Tools Are Unavailable on Windows 98 (Retail Version) Boot Disk

• Microsoft Windows 98

SYMPTOMS

If you start your computer with the Boot disk included with Windows 98 (retail version), you may receive a "Bad command or file name" error message when you try to use any of the following commands:

• Format.com



• Attrib.exe



• Chkdsk.exe



• Debug.exe



• Edit.com



• Ext.exe



• Help.bat



• Mscdex.exe



• Scandisk.exe



• Sys.com

CAUSE

This behavior occurs because the files listed above are not included as separate files on the Boot disk. These files are instead included in the Ebd.cab file on the Boot disk.

RESOLUTION

To use a tool that is stored in the Ebd.cab file on the Boot disk, first extract the tool. To do so, use the appropriate method:

Extracting Format.com to Format the Hard Disk

extract ebd.cab format.com

Extracting Other Tools from the Boot Disk

1. With the Boot disk in drive A, restart your computer, type the following command at the command prompt, and then press ENTER

   a:\
   extract ebd.cab <toolname> /l c:\

   where <toolname> is the name of the file or tool in the Ebd.cab file you want to use.

1. Use the tool you extracted in step 1. For information about how to do so, type <toolname> /?, and then press ENTER, where <toolname> is the name of the file or tool you extracted.

MORE INFORMATION

When you start your computer using the Boot disk included with Windows 98 (retail version), a RAM drive is not created, and the tools listed earlier in this article are not automatically extracted. Note that these tools are extracted to a RAM drive when you start your computer using a Windows 98 Startup disk.

Additional query words: 98

Keywords          : kberrmsg kbtool win98 
Version           : WINDOWS:
Platform          : WINDOWS 
Issue type        : kbprb 

Last Reviewed: February 13, 1999