Windows 98: Protection Error

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"if I have to re-install Windows on the C:\ will all partitioning and data be lost across D, E, F, drives etc ?"
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Generally the answer is NO.  When your system boots up, and long before it gets to even load DOS, the system checks for a bootable hard drive.  Drives have a "Boot Sector" that contains a Master Boot Record, Partition Table, etc.

It is that partition table that tells the system at, this very low level long before Windows is even looked at, how your hard drive is made up.  Running utilities like Scandisk usually recreate the Master Boot Record (MBR), but none of these should alter the Partition Table.

Booting to a Windows 98 boot floppy and reinstalling Windows 98 with the same setup options as originally used, and right back into the C:\Windows folder SHOULD have no effect on how the partitions are defined on either hard drive.  What it MIGHT do though, is lose some registry settings that link installed programs with data on other partitions (ie. logical drives).  I suspect this would be especially so for Microsoft programs that may be reinstalled from the CD, like maybe Microsoft Backup might forget a backup job for a .qic file on another partition.  I haven't thought about this in detail before, but I'm sure there are better examples than this.

Your Drives' "Volume Labels" (or are they just your descriptions of the contents? Yes, must be as some exceed 11 characters) are:

C:\ (system files)
D:\ (data files)
E:\ (Games and Leisure)
F:\ (Temp)
G:\ (Windows support files)
H:\ (Winswap file)

There are a couple of areas that MIGHT cause some problems, and the settings for which may be overwritten in the registry or configuration files during a dirty reinstall.  Running an installation on top of an existing one of the same version will always check your registry UNLESS you use a setup option at the command line that overrides this.

It all depends just what those "labels" refer to.  "System Files", "Winswap" and "Temp" are self-explanatory, but what exactly do "Data", "Games and Leisure", and "Windows Support Files" refer to?

If you have something like an imaging program and have changed the default options so that it stores its temporary "undo" files in a folder on your D:\ Drive, then I would expect that Windows setup should not alter these settings, but strange things can happen.  It would be a nuisance, but not a major problem, to reinstall 3rd-party applications once you got Windows installed again.

Windows install tends not to use the TEMP folder as it creates its own temporary folders such as C:\WININST0.400, and so on, so your %TEMP% folder being the F:\ Drive shouldn't matter, but that's no guarantee.  I am really NOT sure what the effects would be of your "Virtual Memory" being assigned to the H:\ Drive, but perhaps you could explain the manner in which you assigned it (and also the TEMP folder) to somewhere other than the default location.

My instinct is that it might be a safer bet to try and restore a few things to their default before doing a dirty install.  This may be possible from DOS, such as using EDIT to change your TEMP folder location back to default, etc.

Any other opinions on that?

since you mentioned the time running slower, i suggest you check the bios battery, it should read 3 V

Running on from my original problem:

Took the plunge to attempt to re-install Windows on top of the existing installation on drive c:............inserted teh Windows 98 installation CD into CD-ROM and the boot diskette into floppy drive.

Elect to boot from CD.....the 'Microsoft Windows 98 Setup' window appeared and IMMEDIATELY shot up a message saying "Formatting D: " and then another one saying "please insert 'Windows 98 Boot disk or CD-ROM" (it was already in).

I immediately exited at this point, (fearing for my data on D:); when going back into Safe Mode I now appear to have lost my D: (no drive title, no files etc) (I had though previously copied all contents of this drive onto second hard drive, which I will now go back and disconnect the IDE cable)

When trying to access the D: now ( in Safe mode) I get a message saying "D: is not accessible. A device attached to the System is not functioning)

I am now back where I started except I now appear to have lost my D: into the bargain...........and I have lost my bottle to continue with the re-installation of Windows !

Why did the 'Windows Start up procedure' start by re-formatting my D: ?

I thought I should be able to re-install Windows on one drive, my C:, without affecting other drives ?

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regards, peugeot84

An update on my problems:

It now appears that I haven't lost my original D: as I had thought. From looking at windows explorer it looks like my original D: has been shoved down to become E:, and my original E: is now F: etc etc.

Shall I now go back and resume installing Windows 98 from the installation CD ?

A fresh problem:

I was trying out some diagnostic exercises as detailed on the following Microsoft page:
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/q188867

and I disabled my mouse (among other things) in the Device Manager, as suggested. Now when I fire up in Safe Mode I find I have no Mouse and cursor movements with the keyboard are limited........what can I do to re-enable my Mouse, is there a way to do it in DOS ?

Many thanks in advance.

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regards, peugeot84

you may be able to go back to a Windows state before the problem began.  You would need to boot to a DOS command prompt and then type this command:  scanreg /restore.  (You'll be offered 5 previous versions of the Registry to restore. Choose a date before the problem occurred.)

Hello Leetutor,

As mentioned in my first message I have tried going back to a previous version of the Registry but the process fails before completion.  

If only it were that simple :-)

I have now booked for a technician to come out from one of these local computer repair places............so fingers crossed and wallet open............

cheers,

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regards, Siven

any updates on my posts?

Hello Nobus,

I haven't checked the voltage on the clock and I'm using windows 98 SE  

Cheers

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regards, peugeot84

could you tell me then why youare booting from a floppy? you can start the install cd  by booting from it; just modify the boot order in the bios.

It sounds to me as though you have a Master Recovery CD rather than a full retail version.  You:

>>>
"inserted the Windows 98 installation CD into CD-ROM and the boot diskette into floppy drive.
Elect to boot from CD.....the 'Microsoft Windows 98 Setup' window appeared and IMMEDIATELY shot up a message saying "Formatting D: " and then another one saying "please insert Windows 98 Boot disk or CD-ROM"
<<<

I think it HAS booted to the CD rather than the floppy, and was attempting to do some kind of system restore that formats your drive first.  Drive letter allocations can be odd with some OEM versions of boot floppies and bootable CD's.

The latest is that I have now had a PC technical bod out to try and repair the situation and after re-installing Windows 98 over the existing installation.............the Windows 98 Protection Error still remains.

Sooooo.........the technician has now advised that what needs to happen is that I need to reformat the C: and then instill Windows 98 afresh.

This was always a horrible solution to me because I have several programs installed on C: for which I do not necessarily still have the installation CDs. (Programs collected from old employers etc, with their permission of course, at least at the time).

Also, I have several email accounts in Outlook Express which would need to be reconfigured with relevant email settings again and then downloaded emails replaced back in their relevant folders etc.

Reformatting C: sounds like a buggers muddle to me.

PS: The technician solved the problem of the 'new' D:............it seems it was to do with the Windows installation process looking for any available unused disk space in which to install Windows.  The technician managed to get rid of the 'new' D: by some jiggery pokery using fdisk in DOS.  

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regards, Peugeot84

By way of an update and to bring closure to this topic:

In bracing myself to reformat the C: drive and do a fresh re-install of Windows 98, as advised by the technician.............I decided I wasn't going to take the plunge there and then, I was going to sleep on it and give the guy a ring the next day if, as seemed likely, I was going to go ahead with the reformat idea.    

I then spent that evening scraping the barrel and flogging a dead horse, trying different things in desperation and then rebooting, eventually to my huge surprise and elation I managed to get the machine to kick back into life !  I had found a long forgotten shareware program on my machine called Winrescue and I got it to somehow roll the machine back to an earlier version of the Registry. However there are a few things I have noticed so far (such as ceratin applications and emails) which are not quite working as before.  It also appears that Windows Explorer is taking noticeably longer to create or rename folders etc.  Also certain other exe files appear to be out of sync. compared to what they were before.
 
If I'm honest, things seem a little precarious..............but mustn't grumble, fingers crossed.

I have come across a program called PC Bug Doctor which apparently found 1200+ incongruities on my machine, but I didn't have the guts to allow this program to automatically fix these 'bugs'.

Anyway, thanks for everyone's help around here............I intend to share some points around accordingly :-)

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regards, Peugeot84
 

Thank you, Peugeot84.  That is good news, and must be a relief.

I recommend backing up all irreplaceable files onto the OTHER drive, and then formatting the main system drive to reinstall Windows.

If backing up data DON'T copy the containing folder if it is one of the Windows system-generated "User Shell Folders" or it will copy the attributes along with it.  Copy ONLY the files.  Make sure that you don't copy the hidden "desktop.ini" file along with the files, and I also suggest that you create your backup folders with different names eg. "My_Documents" rather than "My Documents".

Do you need any advice or listings of what data to back up and where to find it?

By the way, I believe you made the best decision about PC Bug Doctor.  I have read numerous reports of this utility not only falsely reporting problems, but totally wrecking peoples' systems:

http://www.infopackets.com/channels/en/windows/gazette/2004/20041104_pc_bug_doctor_scam.htm

http://www.download.com/3640-2086_4-10247746.html?pn=1&fb=2

Windows Registry Mechanic, on the other hand, is favourably reviewed:
http://www.infopackets.com/channels/en/windows/gazette/2005/20050223_registry_mechanic_4_review.htm