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General discussion

reloading win 98 se

Dec 20, 2004 9:38AM PST

If I reload windows 98 second edition over itself, do I have to reload all applications or will they survive? If I upgrade to xp, will I need to reload all applications as well? Thanks for any advice.

Discussion is locked

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Ralph, Either One Should Save Your Current Files....
Dec 20, 2004 9:51AM PST

...and settings...although there are no guarantees, so make sure to make copies of ALL your important files....but it would be nice to know WHY you're wanting to do this. Reinstalling Windows 98 "over the top" doesn't always solve problems that have been created, although it can sometimes fix corrupted files. There are other ways to do that though.

Upgrading to Windows XP requires a lot of preparation to see if your hardware and software is XP compliant. You'll need to find all new drivers for your motherboard, video and audio cards, plus modems and ethernet cards. You'll need to do these things BEFORE you attempt to upgrade.

Hope this helps and let us know more.

Grif

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The problem(s) I'm trying to solve are ...
Dec 21, 2004 6:42AM PST

Thanks for the response. I suspected that was the case.

It?s a friend?s two year old computer with Win98 SE and 256M RAM. I?d rather not reload windows but it?s all I can think of since so many things have been going on with it and still do.

A couple weeks ago it had been infected by lots of malware & spyware by teenagers downloading things and adding software like mad. I cleaned off Kazaa and other standard tracking junk (over 2260 objects) for them. The computer had been starting to bootup but only got so far and froze, rebooted, or ran at glacial speed if it ever came up. It had random dll and vxd file errors showing up but I got it going by cleaning up spyware with ADAware and using msconfig to keep things from starting on bootup.

Then several days ago they tried to switch from dialup to earthlink cable modem but the installer from earthlink couldn?t get their system to connect using earthlink. He told them he had to leave because he ?was running late.? Later that day they couldn?t use their dialup service anymore either (it did work for a while after the earthlink guy left). Now I can connect to the dialup service but not open any browsers (IE 6.0 or Firefox). The NIC is shown as enabled and working but does not see the cable modem. The random errors have returned on boot up including one saying

?Invalid vxd call from NTKERN(01) +00003106 to device ?MTRR ? windows config is invalid run windows set up to correct problem?

If I answer ?yes? it boots but does not let me browse and hangs up if I open more than 2 or 3 applications at a time. If I answer ?no? I see:

?while initializing device CONFIGMG invalid vxd call to device? run windows setup?

This is the situation I?m trying to resolve. Any suggestions?

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Ralph, IN That Situation....
Dec 21, 2004 7:16AM PST

....and this is just my opinion on what I would do..I would start by running the "System File Checker" which should help you replace the damaged files and if that didn't cure the problem, I would try the "over the top" installation and if that didn't fix the issue, I would reformat and reinstall the entire operating system and all programs. See the link below on how to run System File Checker:

Using the System File Checker (SFC)


Recognize that reinstalling the whole enchilada would depend on a lot of things. I ALWAYS have backups made that are current. I ALWAYS keep a copy of the operating system, all the software, and the drivers that are required for reinstalling. You may not have that but will need it to correctly install things again. (Some computers have a "Recovery CD" which allows reformatting and reinstalling of the software as it came from the factory. If that's the case, then it's easy.)

Here are some links that will help you reinstall Windows 98 if necessary. In your case, you wouldn't need to repartition the drive, simply reformat and reinstall.:

How to Install Windows 98 on a Computer with No Operating System (Q221829)

How to Use the Fdisk Tool and the Format Tool to Partition or Repartition a Hard Disk (Q255867)

Hope this helps.

Grif

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problem solved (or avoided)
Dec 24, 2004 12:14AM PST

Grif,

My friend decided to solve his prolem with a new computer. Thanks for the advice though. I like the sfc suggestion since I now have a new tool to use. Hope you have a good holiday.

Dave Turner

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Dave, Great Solution...New Computer !
Dec 24, 2004 1:10AM PST

Happy Holidays to you also.

Grif

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key words: teenagers downloading things and adding software
Jan 28, 2005 2:59AM PST

Buy a new PC for parents, tell kids to learn how to reinstall 98se.
Craig

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Ditto
Jan 28, 2005 6:56AM PST

If the bad computer habits don't change, it won't be long before the new computer is in the same sorry shape. Gail

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I woudn't take the chance
Dec 20, 2004 7:09PM PST

It is best to save anything you can't afford to loose before doing anything like reinstalling the operating system.

Most computers, especially ones old enough to be running Windows 98, came with either restore CDs or CDs for the operating system and one with all of the drivers. But unfortunately, too many people can't find them when something goes wrong. You need the product key number to reinstall any operating system made by Microsoft. You will also need the CDs and product key numbers for any program you have installed the requires it. I'd suggest you download, install and run Belarc then print out a copy.

If you don't have the drivers, go to the web site for you computer manufacturer and download a copy. Most will have that information found under service and support.

Bottom line, you need to prepare properly before reinstalling your operating system. If not and something goes wrong, you can be left with a mess.