ACN Volume 3 No 3 Fall 1990

	TIPS AND TRICKS
                           by Michael Hauben
   
Problem: Your IBM computer won't boot from the hard drive and 
you suspect something might have happened to one of the system 
files. After trying unsuccessfully both DOS's SYS command and 
Norton's NDD command, you don't know what to do next.

   Caution: While trying to correct this problem, make sure 
you use the same DOS version's system files that were on 
your hard drive before the problem occurred.
   
Solution:
A. Clean out the boot sectors.
   1. Remove all attribute (archive
      doesn't matter) flags from any
      files in the root directory.
      (Read Only, System, and Hidden
      Flags). You can use any of the
      following:
       A. Norton's File Attribute
          command (FA FILENAME
          /[ro,sys,hid][+,-]) (eg FA
          MSDOS.SYS /hid-)
       B. PC-Tools:In File Menu,
          attriBute change, and then
          type the letters of the
          flags: H,S,R and save it.
       C. Mace Utilities has a
          utility also.
       D. DOS has ATTRIB to change
          file attributes, BUT it
          doesn't work with the
          system flag.
   2. Make a backup directory to move
      files into. (MD \BAKUP)
   3. Copy all files from the root
      directory to the backup
      directory. (COPY \*.* \BAKUP).
   4. Delete the system files in the
      backup directory. (COMMAND.COM
      and IO.SYS, MSDOS.SYS or
      IBMBIOS.COM, IBMDOS.COM)
   5. Delete all the files in the
      root directory. (DEL \*.*)

B. Try to use DOS's SYS command to copy the system files to 
the boot sector/ root directory. (From A drive, SYS C:)

C. If SYS doesn't work, try using the Norton Disk Doctor to 
transfer the system files. (Using NDD's MAKE DISK BOOTABLE)

D. If NDD doesn't work:
    1. Remove the hidden, read only
       and system flags on your 
       system files on a floppy disk
       with the system files.
    2. Copy the hidden files from
 
       your floppy into the root
       directory of the hard drive.
       (COPY FILENAME C:\)
    3. Place all of the flags back on
       to the system files.

E. Try to boot...if this works, move all the files from the 
backup drive to the root directory, and delete the files in the 
backup directory and remove that directory.
(CTRL-ALT-DEL, COPY \BAKUP .,DEL \BAKUP, RD \BAKUP) 
(Note: the "COPY \BAKUP ." step copies the files from "\BAKUP" 
to "." which represents the current directory you are in, which 
should be the root directory.)

F. If this procedure doesn't succeed for you, write us 
describing what you tried to do, and what the results were. We 
will either write back, or will print the letter to get help 
from our readers.

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