Hello, let me start off by expressing my appreciation for taking the time to help me.
Now...in response to your advice to:
"Remove the RAM modules and re-install them to improve contact with their sockets. Go to your CMOS Setup and select default settings."
I did the following:
I understood this to mean that I should reboot my computer, hit DELETE to enter BIOS and to there choose Default settings. Which is what i did and before I go on to give a history of what happened, let me diagram what my BIOS screen looks like. (I am very far from being a computer whiz, so bare with me, but I am
willing to learn)
BIOS SCREEN (Award Modular)
Standard CMOS Setup Integrated Peripherals
Bios Features Setup Password Setting
Chipset Features IDE HDD Auto Detection
Power Management Setup Save and Exit Setup
PNP/PCI Configuration Exit without saving
Load Setup Defaults
When I HIGHLIGHT "Load Setup Defaults" a message imforming me about its function appears " LOAD SETUP DEFAULTS EXCEPT STANDARD CMOS SETUP) Well, I figured this is what you meant I should do, and so I chose this option and saved it. Now to give you a chronical history of what happened
next...
1. Computer reboots ...."Updating ESCD....success"
2. A message appears too quickly for me to read but informs me there is some problem with the registry. (I think thats what it said)
3. Win 98 then starts up but the desktop background is not crisp (the resolution is bad) and the machine says it will check for HARDWARE CHANGES.
4. Several "new" Hardware are found...BUT!!! NOT my CDROM ( it is old, a 2x CDROM which WIN 98 does not recognize. I have my own driver for it on floppy disk.)
5. Consequently, the computer prompts me for my WIN 98 disk to look for a hidclass.sys file on it. Because it wont access my E (CD ROM) drive I am left with two options, either to SKIP THE FILE, or click CANCEL. I click
CANCEL.
6. The same thing occurs when the computer prompts me for my WIN 98 disk for finding a file called lpt.vxd. Again, I clicked cancel.
7. Then it finishes and the computer RESTARTS.
8. During startup a "Registry Checker Popup" Window appears and after some time, proclaims "Windows found an error in your system files and restored a recent backup of the files to fix the problem" -you have a good registry.
Press return to RESTART.
9. I pressed return, WIN 98 loads up and looks fine, but... I get an error message I had before undergoing this process "LONG FILE NAME BACKUP...BAD COMMAND LINE FORMAT" I hit OK in response to this message and it disappears and i am in win98 which otherwise appears fine..except (see notes)
Notes: clearly my win 98 is screwed up. although things seem to run, i can not unzip a program without getting a message saying that decompression of %S failed. and i have a bunch of win 3.1 suff listed under APPLICATIONS, why i dont know.
so again, my goal is to clear up what is causing the problem
and then REINSTALL WIN 98 (I only have the upgrade disk) hopefully WITHOUT installing DOS and WIN3.1.
Please help. I hope I haven't been to detailed. I am not familiar with this and I just figured the more info you had to go on, the faster results would
come about. Thank you!!!
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by: rmarottaPosted on 1998-12-28 at 18:15:32ID: 1760786
To begin with, you must resolve that memory error to get a stable system.
Remove the RAM modules and re-install them to possibly improve contact with their sockets.
Go to your CMOS setup program and select the default settings.
This should replace RAM timings to usable settings.
Are the errors gone now at boot-up?
Let me know how that goes, and I'll post the method to install "clean" Windows 9x from an upgrade disc. (which version?)
Regards,
Ralph