Problems with Outlook Express 5 and Computer

[quartet-man]

Hi, I have a Gateway Performance 800 and run WIN98 SE.

Problem one (Windows or motherboard?)

I recently had a replacement harddrive installed and reinstalled Win98SE and some of my other software.
Frequently the system will stop (not necessarily freeze at first) and when I hit control alt delete it says system is busy. This happens fairly frequently but not always doing any particular task. It can be right at start up, surfing, or about any task.
One thing that concerns me is that when I had to reformat the Drive I use a promise card and it took the tech (who had access my system config) to understand why the computer wasn't seeing the drive under the bios. Anyhow, after several attempts to figure it out, he had my leave the case off to do many of these things. I had heard that static might have done something to my motherboard. Is this possible, or does it sound more like IRQ's or Win98SE?

Secondly, just last night when I access a secondary email identity in Outlook Express 5, whenever I switch folders or delete emails in the deleted folder, all of my messages in the inbox disappear and all that is there is the welcome message from Outlook. I keep having to use GoBack to go back before there to get the messages to return as they do not go to the deleted folder when this happens. There was some sort of message from Outlook when I went into that identity but it flashed by and disappeared before I could read it. I had scanned for viruses and found none.
Any ideas?

As an update the Outlook Problem hasn't happened now. Still don't know what happened. Another development on the computer though is I just tried to go into safe mode and it stayed on the Windows screen. I hit control alt delete and it said while initializing device IOS: Windows Protection Error. You need to restart your computer. That happened on each reboot until I used GoBack.
Thanks.

[GaryRouth]

I'd expect more damage if you'd had a problem with a strong static discharge on the motherboard. And usually you'd notice such a thing (It's usually yourself that gets the charge, and it can sting a bit). With static damage, the usual symptom is that a port or device simply won't work at all. So we'll set that one aside for now.

The Outlook things I have less experience with, but usually I imagine if you are having trouble with it, the accounts and profiles might be a bit tangled with the reinstall, and perhaps some corruption might have occured while the previous drive was failing. I have to admit I'm not a huge fan of GoBack: I'm not sure it's handling the heavy use you've given it all that well. If the Outlook troubles resurface, I think that re-creating your accounts (and if you use user-profiles on your system, re-create those also) should fix it.

For the system messages, I'd first try a run of RegClean 4.1 (the version that was updated for Win98) http://download.com.com/3000-2094-881470.html?tag=list . . . just because you've had so much coming and going with the reinstalls, and the GoBack activity.

If a run of RegClean doesn't help, you might conside an over-the-top reinstall [might want to temporarily disable your GoBack during this] since things may not have gone well in your first reinstall. http://forum.pcmech.com/showthread.p...threadid=70846

Might check that your system temperatures are Ok, too. If everything is running smoothly with the case open, check the fans & make sure they're spinning (they do fail sometimes). And with the power off blow out the dust from the cpu heatsink and fan, and your intake and exhaust fans, and power supply fan. That can help lower temps.

And just to make sure your system memory is OK, test it: http://www.simmtester.com

Best of luck
. . . Gary

[andyms18a]

have you reloaded the mother board drivers or is windows just using it own drivers ie if the mothe board has a via chipset you nead to load the via 4in1 drivers as the ios error is normaly the mobo chip set not having the right drivers instaled

[quartet-man]

Thanks. I am getting ready to test the memory now. I try not to use Goback unless it is to get back things like my emails when something really goes wrong. I had another strange thing happen. When I was defragging in safe mode it froze up as well.

[GaryRouth]

Did the Gateway 800 come in a "micro" case? When you installed the new hard drive, did it go in at the very top of the case, & your cd drives were below it? And there are no system fans, just the power supply fan, and the fan on the cpu?

If so, how many cd/dvd drives are you running? Did you upgrade the video card? . . . the reason I ask is that most of the "micro" cases have very small power supplies, that might have a problem running anything more than the original equipment. If you've added things, the power supply might not be able to supply enough clean power consistently.

I couldn't find the specs for that model, other than an 800mhz PIII. Do you know if it's an Intel board? Can't hurt to look in Device Manager for any flagged devices. (Start/Settings/Control Panel/System/Device Manager) . . . look for yellow exclamation marks or red Xs. Let us know if you find anything amiss.
. . . Gary

[quartet-man]

To answer the first question, I used the system restoration software that came with the computer and then installed Goback, Works etc. Then I installed a new version on NAV since my subscription had expired anyhow. I have a second hard drive which was installed probably a year or more ago, and had recently added a Pinaccle Studio 8 software + video capture card before the hard drive was replaced. It did freeze up at times when recording at that time. I had upgraded and added more memory (maxed out at 384 MB of ram). The replacement hard drive was initially installed at Gateway Country and the software bundle was slightly different than that what I'd had. There was a problem (that I found out later was Norton's) that had the computer try to connect to the net on it's own sometimes when I was even shutting down. I asked Gateway to help me Reload everything again from my CD's at home. After that is when the other problems surfaced.

Below are my specs as from factory. The CDR was replaced by Gateway with a Lite On LTR-4824 6S. The secondary hard drive is a Western Digital 80 Gig and the replacement they sent me is a Western Digital 40 gig. Other than that and the additional memory and capture card I mentioned above I think everything else hardware wise is the same.



NOTE: I did another post with the detailed specs so I erased the specs from here.


Thanks again guys.

[quartet-man]

Oops, sorry I didn't answer all of Gary's questions. The case is what I would call a mid tower. The reason the tech had me open the case was that I had to plug in the hard drive into the motherboard directly (bypassing the Promise Card) to get Windows to let me use Fat 32 to format it.

Here are detailed techs on my system as it was originally

Product ID Product Description

1003813 Gateway GA PERFORMANCE 800 PC

4000586 Jabil Manufactured Tabor3 Motherboard

2509354 800MHZ PIII PROCESSOR

5000239 GW MEM DIM 128M 8X8 4C 100/66 R0

5501425 30GB IDE 7M Hard Drive

7002053 EV910 19 Monitor (18 Viewable)

6001521 32MB Nvidia Geforce256 Graphics Card

5501496 CDRW IDE Drive

5501475 Toshiba 12x DVD Drive

6001128 CRD SND PCI LIVE AUDIO R1

7002160 GW Boston Acoustics BA7500 Dolby Digital SST Speakers & Sub

6001126 MOD CRD PCI 3COM 56K R1

7508479 Windows 98 Second Edition System Recovery CD

7002192 Multi Function Keyboard

7002409 PS2 Mouse

5500962 FDD 1.44 PAN DRV R3

7507396 Quicken Basic 2000 Software

7507289 Works Suite 2000

7000981 Microphone Mod R3

6500400 200 Watt 3.3V Power Supply

8506111 Desktop Setup Poster

8506041 Documentation Update

8505601 Internet Service Plan Promotional Envelope

8501692 MAN US FCC CONFORMITY TN R0

8506049 Musicware Software Solution

8003533 Airduct

8002030 BRKT ASSY MOUNT POST /CE R0

8003821 BRKT MT SUPPORT R3

8001940 BZL CASE TA G-MT R0

8004456 Gasket Wire Mesh /USB

8001988 PNL LT SIDE TA/PG MT R0

8001987 PNL RT SIDE TA/PG MT R0

8001142 POWER SUPPLY MOUNTING BRACKET FOR MINI TOWER CASE

8002356 SCREW 6-32X11/16 PPHZ RO

6001581 Ultra ATA 100 IDE Controller Card

8002545 CBL CDR 18.00 R0

8001854 CBL FDD R1

8001184 CBL HDD IDE RIB R1

8003295 CBL MODEM / PHONE R1

8003278 CBL U66 80 CONDUCTOR R0

8002537 Cable

8001092 SND WW PNP AUDIO CBL

8001173 Sound Cable

3500581 Mid Tower Case

9900476 Binder

9900475 CD Stomper Pro Labeling System

[GaryRouth]

That seems like a lot of work for a 200wt power supply: two optical drives, two hard drives, an 800mhz cpu, an nVidia GeForce card, and a Pinnacle capture card? . . . and Gateway didn't say that perhaps the power supply would need to be upgraded to support all this? They usually use well-made power supplies (most OEMs do, who needs support calls due to underpowered systems) - but that does seem a stretch.

Did you purchase the extended warranty? If you are still covered, call Gateway & see what they think about things going better with a stronger power supply (and what they'd charge for one). There are quite a few options listed on the Gateway site for your model.
______________
Now it might not have anything to do with power. - If all that equipment ran fine for an extended period of time with no problems, then evidently that's a very good 200wt. supply (if the power wasn't enough, it should have shown up as soon as the system was under a high load)

I would still check for heat issues, though. SiSoft Sandra is a system analysis program, and in one of its many menus it has a temp readout (http://www.sisoftware.co.uk) You can also check your temps by going into your computer's Bios Setup screens and looking under the menu heading something like "Hardware Monitor", or "PC Health", or "Environmental Conditions" . . .

I'm thinking more and more that RegClean might help, because so much has been changing. Also, you might want to see about Norton. If the previous installation wasn't completely removed before the new one was installed, strange and stranger complications can crop up. Might be true of more than just Norton. For when running the Recovery set, it should have reinstalled quite a bit of the software bundle. If the Gateway tech then had you reinstall yet again from your CDs, seems like you'd have the chance of different file versions for some of your programs (since the bundle on the replacement drive may have had different versions than your original hard drive). . . Even if you uninstalled your previous versions before installing the newer ones, it's possible that the uninstalls were incomplete, and you have leftovers cluttering the Registry. This is where a run of RegClean might help.

Do take a look in Device Manager. And if worse comes to worse you can try the over-the-top reinstall (you'd use the C:\Windows\Options\Cabs path for the reinstall files, if you don't have a regular operating system disk [if Gateway did give you a regular Win98se disk, too, then you can use that])

And if you're completely under warranty, Gateway will do all of this for you!

Either way, you can consider this a learning experience
. . . Gary

[quartet-man]

Thanks so much for all of your work and tips. The memory checked out fine and I had checked under the device manager already. I had purchased the warranty, but the hard drive installation was done the last day of it. I do have a new hard drive I was wanting to install anyhow but wanted to get the one under warranty and make sure all issues were solved before installing it.

The tech at Gateway country never made mention of the power supply and I had pointed out that the capture card had been installed.

My whole computing experience from starting with an Amiga 500 in 1989 until now has been one learning experince after another.

It really is nice to have people who will help with this as I have learned a lot and want to learn even more. I am working 2 jobs so I need to find a block of time to really tackle this. Will post on this when I have more to add.

Thanks.