[ZeRealBigBoss]

I am running W98SE on an AMD @ 2.6MHz, no prob. Your problem is that W98 is not able to run with 1GB of memory; it should, but, what is new, because of a bug it doesn't run with more than 512MB. Check it out on the net.

I prefer W98 100 times over XP, more stable and faster because it is not so bloated. Well, you have to do some manual trimming to slim it off, true, but then.... Drivers are no problem; there are enough free sites on the web with anything, just search. Driverguide.com got greedy, there one has to pay nowadays.

[Blindy8]

I am running a Windows ME system and haven't defragged in awhile. I started the Windows defragger and what happens is that it keeps resetting to 0 then starting back up to where it left off. The problem is that this is going to take all day because it bites off a little then sets back to 0. I don't have an active screen saver kicking in and had no other programs that I know of running in the background.

I am running EZ anti Virus but I don't think that is interferring because I'm not online nor running a scan. It appears that something is interrupting the defragmentation process continually but I have no idea what.

[ZeRealBigBoss]

halts and starts again from the beginning when another program writes on the disk that is in defrag. Normal programs do not continuously write; I ran into the same problem only when I had a virus. Programs that read from the disk do not cause a restart.

[Blindy8]

I got a good tip on this site to run defrag in Safe Mode. When I did that, I had no problems with defrag. Ad-aware found a number of spyware programs on my system. They may have been running in the background. I deleted them.

Thanks,

Mark

[Gazza69]

Originally Posted by Bob Cerelli

Too bad they always recommend a format just to do a Win9x or ME reinstall. You can get a clean install of both without formatting first. Sure is helpful if there is data on the drive you might want to keep. Now you may want to format for other reasons, but you certainly don't have to. Hopefully you can least make an informed choice.

Hi Bob,

I was wondering if you could help.

Basically I was on my computer recently, and I was told to restart my computer, which I did, but when I rebooted the PC a message appeared asking me to enter the Certificate of Authenticity Product shown on the front of the Windows 98 User Manual.

I then proceeded to enter the Product Key into the fields and then I was prompted to agree to the terms and conditions - Blah Blah, which I agreed to and then clicked finish.

My PC then rebooted for a second time, but this time it came up with an Invalid Page Fault in Explorer.exe, and no Desktop Icons or Start/Toolbar appeared, only a minimized version of my Wallpaper, so I can't click on anything on the screen as nothing appears.

I have Windows 98 Second Edition, and I have my original Windows 98 CD and Boot Disk.

I have a lot of information on my PC that I am concerned I may lose, so is it a simple thing to resolve, and will my information be secure if I need to reboot the operating system?

I have tried to install over the current operating system, but an error appears - SUWIN caused a General Protection Fault in module KRNL386.EXE at 0002:0ADC.

I have been advised elsewhere on the Forum that the BIOS or Registry could be corrupt, but I have read you mention that if a clean install is required, you can still retrieve information on the Hard Drive by not formatting.

Would this be possible in my situation, as Windows won't even load i.e no Start Menu or Desktop.

I look forward to yor reply
Many Thanks

Gazza69

[tuckered]

trying to redo? my windows 98se black screen comes up saying bad command or file name D:\> don't know what to do???

[D B Cooper]

Looks like the last 2 post have gone unanswered? WHY?

[D B Cooper]

I have problems as post above me. I use a boot disk and it takes me so far before I have to enter data at the dos prompt. What do i enter?

DB

[ZeRealBigBoss]

If a question is specifically directed to someone, in this case Bob, it may be considered impolite if someone else answers.

In my experience, these things happen when a system has really gone bad and restoring is not possible any more. The usual question: did you partition the HD in a program part, C:, and a data part, D:? From what I read, I guess not; you guys enjoy living on the sharp edge of the knive. Teaches you not to trust Microsoft's optimism but to do it from now on. Buy or borrow another disk, connect that one as the primary one and the one you have now as slave or secondary master and install Windows, just the most minimal version, on that new one. Start up and copy all your data from the old one to the new one; make sure that you do not forget anything but do neither copy the \Windows nor the \Program Files nor the files in the root directory. Make also a boot diskette and copy fdisk.exe and format.com onto that one. If you see a file called Autoexec.bat on the diskette, erase it.

Now disconnect the new HD and connect the old one as primary again. Start up on the floppy and run fdisk (say Yes to the first question). As your data are saved on the other disk, you don't have to fear you will lose something. Working with fdisk is a bit clumsy although more secure than doing that with Windows. Erase first the existing partition(s) and then make a primary partition of around 10GB and a secondary of the remainder. Restart on the floppy and format both disks C: and D:. Take the floppy out and restart with the installation CD; install all programs that you want in C:.

Once this is ready, connect the new disk as secondary or slave and copy all your data from that one to D: (that is DEE:, not CEE. If you have to give that HD back, don't just delete but format it (no quick format) to make sure that your data are erased before doing so. Make sure you format the right one! Set all your data paths in your programs to D:. From now on, if Windows goes completely wrong again, you can repeat the above from formatting, but then only C:, onwards without losing your data.

Still, it would be worth its while to get a second HD, used or new, connect that as secondary and at least once a week make a straight copy from d: to that one, most probably then showing up as E:.

If you want to be really smart, copy, after all is freshly installed, the user.dat, hwinfo.dat, system.dat, win.ini and system.ini from c:\windows to a place on D:. These are essential files for Windows, and if something goes wrong later on it might be that you can restore it to the freshly installed state you have now by copying them back to c:\windows. Mind: might be.

Also rather smart: make a c:\tmp directory and assign that for temporary files. That makes it easy to regularly delete all the junk that normally goes into and stays in a few less obvious directories.

[ZeRealBigBoss]

Gazza: As you may have concluded and also experienced yourself, I do not at all agree with Bob. Sometimes you can copy the original files over the affected ones, but most of the times not and then you get what you got when you tried.

Tuckered: I suppose that that black screen comes up when you boot; if so, then there is m.p. a wrong file address given in your autoexec.bat file.

Cooper: what boot disk, a floppy? That would start up in DOS, and that is apparently not what you need. If it happens, try CD \WINDOWS and then the commend WIN, that should start Windows.

[mjbyyz]

Since I had posted to this thread about a year ago, your message (ZeRealBigBoss) came through to me today.

[mjbyyz]

Dang - I hit 'Return' and I hadn't finished!!!!! I guess it all goes into one paragraph! The long blurb you wrote beginning 'If a question is specifically directed to someone' will probably be v helpful to me, next time I get back to a Win98SE computer - thank you. I have long since wondered which files were essential and which were not when making a new disk workable. Thanks again - John - 070919-22:16EDT

[D B Cooper]

[Cooper: what boot disk, a floppy? That would start up in DOS, and that is apparently not what you need. If it happens, try CD \WINDOWS and then the commend WIN, that should start Windows.]
I got your message today. I tried the above with a boot disk and when I type:
CD \WINDOWS and then the commend WIN, that should start Windows.] My computer
goes through some motion writes a message on a blue screen and then turns off the computer.

is there a way to start windows from dos?

If I pull the battery from the mobo will that lose the windows install?

When I locate the disk to reinstall Me and get another hard drive I will follow your instructions.

thanks

[D B Cooper]

When my computer first comes on I press the tab key and the page just flash and goes to the black screen and says: boot failure from previous device. insert bootdisk and strike any key.
I get 4 to choose from. boot with cd, boot without cd,minimal boot I forget the 2nd one.
Anyway I say boot without cd #3. I loads a virtual cd 512mb 64sectors. Takes me to a blue screen: HELP FOR EMERGENCY STARTUP DISK. The most i have learned from this is how to
close this help file: press ALt-F-X
DB

[ZeRealBigBoss]

DBC: if you start with a boot disk and then enter CD \windows, that is starting in DOS. The TAB is about the same as starting up with F8: it gives you a selection where/with what part of the system you want to begin. If you pull the battery from a motherboard, then you lose the BIOS data, nothing that is installed on the disk. After doing that, hold down ESC immediately after switching the machine on; that brings you to the BIOS, in case you want to change the defaults.

From what you write, I really think your Windows is so completely corrupted that only a format+re-installation can get things going again. Sorry for such bad msg; don't shoot the messenger.