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From: Harry Pfeifer on 18 Feb 2010 04:24
I am trying to debug a startup problem on an old laptop computer running
Windows 98 SE.
It keeps giving messages that a Windows protection error has occurred whilst
loading any one of about 4 different files. It changes from one file to
another each time it tries to start, regardless of whether I try to start in
Normal or Safe mode. I don't have the original Windows installation disks,
so have reinstalled Windows 98 (not SE) and the problem still occurs, except
that different files are named now

When the startup menu appears, I have tried to start in Logged file mode,
but each time I look at the bootlog.txt file, it still contains only the one
character which I wrote to it several days ago whilst testing (i.i. it
hasn't been written to since during startup)

Question 1 I read somewhere some time ago that unless you use certain
special command line switches, when Windows installs over an existing
installation it does not rewrite existing files if they appear to be
similar. Is this correct? How can Windows be made to write over these
files?

Question 2 How can I get my computer to actually write to the Bootlog.txt
file?

Question 3 Are there any diagnostic tools available to check errors in
memory and registry, which can be run from a disk in the A: drive before
Windows starts to load ?

Regards
OldZ80

From: none on 18 Feb 2010 12:06
We`ve moved on since 98/SE
XP would be could/be,
or msdos...perhaps.helpful
BTW Is Mitchelle your sister?
:)

"Harry Pfeifer" <hpfeifer(a)dcsi.net.au> wrote in message
news:4b7d0762(a)news.comindico.com.au...
> I am trying to debug a startup problem on an old laptop computer running
> Windows 98 SE.
> It keeps giving messages that a Windows protection error has occurred
> whilst loading any one of about 4 different files. It changes from one
> file to another each time it tries to start, regardless of whether I try
> to start in Normal or Safe mode. I don't have the original Windows
> installation disks, so have reinstalled Windows 98 (not SE) and the
> problem still occurs, except that different files are named now
>
> When the startup menu appears, I have tried to start in Logged file mode,
> but each time I look at the bootlog.txt file, it still contains only the
> one character which I wrote to it several days ago whilst testing (i.i. it
> hasn't been written to since during startup)
>
> Question 1 I read somewhere some time ago that unless you use certain
> special command line switches, when Windows installs over an existing
> installation it does not rewrite existing files if they appear to be
> similar. Is this correct? How can Windows be made to write over these
> files?
>
> Question 2 How can I get my computer to actually write to the
> Bootlog.txt file?
>
> Question 3 Are there any diagnostic tools available to check errors in
> memory and registry, which can be run from a disk in the A: drive before
> Windows starts to load ?
>
> Regards
> OldZ80
>
From: Rod Speed on 18 Feb 2010 13:58
Harry Pfeifer wrote:

> I am trying to debug a startup problem on an old laptop computer running Windows 98 SE.

> It keeps giving messages that a Windows protection error has occurred
> whilst loading any one of about 4 different files. It changes from
> one file to another each time it tries to start, regardless of
> whether I try to start in Normal or Safe mode. I don't have the
> original Windows installation disks, so have reinstalled Windows 98
> (not SE) and the problem still occurs, except that different files
> are named now

That likely indicates that the problem is a hardware problem.

> When the startup menu appears, I have tried to start in Logged file
> mode, but each time I look at the bootlog.txt file, it still contains
> only the one character which I wrote to it several days ago whilst
> testing (i.i. it hasn't been written to since during startup)

You get that if Win doesnt get far enough to be writing to the log file.

> Question 1 I read somewhere some time ago that unless you use certain special command line switches, when Windows
> installs over an existing installation it does not rewrite existing files if they appear to be similar. Is this
> correct?

Yes. But thats not likely to be the problem in your case
because its reporting a problem with different files than
it did with SE, so likely they have been replaced fine.

> How can Windows be made to write over these files?

The simplest approach is to format the drive, then it has to replace all the files.

> Question 2 How can I get my computer to actually write to the Bootlog.txt file?

It has to get far enough into the boot sequence to do that.

The early part of the boot phase doesnt write to the
boot log, it only does that with the extra drivers etc.

> Question 3 Are there any diagnostic tools available to check errors
> in memory and registry, which can be run from a disk in the A: drive
> before Windows starts to load ?

Yes, memtest86 will test the memory when booted from the A drive.

Its unlikely to be a registry problem but you there are some utes that will do that too.


From: none on 18 Feb 2010 14:27


"Rod Speed" <rod.speed.aaa(a)gmail.com> wrote in message
news:7u5gu4FlmmU1(a)mid.individual.net...
> Harry Pfeifer wrote:
>
>> I am trying to debug a startup problem on an old laptop computer running
>> Windows 98 SE.
>
>> It keeps giving messages that a Windows protection error has occurred
>> whilst loading any one of about 4 different files. It changes from
>> one file to another each time it tries to start, regardless of
>> whether I try to start in Normal or Safe mode. I don't have the
>> original Windows installation disks, so have reinstalled Windows 98
>> (not SE) and the problem still occurs, except that different files
>> are named now
>
> That likely indicates that the problem is a hardware problem.
>
>> When the startup menu appears, I have tried to start in Logged file
>> mode, but each time I look at the bootlog.txt file, it still contains
>> only the one character which I wrote to it several days ago whilst
>> testing (i.i. it hasn't been written to since during startup)
>
> You get that if Win doesnt get far enough to be writing to the log file.
>
>> Question 1 I read somewhere some time ago that unless you use certain
>> special command line switches, when Windows installs over an existing
>> installation it does not rewrite existing files if they appear to be
>> similar. Is this correct?
>
> Yes. But thats not likely to be the problem in your case
> because its reporting a problem with different files than
> it did with SE, so likely they have been replaced fine.
>
>> How can Windows be made to write over these files?
>
> The simplest approach is to format the drive, then it has to replace all
> the files.
>
>> Question 2 How can I get my computer to actually write to the
>> Bootlog.txt file?
>
> It has to get far enough into the boot sequence to do that.
>
> The early part of the boot phase doesnt write to the
> boot log, it only does that with the extra drivers etc.
>
>> Question 3 Are there any diagnostic tools available to check errors
>> in memory and registry, which can be run from a disk in the A: drive
>> before Windows starts to load ?
>
> Yes, memtest86 will test the memory when booted from the A drive.
>
> Its unlikely to be a registry problem but you there are some utes that
> will do that too.
>


You must have got a root last night
from palmer or one of his daughters.
Maybe a hairy palms episode.

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