Thinkpads Forum

Drivers aren't my strong point. Usually I can muddle through but now I'm confused.

I'm starting with a Thinkpad 560x that has a partitioned, formatted (but empty) c: drive, a floppy a: drive and a PCMCIA card driven CD-ROM. I'm trying to reinstall Win98 from the CD.

I've got a Windows 98 startup disk in a: and a Windows 98 CD waiting patiently in the CD-ROM drive. (Alas, although the Win98 startup diskette contains generic CD drivers they don't work with the PCMCIA card CD drive. It says so in the readme.txt file.)

I've managed to update the Win98 startup disk to successfully load the PCMCIA card services. (At least I think so, because the installation message says successful and the CD drive spins up when the machine boots up, or when the card is withdrawn and reinserted, etc.)

I've created an installation disk for the CD-ROM driver per the IBM support website instructions http://www-307.ibm.com/pc/support/site. ... IGR-4KK4XU. When I run install from that disk, it starts the setup program, then returns a message, "IRQ or port is not available. Check your PC configuration and try again."

I've checked in the BIOS setup and I'm not finding an option to set any IRQs, and booting from the PCMCIA is not selectable (never has been). I've tried the PCMCIA card in both slots -- no difference.

I've tried booting both with and without CD-ROM support. If I boot with, I get a message "Device driver not found: 'MSCD001' ." If I boot without, then the card service drivers don't load either. I'm guessing that there's something about the PCMCD20X.sys line that I need to change but I'm not sure what.

The relevant parts of the config.sys file on the Win98 startup diskette are below. Help, what do I need to change to get this driver installed? I appreciate it any suggestions!

Note: on the DICRMU01.sys line, I removed the /IX switch that excluded certain IRQs; this made no difference.

--mirau560x ~~( )8:>

Line in autoexec.bat:
LH %ramd%:\MSCDEX.EXE /D:mscd001 /L:%CDROM%

In config.sys:
[CD]
device=himem.sys /testmem:off
device=oakcdrom.sys /D:mscd001
device=btdosm.sys
device=flashpt.sys
device=btcdrom.sys /D:mscd001
DEVICEHIGH=A:\PCCARD\IBMDSS14.SYS
DEVICEHIGH=A:\PCCARD\IBMDOSCS.SYS
DEVICEHIGH=A:\PCCARD\DICRMU01.SYS /MA=D000-D7FF /SH=1
DEVICE=PCMCD20X.SYS /D:PCMCD001
device=aspi2dos.sys
device=aspi8dos.sys
device=aspi4dos.sys
device=aspi8u2.sys
device=aspicd.sys /D:mscd001

[NOCD]
device=himem.sys /testmem:off

[HELP]
device=himem.sys /testmem:off

[COMMON]
files=10
buffers=10
dos=high,umb
stacks=9,256
devicehigh=ramdrive.sys /E 2048
lastdrive=z

See if this link helps explain a little more; here.

What brand/model PCMCIA CDROM do you have?

I downloaded a generic boot floppy for PCMCIA CDROMS along time ago and I have been looking for it. It worked like a charm. Once I find it I'll post a link to it.

Also your link to the driver doesn't include your 560X as being supported. I don't know if it matters but........ you are getting a fault message.

The CDROM will spin simply because it's getting power from the PCMCIA slot.

Incase you do have an IBM PCMCIA CDROM here are some bits of information (towards bottom of text file) that may help you sort out IRQ's and I/O ports for it. Here and a link to all of the filesHere.

One more link, it's an end around solution..... here.

Good luck for now.......

if the pc card cd rom is a geniune ibm, i can tell you how i got mine to work. use the recovery flopy you create from the ibm web site.
put your 98 cd in the cd rom, and the ibm flopy in the removable flopy. start the machine, the ibm flopy will load the drivers to detect and run the cd rom. it will detect that thier is no recovery disk in the cd rom, and abort the recovery process. while the machine is still up and running, insert your 98 start up flopy.
use the command "autoexecute" the start up disk will "start the computer" when all done, the cd rom will be called the "x"
drive. change from the "a" to the "x" drive in dos (x:)
then enter "setup" the install process should start. if the computer can not detect the cd rom,
you may have to go into bios, and disable some of the optional
items (sound, ports, modem,) to free up the neccessary resorces.
a couple of other things, if possible, copy all the 98 cab files
to the hard drive BEFORE you start instalation. (review the "copy" command in dos) otherwise, you run into a problem that after the initial install is compleate, the operating systim wants to find additional instalation drivers on the cd rom. but untill the ibm specific cd rom drivers are installed, you cant access the cd rom. sorta a "catch-22" if the files allready are on your hard drive, all you have to do is point windows to thier location. good luck, adrin

Another option to use if you can see the files on the CD from DOS (which you seem to be able to do because you can run setup) is to copy the contents of the CD to the hard drive. Then reboot off the floppy (perhaps without CD support) then just run the copy of setup on the hard disk. Worth a shot?

Great suggestions and I can't wait until this evening when I have time to try them!

I do have the IBM PC IDE card and the IBM CD-ROM drive.

Sorry whizkid, I should have clarified, I can't yet see the files on the CD from DOS; there is no drive letter assigned to the CD-ROM yet. The "startup" program I am running is the one on the floppy that is supposed to install the CD-ROM driver.

Yes, I do have the recovery diskette (thank you powers that be!) so I will try adrin's suggestion first. I was wondering if I could use the recovery diskette in some way, but I was assuming that it would be looking for the recovery CD specifically. (As my momma said, "assume" makes an "a$$" out of "u" and "me.")

I am still interested in the generic boot floppy for the PCMCIA CD-ROMS. Occasionally I do come across old machines and the like and it would be nice to be prepared.

Hooray! Hope I will be able to post soon with success!

Here is a link to your correct drivers; Lenovo.

Please read the text file. Go to section; 3.6 - "Reinstalling Windows 95 Using the 20X Max Portable or Portable Stereo CD ROM Drive." That section explains how to build the boot floppy.

*Maybe you omitted copying PCMCD20X.SYS from the driver diskette to the root of your boot floppy. (Root equals = A:\) Please follow the instructions though so as to be sure you've not missed any steps.

Thank you to everyone who responded for the advice. Even after modifying the boot disk and initializing the system to clear IRQs I still could not access the CD ROM drive (didn't get a drive letter).

So I took a step back and asked, what is it I really want to accomplish with refurbishing this machine? And the answers all pointed in the direction of installing WinXP instead of Win98.

I created the WinXP floppy boot disks from the MS website and had a trouble-free installation of WinXP. Seems to run at a reasonable rate and as a bonus, the $7 wireless card I bought at Best Buy to troubleshoot with works perfectly. (one of "life's small victories")

I have some further questions about whether or not to install the specific drivers and/or IBM ThinkPad configuration software but I'll post those in a different topic soon.

mirau560x