Fatal Exception Error

[TB12345]

Hello, I have my friends old IBM Thinkpad 600 here. He bought an external memorex cd-rw, it came with Nero 6 Memorex suite. He tried to install the software and when it prompted a restart, he restarted and got 4 different fatal exception OE's. Windows 98Se will start and it will let you select which person's profile to use, but as soon as you do the errors come up and the screen goes black and crashes, the desktop does not come up. I phoned memorex they told me to take it a tech, nero was interfering with other burning software, it never had a burner before. Nero told me to download and install a program in windows, I sent them a letter back to say I can't get into windows. I've tried scanreg/restore it doesn't work either, I can't get in safe mode, same thing.
Anyway the errors are as followed:

A fatal exception OE has occured at:

1st: 0028:1F4CD07F press any key
2nd: 0028:000001DF press any key
3rd: 0028:000001DD press any key
4th: 0028:000001C5 press any key
Black screen
After each one it says: "The current application will be terminated"

There is no VXD in any of the error messages.

Any ideas would really be appreciated!

Thanks

[GaryRouth]

Hi TB12345

and Welcome to the PC Mechanic forums.


Probably the easiest fix for this situation is an over-the-top reinstall: http://forum.pcmech.com/showthread.php?t=70846

Most of the time, it's only about 45 minutes to fix: but then some Windows Updates have to be downloaded again. Programs and data (with the likely exception of Nero) won't have to be reinstalled.

Are you sure the ThinkPad meets that version of Nero's Minimum System Requirements? I took a quick glance, and it seems that the ThinkPad 600 line's fastest processor was a mobile Pentium II 266mhz, the standard hard drives were 3.2 and 4 gb, and the standard installed memory was 32mb. http://www-307.ibm.com/pc/support/site.wss/document.do?sitestyle=lenovo&lndocid=LWIK-3TQG38 -- Nero 6 seems to prefer 500mhz processors, and 500mb of disk space http://ww2.nero.com/enu/Nero_6_Ultra_Edition_Update_System_Requirements.html

Before you try the over-the-top, you could see if you can get to Safe Mode. If you can, see if you can remove Nero with the Add/Remove applet in Control Panel.

My guess is that you've got file-version trouble going on.
Best of luck!
. . . Gary

[TB12345]

Thanks Gary, I'm going to give that a try, this thinkpad doesn't have a 3 1/2 drive so I'll have to make a bootable cd, I've used bootdisk.com in the past but not to make a cd, would that still be okay? Second thing is, my friend went from Windows 95 right to Windows 98Se by using the upgrade disk, do I have to use that disk that he used to originally to upgrade I have a Windows 98Se disk and a windows 98Se upgrade disk both with the keys but neither are the one's that he used to originally upgrade, he can't find the disk.

Anyway thanks Gary

[GaryRouth]

Hi again -

You mentioned you have a Win98se CD - or two! It would be easiest to use the full-version CD, but either will be OK (since you have two OS disks, the other would do as proof of previous version). The Windows 98 2nd Edition CDs are bootable = no worries about having to go make a disk.

If the ThinkPad isn't currently set to look for a bootable CD before it looks at the hard drive, enter the Bios Setup screens [Here's the instructions from IBM support: "With the unit powered off, hold the F1 key and power the unit on. Keep F1 held down until Easy setup appears" -- the newer models can press F1 from the logo screen, but the ThinkPad 600 is from the time when you had to press the key before power on]. Look for an item for Boot Order, and have the system look to the CD drive before the hard drive, and you're all set.

Choose "Start computer with cd-rom support" after you boot from the CD. Then rename win.com as it mentions in the article I linked you to earlier (if the 600 has Bios AntiVirus protection, that has to be off during the reinstall, you can re-enable it afterwards). Start Setup, and remember not to accept C:\Windows.000 as the install directory, rename that to plain vanilla C:\Windows

Best of luck
. . . Gary

[TB12345]

Thanks Gary, I'm going to try it on Sunday, so I'll let you know how I make out.

Thanks again,

Troy

[TB12345]

Hello Gary,

I just tried to do the over the top install but have encountered a new problem, I can't access the cd-rom drive, I put the CD in and get to DOS,key in every letter from a: to z: the only two letters for drives that will register are a: and b:! I key in d:, q: etc... says invalid drive specification. I put the CD in and hit a: it says not reading drive a:, I push fail and it says current drive is no longer valid. When I key in b: it says to insert diskette, so I assume this would be designated for a 3 1/2. Could this have happened when the external drive was installed, I'm not sure where to go from here, if I can't get the cd-rom to work I'm stuck.

Anyway Thanks again for your help,

Troy

[GaryRouth]

Hi again

Sorry for the long delay between replies - I was away on a weeklong "Internet-free" vacation [hard to imagine, eh? but true!]

Try again to boot from the Win98se CD - and make sure to choose "start computer with CD-ROM support" --- that usually assigns the letter D to the optical drive on a laptop (since they generally only have one hard drive, which gets the letter C). Then try the intructions for the over-the-top.

If for whatever reason, you have a oddball cd-drive in there, that you can boot from but not find in DOS, you can still do an over-the-top with this workaround. 1) Boot into DOS just as you did the first try. 2) rename the win.com file 3) reboot using the Win98se CD, and choose "Start Windows Setup" ...[remember to have the instructions handy from that earlier thread, so you have all the other details taken care of (temporarily disable Bios Antivirus, unplug from networks, use the C:\Windows folder to install to --not the Windows.000--, etc.)]

Hopefully, that should do it. I'm thinking that perhaps you've already figured this out on your own - if so, good work!
. . . Gary