Windows 98se Computer Has Messed Up And Won't Load

gameratheart

Sep 16 2006, 02:44 AM

Ok, I got a problem. Recently, an old Windows 98SE computer my friend has, messed up. All the DOS programs that were on the computer, started claiming that they were out of memory, and after he shut it down, he went on it later only to find that he cannot load Windows because there is "Insufficient Memory to Initialise" it!

There is nothing wrong with the hard drive, however - I tried to use Safe Mode on his computer recently and it worked fine (with some restrictions, of course). I personally think it could be a problem with how much Virtual Memory has been allowed, but Safe Mode won't let you change this in the normal way.

Does anyone know a way I can fix this? I will do everything necessary, even if I have to delete practically everything, as long as you can guarantee your method works. And please, don't suggest an upgrade! I have already talked over getting upgrades with my friend, but we both concluded there was no possible way he could spare the money for one.

Panzer

Sep 16 2006, 03:19 AM

First of all, how much RAM does your mates computer have?
Open it up and have a look inside (remember to ground yourself) and check if the RAM is still in one peice.

gameratheart

Sep 16 2006, 03:34 AM

EDIT: Sorry, I was thinking of something else. I don't actually know how much RAM he has (I believe it was 32MB though), and I don't really want to fiddle with the inside of the computer to find out, but the fact that it has been working for the last three years and only stopped now seems to suggest to me that it was not an issue.

FirefoxRocks

Sep 16 2006, 04:03 AM

512 k?

QUOTE

Minimum: 16MB.
Reasonable: Windows 98 runs much better with 24MB of RAM. For best results, I recommend at least 32MB, with 64MB being the bottom line for the truly impatient.

Quoted from [url=http://www.tdbennett.com/samples/31235-2/01/01.html]Windows 98 System Requirements
[/url].

Anyways, of course your computer can't run Windows 98 with sufficient memory! MINIMUM is 16 MB. That is 32X more that what you have now. Or did you mean 512MB? I don't think so because 512 MB would be sufficient to run multiple programs. I have 64 MB RAM on my Windows 98SE computer and it works fine

Give the amount of hard disk space also. Then we can help determine Virtual Memory. But it is not a good idea to run Windows 98 under this little amount of memory.

I hope you have either Windows 95 or that you can revert to Windows 3.1/Windows 95. If not, you'll be stuck with DOS for the rest of the computer's life (assuming you don't get a new computer).

gameratheart

Sep 16 2006, 04:38 AM

512kb RAM... what was I thinking? Or course it's more than that!

FirefoxRocks, my friend's computer is capable of holding up to 27Gb, of which about 55% is already used.

jlhaslip

Sep 16 2006, 09:58 AM

I had a similar problem on a Win98 machine once and the problem was, as I recall, a BIOS-related issue. A simple file update was all that was required. Don't remember the specifics, but after receiving the updated file, it was all good.

Does the machine start-up in Safe Mode at all? If so, there is a good chance this can be fixed easily enough.

Press [f3] (I think, at least on that old klunker I ran) while the machine is Booting to enter Safe Mode. All that happens during Safe Mode start-up is the machine does not look for or install all the drivers and such, so there will be devices which do not work since the machine doesn't recognize them.

Once the Machine is in Safe Mode, there are placed to go and run some diagnostic tests. I am not the person to offer advise about where and what to do next. The point I am attempting to make is simply to determine if the machine could be started in order to further diagnose the problem.

Worst thing that happens is a re-install of the Operating System. Save the drivers before you attempt the re-install. It can take hours to search for and download the correct driver sets and since Win 98 is no longer supported by M$, it might be difficult to find the correct ones at all.

Good luck. Hope this helps.

gameratheart

Sep 16 2006, 12:41 PM

QUOTE(jlhaslip @ Sep 16 2006, 10:58 AM)

...Does the machine start-up in Safe Mode at all?...

Earth to jlhaslip! I already said it worked perfectly on Safe Mode. Only thing that doesn't work is internet connection, seeming as how it blocks port access on safe mode.

Saint_Michael

Sep 16 2006, 01:40 PM

I came across a post looking for answer, although I doubt your friend did this check to see if windows was installed again on the computer the post I saw said something of windows.002 as file.
Check to see if something close to that has happen. If that the case delete that file and then try another boot up if still having problems you need to save all the data on there that is important and then re-install it.

edit: I havn't found anything reliable about how to solve this, although what I suggest is start deleting files he doesn't use any more and get some memory optimizing software and try to clean up the memory that is being sucked up.

peo

Sep 16 2006, 02:01 PM

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rvalkass

Sep 16 2006, 02:16 PM

If it boots in safe mode but not into the standard mode, the the problem most likely lies with the programs and software loaded with the standard mode. Boot into safe mode and then go Start, Run, "msconfig" . Go through the list of startup software (on the Startup tab) and disable any that don't look important. You can untick most of them. Then boot back into standard mode and see what happens. If you get in OK then it is a startup program causing the problems. The problem may lie in the fact that too many apps may try to start at once, and the PC just doesn't have the RAM to cope, so Windows is pushed to the back of the pile and you get the Insufficient Memory error. If that is the case then you will have to uninstall or disable software that runs at startup. If however, you don't get in, then the problem lies with something more fundamental in the Windows system.

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gameratheart

Sep 20 2006, 07:13 PM

I went on a suspicion, and found it to be right. Windows was claiming that there wasn't enough memory, but the actual problem was that too much was being used! My friend had messed around with the computer settings and accidentially set the Paging File size to be bigger than the computer's size itself!

I've fixed the problem now, so this topic can be closed. But thanks for all your help. And sorry I flamed you, jlhaslip. I didn't mean to cause any problems.

gameratheart

Sep 17 2006, 05:59 PM

Just tried msconfig... we'll see the results.

But, I've found something while doing a memory check (running mem in the command prompt): My friend's computer has no extended memory! Could this be a problem?

And yes, I can still use safe mode.

Edit: msconfig didn't help...

FirefoxRocks

Sep 16 2006, 09:26 PM

Anyways, I just had a brain flash!

If you said it will boot into safe mode properly, then it may be that you have too much stuff executing/launching/running when your computer is starting up.

Boot into Safe Mode, go to Start > Run > "msconfig". Click Backup Files and then OK.

Now go to Diagnostic Startup and uncheck/untick everything except Config.sys and Autoexec.bat. Click Apply or OK and then restart the system.

Does it work now?

If it doesn't work, repeat the procedure except select Normal Startup. Now restart the system again. After it boots up, click Start > Shut Down > Restart. Hold the CTRL key after the POST (Power On Self Test). F5 brings you into safe mode, F6 brings you into Safe Mode with Networking. That means Internet access open.

I'll need to dig up some more info on that issue before posting more information. Only thing found was F6 is "Safe Mode with Networking".

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Windows 98se Computer Has Messed Up And Won't Load - Problem fixed now, please disregard this topic.

Windows 98se Computer Has Messed Up And Won't Load - Problem fixed now, please disregard this topic.

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