Need Help Desperately

I'm no longer Desperate I'm Growing

I found that the usb boot had some commands in it that basically seem to leave all my usb outlets unrecognized. Then I found Downloads » Useful Dos Files » www.hiren.info great site a lot of information - the basic files I need to change is the autoexec.bat and the config.sys files. Got excited so the first thing I did was copy the originals to another bat or sys file, both called test (test.sys, test.bat)
I thought it was a good time to stop to make sure I'm understanding what I'm going to do in each of them.
You can add line in to Config.sys to load device driver (sys files),
For most exe files you can add it in your Autoexec.bat

My goal is to assign usb outlets numbers a: b: d:
so that the external dvd could be b: main usb a: d:wireless mouse
excited and scared so I'm going ask "Am I thinking logically at all?"
 
I have nothing to add to the thread, but I merged all 3 of your threads into one since they are all continuations of the same problem.
 
Grown just a little

The usb that boots the netbook to dos71 is where the config.sys and the autoexec.bat. I learned I'm not on my hard drive at all. It says >C: but it says that no matter which usb of the 3 that are on the netbook. Wireless mouse works. If I take out the usb boot I can't do a thing on the computer at all when I try it tells me to put the boot in the correct drive. Also as searching for the command to use 1 of the usb point to attach the portable dvd it's not getting read at all. Checking the boot disk it doesn't install any drivers, and what I have to enter has to be on both sys & bat files, exactly the same, I think??
so I'm nowhere close to my goal.
Question!!!
1. Do I put the install driver on the boot disk and what command would it be?
2. Or do I just put it in the config.sys & autoexec.bat and what command would it be?
3. Whatever line I put it and where. Wouldn't I also have to include the driver program right under that ---- on sys & bat?:facepalm:
 
Re: Grown just a little

The "C" drive is always going to be assigned by the booting OS. That means that just because your Hard Drive is listed as C when you boot into Windows, doesn't mean that it will be C if you boot from a Linux Live CD. Those letters are logically being assigned. When you boot from a DOS boot program, C: is typically a temporarily created drive. To access the other drives, you can change drives by typing the drive letter followed by a colon. Example, to navigate to the D drive, simply type "D:" and press enter.

To see the available drives, execute these commands:

diskpart

Once in diskpart:
list volume

That will show available drives and their associated logical letter assignments.

What are you trying to accomplish?
 
Re: Grown just a little

Tried changing drives, they don't exist but not diskpart. I've gone from adding line in the config.sys, autoexec.bat and mscdex.sys files
on the usb boot. That didn't work and was even told I had used an illegal command in the mscdex.sys file so - I went back and reformated the usb to NTFS and loaded the recovery cd info on it.

I'm so confused I thought that since it's the recovery disk I could just add the usb boot info on it, I'd have the boot and the recovery on the same usb.

:lol: but then it hit me that there might be a conflict with files that are the same so I think I'm going to take the 4GB put the boot on that, boot the computer which is going to put me at the c:\prompt, then do the diskpart, put the usb 14 GB in see if i'll run since technically the computer is on - what do you think - might work? at least it won't change anything - no editing of sys or bat files
 
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Re: Grown just a little

Okay, I think I understand now.

This is a continuation of another thread (will merge). You copied the entire "recovery" partition onto a USB drive and are attempting to boot from that.

First, this is the incorrect usage. Second, I wouldn't know how to make that work.

Third, after carefully reading your original post, I don't actually think you need this second hard drive. I say this because you were able to copy the recovery partition from the first one... so the drive isn't bad just yet.

Humor me here,
Put the original hard drive back into the laptop.
Power on the laptop and immediately start pressing F11.

This should invoke the recovery partition to become active and allow you to restore Windows XP from that recovery partition.

The official HP documentation is located here, and the section specific to your case is titled "Starting a recovery from the harddrive and the computer is off".

Best of luck.
 
Can't grow anymore?? feel done in by this machine!

I've tried everything. I just don't understand. I go to my desktop and copy the recovery disk to usb. I take the usb to the HP netbook and it starts immediately with window files loading, and I get the little black box it's saying please wait does this about twice then I get the message image data missing - put proper boot device in and reboot. I go back to the desk top and check between the usb and the recovery disk - they're the same. Then I google image data and HP has a image creator. But it won't fit on the usb (14 GB NTFS format) It's not making any sense if the copy from the usb works why not the external cd. So l put the external cdrom in, go into BIOS change the order of the boot and sure enough the external cd is lighting up and is listed in priority list, which I put first. I turn off the netbook, turn on and the external drive is lighting up and blinking and I get insert correct boot device and reboot. It's Sat 11/17 and I've trying since 10/25. I'm down to 2 options that I can see, 1) go to a tech repair with the recovery disk. 2):hide: ask HP for a usb recovery disk but I'm at the point I don't really have any trust in HP. I can't afford either one.
 
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Local schools, libraries, or even small businesses may have a copy in their IT 'pile' somewhere. If their disks (which most are in my experience) are just HP OEM installs of XP, then you are legally licensed to use it for re installation. If you don't want to order a replacement, you might find one for free, or at least very cheap.

When you say the operating system crashed... what do you mean? That might actually be a much easier solution than all of this.
 
I had been working that morning on the mini. When I went back to work that afternoon and started back to work on the hp mini I got the error "bootmgr missing. I looked all over the net and I saw that it could be a simple error to fix which required a purchase. I called HP when I wasn't able to connect use the ?atheros ethernet cord", and that was when I was told I had a bad hdd, it had crashed and to go get a new one since they no longer carried in stock. Found one on Amazon and husband put it in (youtube). From there I had the problem of using the restore disk since I only have an external usb cdrom.

One thing I know for sure that was copied on my desktop from the recovery cd to usb is I have a bootmgr file. I also know I was missing image data. Are you thinking I have enough of the recovery cd on usb to fix the original hard drive? Could it actually be that simple?:eek:
 
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