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Old August 17th 08, 09:16 AM posted to microsoft.public.win95.general.discussion,microsoft.public.win98.gen_discussion,microsoft.public.win98.performance
Gary S. Terhune[_2_]
External Usenet User
 
Posts: 2,158
Default problems apparently with rundll32 when loading drivers

"...after installing a new, breed of 98Lite." You really need to fix that
Subject.

Here's the most positive advice I can give you. If you have problems with
that cross-bred child of Windows and Linux, you not only do yourself a
disservice by not dealing with them in a forum dedicated to the topic, you
also do a great disservice to the average Joe or Jane who goes searching for
procedures for their stock Windows 98 machines and happens onto this thread
half way through, sees the subject, sees a bunch of procedures that appear
to apply to his situation, and which (with any luck) do end up working for
you, but which don't apply to his machine in the slightest and which in fact
do his system a great deal of harm.

The least you could do, if you're going to *hijack* a newsgroup like this,
would be to make it clear what you're talking about in the Subject.

--
Gary S. Terhune
MS-MVP Shell/User
http://grystmill.com

"J. P. Gilliver (John)" wrote in message
...
With apologies for the repost - one positive outcome of the first one was
that I discovered that what I thought was a valid cut-and-paste wasn't:
for some reason the two surviving newsgroups have slightly different
punctuations in their name.

(Positive suggestions only, please - the details of my problem have been
lost in the heat on the other thread, and please post to that one if your
only contribution is to say I'm in the wrong place!)

In message , "J. P. Gilliver (John)"
writes
'95 'group included as I use the '95 shell, via 98lite "Sleek" option.

I recently had a play with soporific's UBCD, a. k. a. "Windows 98, 10th
anniversary edition". I think a vast amount of work has gone into it, and
when installed from scratch as I did on a laptop for a friend, it worked
well (including the universal USB driver).

However, as with many such things, trying to install over an existing
system (even though it does include an option to do so) is more
problematical.

Anyway: I've finally got my original system back, due to use of some ERDs
from before I tried it, with one exception (that I know so far, anyway):
it initially manifested as the sound, but I think is more fundamental.

My sound isn't working. I've obtained the drivers from the manufacturer
(A??? motherboard; "Realtek AC'97 Audio"), since I couldn't find the mobo
CD.

Device Manager shows it, with a black-on-yellow "!". Properties shows
under Device status "The NTKERN.VXD, MMDEVLDR.VXD device loader(s) for
this device could not load the device driver. (Code 2.)\\To Fix this,
click Update Driver to update the device driver." When I do, I get the
usual wizard. Whether I let this look for the right driver (they're sort
of in place, the install software having done its stuff to that extent, or
I unzipped something, I can't remember) or I tell it where to look, I get
to the "Please wait while Windows searches ...", then I get a -
old-fashioned style, no close button - window in screen middle that says
"Rundll32\\An error has occurred in your program. To keep working
anyway..." and Close and Ignore buttons. If I click Ignore, nothing
happens; Close brings up a (Windows style this time) "This program has
performed an illegal ..." with Close and Details buttons. If I close
this, all windows (back to and including Device Manger) disappear.

If I remove the Realtek from Device Manager and restart, I get found new
hardware, with various windows appearing as normal, then it locks up (I
can't remember with what error message): if I Ctrl-alt-Del at that point,
I can get back to a blank desktop (no icons or taskbar, just a mouse
pointer). The only way out of that (it happens again if I restart) is to
use the old ERD again.

My Rundll32 file is fine (I never suspected it anyway, as it usually gets
"blamed" when something else goes wrong, but I have checked it).

I get something similar when trying to install another piece of hardware
(a microscope - i. e. basically a camera - and I am doing it according to
the instructions, i. e. drivers before connecting): _something_ crashes,
at the point after it's "found" the new hardware and is doing whatever it
does next at that point.

Any suggestions what is wrong and how to fix it? (Getting sound back would
be a start, but I suspect that needs the problem solving anyway.)

[It may not be UBCD that screwed things up, but I know at least one poster
who will think it did ... (-:]


--
J. P. Gilliver. UMRA: 1960/1985
MB++G.5AL(+++)IS-P--Ch+(p)Ar+T[?]H+Sh0!:`)DNAf
** http://www.soft255.demon.co.uk/G6JPG-PC/JPGminPC.htm for thoughts on
PCs. **

"If I have not seen as far as others, it is because giants were standing
on my
shoulders."
Newton [deliberately] misquoted by Hal Ableson, then quoted by chris
harrison.