Toshiba 3110CT

If you can get into the BIOS when it is booting (some models by pressing F1) you should be able to change the boot sequence from HD where it is now to the CD-ROM. Once you get the OS loaded, dont forget to go back and change the boot sequence back to HD

yes, no CD in Portege 3110CT

Congratulations PCMe, on scoring the notebook. You must have a good friend.

Yes, I recall that the Portege 3110CT is sans CD. Hence 3110CT BIOS boot priority options allow re-ordering FDD, HDD & LAN without option to boot from CD.

Please excuse if I am a bit rusty on Win98. I no longer have a computer setup to run Win98. I will do my best from memory. If you need more help, I can setup a Win98 machine to refresh my memory.

I presume that your 3110CT is standalone, rather then networked, so I will not discuss network options.

If only your fixed disk boot sector (MBR or Master Boot Record) is corrupted, you can boot into DOS from floppy; then start Win98 from DOS command prompt.

The Win98 Emergency Boot Diskette (EBD), or any DOS boot disk will boot into DOS. For Win98, the Win98 version of DOS will avoid incompatible version errors. Fixing version errors is possible, but the Win98 verson of DOS is simpler.

From a DOS command prompt, you can start Win98 by typing: win from the proper directory. win.exe may be located in c:\windows\command, or maybe c:\windows\system, or maybe c:\windows, where c:\windows is the default windows directory. If necessary you can use the /s option of the DOS dir command to search subdirectories. (Type dir /? at command prompt for all dir options.) If the win.exe directory is in your default path, as specified in autoexec.bat, you do not need to navigate to the proper directory.

To access your PCMCIA CD, your boot diskette must define your CD from within config.sys and autoexec.bat. If only the MBR is corrupt, perhaps you can salvage config.sys, autoexec.bat and necessary CD-definition files from the fixed disk. If you can salvage these files from the fixed disk, apply the salvaged files to your boot diskette, with any modifications necessary to reflect boot from diskette.

If you cannot salvage the necessary files from your fixed disk, you must obtain the CD-definition files from an alternate source such as the installation diskette for you PCMCIA CD, or from the support site of the your PCMCIA manufacturer.

I think that most PCMCIA CD's were SCSI with the PCMCIA card being a SCSI adapter. Presuming that this is your case, and with your indulgence, I will describe boot disk modifications which may enable access to your PCMCIA CD.

First, modifications to config.sys.
config.sys must have device specifications for:

1. SCSI Adapter;
2. CD drive; and maybe,
3. expansion of lastdrive option.

these lines may look like this:

1. device=aspif365.sys
2. device=kmecd.sys
3. lastdrive=f

The above file names are exemplary, rather then specific to your specific hardware. Your specific .sys files, as you specify them within your config.sys, must exist in the root directory of your boot diskette. Expansion of the lastdrive option is necessary in the event the fixed disk has multiple partitions, or other storage devices. The lastdrive specification must extend far enough that Win98 displays the drive letter of you CD.

Next, modifications to autoexec.bat:
To operate your CD, autoexec.bat must start mscdex.exe. msdex.exe must reside within the same directory as autoexec.bat, unless your command line specifies an alternate location.

The appropriate command line within autoexec.bat may look something like:

mscdex.exe /d /pcmciad /l:d

The above mscdex.exe command is exemplary rather then specific to your installation. Perhaps you can search elsewhere for details on mscdex. I may not remember the details properly.

The above exemplar mscdex command line includes two exemplar command line options.

/d /pcmciad may specifiy pcmciad as the name of your specific device
/l:d may specify D as the drive letter designation you wish for your CD

Modify these exemplars according to your specific installation.

Again you may wish more documentation on mscdex.exe from other sources, and from the manufacturer of your PCMCIA CD. I may not remember the details correctly.

After you are able to boot your computer and able to access your CD, perhaps you can repair your MBR, or refurbish your Win98 installation from CD as necessary.

Good Luck!

BTW, to access BIOS setup in Portege 3110CT:
after pressing power button, red TOSHIBA will appear on screen. While red TOSHIBA appears on screen, promptly press [ESC] key. Then screen will display a message asking you to press [F1]. At this point point, press [F1] to access BIOS setup.

BTW, if you wish a good home for an old notebook, I re-invigorate old computers for brain damage survivors.