Where are they?I knew it would erase all of my FILES and programs -- I didn't really have any on this LAPTOP.

I have gone through the process. But now it says something like...

"Starting Windows 98

Cannot find the file C:/WINDOWS/COMMAND.COM
A>"

...or something. I looked on the website and this has something to do with commands in DOS for Windows 98.

I tried writing in the command.com command, fdisk /mbr (or whatever the website wrote) but none of them work. The laptop originally had Windows XP and now it says it's starting Win98, is this an issue? I think I may need to just purchase an entirely new hard DRIVE. (-_-)At the A: prompt type in C: and hit Enter...
At the C: prompt type in cd\Windows and hit Enter...
At the C:\Windows prompt type in Win and hit Enter....

If this does'nt get you into Win98 something went wrong with the install....

What makes you suspect a hard drive issue ? ?Didn't work. : \ Because the command.com thing is missing or CORRUPTED I think it can't understand any command.

The thing is, the laptop USED to have Windows XP and now it's trying to start Windows 98. Shouldn't the recovery disk be trying to recover Windows XP?

I thought it was the hard drive because of something I read on this website. It was a link off of the Invalid System Disk error.

I'm at a loss. : (Not neccessarily...if the laptop shipped originally with Win98 then when you run the restore CD you are going back to Win98.
This was the main reason for the STOP message i posted above.

Without all the facts if you just jump into trying something we can't guarantee the proper results....

Do you have an MS XP CD ? ?I very much understood what I was doing when I did it -- that I'd lose all of my data, files, customizations, updates, etc. I wanted this. SOMEBODY deleted any important file out of c:/Windows files so I needed to restore Windows to its originality. I didn't really have any files on that laptop -- I use this one.

The laptop came with Windows XP. It has a sticker on the laptop that says "Designed for Windows XP." I used XP until I used the recovery disk. I am using the disk that laptop came with -- it's the same brand and same model of laptop.

I ran the recovery disk and it seemed to be working just fine. I agreed to delete all of my files, to continue and when it finished it said it was "Starting Windows 98." The reason that confuses me is because I originally had XP. I restarted and it said "Invalid System Disk" over and over. I came on here and learned to boot the HDD. I did so. I went through the recovery disk again. Now it says "Starting Windows 98" and something like "The following file is missing or corrupted C:/windows/command.com A>" or something like that. So I entered in "C:\", I entered "fdisk /mbr (or whatever this website suggested," and something direct about copying the A drive to the C drive (the disk to the hdd). To no avail. It just says the same thing over and over.

Sometimes when I restart a message keeps replaying that says something about Realtek -- if I restart it goes back to the command.com error message.

I have no idea why the recovery disk didn't work, why it's starting Windows 98 and how, if there is any way, to fix the command.com file.

I'm not completely ignorant as to how a computer operates, how Windows works, what DOS is, etc. I just don't know what to do from here -- I'm trying to avoid a pricey repair.You should contact the Laptop manuf. and request an XP Recovery CD if that did in fact come with XP...
What exactly does it say on the CD you have now ? ?

Most manuf. will send a new one and only charge shipping...