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AWA series 2 and 3 

Question: I loaded a newer Microsolutions backpack read/write CDROM on my AWA and now, when I disconnect the backpack from the AWA’s parallel port I get a blue screen covered in error messages. Plug the backpack back in, I get a correct boot up. What is wrong?

Answer: Microsolutions (www.micro-solutions.com) has been the supplier of backpack, external CDROM’s to Baker since 1996. There have been several releases of different drivers from Microsolutions since that time. The error is caused by older CDROM drivers still residing on the hard disk drive, which corrupt Windows NT. There are three ways out of this problem:

 * Administrator account required

1)      Boot into Windows NT with the backpack connected, and then use “START – SETTINGS – CONTROL PANEL – ADD/REMOVE PROGRAMS to remove the backpack driver and the CD creator software. Then, remove the CDROM from the parallel port and see if it comes up normally. If it does, perform the following steps:

2)      START – SETTINGS – CONTROL PANEL – SCSI ADAPTERS – DRIVERS, remove any backpack drivers seen listed here and re-boot.

3)      Then you may install the newer driver from diskette, and the CD creator software from the CDROM once the parallel port CDROM driver is recognized by Windows NT.

*Administrator account required 

The second solution available at the time of this writing is to navigate to www.micro-solutions.com and get the latest available backpack driver and CD creator software available for your backpack. The latest available backpack driver program they offer will scan the AWA’s disk drive for older offending drivers and remove them. 

The third method, usually only needed when repeated repair attempts have failed, resulting in a permanent blue screen of death with or without the backpack connected.

To remove the drivers that are hosing the AWA, you will need to have what is called a bootable diskette. Windows 95, 98, Me, allow you to create a 3.5 floppy diskette that will bring the AWA computer + hard-disk up and running. It will not load WINNT4.0. 

Win95 and Win98, select: START, SETTINGS,CONTROL PANEL, ADD/REMOVE PROGRAMS, STARTUP DISK, CREATE DISK, and then it may ask for the WIN98 CDROM 

Another method is to re-boot windows 95 or 98 into DOS mode. You can select "Restart in MS-DOS mode"

Then from the C:\WINDOWS prompt, type: C:\WINDOWS FORMAT A: /S 

Then walk through the diskette 

This will copy the startup files to the floppy diskette in A:\ drive

Anyhow, once you have in hand a diskette that can boot the AWA to a command prompt, we can fix the problem.

Here is how to correct the problem we have:

From the C:\ type the following:

cd winnt\system32\drivers

It should now look like this:

C:\winnt\system32\drivers

Now type the following:

del cdr4vsd.sys then hit enter

Now type the following:

del bp32drv4.sys then hit enter

Now type the following:

Del bp32drv.sys ten hit enter 

This will delete the offending drivers from the hard-disk

Now, remove the floppy from the A:\ and re-boot. This process removed the backpack drivers completely, it is only going to work for backpack drivers.