PC probs - must be an expert out there...;-)
Discussion
Right, if it'll stay up long enough for me to detail the problem...
Gigabyte BX2000 board, P3/550 CPU, 384Mb PC100 Ram, nVidia GeForce 2MX/400 with 64Mb in the AGP slot, a 6Gb and a 3Gb HDD as the primary device on each IDE channel, a 48-speed CD as primary slave and a LiteOn 48-speed writer as secondary slave, PCI 56K Intel Modem and an ISA soundcard (hey, if I want hifi I'll fire up the Quads, OK? ;-). Win 98SE. Latest m/board BIOS version.
Problem is, it keeps locking up. Usually, but not always, when online to you lot (oh what a shame, I hear you cheer!). It also loses the secondary IDE driver (and the writer of course). Control Panel/ System/ Device Manager reports 'Device Not Working'.
Tried removing the sound, the writer and the 3Gb HDD but it still does it. I suspect an IRQ problem as the modem and AGP use the same, as do the IDE drivers. I have been unable to force IRQs for anything either via BIOS or Windows.
Any ideas?
Ian
Gigabyte BX2000 board, P3/550 CPU, 384Mb PC100 Ram, nVidia GeForce 2MX/400 with 64Mb in the AGP slot, a 6Gb and a 3Gb HDD as the primary device on each IDE channel, a 48-speed CD as primary slave and a LiteOn 48-speed writer as secondary slave, PCI 56K Intel Modem and an ISA soundcard (hey, if I want hifi I'll fire up the Quads, OK? ;-). Win 98SE. Latest m/board BIOS version.
Problem is, it keeps locking up. Usually, but not always, when online to you lot (oh what a shame, I hear you cheer!). It also loses the secondary IDE driver (and the writer of course). Control Panel/ System/ Device Manager reports 'Device Not Working'.
Tried removing the sound, the writer and the 3Gb HDD but it still does it. I suspect an IRQ problem as the modem and AGP use the same, as do the IDE drivers. I have been unable to force IRQs for anything either via BIOS or Windows.
Any ideas?
Ian
Ian,
Remove everything from your startup both in the start menu and the registry. You can use MSCONFIG to do this safely. When you you should then only see explorer and systray. Delete all files from c:windows emp, run a scandisk, remove all your ie cache files, run disk cleanup (I think it was on 98) and then a full defrag. Run a Windows Update to get all the latest service packs and drivers on. I am assuming you don't have any conflict in Device Manager. What modem do you have? this may well have bios / driver updates available.
Danny
PS I don't often keep an eye on General Gassing so mail me direct if this doesn't solve it or you need any more help
Remove everything from your startup both in the start menu and the registry. You can use MSCONFIG to do this safely. When you
Danny
PS I don't often keep an eye on General Gassing so mail me direct if this doesn't solve it or you need any more help
Certainly sounds like an interrupt issue. Hate internal modems never had anything but problems with them.
If you've got recovery disks rebuild the thing.
PS. I'm still using 98SE. Never had any probs with it so unless GPL2 comes out for XP only I aint changing.
Edited to add:
Take the memory down to 256 for testing. Could be faulty memory also 98 (for games, which is about the only thing you need mega memory for) will only use a max of 256 anyway. Good advice to move the CD's onto a different channel. Though this will only speed things up when you're using both the HD and CD's at the same time (they then move at the slowest device throughput - namely yer Cd's).
>> Edited by Del Sydyway on Thursday 20th February 22:57
If you've got recovery disks rebuild the thing.
PS. I'm still using 98SE. Never had any probs with it so unless GPL2 comes out for XP only I aint changing.
Edited to add:
Take the memory down to 256 for testing. Could be faulty memory also 98 (for games, which is about the only thing you need mega memory for) will only use a max of 256 anyway. Good advice to move the CD's onto a different channel. Though this will only speed things up when you're using both the HD and CD's at the same time (they then move at the slowest device throughput - namely yer Cd's).
>> Edited by Del Sydyway on Thursday 20th February 22:57
Del Sydyway said: Good advice to move the CD's onto a different channel. Though this will only speed things up when you're using both the HD and CD's at the same time (they then move at the slowest device throughput - namely yer Cd's).
I may be wrong, but I believe that even having a CD on the same channel as a HD (CD in use or not) will slow the HD preformance, and seeing as Windows wants to use the swap file all the time, it can make a big difference!
Could be faulty memory also 98 (for games, which is about the only thing you need mega memory for) will only use a max of 256 anyway
This is an urban myth. Windows98SE and ME can cope quite hapily with more than 256MB of RAM the limit for vcache is 800MB. There is a bug with windows that occurs above 512MB ram but this is only relevant if you are using dos windows. Further info at:
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;Q253912&gssnb=1
I have been happily working with 640MB of RAM for years and use win98SE. If like me you are using multiple programs or large graphical programs then memory is definately useful.
What win9x does suffer from is that it doesn't clear memory very well on exiting programs. So if you open and close programs a lot you can get problems. Win XP has tackled this problem but I have seen XP lock up on machines (Pro seems a lot better than home). I myself am waiting til XP second edition comes out as I believe the hardware support for XP is terrible esp. for older systems.
I like you Sid am sticking with 98SE for a while. I will probably change if I network up and get problems, or as you say a program that I use is XP only.
>> Edited by smeagol on Thursday 20th February 23:45
Definitely an IRQ/DMA conflict.
What you need to do is check out your motherboard manual and work out which slots to put everything in so that they don't colide with each other. Given it happens when online the main culprit is possibly the modem. Can you put it in another slot? You want to pick slots so that sound/gfx/modem don't share Interupts (on my mobo there are 4 for the pci slots, try not to put any major component (which I jsut listed) on a shared one). If thats too technical just swap some cards around and see if it helps.
Had a really painful process like this on my PC was a complete bitch.
Also win xp is MUCH better at sorting out this shit. Should be able to play GPL fine too since it has better compatibility with older windows/dos than any other windows OS. n.b. haven't tested it myself though so worth asking on a GPL msg board etc. to check its ok.
Definitely an IRQ/DMA conflict.
What you need to do is check out your motherboard manual and work out which slots to put everything in so that they don't colide with each other. Given it happens when online the main culprit is possibly the modem. Can you put it in another slot? You want to pick slots so that sound/gfx/modem don't share Interupts (on my mobo there are 4 for the pci slots, try not to put any major component (which I jsut listed) on a shared one). If thats too technical just swap some cards around and see if it helps.
Had a really painful process like this on my PC was a complete bitch.
Also win xp is MUCH better at sorting out this shit. Should be able to play GPL fine too since it has better compatibility with older windows/dos than any other windows OS. n.b. haven't tested it myself though so worth asking on a GPL msg board etc. to check its ok.
Right, finally got back on. Jeez, what a night.
I pulled everythng except the main HDD, AGP, RAM and the modem, Tried to dowmload the Windows upgrades (which include some fixes for cache probs on exit). Bloody thing crashed.
Pulled the modem, dug out the Zoom and reinstalled it. Had to link to my laptop to pull the Zoom drivers off 'cos I couldn't find the folder on any of the 3 HDDs I have.
Configged the modem, went straight into Windows Upgrade , got so far then crashed. Retried three times before it finally worked. On reboot after the u/g's installed, it lost the modem (on COM1 serial port).
Reinstalled the PCI modem and here we are, but for how long?
I will fanny around with the PCI slots: this machne used to be ace until I had a mad upgrading fit. First the 2nd-hand 10Gb HDD went tits-up, then this. Trouble is, I installed the modem, the AGP, the writer and more RAM at the same time, so any number of things could be wrong! Oh, the Zoom modem is a 56K Flex external and won't talk to NTL without being forced down to 33K, hence the modem u/g. However, I had the distinct impression earlier that the Zoom was logging on and downloading faster at 33K than the Intel PCI does at 56... hmmm.
Computers eh, don't ya luv 'em...?!
Ian
I pulled everythng except the main HDD, AGP, RAM and the modem, Tried to dowmload the Windows upgrades (which include some fixes for cache probs on exit). Bloody thing crashed.
Pulled the modem, dug out the Zoom and reinstalled it. Had to link to my laptop to pull the Zoom drivers off 'cos I couldn't find the folder on any of the 3 HDDs I have.
Configged the modem, went straight into Windows Upgrade , got so far then crashed. Retried three times before it finally worked. On reboot after the u/g's installed, it lost the modem (on COM1 serial port).
Reinstalled the PCI modem and here we are, but for how long?
I will fanny around with the PCI slots: this machne used to be ace until I had a mad upgrading fit. First the 2nd-hand 10Gb HDD went tits-up, then this. Trouble is, I installed the modem, the AGP, the writer and more RAM at the same time, so any number of things could be wrong! Oh, the Zoom modem is a 56K Flex external and won't talk to NTL without being forced down to 33K, hence the modem u/g. However, I had the distinct impression earlier that the Zoom was logging on and downloading faster at 33K than the Intel PCI does at 56... hmmm.
Computers eh, don't ya luv 'em...?!
Ian
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