See if you can get into Windows in safe mode (hold down the ctrl key after
the memory count is done) and see what you can find from there.

--
Regards

Ron Badour, MS MVP for W98
Tips: http://home.satx.rr.com/badour
Knowledge Base Info:
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?pr=kbinfo

"Ash" wrote in message
...
My dad has an old laptop running win98. Whenever it boots
up it gives the error:

While intializing device VKD:
Windows Protection Error. Press any key to reboot.

It then gives him the menu options to boot into safe mode
etc. The only mode it will succesfully boot into is DOS
mode - won't let him into windows at all.

I've looked in technet, knowledge base etc and it says
things like: "disconnect and reconnec the keyboard" which
I can't do (without taking the thing apart!) cos it's a
laptop.

I've tried plugging another keybaord into the port on the
back but still no joy.

I think he might have been playing with the port settings
as he said something about trying to get his USB port to
work!! agh!

Elsewhere on the web I've found suggestions like "remove
the keyboard settings in the device manager - the pc
should look for the keyboard when it boots up and reset it"

SO the question is this:-
Can I get at the port settings from DOS?
If so how can I disable any USB setting he might have put
in there?
Can I disabled the keyboard from within DOS to see if it
resets itself... and should I?!?!

Any help gratefully received as I'd love to avoid a
rebuild!

cheers

Ash.