Acer computer with Windows 98-SE locks up

  • Thread starter Thread starter Helene
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H

Helene

My friend's computer started locking up when she was on the internet. Her
brother tried to work on it and look for a virus. He found a couple of
viruses and thought he had removed them. It still was locking up, but we
used the restore disk to go back to factory settings. Now it will go until
it starts to load the monitor and locks up. If we restart sometimes it
continues on further, but always locks up before actually fully loading win
98. I have reformated the hard drive, but it made no difference at all. I
believe we have all the disks that came with the computer, but it doesn't it
seems to be wanting a disk we don't have. At one point it says "insert Acer
monitor installation disk. We have a disk with all the drivers, but the
computer locks up before we can click ok.

Could it have anything to do with the fact the first guy who worked on it
hooked the computer up with his monitor, which would have changed the
settings? I would think reformating the disk and using the restore disk
would have taken care of that.

I sure would appreciate any help you can give me with this.

Helene
 
Are you trying to use the DVI connector? If there is a VGA connector, try
using it instead. If you reformatted, then there is no way the other guy's
monitor installation is causing you problems.

Do you know how to go into Safe Mode? It might be the F8 key when you boot
up, or your screen might have a different key to press to go into Safe Mode.
Try booting up in Safe Mode to see what happens. If you can get in Safe
Mode, update your monitor drivers then.
 
Wait a minute, are you absolutely sure you reformatted? It is possible to
use a restore disk without actually erasing everything on your drive. Did
you guys at any time during the restore select something that specifically
said "format"? If so, that should have taken care of any virus that you
supposedly had.
 
Helene said:
My friend's computer started locking up when she was on the internet. >
Click to expand...

This one (PII/400MHz/W98SE) recently had a nasty habit of locking up and
either freezing in its tracks or rebooting without warning. The problem
turned out to be a bad memory stick. Quite possibly just one memory
location was bad, and not often used, but when the computer ran into that
spot in memory, the machine stopped dead in its tracks.

All the memory in this machine is used/salvaged and at least six years old,
so that's not too surprising. I removed one stick and what is left in the
machine passes Norton's test.

Freezes in W98 can also be caused by mismatched or out-of-date device
drivers, particularly for network and video cards, and by spyware toolbars
trying to call home and running into something not configured as the
programmer expected. Uninstalling the MSN toolbar has made this one a
little more reliable.
 
I can get into safe mode. I will try updating the drivers. I know I
reformated. I did it from dos with the format command "format c: /s

Helene
 
Joel, Not sure what a DVI connector is. Is that a cable? I know just enough
to be dangerous, but not enough to know what I'm doing.

Helene
 
This sounds like exactly what this computer was doing. After I update the
drivers, I will play around with the memory cards if it is still acting up.
Thanks for the info.

Helene
 
I couldn't update the drivers from a cd-rom because it isn't available in
safe mode, but I did reinstall the drivers from windows folder and that
seemed to correct that problem. It now opens as far as the desk top and then
freezes.

I have checked the memory card to be sure it was seated properly and that
made no difference. I did find that there is only 1 card. Maybe the card is
bad.

Helene
 
I found out there is only 1 memory card, so could play around much. I did
make sure it was seated properly, and it is.

Helene
 
Latest update:

I have downloaded a memory tester from Microsoft, and it found no errors
with the memory. Now I am really stumped!!!

Helene
 
My friend's computer started locking up when she was on the internet. Her
brother tried to work on it and look for a virus. He found a couple of
viruses and thought he had removed them. It still was locking up, but we
used the restore disk to go back to factory settings. Now it will go until
it starts to load the monitor and locks up. If we restart sometimes it
continues on further, but always locks up before actually fully loading win
98. I have reformated the hard drive, but it made no difference at all. I
believe we have all the disks that came with the computer, but it doesn't it
seems to be wanting a disk we don't have. At one point it says "insert Acer
monitor installation disk. We have a disk with all the drivers, but the
computer locks up before we can click ok.

Could it have anything to do with the fact the first guy who worked on it
hooked the computer up with his monitor, which would have changed the
settings? I would think reformating the disk and using the restore disk
would have taken care of that.

I sure would appreciate any help you can give me with this.
Click to expand...

With a system that age a lot of things could be
progressively going bad. Prime suspects are things newer
systems are also susceptible to like failing capacitors on
the motherboard or in the power supply, or overheating due
to dust accumulation in the vents or the more obvious fan
failures of CPU or PSU fan. CPU fan failure would tend to
crash a box sooner than PSU, I doubt that if the system were
cold-off and started, that a PSU fan failure would crash the
system before windows had even finished loading. It'd take
a CPU fan failure awhile to result in overheat too, but
"maybe" within 2-3 minutes its possible with a small
heatsink and relatively hot-running CPU.

It could easily be that there are still viri, other malware,
or system file damage remaining that was not corrected
previiously, though if the system restore does what I
suspect, completely replaces the old files with the factory
image and ALL new files, that should not be an issue.

What exactly happens when it locks up? At which point in
the boot process and what is showing on screen?

Next time you try it, hit F8 (maybe F5 instead, I forget)
repeatedly right after the bios screens are finishing and
it's about to show the windows boot logo. That should take
you to a boot menu where you can choose a logged boot.
Doing this you will then have the log of where the system
was when it crashed. Upon the next boot attempt you can
choose to go to a command prompt and then type at the prompt
(including the word type):

type bootlog.txt

that will scroll the bootlog made during the last boot
attempt. Note the last item or two in the list as that
"might" be revealing. Continue to make this bootlog each
time you try to boot to windows and then if/when it fails
again, go back and compare the bootlog with the "type
bootlog.txt", noting whether it always stops at the same
list item.

Also try booting to safe mode (also on the boot menu).
In safe mode it will be running at low color and resolution
so you can go into display properties and choose a low
refresh rate that is compatible with your monitor. If your
monitor is very old or small, like 14-15", you might need to
set a particularly low refresh rate like 56 Hz or
interlaced. Using the Acer restore disk should've taken
care of this, BUT if later changes were made to windows, or
windows itself plug-n-played a setting that is incompatible,
then safe mode would hopefully allow a different monitor
setting to be made.

At some point you will have to determine whether it's worth
the time and possible expense to continue trying to get this
old system working or to invest in something newer.
 
I did the bootlog, and it does seem to hang up at the same place every time.
Is there any way to see what would have loaded next?

Helene
 
I did the bootlog, and it does seem to hang up at the same place every time.
Click to expand...

It would be good to not hold back, go ahead and provide
deatils like this as it could be potentially useful
information in helping us help you.

Is there any way to see what would have loaded next?
Click to expand...

Maybe, but we'd need to know where it stopped. There might
be some bootlogs posted online that you could google for but
I have a box running win98 here that I could check too.
Here is a bootlog from a win98se system,
http://69.36.189.159/usr_1034/BOOTLOG.TXT
While both systems may not share all common boot items it
can still help to narrow things down and the next item
"might" be the same still.

Also if you use that same boot menu but choose "Step-by-Step
confirmation" you might have a more clear indication of
whether the last item in the bootlog had finished loading
and it was proceeding to the next one.
 
Thanks so much for all your help. I really appreciate the time everyone is
giving me. I ran the bootlog again several times, and it goes almost to the
end of the log (according to your bootlog.) It stops when it starts the
enumerated section. it does a tape controller and floppy disk controller and
then stops. It finished with both of those.

Another thing is that the computer always goes to the startup menu where you
can choose how you want to start without ever pressing f8 or Ctrl.

Helene
 
Helene said:
I found out there is only 1 memory card, so could play around much. I did
make sure it was seated properly, and it is.
Click to expand...
Anything we can offer on Usenet is a guess, and you've made progress if you
have eliminated one or two reasonable but incorrect guesses.

Reading farther down the thread, your problem sounds like a software issue,
such as a corrupt driver. Have you tried starting the machine from the
Windows installation CD-ROM? Later versions of Windows came on a bootable
CD, and I'm not sure at the moment whether W98 was or not. If you could
reinstall Windows from that CD, you might be able to restore a file that is
causing your problem. Note that a reinstallation does not have to disturb
your programs and data. There is an option to repair an existing
installation.

There are several things that can stop a computer of this age and type, some
hardware, some software.

One of the first I always look at is whether the CPU fan is turning. If it
is not, the computer will usually shut itself off after anywhere from 30
seconds to a few minutes. But you say it "freezes." That's not the same as
"shutting down."

Win98 can freeze during boot if a device driver is damaged or incorrect. I
just untangled this one, even since posting last night, because I went to
Windows Update and uninstalled a recommended network adapter driver update
that turned out to be completely wrong. I had to use my other computer to
download good drivers from Intel and move them to this machine before I
could get back on the Internet. The symptoms for that did not look like
what you describe, either; during startup I got an error message saying that
a driver could not be found. That was a text message on a blank background.

Windows can freeze when a program is started up if that program does not
have the resources to complete a "thread" that is running. There are
several possible causes for this. My Scrabout program started freezing
recently because it could not find the dictionary file after another
computer on the network modified it and told Scrabout to look in a different
place for it--an inaccessable network folder.

Files can become damaged in minor ways due to old disks or errors in
programs. The kind of memory error I described can also be caused by a disk
surface problem if the area with the bad sector is being used for virtual
memory.

New programs are sometimes written with programming tools called JIT for
Just-In-Time Compilation, which in theory makes Web programs work on a wider
variety of platforms (read Linux, Windows, and Mac). The tools these
programs depend upon are included in Windows XP but must be added to W98.
They include the .NET Framework, Windows Common Runtime, and Java Runtime
Environment. These are available from Windows Update. Not having one would
usually cause the program simply not to run, so that you wouldn't see
animation on a Web page, for instance. However, a program called for in
startup could hang while loading if one of the "threads" of the program
calls for another program that cannot run.

All of these, sight unseen, are just guesses, things to consider and rule
out. You are on the right track looking in the log file for the "next thing
that loads," and I'm sorry I can't tell you the answer to that one, but
someone here probably will.
 
Thanks so much for all your help. I really appreciate the time everyone is
giving me. I ran the bootlog again several times, and it goes almost to the
end of the log (according to your bootlog.) It stops when it starts the
enumerated section. it does a tape controller and floppy disk controller and
then stops. It finished with both of those.
Click to expand...

It's kind of ironic, this is one of very few systems here
that doesn't have a floppy drive in it so no floppy
controller active. I've re-enabled the floppy controller
and here's the resultant bootlog;
http://69.36.189.159/usr_1034/BOOTLOG2.TXT

Another thing is that the computer always goes to the startup menu where you
can choose how you want to start without ever pressing f8 or Ctrl.
Click to expand...

I suppose that is to be expected, since the system doesn't
finish booting on the last attempt.

Below an excerpt of that log containing the now-present
floppy controller enumeration entry, if it corresponds
closely enough to yours, does it appear it is not loading
the entry "[00174CE9] Enumerating Plug and Play Software
Device"?

If the floppy controller entry is the last one, try
unplugging your floppy drive data cable then reboot. If it
still fails you might also see if there's a bios setting to
disable the floppy controller (temporarily).

Does the system boot successfully to safe mode? Perhaps
you've already told us but I've forgotten. If it does boot
to safe mode ok and the above removal of floppy and
controller functions doesn't help, try merging the following
registry entry after booting to safe run (Just click on it
from the desktop. Of course, if you're trying to transfer
it from a floppy disc, you'd have to copy it in DOS first,
or boot to safe mode, copy it and then power off before
disconnecting the drive (and booting to safe mode again if
necessary).
http://69.36.189.159/usr_1034/win9x_wdm_audio.reg

That file essentially adds (or perhaps re-adds) the Plug and
Play Software Device to your registry. I don't know if it
will help but the entry should be in your registry and at
worst it will just put in what was already there (which is
not a problem).

=====Begin BOTLOG.TXT Excerpt=========

LoadStart = C:\WINDOWS\fonts\coure.fon
LoadSuccess = C:\WINDOWS\fonts\coure.fon
LoadStart = C:\WINDOWS\fonts\symbole.fon
LoadSuccess = C:\WINDOWS\fonts\symbole.fon
LoadStart = C:\WINDOWS\fonts\smalle.fon
LoadSuccess = C:\WINDOWS\fonts\smalle.fon
LoadSuccess = user.exe
LoadStart = MSGSRV32.EXE
LoadSuccess = MSGSRV32.EXE
Init = Final USER
InitDone = Final USER
Init = Installable Drivers
InitDone = Installable Drivers
Init = TSRQuery
InitDone = TSRQuery
[00174ADD] Enumerating Standard Floppy Disk Controller
(ACPI\*PNP0700\0)
[00174AE0] Enumerated Standard Floppy Disk Controller
(ACPI\*PNP0700\0)

[00174CE9] Enumerating Plug and Play Software Device
Enumerator (ROOT\SWENUM\0000)

[00174CEB] Enumerated Plug and Play Software Device
Enumerator (ROOT\SWENUM\0000)
[00174CEC] Enumerating Microsoft Kernel System Renderer
(SW\{A7C7A5B0-5AF3-11D1-9CED-00A024BF0407}\{9B365890-165F-11D0-A195-0020AFD156E4})
[00174CED] Enumerated Microsoft Kernel System Renderer
(SW\{A7C7A5B0-5AF3-11D1-9CED-00A024BF0407}\{9B365890-165F-11D0-A195-0020AFD156E4})
[00174CEE] Enumerating Microsoft Kernel Audio Mixer
(SW\{B7EAFDC0-A680-11D0-96D8-00AA0051E51D}\{9B365890-165F-11D0-A195-0020AFD156E4})
[00174CF0] Enumerated Microsoft Kernel Audio Mixer
(SW\{B7EAFDC0-A680-11D0-96D8-00AA0051E51D}\{9B365890-165F-11D0-A195-0020AFD156E4})
[00174CF1] Enumerating Microsoft DirectMusic SW Synth (WDM)
(SW\{8C07DD50-7A8D-11D2-8F8C-00C04FBF8FEF}\DMUSIC)
[00174CF2] Enumerated Microsoft DirectMusic SW Synth (WDM)
(SW\{8C07DD50-7A8D-11D2-8F8C-00C04FBF8FEF}\DMUSIC)
[00174D06] Enumerating Plug and Play Software Device
Enumerator (ROOT\SWENUM\0000)
[00174D08] Enumerated Plug and Play Software Device
Enumerator (ROOT\SWENUM\0000)
[00174D09] Enumerating Microsoft Kernel System Renderer
(SW\{A7C7A5B0-5AF3-11D1-9CED-00A024BF0407}\{9B365890-165F-11D0-A195-0020AFD156E4})
[00174D0A] Enumerated Microsoft Kernel System Renderer
(SW\{A7C7A5B0-5AF3-11D1-9CED-00A024BF0407}\{9B365890-165F-11D0-A195-0020AFD156E4})
[00174D0C] Enumerating Microsoft Kernel Audio Mixer
(SW\{B7EAFDC0-A680-11D0-96D8-00AA0051E51D}\{9B365890-165F-11D0-A195-0020AFD156E4})
[00174D0D] Enumerated Microsoft Kernel Audio Mixer
(SW\{B7EAFDC0-A680-11D0-96D8-00AA0051E51D}\{9B365890-165F-11D0-A195-0020AFD156E4})
 
You are so right about guessing, which is sure what I've been doing. I
appreciate all the ideas I've received from this group. I think I've pretty
much eliminated any bad drivers by reformatting the disk. I have also used
the restore disk a couple of times, which totally wipes the disk and starts
over. The problem is that on the disk with this computer there is no option
to just go back and restore at a certain point or to reinstall Windows. The
only option is to start over. I also did a reformatting with WDClean
yesterday that completely cleans the hard drive. The memory test showed no
errors. The config.sys and autoexec.bat files do not have any information,
so I'm wondering if that could be part of the problem. Not sure if there
should be with Win. 98-SE.

Helene
 
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