taskbar

At first blush I'd say you probably need to reinstal Win98. Stuff like this can happen with a bad or corrupt installation.

Other causes might be a virus, but I'd reinstall Win98 first.

Also, go to Start>run and type MSCONFIG.

Go to Startup tab and how many items do you have checked?

If you have more than a few you probably have too many. Think about unchecking everything except your antivirus system. You could have an overloaded taskbar.

Good Luck,

Hulk

1. The article [Q192926] discusses the Clean-boot troubleshooting process and procedure to perform a Diagnostic Startup and refers to methods of reducing behaviors that may occur because of the system's environment.

2. Create a Bootlog.txt (hidden file in the root of C:\). When starting the computer, use the Startup Menu to create it.

Note: When examining this file in any text editor -- Notepad in Windows, or typing edit bootlog.txt at the MS-DOS prompt and then pressing Enter (clicking the icon in front of MS_DOS Prompt in the top colored bar provides MS-DOS commands), look for lines ending in LoadFailure which may indicate either a device or software problem.

3. The article [Q127970] discusses the hidden Bootlog.txt, describes content, and explains certain items that may be indicated as a Load Failed which does not necessarily indicate a problem.

4. The article [Q118579] explains the root folder text file Msdos.sys set with Read-Only, System, and Hidden attributes, that this file is set to be at least 1,024 bytes in length, and describes the [Options] section that contain the settings and their meaning. Instructions are contained which allows a user to set certain options which creates the Bootlog.txt file during boot.