Win98se Help edit ms dos sys file

[nightsky]

Hi,
Have win98SE and Slack8 dualboot two hd. Error message during boot into windows says "In valid setting in Ms Dos Sys File: Delay=0" ... Win98SE has been working fine till after SBC DSL Upgrade. How do I get into ms dos sys file to edit. I remember vaguely there being some ms dos sys editor when I
originally built my frankensteen. Thnx

[Cricket]

Originally Posted by nightsky Hi, Have win98SE and Slack8 dualboot two hd. Error message during boot into windows says "In valid setting in Ms Dos Sys File: Delay=0" ... Win98SE has been working fine till after SBC DSL Upgrade. How do I get into ms dos sys file to edit. I remember vaguely there being some ms dos sys editor when I originally built my frankensteen. Thnx

Edit MSDOS.SYS file. Scroll down the page to the "How to edit the msdos.sys file" section.

Cricket

[nightsky]

Thnx Cricket, I found that page after many google searches. Hav removed dead registry keys and changed msdos.sys file to original Delay=4, Hav removed viruses and infected files and Windows loads intermittently after I shut it dwn a bunch of times. It goes thru the self test, Menu Screen appears where I can select dos, linux, or windows... Sometimes it hangs after delay times out or after I hit enter 1 for windows... Sometimes it goes thru all the steps and hangs
after I enter win at the C:\prompt ???? Does anyone know how to diagnose this
problem? I found MSN Certification material on this hope I can figure it out. Its been a week now. I am getting rid of IE migrating to Firefox hoping it will minmize spyware, viruses and alike. Thnx again...

[GaryRouth]

Just in case you haven't yet solved the MSDOS.sys file trouble:

Make sure that the line doesn't just read Delay=4 (because there is no value that reads just "Delay" - that I know of)
But reads the full value of BootMenuDelay=4
--> And I'd recommend the default setting of BootMenuDelay=30 since 4 seconds goes by before some old monitors warm up enough to see.


If you are trying to use the value BootDelay, Microsoft cautions that this value was valid in Win95 but not in Win98: "NOTE: BootDelay is not supported in Windows 98" -- http://support.microsoft.com/?id=118579

And also make sure that the file is at least 1kb in size or greater.

You can try booting the Win98 partition into Safe Mode or trying a Step-by-Step confirmation, to see if there are any other files that are having trouble loading. Run a virus/malware scan there, too, since now that you're connected via broadband, you're more vulnerable to attacks.

Best of luck
. . . Gary

[nightsky]

Find File bootlog.txt scrolled thru it to find:
[000C1A96] Loading Vxd = ndis2sup.Vxd
[000C1A96] LoadFailed = ndis2sup.Vxd .... Aha

Further down bootlog.txt I found:
[000C1A9C] Starting Unknown (HTree\Root\0)
" " " " " "
[000C1A9C] Enumerating Unknown (HTree\Root\0)
" " " " " "
[000C1A9C] Starting Unknown (HTree\Root\0)
" " " " " "
[000C1A9C] Enumerating Unknown (HTree\Root\0)
" " " " " "

I understand the LoadFailed but Starting Unknow HTree and then following
Enumerating of Unknow HTree - What does this indicate? I can run ndis2sup.Vxd on google for solutions and HTree but anyone here have fix suggestions?
As for the Delay=4 in msdos.sys file its booted successfully for 3yrs and gives me enough time to choose linux or dos options which work well. Ok its seems
problem is related to my deleting my dialup connections managers since I migrated to DSL from DialUp?

[GaryRouth]

Hi again

Do you have recent enough backups to run a clean install of Win98se (just to ensure the virus angle is completely absent)? That would be a pretty thorough solution (though you'd have to relaod your Grub or LiLo Linux bootloader to get the dual-boot back, since the install of Win98se would rewrite the MBR with a Win98se version). The HTree items could be either virus-damage, or simply references to hardware that is absent or misconfigured. Your lines are similiar to those in Symantec's article http://www.global-symantecsecurity.c...e.a.virus.html

If you feel that you've eradicated all pests pretty well, you might find relief by trying a variation of the "Enum trick" (in the Tips & Tricks forum) - and let Windows redetect and reinstall the hardware.

You might also try an over-the-top for the Windows partition (drive, in this case), though you'd have to reload your Grub or LiLo to get the dual-boot back, just as with a clean Win9x install (... if you decide to try that tactic, the details are in this thread http://forum.pcmech.com/showthread.php?t=70846 ).

The drawback of the install/reinstall of Windows is that 1) you'd have to reload your Linux bootloader, and 2) you'd have to spend time installing all the Security Patches for Win98se for the last five years. That makes trying a variation on the Enum trick seem like the best chance for a quick fix (though if unsuccessful, it would only delay the cure).

The delay in MSDOS.SYS doesn't really effect choosing between Linux or Windows, it just chooses the delay for the time the BootMenu displays its choices. It's the Linux bootloader that controls the OS choice, when dual-booting with a Win9x version (for Win2000/WinXP, you can use either the Linux bootloader or the NtLdr bootloader).

I'm going to be loading a recent distro of Mandriva sometime soon (Mandrake & Connectiva = Mandriva), and a Fedora a bit later, so my Linux doesn't get too rusty (It's been a long while since I've updated my ancient "Caldera"). Hope your projects go well.
. . . Gary

[P.S. .. the LoadFailed = ndis2sup.vxd message is OK and rather normal. Here's Microsoft's explanation:
"If the network driver interface specification (NDIS) 2 support driver does not find any NDIS 2 drivers to support, the driver is not loaded." ...]

[nightsky]

Getting windows to load, even if I have to reboot a bunch of times. Hav re-edited msdos.sys, autoexex.bat, config.sys w/ increments of improvement. Cleaned reg, ran anti-virus, getting a new stick of 256 Crucial Ram. I can boot in a flash into slack but I cant seem to get my root pass or usr passwrds to login (its been a cple of yrs since I hav been on my pc). What r your thoughts on 98Lite? Looking to move to a cleaner version of MS Windows. Hav discontinued IE use - Firefox seems pretty good.

[edfair]

No answers to your lite questions but am curious about your editing the config.sys and autoexec.bat files. Normal 98 and SE automatically load those things that are invoked by config and autoexec so a standard install won't have files by that name or they will be empty.

During an install, if the files exist they will be modified to be compatible, but if they don't exist they will be created with zero length.

It won't hurt to do another "over the top". I've had to do as many as 4 to incrementally clean stuff up to a usable point.

[nightsky]

I created config.sys, autoexec.bat read only files b/c I built a dualboot box w/ 2hd one for windows98SE and the other for slackware8... somehow windows did write onto those files and messed up my startup of windows. I deleted the ones windows created and setup the old files as current. The boot process is ok, when it gets to the loading of windows it seems to hang. It is better now. Also IE allowed to much access to spy prog., viruses, cookies, and popups. so I am uninstalling it a little at a time. If I have to reinstall ms windows one more time I will not use it again. I would like to modify what I hav with 98Lite that promises a clean shell w/gd stand alone applications for greater stability, security and functionality. For now this ms windows is backup and running. Thnx

[GaryRouth]

Hi again

It's been a good long while since I've heard any mention of Win98lite! I'd forgotten all about it. I actually gave it a go back when it was still fairly recent: seems like I tried it on an early Pentium original box of some kind (might have even tried it on a 486 just for fun). I don't know about it's software compatibility for use in the here-and-now. Win98se is actually pretty "lite" in comparison to most recent operating systems, and can run on an amazing variety of hardware (Win95 is even less demanding, but it's software and hardware compatibility is much narrower).

Is it the slackware passwords that you've lost track of? or the Win98se? Seems that in either case, you might just want to slave the drive, copy what files you want to keep, and then re-do the whole shooting match (both Windows & Linux). I've never had password trouble in Linux, so I'm not sure of your options there. For Windows, re-installing generally gets past the password problem.

To copy both the Win98se & the slackware files at once, you could boot with something like Knoppix to do the copying (if the computer is recent enough to boot from the optical drive).

I haven't used FireFox extensively: but I was impressed by it when I gave it a trial run or two. I put it on a couple of machines for clients, who had bad habits and rather Ostrich-like approaches to their IE security = they've been both pleased and surprised how well FireFox has taken care of them. Nice program. I'm hoping to try the Email client next. Can't seem to find two minutes to spare to give it a go! Has to happen sooner or later.

Have fun with your computer-resuscitation.
. . . Gary


[edit: just saw your last post (I don't type very fast!) - If the Windows partition/drive seems to be coming along Ok, it might be that just fixing the LiLo or Grub will get your Linux going again. Since Linux has so many handy tools, I imagine there might be one that specializes in just that. ]

[nightsky]

lol it was my linux passwrd I lost track of but I found the active one in my roladx
windows is ok now. it did not like my trying to use the old ms fax appi. So I dumped it and got a fax machine. Firefox is pretty gd. taking a little getting used to. As for windows lite seems once u dis- intangle i think u call it the xml
frm integrating IE Browser u can pretty much get any drivers and a little programing to get it to run whatever u nd? well hav to run off to work. later