TSGL: Reformat Restore Can't Do It

[David R. Feese]

Hi Don,

I'd like to try receiving the W98SE Boot Disk that you have.  Some folks
send me much larger files than 1.4MB.

Just cannot get that PC to do anything.  The last time I was able to get
into Windows I went into msconfig and disabled all the programs on which I
am getting the error messages.  I also installed the Win98SE Shut Down
Patch.  I then got the message to Restart the computer so the changes could
take effect.  Naturally it would not restart.  I had the screen "Windows Is
Shutting Down" for a very long time so had to manually power it down.

When I powered it back up I had a message that Windows could not find a
mouse installed.  I've had this message previously but it's usually there
after choosing OK.  This time, however, it did not and the mouse was frozen
& nothing I did worked.  Ctrl-Alt-Del brought up the "Blue Screen Of Death."

Again nothing would restart the PC, so another manual power down.

If the boot floppy info you send doesn't do it, then the only other thing I
can think of would be to replace the "C" Drive with a new HD and possibly
install XP on it.  Don't know if I can find one at the bargain price Dave R.
has seen them at.

(Any Windows 98SE CD I could find on Ebay or elsewhere would have to be as
old as mine and could have corrupted files as you suspect my OEM version may
have ... right?  My PC was bought in late 1999.)

Which XP version would you recommend?
XP Home
XP Media Edition
XP Professional Version

Maybe I should just buy a new Compaq Presario with XP.  Staples advertising
them a $399 or $499 this week...  Don't know how reliable Compaq is.  My IBM
sure isn't working and now IBM has sold out the consumer PC end to China and
they are probably still expensive.

Regarding the relatively short life span of CD's and CD-R's, if this also
applies to very expensive programs such as Photo Shop and high end Microsoft
software then that seems really a rip-off.  My 50+ yr. old Vinyl records
still play as when new and they can't make CD's last that long?  What about
all the music and Video DVD's?  They're only good for a few years also?

Thank you for all you help.
Dave Feese
----- Original Message -----
From: Don Penlington <deepend at tpg.com.au>
To: Tech Support Guy Mailing List <list at tsgserver.com>
Sent: Wednesday, September 13, 2006 2:26 AM
Subject: TSGL: Reformat Restore Can't Do It


> Dave wrote:
> >The RAM sticks did not all go in easily when I installed
> >them and when I removed the one 256MB stick I wondered at the time if
there
> >was a particular _order_ in which the RAM sticks should be in and if I
might
> >have removed one which resulted in the remaining ones being in the wrong
> >slots order.>>
>
>
> I don't know whether the location of each stick is vital---someone
familiar
> with building will guide you here. I wonder if the contacts might have got
> damaged---remove the sticks and carefully examine all the contacts for
> signs of damage. Play around with them in different slots. See if it makes
> any difference. I believe they can be cleaned with a pencil rubber---just
> make sure you clean off any debris afterwards.
>
> <<It only has one fan>>
>
> Is there no CPU fan? That's often the one that causes all the trouble when
> it fails.
>
> <<14.2GB Free
> 4.72GB Used>>
>
> No problems there.
>
> If you reformat, don't forget to back up everything you want to save.
>
> <<I have dial-up.  Is the file too large
> for me to receive via dial-up?>>
>
> Depends what the limit is for your attachments set by your ISP. Contents
of
> boot floppy will be about 1.4 Mb. I think that may be too big for dialup
> email attachment.
>
> << I think my system is FAT32 .>>
>
> I think you can assume it is with W98. I don't think W98 will run on NTFS
> anyway.
>
> <<These un-used ones are probably in the 4 to 5 yr. old
> range.>>
>
> I don't know what the shelf life of unused disks is. Usually, the better
> the brand (eg Sony) the better quality they should be and they will have
> better protective coatings. The glue from sticky labels,  or inks from
felt
> pens,  in time bleeds thru cheaper protective coatings and can etch away
> the data. I would guess your Sony and TDK disks should be OK.  If in
doubt,
> I'd burn several copies of really important stuff.
>
> Having said that, I've never had any trouble with my old el cheapo disks.
> It's a matter of luck I guess.  Floppies are notoriously unreliable.  They
> wear out with repeated use. All my emergency boot floppies were duplicated
> at least 3 times, though they are now of little or no use with NTFS
> partitions, as dos won't read or write to NTFS.
>
> <<I wish they gave
> the option to install or not install their fonts.>>
>
> If offered, you usually get that choice if you do a "custom" install.
>
> <<I have to manually power it down>>
>
> The trouble with that is Windows doesn't get a chance to close properly,
> remnants are left resident in memory (incl your 900 fonts if they are all
> in the primary Wondows/Fonts folder!!!), and the system pretty quickly
gets
> well and truly hosed. The problems compound until you have to reformat and
> start with a clean install.
>
> The only way to avoid that is to run a tight system, with regular registry
> backups and restorations. The registry is usually the first vital organ to
> get corrupted, then other problems will start to arise from there.
>   The first sign usually is that the system starts to get a bit sluggish,
> or a few odd error messages start appearing. That's telling you it's time
> for a spring clean and registry restore. (See my web tutorial on registry
> backups and restores)
>
> <<Sort of like
> one of the TV Time Travel shows where they could never get back beyond the
> point where they went back in time and were locked in an endless loop.>>
>
> A good description. I know how you feel--it gets very frustrating. Try
> shaking it vigorously and screaming at it. Won't do the computer any good,
> but might make you feel better.
>
> <<Now it won't shut down again.>>
>
> Reinstall the patch.
>
> Don Penlington
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>  From the Beach at Surfers Paradise in sunny Queensland.
> Computer tutorials, local scenery,  and other things at my website:
> http://users.tpg.com.au/deepend/index1.html
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> Tech Support Guy Mailing List
> http://www.tsgserver.com/list/