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ms dos 6.22 and win 3.11 install problem

J

jmcka15

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Joined
Sep 29, 2012
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2
hi
i recently found my old ms dos 6.22 and windows 3.11 install floppies.
so i tried to install ms dos 6.22 on one of my old computers from 1996 and when i inserted disk 1 into the drive and booted it. this message came up (not a system disk) so i then put a differnet hard drive into that computer witch all redey had ms dos 6.22 on it and and then put windows 3.11 disk in and typed a:/setup i then get an error saying (data reding error)(abort retry fail). all the other install floppies that came with the set work fine apart from both disk ones witch are the 1st ones you need
can any one help me

ops i put this in the wrong section sorry
 
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jmcka15 said:
hi
i recently found my old ms dos 6.22 and windows 3.11 install floppies.
so i tried to install ms dos 6.22 on one of my old computers from 1996 and when i inserted disk 1 into the drive and booted it. this message came up (not a system disk) so i then put a differnet hard drive into that computer witch all redey had ms dos 6.22 on it and and then put windows 3.11 disk in and typed a:/setup i then get an error saying (data reding error)(abort retry fail). all the other install floppies that came with the set work fine apart from both disk ones witch are the 1st ones you need
can any one help me

ops i put this in the wrong section sorry
Click to expand...

Hi. Welcome to the forums. :)

I'm not sure what's going on yet, but it sounds like the two floppies (DOS boot, and Win #1) are both faulty. OR, the drive is a bit flaky.

If the floppy drive is flaky, cleaning the heads is generally a good idea and is easy with a cleaning disk, but can also be done manually. We'll help you if that's needed. It is also common to have problems because of the drive rails being a bit sticky or dirty. They can be touched up with a cotton swab and a very small amount of lubricant. If you have a replacement drive, it is also worth trying that.
 
Maybe he did a DIR command and the rest of the disks were readable.

So Disk #1 faults out when you initiate SETUP. Can you perform a DIR command and view the disk's contents without read errors? If you do get read errors when doing that just for that disk, the disk is probably bad. There are places on the internet where you can download the Win3.11 disks, so you can replace the bad one.

I think the drive is fine, since he said he was able to read the other disks just fine and only disk 1 wasn't working.
 
DOS lives on!! said:
Maybe he did a DIR command and the rest of the disks were readable.

So Disk #1 faults out when you initiate SETUP. Can you perform a DIR command and view the disk's contents without read errors? If you do get read errors when doing that just for that disk, the disk is probably bad. There are places on the internet where you can download the Win3.11 disks, so you can replace the bad one.

I think the drive is fine, since he said he was able to read the other disks just fine and only disk 1 wasn't working.
Click to expand...
The DIR command does not verify that the disk is readable or OK. It only tells you that the system area of the disk is OK. The data area of the disk could easily be hosed and you won't be able to determine that without checking the (entire) data area. I use Norton Disk Test (DT) or Disk Doctor (NDD) or both from v4.5 Advanced Edition that I have to verify all old or questionable disks.
 
DOS lives on!! said:
I think the drive is fine, since he said he was able to read the other disks just fine and only disk 1 wasn't working.
Click to expand...

You're probably right. I just wanted to make a stab at it since it was his first post. Where'd he go anyway? You'd think he'd check back in a timely manner. Anyway, we need some more information. Something doesn't add up as it is.
 
i checked each disk by puting them in a windows computer and windows could use every disk but the 1st ones
its kind of wierd that only two of those disks have failed and they just so happen to be the 1st ones .
also sorry for the late reply
 
jmcka15 said:
i checked each disk by puting them in a windows computer and windows could use every disk but the 1st ones
its kind of wierd that only two of those disks have failed and they just so happen to be the 1st ones .
also sorry for the late reply
Click to expand...
What do you mean by 'use every disk'? Reading the file list does not necessarily = using the disk. You should be more specific. Were you able to copy files off of each disk? Were you able to read the contents of files on the disks?
 
If you can read the directory but not boot from the disk, then that may indicate the problem is with reading the first track. If it is with both boot disks, then it is likely to be dirt on the head of your target drive, or else some slack in the drive leading to the first track being marginally out of alignment.

Verify your system disks in the Windows machine. In My Computer or Explorer right-click on the disk, select Properties/Tools/Error-checking, and see if Windows can identify or repair any errors on the diskettes.

Can your Windows machine boot into DOS from the system floppy? Make sure your BIOS is configured to boot from floppy if available. If so, the problem is in the drive of the old machine.

Even so, if the windows machine can read the system disks, try formatting a fresh floppy (or reformatting an old one) and copying the system disk as a whole (not file by file) to the fresh disk. Sometimes that can just refresh some area where the original diskette may have lost some of its magnetic charge, perhaps because it has been left for a long time in the same position within range of a magnetic field such as a speaker cone, electric motor or lighting transformer. It can take as little as one weak bit to stop the disk reading. The newer machine may be able to read weaker signals that the older drive is missing.

If the disks check out OK but the above doesn't solve the problem, you may be best off replacing the floppy drive in your older machine, or borrowing an external USB drive if you don't have one already.

Rick
 
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