OFFICE: Installing Real Mode CD-ROM Drivers in Windows 98

ID: Q198687

The information in this article applies to:

SUMMARY

This article describes how to install real mode CD-ROM drive drivers under Microsoft Windows 98 when you are troubleshooting problems that occur when you install Microsoft Office. The process in this article includes the following:


MORE INFORMATION

Turning on the Real Mode CD-ROM Drive Drivers

Turning on the real mode drivers for your CD-ROM drive allows you to install Office while Windows is running in Safe Mode.

Use one of the following methods to turn on the real mode drivers for your CD-ROM drive:

Method 1: Use the Windows 98 Startup Disk

Windows 98 contains a utility for creating a startup disk to troubleshoot Windows if Windows does not start. The startup disk includes real mode drivers for the most commonly used CD-ROM drives. Follow these steps to create a startup disk:
  1. On the Start menu, point to Settings and then click Control Panel.


  2. Double-click Add/Remove Programs. Click the Startup Disk tab.


  3. Insert a formatted floppy disk into your A drive.

    NOTE: Any existing files on the floppy disk will be deleted.


  4. Click OK in the Insert Disk dialog box.

    The necessary files are copied to the A drive. Click OK to close the Add/Remove Programs Properties dialog box.

    NOTE: If your hard disk is formatted with the FAT32 file system, you need to follow the directions in the following Microsoft Knowledge Base article to create a Startup disk that is compatible with your computer:
    Q187632 How to Create a Windows 98 Startup Disk that Supports FAT32


You need to add a line to the Config.sys file to allow Windows to start in Safe Mode. To do this, follow these steps:
  1. On the Start menu, click Run. Type the following in the Open box and then press ENTER:
    Notepad a:\config.sys


  2. Type the following line at the end of the Config.sys file:
    Device=<drive>:<path>\ifshlp.sys
    Where <drive> and <path> specify the location of your Windows directory. For example, if your Windows directory is on drive C and is named WINDOWS, you type the following:
    Device=C:\WINDOWS\ifshlp.sys


  3. Click Save on the File menu.


  4. Click Exit on the File menu.


Follow these steps to start your computer in Safe Mode using the Windows 98 Startup disk.
  1. Insert the Windows 98 Startup disk into your A drive.


  2. Restart your computer.


  3. Press ENTER when the Windows 98 Startup menu appears.


  4. Type the following command at the command prompt, and then press ENTER:
    c:


  5. Type the following command at the command prompt, and then press ENTER:
    cd\windows


  6. Type the following command at the command prompt, and then press ENTER:
    win /d:m
    NOTE: If you are attempting to perform an administrative installation (setup /a) of Microsoft Office to a network server and you need to start Windows in Safe Mode with both CD-ROM drive and network support, type the following command instead:
    win /d:n


  7. Click OK in the alert that indicates that Windows is running in Safe Mode.


Now that Windows is in Safe Mode, you need to determine whether the real mode CD-ROM drivers located in the Windows 98 Startup disk are compatible with your CD-ROM drive. To do this, double-click My Computer. If you see an icon for your CD-ROM drive, insert your Microsoft Office CD and try running Setup.

If you do not see an icon for your CD-ROM drive in the My Computer window, proceed to "Method 2: If the Config.sys File Is Present on Drive C".

Method 2: If the Config.sys File Is Present on Drive C

If the CD-ROM drivers on the Windows 98 Startup disk are not compatible with your CD-ROM drive, you can check your Config.sys file to see whether compatible drivers are located on your system. To do this, follow these steps:
  1. Click Start, point to Programs, point to Accessories, point to System Tools, and then click System Information.

    Microsoft System Information is started.


  2. Click System Configuration Utility on the Tools menu.

    The System Configuration Utility is started.


  3. Click the Config.sys tab.

    This step displays the contents of the Config.sys file. If no text is visible in the window, proceed to "Method 3: If No Config.sys File Is Present on the C Drive".


  4. Locate the line that loads the real mode CD-ROM drive driver.

    NOTE: This line contains the following:
    device=
    -and-
    /d:<cd rom drive device id>
    For example, the line in Config.sys for your CD-ROM driver may look similar to the following:
    device=c:\cdrom\cdromdrv.sys /d:MSCD001


  5. Write down the drive identifier string after "/d:" in the Config.sys window. You need this information later. An example of this identifier is MSCD001.


  6. If the "device=" line is remarked (starts with "rem"), remove the word "rem." To do this, follow these steps:
    1. Click to select the "device=" line.


    2. Click Edit.


    3. Remove "rem " from the beginning of the line, and then press ENTER.


    NOTE: Do not leave a blank space at the beginning of the line.


  7. Click Close on the File menu. Click Yes when you are prompted to save changes.


  8. Click the Autoexec.bat tab.


  9. Look for a line that is similar to the following:
    c:\windows\command\mscdex.exe /d: mscd001 /s
    If you do not see a line similar to this, you need to add a line to load the Mscdex extensions for your CD-ROM. To do this, follow these steps:
    1. Click New.


    2. Type the following line, and then press ENTER:
      <drive>:<path>\command\mscdex.exe /d:<CD-ROM Device Id>
      where <drive> and <path> specify the location of your Windows directory, and <CD-ROM Device Id> is the drive identifier for your CD-ROM drive that you noted in Step 5.

      For example, if your Windows directory is on drive C and is named windows and your CD-ROM drive is mscd001, type the following:
      c:\windows\command\mscdex.exe /d: mscd001




  10. Click OK. Click No when you are prompted to restart your computer. Go to the "Restarting Windows 98 in Safe Mode Using Step-by-Step Confirmation" section of this article.


Method 3: If No Config.sys File Is Present on the C Drive

To turn on the drivers when no Config.sys file is present on the computer, do the following:
  1. Click Start, point to Find, and then click Files or Folders.


  2. Type config.* in the named box. Click C: in the Look in box. Click to clear the Include Subfolders check box. Click Find Now.


  3. You may see several files listed in the Find window. The file names may be similar to the following:
    Config.dos
    Config.win
    Config.001
    Config.syd
    If you do not see any files listed in the Find window, go to the "What to Do If No Real-Mode CD-ROM Drivers Are Present" section of this article.


  4. Right-click one of the files and then click Open with. Click Notepad in the Choose the program you want to use list box. Click to clear the Always use this program to open this file check box, and then click OK.

    The file opens in Notepad.


  5. Locate the line that loads the real mode CD-ROM drive driver.

    NOTE: This line contains the following:
    device=
    -and-
    /d:<cd rom drive device id>
    For example, the line in the Config.sys file for your CD-ROM driver may look similar to the following:
    device=c:\cdrom\cdromdrv.sys /d:MSCD001
    NOTE: If you do not see a "device=" line that could be your real mode CD-ROM driver, repeat Step 4 for each file that is listed in the Find window. If none of the files located in the Find window contains a reference to your real mode CD-ROM drivers, go to the "What to Do If No Real-Mode CD-ROM Drivers Are Present" section of this article.


  6. Write down the drive identifier string after "/d:" in the Config.sys window. You need this information later. An example of this identifier is MSCD001.


  7. If the "device=" line is remarked (starts with "rem"), remove the word "rem." To do this, follow these steps:
    1. Click to select the "device=" line.


    2. Click Edit.


    3. Remove the "rem " from the beginning of the line, and then press ENTER.

      NOTE: Do not leave a blank space at the beginning of the line.




  8. Click Save as on the File menu. Type Config.sys in the File Name box, and then click Save.


  9. Click Exit on the File menu.


  10. Click Start, point to Programs, point to Accessories, point to System Tools, and then click System Information.

    Microsoft System Information is started.


  11. Click System Configuration Utility on the Tools menu.

    The System Configuration Utility is started.


  12. Click the Autoexec.bat tab.


  13. Look for a line that looks like the following:
    c:\windows\command\mscdex.exe /d: mscd001 /s
    If you do not see a line similar to this, you need to add a line to load the Mscdex extensions for your CD-ROM. To do this, follow these steps:
    1. Click New.


    2. Type the following line, and then press ENTER:
      <drive>:<path>\command\mscdex.exe /d:<CD-ROM Device Id>
      where <drive> and <path> specify the location of your Windows directory, and <CD-ROM Device Id> is the drive identifier for your CD-ROM drive that you noted in Step 6.

      For example, if your Windows directory is on drive C and is named windows and your CD-ROM drive is mscd001, type the following:
      c:\windows\command\mscdex.exe /d: mscd001




  14. Click OK. Click No when you are prompted to restart your computer.

    Go to the "Restarting Windows 98 in Safe Mode Using Step-by-Step Confirmation" section of this article.


Restarting Windows 98 in Safe Mode Using Step-by-Step Confirmation

After you use one of the methods earlier in this article to turn on the real mode CD-ROM drivers, do the following:
  1. Restart the computer by clicking Shut Down on the Start menu and then clicking Restart the Computer. Press and continue to hold the CTRL key until the Microsoft Windows 98 Startup menu appears.


  2. Select Step-by step confirmation and then press ENTER.


  3. Answer the questions that appear as follows. 
    

   Question                         Answer
   --------------------------------------------------------------------

   Load doublespace driver?         NO (unless the drive is compressed)
   Process System Registry?         YES
   Create a Startup Log File?       NO
   Process Startup Device Drivers?  YES


  4. When you are prompted, choose NO for all prompts that appear except for the following items:
    - Himem.sys
    - Ifshlp.sys
    - the real mode CD-ROM drive driver
    - any necessary third-party drivers
    If you are not sure whether a driver is necessary, or if you do not know what the driver or prompt is, choose NO. Because this is an interactive process, no files are changed or lost. If you answer incorrectly, you can restart the computer.

    NOTE: Some third-party programs (for example, Sound Blaster) provide more than one file that pertains to the CD-ROM drive. These programs often include one file that provides the CD-ROM drive capabilities, one file that provides the sound capabilities, and a third file that provides the multimedia capabilities. You need only the CD-ROM drive driver. The other files provide additional capabilities but do not affect the ability to access and read the CD-ROM drive.


  5. Press Y when prompted to process the Autoexec.bat file.


  6. When you are prompted, choose NO for all prompts that appear except for the following items:
    Path=
    Prompt
    Mscdex.exe
    Set temp=
    Set tmp=


  7. Answer NO to the following question: 


    8. 
   Question                                    Answer
   --------------------------------------------------
   WIN?                                        NO
  8. To start Windows 95 in Safe Mode with CD-ROM support, type the following command at the MS-DOS prompt:
    win /d:m
    NOTE: If you are attempting to perform an administrative installation (setup /a) of Microsoft Office to a network server and you need to start Windows in Safe Mode with both CD-ROM drive and network support, type the following command instead:
    win /d:n


  9. Run the Microsoft Office Setup program. Click Start, and then click Run. In the Open box, type the following:
    <CD-ROM drive letter>:\setup
    where <CD-ROM drive letter> is your CD-ROM drive letter. For example, if your CD-ROM drive letter is D, type the following:
    D:\setup


What to Do if No Real-Mode CD-ROM Drivers are Present

If you cannot load real mode CD-ROM drivers using any of the methods outlined earlier in this article, you may need to reinstall your real mode CD-ROM drivers. For more information about reinstalling real mode CD-ROM drivers for your computer, contact the manufacturer of your computer or the manufactirer of your CD-ROM drive.

For information about how to contact your hardware manufacturer, please query in the Knowledge Base for one or more of the following articles:
Q65416 Hardware and Software Third-Party Vendor Contact List, A-K

Q60781 Hardware and Software Third-Party Vendor Contact List, L-P

Q60782 Hardware and Software Third-Party Vendor Contact List, Q-Z


If you are unable to run Setup or use your real mode CD-ROM drive drivers, you can find more information in the Microsoft Knowledge Base. For additional information, please see the following articles in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
Q139025 OFF95: Setup Err Msg '\\D.\A.\SETUP.EXE Not Found'
Q151634 Protected-Mode CD-ROM Drive Support in Windows 95
Q139428 Error Messages When Accessing CD-ROM Drive in Windows
Q135174 Cannot Access CD-ROM Drive from MS-DOS Mode or Command Prompt
Q131499 CD-ROM Drives Requiring Real-Mode Drivers
Q87165 Command-Line Switches for MSCDEX.EXE

Additional query words: off97 off7 7.0 realmode safemode tshoot 


Keywords          : kbenv kbhw kbsetup kbdta 
Version           : WINDOWS:2000,7.0,7.0a,97
Platform          : WINDOWS 
Issue type        : kbinfo

Last Reviewed: July 29, 1999