Microsoft KB Archive/67365

= Err Msg When Booting System: NO ROM BASIC =

Article ID: 67365

Article Last Modified on 11/16/2006

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APPLIES TO


 * Microsoft MS-DOS 3.1
 * Microsoft MS-DOS 3.2 Standard Edition
 * Microsoft MS-DOS 3.21 Standard Edition
 * Microsoft MS-DOS 3.3 Standard Edition
 * Microsoft MS-DOS 3.3a
 * Microsoft MS-DOS 4.0 Standard Edition
 * Microsoft MS-DOS 4.01 Standard Edition
 * Microsoft MS-DOS 5.0 Standard Edition
 * Microsoft MS-DOS 5.0a
 * Microsoft MS-DOS 6.0 Standard Edition
 * Microsoft MS-DOS 6.2 Standard Edition
 * Microsoft MS-DOS 6.21 Standard Edition
 * Microsoft MS-DOS 6.22 Standard Edition
 * Microsoft Windows 95

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This article was previously published under Q67365



SYMPTOMS
After you partition your hard disk and install MS-DOS or Windows 95, you may receive the following message when you turn on your computer:

NO ROM BASIC

SYSTEM HALTED



CAUSE
You did not select an active partition. (You must do this in addition to partitioning the hard disk.)

Note that this error message can also occur if the motherboard in your computer is failing.



RESOLUTION
To select an active partition, choose the Set Active Partition option on the FDISK main menu. The only MS-DOS or Windows 95 partition that can be set as active is the primary DOS partition.



MORE INFORMATION
When the computer is started, the boot routine polls drive A for a valid boot disk. If no boot disk is detected, the system reads the boot sector from the first physical hard disk. The partition table is examined for a partition with a boot indicator. If no partitions are marked as bootable, the system executes an interrupt 18H, which transfers control to ROM Basic.

Only IBM personal computers have Basic included in ROM; on a compatible, interrupt 18H typically displays the message &quot;NO ROM BASIC,&quot; then &quot;SYSTEM HALTED,&quot; and the system halts.

Under these conditions, some older Compaq DESKPRO computers display the message:

Non-System disk or disk error

replace and strike any key when ready

It is also possible for some systems to return the message:

System does not support resident BASIC

If this behavior occurs when there is a bootable floppy disk in drive A, make sure that the boot sequence is set to drive A and then drive C in the computer's CMOS settings (instead of drive C and then drive A).

Additional query words: 6.22 3.20 3.21 3.30 3.30a 4.00 4.01 5.00 5.00a 6.00 6.20

Keywords: KB67365

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