Member Avatar for gnombi

hi,
my problem is that i have formated my thinkpad 365xd and when i went to install win98 from the cd , its starts up with the thinkpad logo and then tells me INVALID SYSTEMS DISK ????:sad:

can anyone help

thinkpad 365xd nofloppy just a cd/rom drive


thanks

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Dani AI

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Short note for and follow‑ups for anyone hitting the same problem: an "INVALID SYSTEMS DISK" after you formatted means the machine has no bootable OS on the hard drive. Since already pointed to the boot device, the 301 error and the BIOS not allowing startup changes suggest either the 365xd is not seeing the drive or it will not boot directly from the CD. The checklist below gives practical, low‑risk steps to continue.

First checks (quick, non‑destructive)

  • Verify the Windows 98 CD actually boots by testing it on another PC.
  • Power down, remove and reseat the hard drive in the bay (check connectors for dirt/corrosion).
  • If available, connect the drive to another computer (IDE adapter or spare laptop) to confirm the partition/boot sector exists or to reformat/install there.

If the 365xd will not boot from the Win98 CD

  • Create a DOS/Win98 startup floppy on a working PC and add the CD‑ROM driver plus MSCDEX so the laptop can boot from floppy and run Setup from the CD.
  • Typical files to copy from a Win98 system: HIMEM.SYS, the matching CD driver (e.g., OAKCDROM.SYS or the vendor .SYS), and MSCDEX.EXE. Example config lines:
config.sys
DEVICE=HIMEM.SYS
DEVICE=OAKCDROM.SYS /D:MSCD001

autoexec.bat
MSCDEX /D:MSCD001 /L:D

Notes and cautions

  • Driver filenames vary by CD‑ROM model; use the driver that matches the 365xd’s drive (found on the Win98 CD or the drive vendor).
  • If BIOS setup is locked or settings won’t change, check for a supervisor password before attempting a CMOS reset. Removing CMOS battery can clear settings but will not remove a hard‑drive (HDD) password and should be done only if comfortable with the hardware.
  • If the HDD still isn’t detected or the 301 error persists after these checks, run a drive test on another machine or consider professional service.

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Member Avatar for gnombi

So i thought daniweb was supposed to be HELPFUL

does anyone know why its telling me invalid systems disk ,,,on the startup even when theres no disk in the cd rom ?????

anyone

Member Avatar for jbennet

thats because you formatted it and wiped windows which its set to boot by default

to get it to boot from the win98 cd you need to hit one of the F keys (F10 or F2 i think - its a different F key from the one for the BIOS) and select CD-ROM

Member Avatar for gnombi

Thank you for reply
ill give it a go

Member Avatar for gnombi

its come up with an 301 error and in the bios its wont let me change the start up ?

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