwares I installed in the
> computer?
>
> Please help!!!!! Thanks, Mary.


Boot with your Win98 floppy

then issue the command sys C:

that will get your machine booted up again.


If your machine now boots to Windows...fine...
but if it only boots to dos...post back for further instructions.


Your personal data is not lost...even if Windows does not function
it can be recovered...however do NOT use your factory restore CD...
that will wipe out your personal data!

[philo]

"Jeff Richards" > wrote in message
...
> The message you are seeing is not related to files that you can delete
from
> Windows. It is possible that the disk drive is faulty, or partially
> corrupted.
>
> Check that you haven't accidentally left a disk in the floppy disk drive.
>
> What prompted you to delete files? Was there an error message or some
> problem that you were trying to solve?
>


Io.sys & msdos.sys are required to boot
and *can* be deleted.


But the floppy in the drive is a good thing to check first!!!

[Gary S. Terhune[_2_]]

1. Go to http://www.bootdisk.com/bootdisk.htm. and choose the proper one for
your system and says "Custom, No Ramdrive".

2. Boot to the floppy disk, choose "...without CD support."

3. At the a:\ prompt, run the following commands. Each line is a command
that you type in and then press <Enter>. Watch for proper punctuation and
spaces. If you open a reply to this, you can use your mouse cursor to find
spaces. Also will help to use the same case (upper or lower) as I do.

md INFO
c:
cd recycled
dir /ah

At this point, you should see a file named INFO, or INFO2, or INFO3, etc.
But only one that starts INFO. Also, the file has no extension (unlike
"DESKTOP INI"). For the purposes of these instructions, we'll assume the
file's name is INFO2. Change that name as necessary. Now run the following
commands:

attrib -h info2
copy info2 a:\info
attrib +h info2

Remove the floppy and shut down the machine. Take the floppy to the machine
you're using to post here and send me that file, A:\INFO\INFO2 (or whatever
yours is named.) DO NOT POST THE FILE HERE. I will post it to my website so
that anyone else who wishes to assist can obtain it and peruse it.
Meanwhile, I will use the information in that file to create a batch file
that will restore the files to their proper locations.

Send the file to gryst_at_grystmill.com (replace _at_ with @)

--
Gary S. Terhune
MS-MVP Shell/User
http://grystmill.com

"Gary S. Terhune" <none> wrote in message
...
> How did you delete the system files? You can't possibly have delete them
> all. They either wouldn't let you or you'd endure an immediate full crash
> of the system. So you must have only deleted some of them. Please explain,
> step-by-step- how you accomplished this deletion. What folder or files did
> you delete?
>
> --
> Gary S. Terhune
> MS-MVP Shell/User
> http://grystmill.com
>
> "Mary" > wrote in message
> ...
>> Hi, Friends,
>>
>> I need your guys' help urgently. I am still using Window 98 for my Pen
>> III
>> desktop. Yesterday I misktakenly deleted the system files ( I am not good
>> at
>> computer). These deleted files are in the recycle bin because I did not
>> empty
>> the recycle bin. When I restarted the computer, the only information in
>> the
>> screen is :"invalid system disk. Please replace the system disk, then
>> press
>> any key to start...".
>>
>> Can not get into safe mode. Does not response to any keys or F1-F12, or
>> alt+ctrl+del". I do have a Recovery CD when I bought the computer almost
>> 9
>> years ago. The options are: Diskette backup, user backup, user restore
>> and
>> factory restore. I do not have window 98 system disk.
>>
>> I was in panic this morning, and I am calming down now. What can I do to
>> repair the operator system? How can I get back to Wndows, or retrieve
>> those
>> deleted system files from recycle bin? I do not want to delete my 10
>> years
>> private files (I do not have backup) and the softwares I installed in the
>> computer?
>>
>> Please help!!!!! Thanks, Mary.
>
>

[Mary]

Hi, Gary,

Thanks for your message. I tried to clean up the computer. I guess I did not
delete all the system files. Those files I deleted are located under c:/ (not
in any subfolder). When I clicked "delete", there was a message something
like "these files may be affect ......." I just thought they will affect some
softwares we downloaded from internet, so I just clicked "deleted all". It
was done. And I got the disaster! I can not remember all the files I deleted.
Please help.



"Gary S. Terhune" wrote:

> How did you delete the system files? You can't possibly have delete them
> all. They either wouldn't let you or you'd endure an immediate full crash of
> the system. So you must have only deleted some of them. Please explain,
> step-by-step- how you accomplished this deletion. What folder or files did
> you delete?
>
> --
> Gary S. Terhune
> MS-MVP Shell/User
> http://grystmill.com
>
> "Mary" > wrote in message
> ...
> > Hi, Friends,
> >
> > I need your guys' help urgently. I am still using Window 98 for my Pen
> > III
> > desktop. Yesterday I misktakenly deleted the system files ( I am not good
> > at
> > computer). These deleted files are in the recycle bin because I did not
> > empty
> > the recycle bin. When I restarted the computer, the only information in
> > the
> > screen is :"invalid system disk. Please replace the system disk, then
> > press
> > any key to start...".
> >
> > Can not get into safe mode. Does not response to any keys or F1-F12, or
> > alt+ctrl+del". I do have a Recovery CD when I bought the computer almost 9
> > years ago. The options are: Diskette backup, user backup, user restore and
> > factory restore. I do not have window 98 system disk.
> >
> > I was in panic this morning, and I am calming down now. What can I do to
> > repair the operator system? How can I get back to Wndows, or retrieve
> > those
> > deleted system files from recycle bin? I do not want to delete my 10 years
> > private files (I do not have backup) and the softwares I installed in the
> > computer?
> >
> > Please help!!!!! Thanks, Mary.
>
>
>

[Mary]

Hi, Philo,

I do not have Win98 floppy disk. I only have the "recovery CD" when I bought
the computer. My neighbour only have Win98 setup disk. My computer can not
recognize it, and did not respond to it at all. What else can I do?

Thanks.
Mary


"philo" wrote:


> Boot with your Win98 floppy
>
> then issue the command sys C:
>
> that will get your machine booted up again.
>
>
> If your machine now boots to Windows...fine...
> but if it only boots to dos...post back for further instructions.
>
>
> Your personal data is not lost...even if Windows does not function
> it can be recovered...however do NOT use your factory restore CD...
> that will wipe out your personal data!
>
>
>

[Ben Myers[_3_]]

"Mary" > wrote in message ...
> Hi, Friends,
> I need your guys' help urgently. I am still using Window 98 for my Pen III
> desktop. Yesterday I misktakenly deleted the system files ( I am not good at
> computer). These deleted files are in the recycle bin because I did not empty
> the recycle bin. When I restarted the computer, the only information in the
> screen is :"invalid system disk. Please replace the system disk, then press
> any key to start...".
<snip>

Go to http://www.bootdisk.com/bootdisk.htm and create a Windows 98
boot floppy. Use it to start the computer in question, select "Start without
CD support", then type "sys c:" and press "Enter". Then remove the
floppy and restart.

Ben

[philo]

"Mary" > wrote in message
...
> Hi, Philo,
>
> I do not have Win98 floppy disk. I only have the "recovery CD" when I
bought
> the computer. My neighbour only have Win98 setup disk. My computer can not
> recognize it, and did not respond to it at all. What else can I do?
>



Get a boot disk from www.bootdisk.com

but do not use your recovery CD or your personal data will be lost!!!!

[Jeff Richards]

If you deleted files in C:\ and ignored the message about read-only and
system files, then the procedure you have been given to boot with a boot
floppy and run SYS C: should work well enough to get you to a DOS prompt at
least. However, the process is risky if you have a non-standard setup. If
your system was originally created from the recovery CD then the risk is
slight. However, if you are not prepared to take the risk a better option
is to install a replacement hard disk drive (a suitable second hand drive
would be available very cheaply) install it and set it up with the recovery
CD, then install the original disk drive as a second drive and proceed to
recover all your data from that drive. This is a lot more work, but it is
almost completely safe.
--
Jeff Richards
MS MVP (Windows - Shell/User)
"Mary" > wrote in message
...
> Hi, Gary,
>
> Thanks for your message. I tried to clean up the computer. I guess I did
> not
> delete all the system files. Those files I deleted are located under c:/
> (not
> in any subfolder). When I clicked "delete", there was a message something
> like "these files may be affect ......." I just thought they will affect
> some
> softwares we downloaded from internet, so I just clicked "deleted all". It
> was done. And I got the disaster! I can not remember all the files I
> deleted.
> Please help.
>

[Gary S. Terhune[_3_]]

As suggested by the others, use your friend's machine get the bootdisk
creator for your version of Windows (get the one without RAM drive), run the
EXE to create the floppy (you'll need a fresh floppy) boot to it and run the
command "sys c:" (without the quotes, but don't miss the colon at the end.)
If you get errors, try to get the system to ignore them. If you can't get
around an error, post back here with the exact wording of the error. Then
try Safe Mode. If we can't get around the error(s), you're back to the
instructions I gave you before. We'll restore the files manually. Frankly,
it will be a much simpler task for me, since I doubt you had *too* many
files located in the folder.

http://bootdisk.com/bootdisk.htm

Gary S. Terhune
MS-MVP Shell/User
http:/grystmill.com

Mary" > wrote in message
...
> Hi, Gary,
>
> Thanks for your message. I tried to clean up the computer. I guess I did
> not
> delete all the system files. Those files I deleted are located under c:/
> (not
> in any subfolder). When I clicked "delete", there was a message something
> like "these files may be affect ......." I just thought they will affect
> some
> softwares we downloaded from internet, so I just clicked "deleted all". It
> was done. And I got the disaster! I can not remember all the files I
> deleted.
> Please help.
>
>
>
> "Gary S. Terhune" wrote:
>
>> How did you delete the system files? You can't possibly have delete them
>> all. They either wouldn't let you or you'd endure an immediate full crash
>> of
>> the system. So you must have only deleted some of them. Please explain,
>> step-by-step- how you accomplished this deletion. What folder or files
>> did
>> you delete?
>>
>> --
>> Gary S. Terhune
>> MS-MVP Shell/User
>> http://grystmill.com
>>
>> "Mary" > wrote in message
>> ...
>> > Hi, Friends,
>> >
>> > I need your guys' help urgently. I am still using Window 98 for my Pen
>> > III
>> > desktop. Yesterday I misktakenly deleted the system files ( I am not
>> > good
>> > at
>> > computer). These deleted files are in the recycle bin because I did not
>> > empty
>> > the recycle bin. When I restarted the computer, the only information in
>> > the
>> > screen is :"invalid system disk. Please replace the system disk, then
>> > press
>> > any key to start...".
>> >
>> > Can not get into safe mode. Does not response to any keys or F1-F12, or
>> > alt+ctrl+del". I do have a Recovery CD when I bought the computer
>> > almost 9
>> > years ago. The options are: Diskette backup, user backup, user restore
>> > and
>> > factory restore. I do not have window 98 system disk.
>> >
>> > I was in panic this morning, and I am calming down now. What can I do
>> > to
>> > repair the operator system? How can I get back to Wndows, or retrieve
>> > those
>> > deleted system files from recycle bin? I do not want to delete my 10
>> > years
>> > private files (I do not have backup) and the softwares I installed in
>> > the
>> > computer?
>> >
>> > Please help!!!!! Thanks, Mary.
>>
>>
>>