can only load win /d:v to get 386 mode.. also cmos error

Repair disk won't necesarily recover all files on an HD. Particularly if one of them is on a hard sector error. Incomplete recovery of a driver file could account for the behaviour you are describing.

Try backing up all of your .ini and .grp files (under the windows directory) either to floppy and/or an HD that is not causing any problems (both would be safest).

If the cause is a damadged file that could solve the problem.

Re. the CMOS problem, it can be caused either by a battery that is close to death or (verry unlikeley) by a defective add on board.

How old is your PC?

You might have to reinstall NT also. Try with 3.1 first and start thinking about a backup of all your data files. You might have to run a low level format sometime soon.

I think you have to reinstall the Windows 32-bit drivers for your hard disk.

The PC is old... circa 1992.  due for a new battery.
I tell you, the crashes and errors are driving me buggy.
I can't seem to get a handle on this win /d:v thing.  I've tried modifications to congig and autoexec, namely memmaker to include windows to the excludes, paring it down to little more than himem, etc, but no dice.  I even thought of changing the page file to perm, but since it's not reading the pagefile w/ the switch, no use.
Could you please, JPK, elucidate on your comment re: maybe needing to run a low level format soon?
So far as NT is concerned, looks like it crashes more often than not.  also, bad twain.dll, I've heard too.can't seem to just drag it and expand it off the source media to replace it(the twain, that is).
Any further insights would be appreciated.
BTW, heres an error from DOS when I ran dxf3ds.exe...
'phar lap fatal error 10026: unexpected processor exception occured errordetected in real modeinterrupt handler for interrupt number 0006h real mode machine state <hex codes follow>'
any ideas?  have problems running certin progs in DOS!  'program has control of virtual...etc.'
any ideas?
I'm pumping more points into this query.   Thanks!

The PC is old... circa 1992.  due for a new battery.
I tell you, the crashes and errors are driving me buggy.
I can't seem to get a handle on this win /d:v thing.  I've tried modifications to congig and autoexec, namely memmaker to include windows to the excludes, paring it down to little more than himem, etc, but no dice.  I even thought of changing the page file to perm, but since it's not reading the pagefile w/ the switch, no use.
Could you please, JPK, elucidate on your comment re: maybe needing to run a low level format soon?
So far as NT is concerned, looks like it crashes more often than not.  also, bad twain.dll, I've heard too.can't seem to just drag it and expand it off the source media to replace it(the twain, that is).
Any further insights would be appreciated.
BTW, heres an error from DOS when I ran dxf3ds.exe...
'phar lap fatal error 10026: unexpected processor exception occured errordetected in real modeinterrupt handler for interrupt number 0006h real mode machine state <hex codes follow>'
any ideas?  have problems running certin progs in DOS!  'program has control of virtual...etc.'
any ideas?
I'm pumping more points into this query.   Thanks!

A 24f Scsi error indicates that an attempt was made to write to a sector that was physycally damadged. Under scsi, this means that all the spare sectors have been used up, hence the crash.

Norton did a brave effort at recovering as much info as possible (when scsi finds a bad sector it marks the entire track as bad), depending on exactly where the roor happend is the impact of crash (directory tables of VTOCS beeing the most damaging).

At any rate, the fact that it crashed implies you have some physical damadge on the drive and a lot of soft errors.

Soft errors are caused by ware and tear of the drive, the allinment of the fero-oxydes on the drive changes with repeated use, and eventualy, the head is unable to read or write from it. The HD OS decides to call it bad and marks it as such.

Since you are running out of (or have run out of) spare sectors. You are likeley to experience more crashes. The way to avoid this is to run a low level format of the disk. This fixes the soft errors and recovers a large number of spare tracks.

It honestly looks like your drive is gasping. There can be two possible causes:

A failing controller card and/or a failing disk.

See if you can borrow another scsi controller and test it in your machine. If it fixes most of your problems, then you have the source.

Otherwise you will have to low level format the disk and probably have to reinstall a large portion of your software, including NT and 3.1.

With the box acting up as it is, even if you don't have to format it would be wise to backup all critical data. (I.e.: naything you have written that cannot be recovered by reinstalling software).

Thanks!  I mentioned in an earlier note that the Ultrastor (an early issue) 24f cannot 'legally' read or write to a > 1gig partioion.  THis was never an issue while that 2nd partition was under NTFS, but it wasn't until I reformatted it to FAT that it appeared under dos & win3.1.  SOOOO temptint to try to write to it; I did, and it crashed.  The gig limit of the scsi board is, I think, what crashed the partition.  I'm most peturbed about the win d:v boot restriction I'm faced with, and the 'virtual device running' warning when I try to run a simple dos program.  
The 2.1 gig is new, bought from a show, I think it really isn't full of bad sectors... I hope...
SAX

Have you considered purchasing a small drive, say 300 MB or 400MB. You can create 2 small partitions, use one for win 3.1 on dual boot and the other for Linux, OS/2 or, even better Win95.

I did that several years ago and it fixed almost all the problems I have had. Use fdisk to change the active partition from DOS to WIN95 whenever you need to run win16.

For compatibility I would by an Adaptec 1542 in stead of another HDD. You can setup this card to support > 1 Gig!

About your Win/d:v problem:
Isn't your drive to fragmented so windows can't create a contiguous swapfile?

I have such a HD, tho never thought of partitioning it so.  I run 3.1 and NT.  not so interested in win 95.  Can't see any use for it.
good call on the adaptic 1542.  been planning on it as soon as I lose this 486 mobo.