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1. In
Windows 98 SE, scandisk runs every time the system boots, even after
a normal shutdown |
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When Windows shuts down it
performs many functions, including the following:
· Completes all disk write functions
· Flushes the disk cache · Runs the Close Window code to close all
currently running programs
· Transitions all protected-mode drivers to real mode.
Shutdown problems in Windows 98 SE can be caused by any of the following:
· A video card that is not assigned an IRQ in real mode
· A program that does not close correctly
· An incompatible, damaged or conflicting device driver is loaded
· A damaged Exit Windows sound file
· Incorrectly configured or damaged hardware
· An incompatible (BIOS) configuration setting
· As a result of an Advanced Power Management or Advanced Configuration
and Power Interface setting
· The Fast Shutdown registry key is enabled.
Windows 98 SE includes the latest updates for Advanced Configuration
and Power Interface (ACPI), OnNow and Advanced Power Management (APM).
In addition, the Fast Shutdown code which was implemented with the
initial release of Windows 98 has been removed to support these new
features. Although Windows 98 SE includes many new drivers, not all
third-party manufacturers have had a chance to update their hardware
drivers. Some existing computers or devices may require an updated
BIOS or device driver to fully support Windows 98 SE.
Check the programs that are running. This includes any TSRs loading
in real-mode and programs that start from your Startup group. To check
the programs that are running, run Msconfig.exe and disable all options
under Selective startup to clean-boot Windows. If this resolves the
issue, you can then disable the startup items one at a time to determine
the program that is the cause of the shutdown problem.
Check the hardware configuration. Disable or remove any hardware that
may be responsible. To check the hardware configuration on the computer,
use Control Panel > System. On the Device Manager tab, disable all
devices under Display adapters, Floppy disk controllers, Hard disk
controllers, Keyboard, Network adapters, PCMCIA socket, Ports, SCSI
controllers, Sound, video, and game controllers and Mouse. You can
disable the items by selecting each item and clicking on Properties.
On the General tab, enable the 'Disable In This Hardware Profile'
check box, and then click OK. Note that your mouse will not work when
you restart the computer.
Now enable the devices one by one, in the following order: COM ports,
Hard disk controllers and Floppy disk controllers. You can then enable
the rest of the devices in any order, though the last device to be
enabled should be the display adapter. If the problem is not solved,
run the Automatic Skip Driver Agent (Asd.exe) tool to enable any device
that has been disabled.
The IRQ Steering option allows several PCI devices to share the same
interrupt request (IRQ). If the BIOS is not fully compliant, this
option may lead to machines not shutting down properly, even if devices
are not sharing an IRQ. To disable PCI bus IRQ Steering, open Device
Manager > System Devices > PCI Bus > Properties and disable Use IRQ
Steering on the IRQ Steering tab.
In some cases, the BIOS and Windows may not be communicating properly
with the computer hardware during the shutdown process. It is possible
to configure Windows 98 SE to ignore the presence of a PnP BIOS and
communicate directly with the hardware. This should be done only for
testing purposes, as leaving the PnP BIOS disabled may cause some
hardware to stop working. To do this, reboot to DOS and rename the
\Windows\System\Bios.vxd file to Bios.old. Restart your computer.
If shutdown is now successful, it is most likely an indication that
the system BIOS is contributing to the shutdown problems. Contact
the motherboard manufacturer or BIOS vendor for a possible update.
If you have an anti-virus program that is configured to scan your
floppy disk drive when you shut down, your computer may stop responding.
Microsoft has released the Windows 98 SE Shutdown Supplement that
addresses shutdown issues on computers with specific hardware and
software configurations. This can be downloaded from here. |
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2. Windows
starts in Safe mode, even if it started normally the previous time |
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This happens if Windows is
unable to delete the Wnbootng.sts file in the Windows folder. This
file is created each time you start Windows and is deleted after Windows
starts successfully. Delete the Wnbootng.sts file in the Windows folder
and restart your computer.
If this does not work, rename the io.sys file in the root of the boot
drive. Note that you will have to first strip its attributes to be
able to rename it from DOS. Boot the system from a Windows Startup
disk and type sys c: to transfer system files to the hard disk. Remove
the startup disk and restart Windows. |
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3. You
get 'Fatal Exception 0E' error message when you start Windows 95 |
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This can occur if the Advapi32.dll
file is missing or damaged. To solve the problem, replace the file
with a fresh one from the original Windows installation disc.
To extract the file, switch to the Windows installation folder on
the CD at the command prompt and type the following command for Windows
95:
extract /e /l c:\windows\system /a win95_02.cab advapi32.dll or the
following command for Windows 98:
extract /e /l c:\windows\system /a win98_22.cab advapi32.dll Restart
Windows and the problem should be solved. |
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4. Restoring
damaged registry
You get the error message:
"Windows has encountered an error accessing the system registry. You
should restore the registry now and restart the computer. If you ignore
this error and shut down your system, you may lose data. Restoring
the registry replaces the faulty registry with a known good backup
copy. However, this backup copy may not contain all the information
recently added to your system".
Even after you click the 'Restore From Backup And Restart' button,
you get the same error message and the problem occurs even when you
boot to Safe Mode. |
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The error messages may occur
if the registry is damaged. Try any of the following steps to restore
a damaged registry. Use the Registry Editor in DOS mode to export,
and then import, the registry file. Restart the computer in DOS and
type the following command to export the registry:
regedit /l:c:\windows\system.dat /e c:\system.txt
Next, rename the current registry file to another name with the following
command:
attrib -s -h -r system.dat
ren system.dat system.old
Type the following line to import the System portion of the registry
regedit /l:c:\windows\system.dat /c c:\system.txt
Restart Windows and see if the problem is solved. If the error continues
to occur, restart the computer in DOS and carry out the above steps
for the User portion of the registry, replacing all references to
the System.dat with User.dat. These are the commands you would use:
regedit /r:c:\windows\user.dat /e c:\user.txt
cd\windows
attrib -s -h -r user.dat
ren user.dat user.old
regedit /r:c:\windows\user.dat /c c:\user.txt
Restart Windows normally and check again. If the error continues to
occur, try restoring the registry to its state when you last successfully
started Windows. Restart the computer in DOS and type the following
commands:
cd \windows
attrib -s -h -r system.dat
ren system.dat system.bad
Restart your computer. Windows 95 uses the System.da0 file when it
cannot find the System.dat file. If this file works, Windows 95 renames
it to System.dat. If the error continues to occur, repeat the above
steps for the User.da0 file.
If this too fails, restore the registry to its state when you first
started Windows 95 successfully. Again boot to DOS and type the following
commands:
cd \windows
attrib -s -h -r system.dat
ren system.dat system.xxx
cd \
attrib -s -h -r system.1st
copy system.1st c:\windows\system.dat
attrib +s +h +r system.1st
attrib +s +h +r c:\windows\system.dat
Restart your computer.
If the error continues, you will have to reinstall Windows. First,
remove all user profiles using the following command in DOS:
ren c:\windows\profiles c:\windows\oldprofs
Next, rename the existing registry files:
cd \windows
attrib -s -h -r system.dat
ren system.dat system.xxx
attrib -s -h -r user.dat
ren user.dat user.xxx
attrib -s -h -r system.da0
ren system.da0 system.yyy
attrib -s -h -r user.da0
ren user.da0 user.yyy
cd \ attrib -s -h -r system.1st
ren system.1st system.zzz
Run Windows Setup again |
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5. Some
.vxd files show as missing on restarting your computer
When you restart your computer, you may receive an error saying the
following files are missing: Vnetsup.vxd, Nwlink.vxd, Nwredir.vxd,
Nscl.vxd, Vredir.vxd, Ndis.vxd, Ndis2sup.vxd, Vnetbios.vxd, Ndiswan.vxd.
Additional dialog boxes may appear saying the following two files
cannot be found: Nwnp32.dll, Msnp32.dll. |
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This problem can occur if
you install a Network Adapter, Dial-Up Networking, Dial-Up Adapter,
or Virtual Private Networking and cancel Setup while the Copying Files
dialog box is displayed. The Dial-Up Networking files are not copied
to the hard disk but the file names are added to the Windows registry.
When the computer is restarted, the files are requested and cannot
be found. To solve the problem, simply reinstall all network components
and uninstall the unnecessary components. |
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6. The
message 'AudioPCI interrupt has been routed incorrectly by the system'
appears on startup |
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Start your computer in Safe
mode. Open Start > Settings > Control Panel > System > Device Manager.
Expand the Sound Video and Game controllers list and remove your soundcard.
Restart your PC. Windows should now detect your soundcard as a new
hardware and will ask for the drivers. Provide it with drivers from
the manufacturer's disk or the Windows drivers. |
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7. The
dual-boot option of Windows NT 4.0 and Windows 95 is no longer available
after you reinstall Windows 95 |
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If you dual boot between Windows
NT 4.0 and Windows 95, you should create an Emergency Repair Disk
before you install Windows 95. You can do this using Rdisk.exe in
the \Winnt\System32 folder. Once you create this, you can install
Windows 95 after booting to DOS.
To solve your problem, boot from the Windows NT setup boot disk and
insert Setup Disk 2 when prompted. When the setup options appear,
press R for Repair. On the next screen, four options appear and all
are selected by default. Clear all selections except Inspect Boot
Sector. Ensure that Inspect Boot Sector is the only option that has
an X in front of it. Select Continue and press Enter. You can skip
the mass storage device detection from the next screen, unless you
have changed or added hard disks to the computer.
Insert Setup Disk 3 when prompted. If you have the Emergency Repair
Disk, press Enter, insert the disk, and press Enter again. If you
do not have the Emergency Repair Disk, press Esc to allow setup to
locate Windows NT and the repair information. Remove the diskette
from the floppy disk drive and press Enter to restart your computer.
Now the Windows NT Flex Boot Loader should appear and the dual boot
ability would have been restored. |
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8. Deleting
the Linux partition does not remove LiLo |
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To remove LiLo, boot from
a Windows Startup disk. At the command prompt, type fdisk /mbr and
press enter. Remove the disk and restart the computer. |
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9. After
startup a 'Driver Memory Error' dialog box is displayed |
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The system has been infected
by the KAK worm. To remove it, use any current anti-virus package.
Also, search the entire hard disk for files with 'kak' anywhere in
the name (ensure that you can view hidden and system files) and delete
them. Locate the registry key HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE/Software/Microsoft
Windows/Current Version/Run/cAgou and delete it.
You can prevent further infections by upgrading to Internet Explorer
5.5 or installing the security patch provided by Microsoft. This patch
can be downloaded from here. |
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10.
You still get the password dialog box on starting Windows even though
you have deleted multiple users |
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If you have already deleted
all the users, open Control Panel > Network. Delete the Microsoft
Family Logon item if it exists. Also, change the Primary Network Logon
to Windows Logon.
Restart Windows for the changes to take effect. If you are still asked
for a password at startup, delete all .PWL files from the \Windows
folder. Upon restarting, when asked for a Windows password, leave
the password field blank. The next time you restart, Windows will
not ask for a password. |
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