BleepingComputer.com: A Mystical Old Piece Of Machinery!

Hi! A friend has been given an old computer which has been checked over, regarding hardware functionality, but has not had any operating system installed. I thought about experimenting with some sort of LINUX distribution, but decided to start small: very small infact--windows 95. So I checked the BIOS set up, and made sure the option to boot from the CD was selected and then inserted a 95 disk. Subsequently the following error message came up: The following file is missing or corrupted: C:\windows\DBLBUFF.sys ....and if that was not enough.... The following file is missing or corrupted: C:\windows\IFSHLP.sys
Can anyone help or translate the error messages into english?
Thanks.

Windows 95 and 98 worked a little bit different to others.

You probably will need a Windows Start Disk downloadable from here http://www.computing.net/dos/wwwboard/forum/14376.html or here

http://www.allbootdisks.com/download/98.html

The best one is the Win98SE start up Disk. It has DOS drivers that allow you to prepare your Computer for install from DOS as was the go back then, it also has Drivers to allow your CD to operate in DOS. Personally I used to have a Partitioned Drive with a copy of WIN98SE on the D: Drive and used to install straight from D: Drive.

Brings back fond Memories of reformating and reinstalling every few months.

Edit. Those were the Joys of Computing back then, then along came ME? Biggest Disaster Bill Gates ever did.

Thanks Abacus 7 That sounds like good advice: as an abacus your knowledge of older machines must be formidable!!

DBLBUFF.SYS : provides double buffering to read/write data from certain hard disk controllers (supposedly faster hard disks in times of Windows95).

IFSHLP.SYS : provides direct access to file system, was used in Win95/98 and Me.

Without these files, Windows95 cannot access file systems as desired. You can restore them easily from the original Windows95 disk.

Both files can be extracted from Win95_02.CAB. You have to boot from floppy boot diskette into DOS. The boot diskette must support the CD-ROM drive. Get one from http://www.allbootdisks.com/

Once you have booted into DOS access your Windows 95 CD. Suppose R: is CD-ROM drive letter. First change to Windows folder on CD (R:\Win95) then extract :-

R:
CD Win95
extract /Y /A /L c:\windows Win95_02.cab IFSHLP.SYS
extract /Y /A /L c:\windows Win95_02.cab DBLBUFF.SYS

Remove CD and boot disk and reboot.

echidna, on Sep 3 2008, 11:02 AM, said:

Your basic difficulty comes from a Win95 installation CD not being bootable. Because of this the system is still trying to start from the C: drive, which from what you say no longer contains an operating system.

You'll need to boot up from one of the floppy disks suggested (one with CD-ROM support), and run setup from the CD. If the hard drive only has a C: partition, your CD will probably be mounted as D:, so from the A:\ prompt type D:\setup. Or E:\setup if the CD becomes the E: drive, etc.

The use of DBLBUFF may indicate the system has a SCSI hard drive, that would complicate the setup procedure slightly.

http://www.bootdisk.com/
Use the ME bootdisk with the built-in CD drivers
http://fdisk.radified.com/

Platypus, on Sep 6 2008, 10:33 PM, said:

If I can suggest the following? The Start up Disk usually uses D: for it's Program, so the CD Drive becomes E: just to confuse the issue.

Use the Start Up Disk but don't select CD Support. Just use it to Boot you into DOS A:

Just type in Format C: (Note the space between Format and C:) Make sure you Format in Fat 32, it may even ask if you want to use recognise large Disk, type in y and enter.

Next shut down and put the HDD into another Computer, change the Jumper to Slave on it, as a Slave drive and copy the WIN 95 Disk onto C: as WIN95, or if you have a WIN98SE Disk, even better, do that as WIN98SE. (It has more Features than Win 95 and some Support is still available, if you don't have a Win98SE Disk I have several you are welcome to, just PM me a Postal Address to send one to))

Change your Jumper to Main drive and replace it into the old Machine, insert the Start up Disk and Boot into A: again, select, by typing in C: then enter. You will see WIN95 or WIN98SE, (Which ever you copied) Type in either WIN95 or WIN98SE then enter. Now type in setup then enter.

It then should install from your HDD.

BTW the Start up Disk will allow you to set up another Partition under fdisk if you want to have the Install Disk seperate so C: Drive can be reformatted and the Install remains there on the other Partitioned Drive, same as Information you don't want to lose in a reformat.

The Joys of walking down Memory Lane again.

BTW WIN 98SE can be set up as a Dual Boot to Windows XP and will play most of the older Games including DOS Games.

Post back if you get problems.

Why is everyone bent on suggesting him to install Win95 when the present installation can be repaired easily.

Well, all I can say is the one suggesting a Win95 install is echidna, that's what he wants to do.

And he also says there is no OS installed, so without more detailed information from echidna, we can't assume either that a simple repair of Windows is possible, or that the OS on the system was/is Win95, just because echidna has a Win95 CD. He hasn't told us whether it belongs to the same system.

CONFIG.SYS finding those two files missing would be typical of the Windows folder having been deleted, to retire the Windows installation from a giveaway system. echidna could check if he wishes, from the A: prompt after a floppy boot.

Abacus, your suggestion is very valid, and has the advantage of not needing to find the CD in the future if Windows asks during any subsequent installation.

It's more complex though, but if echidna wants to try it, it can be less complex than it appears. If the boot floppy with CD support is used, the Windows installation folder can be copied straight across to the hard drive once formatted, with no need to involve another computer.

It's also worth mentioning that FAT32 was introduced with the OSR2 release of 95, if echidna has an original release 95 (95 Gold), drives will be formatted FAT16, with a maximum partition size of 2GB. As well as compatibility and support, this is another reason to prefer Win98 if available.

Platypus, on Sep 7 2008, 07:10 PM, said:

I am only trying to Help out, Mate.

Problems with Win95 and Win98se was always the need to reformat and reinstall on a regular basis. I can't see where it would ever have Magically changed?

What I Posted was to try to Help also in the Future with the Machine, that now is in the Dinosour Age of Computing, unfortunately.

If he/she is going to set it up, just a little fore thought will save a lot of Drama in the Future?

Never meaning to step on toes here, but I had my Machine set up the way I indicated and reformat and reinstall was quite Painless, particularly when I set up all the Drivers needed,(that we haven't got to yet) on the Partitioned Drive D:

I am happy to take Echinda through it all, in the interest of preserving the old Systems for his/her Kids/Grand Kids. If others Learn something, so be it, that is what this Forum is all about, Mate!

Sorry Abacus, did you read my post right, I'm agreeing with you!

"your post is very valid"

How's godzone land up there? Only just starting to get a bit warm down here in Viccy.

Platypus, on Sep 7 2008, 09:23 PM, said:

News Flash!!!!

Queensland is about to Deport all Mexicans, with their Weather with them!

Answer your Question, Mate?

Been Bloody Coldest in History!

I knew you were agreeing, I just wanted Echidna to get the Best from all Options, Mate!

Often we forget that? It is a System that needs preserving, if for nothing else so our Grand Kids/ Great Great Grand Kids know what some of us used to put up with, including our Younger Generation here?

BTW, in case other people don't know it, it is Father's Day Downunder!

I would like to say this.

I am not an Expert, never want to be, see the Definine of an Expert below.

I am someone that just wants to share Knowledge I learnt the Hard way. If you want to listen, fine.
If not, so be it.

Definination of an Expert!

X is the unknown Property, Spurt is a Drip under pressure!

Abacus 7, on Sep 7 2008, 10:09 PM, said:

That'll be the global warming then...