How much RAM do you have? If over 512MB:
"Out of Memory" Error Messages with Large Amounts of RAM Installed
http://support.microsoft.com/default...12&Product=3D=
w98

If Over 1.5GB:
Computer May Reboot Continuously with More Than 1.5 GB of RAM
http://support.microsoft.com/default...43&Product=3D=
w98

I suspect bad/faulty or insufficient RAM if you haven't changed =
anything.

--=20
Brian A.

Jack of all trades, Master of none.
One can never truly be a master as there is always more to learn.


"Kyan M." Kyan wrote in message =
...
I assumed this was a software problem at first but since it started to =
happen again, even after a very smooth reformat, I think it has to be =
somehow related to some hardware of mine, but I'm not certian. Below is =
my plight.
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Basically what happened:=20
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-PC has been running smooth last few weeks. Haven't touched anything =
like drivers, settings, etc. Just load game, play, quit. This evening =
game freezes my PC. Ok, whatever, suprising but not unbelieavable. =
However, when I restart, the PC restarts soon as I try to load the game =
through desktop icon.=20
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-For next half an hour, PC does all these wierd things. Restarting =
when I click icons, freezing, screen going crazy colors (like millions =
of pink and green dots), loading in Safemode, etc. Finally, it stops =
loading even. It says, "Windows Protection Error - Please restart your =
computer". So I do and I get the general Normal/Safemode/etc menu. If I =
try to load normally, I get that same quote. If I use Safemode, I get a =
similar quote: "While iniating device VCACHE - Windows Protection Error =
- Please Restart". Basically I'm stuck in a loop, no matter if I load =
Safemode or normally, before I get anywhere near the desktop, "Windows =
Protect" keeps forcing me to restart.=20
=20
-I'm at a lost so I figure I might as well format. Wipe the disk, =
install the OS, boot up. Get my vid, sound, etc, DirectX, Windows =
Updates, etc -- everything all updated nice and good, smooth, the PC =
restarted many times. At this point I figured everything was fixed and =
my PC was very healthy, it was running smooth and fast.=20
=20
-I'm about ready to install my first game but I figure I'll restart it =
once more so it goes super smooth. Soon as it hits desktop, my PC =
freezes mid through the general welcome tune. Nothing like a freeze =
greeting you after a fresh format. I restart. Remember that "Windows =
Protection" loop I couldn't get past. I'm there again, right after a =
fresh format.=20
=20
-However, once I leave Scandisk running, and this time instead of =
getting that VCACHE Windows Protection error, it loads to desktop. First =
thing I do is turn my Sound template from Windows Default to Off. I =
never used to have it on, and it froze during it, so figure maybe =
there's a problem with it and some update I got. Who knows. I restart.=20
=20
-PC loads up fine, no errors. So I decide to try download this game, =
it uses a Bit Torrent Client. It gets download and it runs..... PC =
restarts.=20
=20
-And I leave it, Scandisk goes through, it loads into Safemode and =
says "New Hardware Found, put in yer Win98 CD". I don't bother, click OK =
to see the details. File it wants is "bios.vxd", for "Plug and Play BIOS =
(Fail Safe)". I got this once or twice up at the top, during that 30 =
minutes of odd stuff too.=20
=20
-I restart again, ship Scandisk, and it loads real slow. Then it loads =
desktop, or atleast some. Background loads fine, as does my taskbar, but =
nothing on my desktop shows, and I can't interact with my taskbar. I =
restart and it loads slow again but right at the black screen before my =
desktop loads, my PC just restarts by itself.=20
=20
-The normal/safemode menu "While iniating device VCACHE - Windows =
Protection Error - Please Restart" message. I restart and Scandisk =
doesn't even appear. I select Safemode a few more times and I just keep =
getting this error. If I try to load normally, same error, without the =
"iniating VCACHE".=20
=20
=20
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So basically I'm curious, what in the world is wrong with my PC? What =
causes the "Windows Protection Error"? What's my "VCACHE"? Why would =
this happen suddenly to my PC? I figure something with my hardware must =
be messed, if it started happening not an hour every a smooth reformat. =
Any idea what piece of hardware is screwed? Basically looking for any =
info at all. What caused it, why, and how can I fix it?