ive just built a computer...

[Arbzask]

ive just built a computer, and come to install windows. every time i try to install windows98 since, halfway through the file transfer, i got a .CAB error. it seemed to think it could recover from it, so i clicked ok. now, every time the computer boots, it either gets an error saying system.ini is corrupt, or Run32.dll or something is. if it does boot, explorer usually crashes straight away, making the computer unusable. how can i ovewrcome this? i have used 2 Win98 CD's, but both have the cab errors (which i think is causing those problems)

secondly, every time i install my radeon drivers, when it reboots just after, and just before windows loads, it comes up the registry checker, and says it has restored a backup registry, which, of course, means i have to reinstall the drivers. but when i do, the same hapens again, and again, and again.

is there something wrong with the hardware? and if so, what part? (HDD motherboard(gigabyte GA7DXR) etc.)

thanks for the help.

[DrZaius]

Hi Arbzask,

Have you tried swapping the RAM to check if it's bad?

[HAL9000]

Bad RAM is my first choice, dirty CD-Rom laser is my second, dirty or scratched CD's for my third.

[Arbzask]

thanks for the replies how would i go about checking if it is dodgy RAM? i havent got much of a budget, and i dont have any spare DDR laying around. Thanks again.

[DrZaius]

Arbzask,

If you have more than one stick installed remove one of them and test it, and do the same for the other to see which one is the problem, it would be unlikely that both sticks are bad.

If you only have one stick then you'll need to get your hands on a new one. If you bought it from a store try exchaning it for a new one.

Hope that helps.

[Hpro]

To check Ram :
Start your computer - Press and HOLD the CTRL key down while it boots up (if this doens't help ) then use F8 function key instead - pressing it after PCI initialization - in the upcomeing Menu select BOOT TO SAFE MODE ..If Ram is faulty you computer will get the HALT command from the system... and you will be face to restart it - if RAM is the problem then send it back to hwoever sold it to you - claim for Warranty..

[SARGE]

Hpro, when I built first pc, things went well until loading Win98. It would get part way through and give a SUWIN error. glc clued me in that I had wrong RAM. I wonder if it would have passed your test

[Hpro]

Sarge, until this day I never saw a stick of ram which was bad and passed safe mode..I can say - I saw quite a lot of them..

[Arbzask]

um.... i can get into safe mode, so does that mean that the RAM isnt bad?

[Hpro]

Yes that means exactly this..

[racerbrownn]

so i gather that the pc runs self tests on the ram in safe mode that it doesn't bother with in normal mode. that's worth jotting down for future reference and that's for the tip, hpro - you the man!

[Hpro]

That for what's safe mode is on - if you like to use the normal mode to test ram then a easy command line in the config.sys can achieve this

DEVICE=C:\WINDOWS\HIMEM.SYS /TESTMEM:ON Make sure the command line is in the first line in config.sys.. then RAM will be checked on each restart or boot..

About Himem:
------------------------------------------------------------------------------


HIMEM.SYS

HIMEM is an extended-memory manager program that coordinates the use of your computer's extended memory, including the high memory area (HMA), so that no two applications or device drivers use the same memory at the same time.

You install HIMEM by adding a command for HIMEM.SYS to your
CONFIG.SYS file. The HIMEM.SYS command line must come before any commands that start applications or device drivers that use extended memory; for
example, the HIMEM.SYS command line must come before the EMM386.EXE command
line.

Syntax

DEVICE=[drive:][path]HIMEM.SYS [/A20CONTROL:ON|OFF] [/CPUCLOCK:ON|OFF]
[/EISA] [/HMAMIN=m] [/INT15=xxxx] [/NUMHANDLES=n] [/MACHINE:xxxx]
[/SHADOWRAM:ON|OFF] [/TESTMEM:ON|OFF] [/VERBOSE]

In most cases, you won't need to specify command-line options. The default
values for HIMEM.SYS are designed to work with most hardware.

Parameter

[drive:][path]
Specifies the location of the HIMEM.SYS file. HIMEM.SYS should always be
located on the same drive that contains your MS-DOS files. If the
HIMEM.SYS file is in the root directory of your startup drive, you don't
need to include a path. However, you must always include the complete
filename (HIMEM.SYS).

Switches


/TESTMEM:ON|OFF
Determines whether HIMEM performs a memory test when your computer
starts. By default, HIMEM tests the reliability of your computer's
extended memory each time your computer starts. This test can identify
memory that is no longer reliable; unreliable memory can cause system
instability or loss of data. HIMEM's memory test is more thorough than
the standard power-up memory test performed by most computers. To
prevent HIMEM from performing the memory test, specify /TESTMEM:OFF.
Disabling the memory test will shorten the startup process. (The default
setting is /TESTMEM:ON.)

/VERBOSE
Directs HIMEM to display status and error messages while loading. By
default, HIMEM does not display any messages unless it encounters an
error. You can abbreviate /VERBOSE as /V. (To display status messages
without adding the /VERBOSE switch, press and hold the ALT key while
HIMEM starts and loads.)


/A20CONTROL:ON|OFF
Specifies whether HIMEM is to take control of the A20 line even if A20
was on when HIMEM was loaded. The A20 handler gives your computer access
to the HMA. If you specify /A20CONTROL:OFF, HIMEM takes control of the
A20 line only if A20 was off when HIMEM was loaded. The default setting
is /A20CONTROL:ON.

/CPUCLOCK:ON|OFF
Specifies whether HIMEM is to affect the clock speed of your computer.
If your computer's clock speed changes when you install HIMEM,
specifying /CPUCLOCK:ON may correct the problem; however, enabling this
option slows down HIMEM. The default setting is /CPUCLOCK:OFF.

/EISA
Specifies that HIMEM should allocate all available extended memory. This
switch is necessary only on an EISA (Extended Industry Standard
Architecture) computer with more than 16 MB of memory; on other
computers, HIMEM automatically allocates all available extended memory.

/HMAMIN=m
Specifies how many kilobytes of memory an application must require for
HIMEM to give that application use of the HMA. Only one application can
use the HMA at a time; HIMEM allocates the HMA to the first application
that meets the memory-use requirements set by this option. You can
specify a value from 0 to 63.

Set /HMAMIN to the amount of memory required by the application that
uses the most HMA memory.

The /HMAMIN option is not required; the default value is zero. Omitting
this option (or setting it to zero) specifies that HIMEM allocate the
HMA to the first application that requests it, regardless of how much of
the HMA the application is going to use.

The /HMAMIN option has no effect when Windows is running in 386 enhanced
mode.

/INT15=xxxx
Allocates the amount of extended memory (in kilobytes) to be reserved
for the Interrupt 15h interface. Some older applications use the
Interrupt 15h interface to allocate extended memory rather than using
the XMS (eXtended-Memory Specification) method provided by HIMEM. If you
use these applications, you can ensure enough memory is available to
them by setting xxxx to 64 KB larger than the amount required by the
application.

You can specify a value from 64 to 65535; however, you cannot specify
more memory than your system has available. If you specify a value less
than 64, the value becomes 0. The default value is 0.

/NUMHANDLES=n
Specifies the maximum number of extended-memory block (EMB) handles that
can be used simultaneously. You can specify a value from 1 to 128; the
default value is 32. Each additional handle requires an additional 6
bytes of memory.

The /NUMHANDLES option has no effect when Windows is running in 386
enhanced mode.

/MACHINE:xxxx
Specifies what type of computer you are using. Usually, HIMEM can detect
your computer type successfully; however, there are a few computers that
HIMEM cannot detect. On such systems, HIMEM uses the default system type
(IBM AT or compatible). You might need to include the /MACHINE option if
your computer is a type that HIMEM cannot detect and if HIMEM does not
work properly on your system by using the default system type.

Currently, systems that require this option include Acer 1100, Wyse, and
IBM 7552.

The value for xxxx can be any of the codes or their equivalent numbers
listed in the following table.

/SHADOWRAM:ON|OFF
Specifies whether to disable shadow RAM (SHADOWRAM:OFF) or to leave the
ROM code running from RAM (SHADOWRAM:ON).

Some computers make ROM code run faster by "shadowing" it in RAM that
is, by copying the ROM code into faster RAM memory at startup, which
uses some extended memory. On computers that use shadow RAM and have
less than 2 MB of RAM, HIMEM usually attempts to disable shadow RAM to
recover additional extended memory for Windows to use. (HIMEM can
disable shadow RAM only on certain types of systems.) When HIMEM
disables shadow RAM, the ROM code runs in the slower ROM instead of RAM;
therefore, your computer might run slightly slower than it did before.

[Arbzask]

ok guys (and gals), i sorted the previous problem by installing win98 from the hard drive, and then disabling that pesky registry checker. but now i have a new problem. it takes about 5 minutes for the computer to start up. it hangs just after the windows 98 logo displays, just where it loads the autoexec files. is there anyway i can fix this?

[racerbrownn]

a bit off of the track but since my pc doesn't use any entry about himem, is this program not really needed in win 98se or ? also, if i was to add this line to check ram on bootup, does the test slow down the boot process much?

back to the job at hand,having to disable the registry checker seems like a big RED flag about problems at the heart of your operating sys.

i'm wondering how anybody can tell which files [autoexec or whatever] are being loaded when the whole screen is covered with the windows logo?

using the system configuration utility to examine the startup folder contents and then using selective startup to process each folder with a prompt in between so as to guage whether a certain folder is tying up the loadup process might be a diagnostic choice to try. this utility is in startbutton\programs\accesories\system tools\system information and open [tools] on the top toolbar

[Hpro]

the himem post I made is just to show what HIMEM actually is capable of - and this is from the old DOS days... but those values are still correct and can be used any time you like - adding this line to Config will slow the boot process by just the time is needed to check ram every thing else will be the same -

Windows 98 has the /testmem set to off that's why if I test ram I use Safe mode there is is on.

How I can tell what it's loading while the windows Screen is up - press ESC while the windows key starts to show and then you will know.. or use STEP By STEP confirmation this will show you the full boot process..

[racerbrownn]

yeah, i see what you mean about the esc on bootup, showing whats loading out of the config and autoexec folders. mine loaded soo quick i could hardly see what was what but it could be a sign of trouble if it was suddenly slowww.

about arbzask's post, if the autoexec is holding back bootup-it would be helpful if a post with the contents was made. hint hint.

i still think the disabled registry checker is trouble waiting to happen and a clue to the problem? maybe.

[Arbzask]

thanks for the replies. ok. heres what i got in my autoexec, during step by step, it appears to hang after the mouse driver is loaded.


SET BLASTER=A220 I5 D1 H5 P330 T6

SET CTSYN=C:\WINDOWS

C:\PROGRA~1\CREATIVE\SBLIVE\DOSDRV\SBEINIT.COM

mode con codepage prepare=((850) C:\WINDOWS\COMMAND\ega.cpi)

mode con codepage select=850

keyb uk,,C:\WINDOWS\COMMAND\keyboard.sys



thanks

[Hpro]

What kind of mous you have plugged in and what for all those keyboard drivers? in autoexec. Are you in none english country ? If yes then OK if no then remove them as also you should remove the soundlaster place a REM in front of the line or use MSCONFIG to disable ...

[Arbzask]

im in england. the mouse is a microsoft intellimouse, and the keyboard is a microsoft internet keyboard pro. if it helps, the computer boots into safe mode instantly, so do you think it is probably a driver that safe mode doesnt load that is causing the computer to hang normally.

[Hpro]

OK first - to do

Boot to SAFE MODE then go to START > RUN Type MSCONFIG there select the AUTOEXEC.BAT and disable all what is in ther by removing the hook from the checkbox - do the same for config.sys and then restart

If the failure still comes up then START > RUN type SFC click ok and there click on setting and then mark check for corrupted system files etc you will see two check boxes - then insert the Win98 CDrom and select check for changed or corrupted system files - then click ok if you are asked to restore them then do so - the only one files not to restore is USER.EXE !!!if you are asked to update the database then also do so - note down the files which have been asked to restore and post them here..

I will try my best to help me but you got to go strictly by this step by step otherwise the chances t be unsucsessfull are qutie big.

[Arbzask]

i disabled config.sys and autoexec.bat, but still the computer took ages to load up. i used the system file checker, and updated the following files:

cryptext.dll
cryptnet.dll
cryptui.dll

---

mscat.dll
msoss.dll
mssign.dll
mssip32.dll
setupx.dll
softpub.dll

[Arbzask]

i dont want to seem lame, but also, every other time the computer boots up, it says a file called vmm32.exe cannot be found. also, sometimes it says it is low of memory when trying to boot up. could anyone tell me why win98se doesnt like my computer?

[Hpro]

Do you ahve a good Virus scanner on your hard drive then I would suppose that you use it - Scan for Chernobyl ETC..

[racerbrownn]

check out this link on the vmm32.exe issue

http://www.infinisource.com/techfiles/vmm32.html

[Chips]

Are u using the right ram ? (PC100/or 266/or 200/). for example u have 1000mhz athlon w/266 and then u use only 200(ram)then u have the problem.
Please give your computer spec:

Regards,

[Arbzask]

i would like to than every one of you that helped me very much indeed, especially hpro (thanks man!!), but after suspicion that the memory was bad, i downloaded MemTest-86 v2.7, to check to see if the memory chip was bad, and guess what... the damn thing had over 250 errors !!! . again, thanks a lot and i am going to send the memory back first thing.

[SARGE]

Interesting. Hpro will probably offer up a lengthy essay on my question (cool, I love it), but I wonder how the Memtest works, and what kinds of 256 errors it found?

[Hpro]

NO I will not - but just to say - Mem test also include L2 cache and if this is a error in the L2 it's very hard to detect for SAFE MODE even it occasionally does - but I still do not believe that his MEMORY is bad - but I would believe that someone Faked the memory TIMINGS (Erased and SCREENED the chips ) with a new marking - it's a common trade those days all over world same as the FAKE ASUS BOARDS and intel CPU's - no need to fake AMD's..

If he just tried to give the memory a somewhat longer Refresh Rate Time in the BIOS , he would certainly see what I mean .. to set the memory speed down to 100Mhz if this is pc133 this also will reveal the thruth..

Arbzask

Then also did you scan for the VMM32 Virus as Racerbrown indicated?
Also How did you the memory test out of Command prompt or SAFE MODE COMMAND PROMT ONLY this differs quite alot..because some of the memory tests will get confused if HIMEM is loaded - producing non existing errors.!!!Take example on Nortons Memory test..

[SARGE]

My man Hpro. Not long but informative. Is there anything you don't know? For example, when she says, "If you don't know why I'm mad, then I'm not going to tell you!!" Bet you can't pull that answer out of your pc

[Hpro]

Yes there is a such a big huge lot I don't know about - but I try to catch up with it..generally spoken..