Windows 98 protection error?

[jeffr]

We have a Windows 98 computer that will ONLY boot into safe mode. The error that comes up is that it's a "Windows protection error, you need to restart your computer". Anyone have any ideas?

[ktkendall]

I remember doing win98 reloads with the win98 disk and it saved all my data and programs, so that is what I would do if I were you.

[jeffr]

Yes, but how do I correct this error?

[ktkendall]

Hopefully reloading win98 will fix it.

[GaryRouth]

jeffr - Protection errors can be caused by a great many different problems. A quick look at the Microsoft Knowledge Base article http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=149962 can give you some ideas for troubleshooting. It can be anything from a damaged Registry, to failing memory modules, to driver problems.


Reloading Windows can help in quite a few cases, although it's a bit of a shot in the dark, if you don't have any other details mentioned in your error messages. Here's a quide to over-the-top reinstallation of Windows9x http://forum.pcmech.com/showthread.php?t=70846

Another quick-fix try, if you suspect that a recent hardware or software change has caused this, is to try restoring a previously saved Registry. To try this, boot the system with either a bootable Windows CD or floppy diskette that matches your installed version of Windows. Boot the computer to a command prompt ("Start computer with Cd-rom support" if booting from a CD... and if you need a bootable diskette, you can visit http://www.bootdisk.com for a suitable diskette). From the command prompt, type

scanreg /restore

and pick a date from the list prior to your current errors.

If you've recently added memory, you can test it with a tool like MemTest86 (http://www.memtest.org). If your installed memory is now greater than 512mb, post that info here (you may need to adjust a vcache setting).

Protection errors can also result from malware infection. Scan as much as possible with your current antivirus/antispyware (with the settings set to "thorough" as much as possible). If the system seems severely compromised, you might want to consider removing the hard drive and using another computer to clean the drive http://forum.pcmech.com/showthread.php?t=106182 [this is an advanced procedure, so be careful if you decide on this one].

Best of luck!
. . . Gary

[ . . . & hi Ktkendall -- nice to see you: I've been so busy, I haven't been on the forums as much the last few months. . . ]