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New PC, ME with old BIOS



 
 
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  #51  
Old April 6th 08, 04:12 PM posted to microsoft.public.windowsme.setup
Mike M
External Usenet User
 
Posts: 2,047
Default New PC, ME with old BIOS

Mart wrote:

Mike wrote :-

... One thing it isn't is overheating! (see e-mail). g


Not surprised when you added :-

I woke this morning to see snow flakes 5cm (2") across!


Environmentally friendly, 'green' cooling? - but not inside the
house, I hope bg


Well I have now succumbed and put the heating on. :-)

It looks as if the problems on the other box are with a large RAID5 array.
I was able to access its log from BING and there's no errors reported.
When I first rebooted after the crash chkdsk ran on that array and found a
couple of "small" problems but I fear its far worse. I couldn't get
beyond a partial desktop in either Safe or Normal Mode before the box
locked up. Has just happened again but this time got to a full desktop
and was accessing the Event Logs when it locked again. Am going to let it
run for a while in case it unlocks as the previous times this has happened
I simply shut down. With 4x320GB drives making up the array (896GB) I
might have lost up to 800GB of data. Grrrrrr.

I think I may have to pull the box apart and start testing the individual
drives making up the array.

Mike

  #52  
Old April 6th 08, 05:00 PM posted to microsoft.public.windowsme.setup
Mike M
External Usenet User
 
Posts: 2,047
Default New PC, ME with old BIOS

Well the box with the RAID5 is now back up and running and I am currently
verifying the RAID. I'll know in about 2½ hours whether it is damaged or
not. By the time I managed to get the box up and running I'd lost all
except the previous few minutes of entries in the system event log and
have no record of what the earlier chkdsk might have done other than what
I remember flashed by on the screen. Two of the four or five files
mentioned are in a found.000 folder (both text files) and two of the
others seem to be present but whether they are correct and usable I have
yet to discover.

I'm now trying to rake up 1TB of storage so I can pull off all the data on
the RAID and perhaps rebuild but I'm hoping it won't come to that.

Mike


Mike M wrote:

Well I have now succumbed and put the heating on. :-)

It looks as if the problems on the other box are with a large RAID5
array. I was able to access its log from BING and there's no errors
reported. When I first rebooted after the crash chkdsk ran on that
array and found a couple of "small" problems but I fear its far
worse. I couldn't get beyond a partial desktop in either Safe or
Normal Mode before the box locked up. Has just happened again but
this time got to a full desktop and was accessing the Event Logs when
it locked again. Am going to let it run for a while in case it
unlocks as the previous times this has happened I simply shut down. With
4x320GB drives making up the array (896GB) I might have lost up
to 800GB of data. Grrrrrr.
I think I may have to pull the box apart and start testing the
individual drives making up the array.


  #53  
Old April 6th 08, 06:32 PM posted to microsoft.public.windowsme.setup
William B. Lurie
External Usenet User
 
Posts: 60
Default New PC, ME with old BIOS

Mart (and Mike):
You fellows have gone far beyond the call of duty and
I appreciate it and don't want to impose too much farther.
Let me be specific: My 98 CD came to me with a PC which
was custom made by an 'authorized' assembler of some sort.
It's a genuine Microsoft CD and on it is the legend
"For distribution with a new PC only", which it was.

My ME upgrade CD was given to me by some computer shop
some 8-odd years ago, and is obviously a copy, not an
original. However, I have not too long ago installed 98
in a VPC under my XP main system, and it accepts the codes.
I didn't go on to ME, however. In the past, when I tried
to install ME direct from the CD, it told me at the start
that it could only be used to upgrade a 98 system.

The scientist in me says "Keep on plugging away, find the
missing .CAB and files, and make it work". The practical
engineer in me says "You've spent too many man-hours, your
own and other people's, when you have what is most likely
a viable Plan B."

I intend to have my guru with the nimble fingers disconnect
the main HDD in my PC (because I want to install 98+ME in
a safe manner) and unless you two think I'm too much of a coward,
I intend to start with a "clean" 98+ME and will see if it takes.


Mart wrote:
Hi Bill,

With further reference to your 5 missing files (which I'd only just
spotted - sorry!), I've just been in contact with Mike and concluded that :-
depending on how you set-up your original WinMe on the 'old' HDD (can't
remember if you said you [over] installed it [a MS or OEM version?] onto an
existing OEM [HP?] version of Win98) then the Folder (CABS or Install) MAY
NOT EXIST - or be in a completely different location!

From a very recent Clean installation I've just done of (MS not OEM) WinMe,
where the installation files were copied to the HDD before actually
installing WinMe from the HDD itself (The CD-ROM was 'faulty') I have found
that WinMe doesn't copy the complete set of installation files to the CABS
or Install folder at all, as it would if was installed from the CD.

Always said that you learn something new every day on these WinMe NG's!!

Is your WinMe CD an MS or OEM version?
I take it your 98 CD is OEM.

If WinMe CD is MS, and your 98 is a 'special' (compressed) OEM version, then
WinMe might not accept the OEM CD as a proof of authenticity and therefore
you may have to go down the Plan B (version A) route, i.e. fresh install 98
then attempt the WinMe update. Far too many variables keep creeping in to
this 'simple issue' g

Mart


"Mart" wrote in message
...
First of all, note Mikes reply (timed at 12:32 BST today) regarding the
much simpler method of a clean install of WinMe - should you need to go
down that route. But I don't think we've completely exhausted 'Plan A' -
YET!!

So I'll address the next items in-line :-

Mart, thanks for coming back in.
First let me jump down to the USB question.
That was a memory slip; the monitor is on its
own big multi-connector cable.

Phew! - thank goodness for that g

I've graduated to
where my latest attempts have been with *NO* USB
cables connected. Consider it as having only the
essential cabling; I even unplugged the Ethernet
connector.

Indeed, ALL items *MUST* be disconnected.

In Safe Mode, there are no errors and no conflicts.
There are 4 entries for IDE controllers which I am
unable to delete, and Mike says not to fret.
Mike's quite correct and on hindsight, perhaps we should have warned you
earlier.
I
didn't answer your query about display adapters
and monitors because I think it was prompted by my
incorrect association of USB with the monitor.

Fair enough.

The new PC came with one HDD, containing XP/Home in
one partition, and HP's own maintenance and repair
software in its "D" partition. I have never removed
either of those partitions (nor would I). The way I
run or attempt to run WinME is to interrupt the boot
process and boot to the Slave drive (which is left
over from my erstwhile PC).

OK, thanks for that info. For now - assuming it has been physically
removed and your WinMe HDD is the only one fitted, it won't be causing any
issues.

If you read Mike's posts, you'll see that, in shutting
down ME, now, I always get an error window about MSGSRV32
where it hangs.

OK, for the moment, that's to be expected and probably not too relevant.

And in attempting to boot it always
complains about 5 files that it can't find, that should
be in C:\Windows\Options\CABS.

Exactly what files can't it find? Please list all five.

Mike had me check Registry to
verify that that is where it's directed, and I verified
that.

It's not the Registry but rather the 'Path' which we are considering here.
You need to search (in Safe Mode) for " *.CABS " and (hopefully) find a
Folder containing about 20 or so .CAB files (e.g. WIN_15.CAB). Assuming
those files can be found, we are (or should be) still in business.

However, if you can't find them, then you are up the creek .. as Mike
explained earlier and it is definately over to 'Plan B' (but do remember
Mikes tip, no need to install 98)

I'm pretty well convinced that HP has somehow made it
impossible to use the OS on the old HDD even though it
boots every time in Safe Mode.
I'm about to consider
taking another HDD and install Win98 clean on it, from
Microsoft's own installation CD, and then upgrade it
to ME with my ME-upgrade CD. I can copy back from the
questionable HDD those files that I have on it. I don't
like giving up on what you and Mike and I have spent so
much time on, but maybe it *is* time to move on to
"Plan B".

See my previous paragraph.

Mart

snipped



  #54  
Old April 6th 08, 07:26 PM posted to microsoft.public.windowsme.setup
Mart
External Usenet User
 
Posts: 1,190
Default New PC, ME with old BIOS

snipped for brevity

Bill wrote :-

I intend to start with a "clean" 98+ME and will see if it takes.


Under the present circumstances, probably the best - certainly the
quickest - option. If (hopefully) successful, don't forget to do the WinMe
updates as soon as you are able (internet connection required) otherwise SR
won't work.

Further, as you intend to do this on yet another HDD, you can always
re-visit the 'old' disk at your convenience.

Good luck and keep us posted.

Mart


"William B. Lurie" wrote in message
...
Mart (and Mike):
You fellows have gone far beyond the call of duty and
I appreciate it and don't want to impose too much farther.
Let me be specific: My 98 CD came to me with a PC which
was custom made by an 'authorized' assembler of some sort.
It's a genuine Microsoft CD and on it is the legend
"For distribution with a new PC only", which it was.

My ME upgrade CD was given to me by some computer shop
some 8-odd years ago, and is obviously a copy, not an
original. However, I have not too long ago installed 98
in a VPC under my XP main system, and it accepts the codes.
I didn't go on to ME, however. In the past, when I tried
to install ME direct from the CD, it told me at the start
that it could only be used to upgrade a 98 system.

The scientist in me says "Keep on plugging away, find the
missing .CAB and files, and make it work". The practical
engineer in me says "You've spent too many man-hours, your
own and other people's, when you have what is most likely
a viable Plan B."

I intend to have my guru with the nimble fingers disconnect
the main HDD in my PC (because I want to install 98+ME in
a safe manner) and unless you two think I'm too much of a coward,
I intend to start with a "clean" 98+ME and will see if it takes.


Mart wrote:
Hi Bill,

With further reference to your 5 missing files (which I'd only just
spotted - sorry!), I've just been in contact with Mike and concluded that
:- depending on how you set-up your original WinMe on the 'old' HDD
(can't remember if you said you [over] installed it [a MS or OEM
version?] onto an existing OEM [HP?] version of Win98) then the Folder
(CABS or Install) MAY NOT EXIST - or be in a completely different
location!

From a very recent Clean installation I've just done of (MS not OEM)
WinMe, where the installation files were copied to the HDD before
actually installing WinMe from the HDD itself (The CD-ROM was 'faulty') I
have found that WinMe doesn't copy the complete set of installation files
to the CABS or Install folder at all, as it would if was installed from
the CD.

Always said that you learn something new every day on these WinMe NG's!!

Is your WinMe CD an MS or OEM version?
I take it your 98 CD is OEM.

If WinMe CD is MS, and your 98 is a 'special' (compressed) OEM version,
then WinMe might not accept the OEM CD as a proof of authenticity and
therefore you may have to go down the Plan B (version A) route, i.e.
fresh install 98 then attempt the WinMe update. Far too many variables
keep creeping in to this 'simple issue' g

Mart


"Mart" wrote in message
...
First of all, note Mikes reply (timed at 12:32 BST today) regarding the
much simpler method of a clean install of WinMe - should you need to go
down that route. But I don't think we've completely exhausted 'Plan A' -
YET!!

So I'll address the next items in-line :-

Mart, thanks for coming back in.
First let me jump down to the USB question.
That was a memory slip; the monitor is on its
own big multi-connector cable.
Phew! - thank goodness for that g

I've graduated to
where my latest attempts have been with *NO* USB
cables connected. Consider it as having only the
essential cabling; I even unplugged the Ethernet
connector.
Indeed, ALL items *MUST* be disconnected.

In Safe Mode, there are no errors and no conflicts.
There are 4 entries for IDE controllers which I am
unable to delete, and Mike says not to fret.
Mike's quite correct and on hindsight, perhaps we should have warned
you earlier.
I
didn't answer your query about display adapters
and monitors because I think it was prompted by my
incorrect association of USB with the monitor.
Fair enough.

The new PC came with one HDD, containing XP/Home in
one partition, and HP's own maintenance and repair
software in its "D" partition. I have never removed
either of those partitions (nor would I). The way I
run or attempt to run WinME is to interrupt the boot
process and boot to the Slave drive (which is left
over from my erstwhile PC).
OK, thanks for that info. For now - assuming it has been physically
removed and your WinMe HDD is the only one fitted, it won't be causing
any issues.

If you read Mike's posts, you'll see that, in shutting
down ME, now, I always get an error window about MSGSRV32
where it hangs.
OK, for the moment, that's to be expected and probably not too relevant.

And in attempting to boot it always
complains about 5 files that it can't find, that should
be in C:\Windows\Options\CABS.
Exactly what files can't it find? Please list all five.

Mike had me check Registry to
verify that that is where it's directed, and I verified
that.
It's not the Registry but rather the 'Path' which we are considering
here.
You need to search (in Safe Mode) for " *.CABS " and (hopefully) find a
Folder containing about 20 or so .CAB files (e.g. WIN_15.CAB). Assuming
those files can be found, we are (or should be) still in business.

However, if you can't find them, then you are up the creek .. as Mike
explained earlier and it is definately over to 'Plan B' (but do remember
Mikes tip, no need to install 98)

I'm pretty well convinced that HP has somehow made it
impossible to use the OS on the old HDD even though it
boots every time in Safe Mode.
I'm about to consider
taking another HDD and install Win98 clean on it, from
Microsoft's own installation CD, and then upgrade it
to ME with my ME-upgrade CD. I can copy back from the
questionable HDD those files that I have on it. I don't
like giving up on what you and Mike and I have spent so
much time on, but maybe it *is* time to move on to
"Plan B".
See my previous paragraph.

Mart

snipped



  #55  
Old April 6th 08, 07:30 PM posted to microsoft.public.windowsme.setup
Mart
External Usenet User
 
Posts: 1,190
Default New PC, ME with old BIOS

Mike,

Not trying to tempt anything - but lock-ups couldn't be due to RAM issues by
any chance? 2 1/2 Hrs almost due - good luck.

Mart


"Mike M" wrote in message
...
Well the box with the RAID5 is now back up and running and I am currently
verifying the RAID. I'll know in about 2½ hours whether it is damaged or
not. By the time I managed to get the box up and running I'd lost all
except the previous few minutes of entries in the system event log and
have no record of what the earlier chkdsk might have done other than what
I remember flashed by on the screen. Two of the four or five files
mentioned are in a found.000 folder (both text files) and two of the
others seem to be present but whether they are correct and usable I have
yet to discover.

I'm now trying to rake up 1TB of storage so I can pull off all the data on
the RAID and perhaps rebuild but I'm hoping it won't come to that.

Mike


Mike M wrote:

Well I have now succumbed and put the heating on. :-)

It looks as if the problems on the other box are with a large RAID5
array. I was able to access its log from BING and there's no errors
reported. When I first rebooted after the crash chkdsk ran on that
array and found a couple of "small" problems but I fear its far
worse. I couldn't get beyond a partial desktop in either Safe or
Normal Mode before the box locked up. Has just happened again but
this time got to a full desktop and was accessing the Event Logs when
it locked again. Am going to let it run for a while in case it
unlocks as the previous times this has happened I simply shut down. With
4x320GB drives making up the array (896GB) I might have lost up
to 800GB of data. Grrrrrr.
I think I may have to pull the box apart and start testing the
individual drives making up the array.




  #56  
Old April 6th 08, 08:23 PM posted to microsoft.public.windowsme.setup
Mike M
External Usenet User
 
Posts: 2,047
Default New PC, ME with old BIOS

Mart wrote:

Not trying to tempt anything - but lock-ups couldn't be due to RAM
issues by any chance? 2 1/2 Hrs almost due - good luck.


Mart,

Sorry about hijacking a branch of this thread.

I don't think the problem is with the RAID array, the errors I saw were, I
think, simply collateral damage following the crash. I don't think the
problem is RAM either as I have since had the box crash (many times) and
once got to see a BSOD which suggested the error is related to
nvatabus.sys (the box uses an nForce4 chipset) and this driver is used by
both the PATA and SATA controllers.

The drives on the box are as follows:
IDE Primary channel 0 - 80GB PATA drive. Two partitions only visible when
running, Temp (8GB, E:\) and a small Data (30GB, F:\).
IDE Primary channel 1 - nothing
IDE Secondary channel 1 - DVD/W
IDE Secondary channel 2 - CDR/W
SATA Two SATA 1 drives configured as RAID 0 (drives C:\, D:\ and G:\)

There is also a HighPoint PCIe RocketRAID controller running as RAID5 with
4x320GB drives (H:\).

The problem seems to be around the IDE area. "Hiding" E:\ and F:\ (I use
BING as a boot manager and this allows me to hide individual partitions) I
can boot the system and chkdsk runs clean on C:\, D;\, G:\ and H:\. but
the system can hang. Disabling the IDE/PATA channels in the bios allows
the system to boot and I don't think it hangs. So where's the problem?
The chipset/motherboard or the drives? That's the mystery. Running
Seagate's SeaTools from DOS gives the 80GB PATA drive a clean bill of
health but attempting to run chkdsk on F:\ with the drive visible hangs
the system. So is the problem one of the optical devices? The answer is
I simply don't know and don't think I will until I open the case and start
pulling out bits. :-(

Fortunately E:\ is what is says, Temp, and contains nothing of value, just
a couple of files pulled down today. F:\ isn't that critical either
containing little although what it has includes the Desktop and a few
other system objects (Videos, Pictures and Music) but those I think are
empty. Its main content are some data intensive programs such as MapPoint
(Europe and n.America), TechNet (a year old copy at that) that I prefer
not to have on C:\ al of which can be fairly easily reinstalled if
necessary.

I just wish I knew what the root cause of the problem is but it looks as
if the problem isn't going to cause me the loss of much if any data.

Mike


  #57  
Old April 7th 08, 09:13 AM posted to microsoft.public.windowsme.setup
Mart
External Usenet User
 
Posts: 1,190
Default New PC, ME with old BIOS

Mike wrote :-

Sorry about hijacking a branch of this thread.


Yes, my fault too g

I don't think the problem is with the RAID array, .. etc.,


Not sure about RAID, never been there ... but do wish you the best of luck
with it. I'm sure you'll get there - eventually!

Better let the hijackers hijack out of it g

Mart

snipped


  #58  
Old April 7th 08, 12:40 PM posted to microsoft.public.windowsme.setup
William B. Lurie
External Usenet User
 
Posts: 60
Default New PC, ME with old BIOS

Mart wrote:
Mike wrote :-

Sorry about hijacking a branch of this thread.


Yes, my fault too g

I don't think the problem is with the RAID array, .. etc.,


Not sure about RAID, never been there ... but do wish you the best of luck
with it. I'm sure you'll get there - eventually!

Better let the hijackers hijack out of it g

Mart

Hey, fellows, a little bit of personal chit-chat between
friends doesn't do any harm and personalizes the medium.
I'm all for it....and, BTW, I intend to try "Plan B" as
soon as I can spare the time, possibly even today.
  #59  
Old April 7th 08, 02:36 PM posted to microsoft.public.windowsme.setup
William B. Lurie
External Usenet User
 
Posts: 60
Default New PC, ME with old BIOS

William B. Lurie wrote:
Mart (and Mike):
You fellows have gone far beyond the call of duty and
I appreciate it and don't want to impose too much farther.
Let me be specific: My 98 CD came to me with a PC which
was custom made by an 'authorized' assembler of some sort.
It's a genuine Microsoft CD and on it is the legend
"For distribution with a new PC only", which it was.

My ME upgrade CD was given to me by some computer shop
some 8-odd years ago, and is obviously a copy, not an
original. However, I have not too long ago installed 98
in a VPC under my XP main system, and it accepts the codes.
I didn't go on to ME, however. In the past, when I tried
to install ME direct from the CD, it told me at the start
that it could only be used to upgrade a 98 system.

The scientist in me says "Keep on plugging away, find the
missing .CAB and files, and make it work". The practical
engineer in me says "You've spent too many man-hours, your
own and other people's, when you have what is most likely
a viable Plan B."

I intend to have my guru with the nimble fingers disconnect
the main HDD in my PC (because I want to install 98+ME in
a safe manner) and unless you two think I'm too much of a coward,
I intend to start with a "clean" 98+ME and will see if it takes.


Mart wrote:
Hi Bill,

With further reference to your 5 missing files (which I'd only just
spotted - sorry!), I've just been in contact with Mike and concluded
that :- depending on how you set-up your original WinMe on the 'old'
HDD (can't remember if you said you [over] installed it [a MS or OEM
version?] onto an existing OEM [HP?] version of Win98) then the Folder
(CABS or Install) MAY NOT EXIST - or be in a completely different
location!

From a very recent Clean installation I've just done of (MS not OEM)
WinMe, where the installation files were copied to the HDD before
actually installing WinMe from the HDD itself (The CD-ROM was
'faulty') I have found that WinMe doesn't copy the complete set of
installation files to the CABS or Install folder at all, as it would
if was installed from the CD.

Always said that you learn something new every day on these WinMe NG's!!

Is your WinMe CD an MS or OEM version?
I take it your 98 CD is OEM.

If WinMe CD is MS, and your 98 is a 'special' (compressed) OEM
version, then WinMe might not accept the OEM CD as a proof of
authenticity and therefore you may have to go down the Plan B (version
A) route, i.e. fresh install 98 then attempt the WinMe update. Far
too many variables keep creeping in to this 'simple issue' g

Mart


"Mart" wrote in message
...
First of all, note Mikes reply (timed at 12:32 BST today) regarding
the much simpler method of a clean install of WinMe - should you need
to go down that route. But I don't think we've completely exhausted
'Plan A' - YET!!

So I'll address the next items in-line :-

Mart, thanks for coming back in.
First let me jump down to the USB question.
That was a memory slip; the monitor is on its
own big multi-connector cable.
Phew! - thank goodness for that g

I've graduated to
where my latest attempts have been with *NO* USB
cables connected. Consider it as having only the
essential cabling; I even unplugged the Ethernet
connector.
Indeed, ALL items *MUST* be disconnected.

In Safe Mode, there are no errors and no conflicts.
There are 4 entries for IDE controllers which I am
unable to delete, and Mike says not to fret.
Mike's quite correct and on hindsight, perhaps we should have warned
you earlier.
I
didn't answer your query about display adapters
and monitors because I think it was prompted by my
incorrect association of USB with the monitor.
Fair enough.

The new PC came with one HDD, containing XP/Home in
one partition, and HP's own maintenance and repair
software in its "D" partition. I have never removed
either of those partitions (nor would I). The way I
run or attempt to run WinME is to interrupt the boot
process and boot to the Slave drive (which is left
over from my erstwhile PC).
OK, thanks for that info. For now - assuming it has been physically
removed and your WinMe HDD is the only one fitted, it won't be
causing any issues.

If you read Mike's posts, you'll see that, in shutting
down ME, now, I always get an error window about MSGSRV32
where it hangs.
OK, for the moment, that's to be expected and probably not too relevant.

And in attempting to boot it always
complains about 5 files that it can't find, that should
be in C:\Windows\Options\CABS.
Exactly what files can't it find? Please list all five.

Mike had me check Registry to
verify that that is where it's directed, and I verified
that.
It's not the Registry but rather the 'Path' which we are considering
here.
You need to search (in Safe Mode) for " *.CABS " and (hopefully) find
a Folder containing about 20 or so .CAB files (e.g. WIN_15.CAB).
Assuming those files can be found, we are (or should be) still in
business.

However, if you can't find them, then you are up the creek .. as Mike
explained earlier and it is definately over to 'Plan B' (but do
remember Mikes tip, no need to install 98)

I'm pretty well convinced that HP has somehow made it
impossible to use the OS on the old HDD even though it
boots every time in Safe Mode.
I'm about to consider
taking another HDD and install Win98 clean on it, from
Microsoft's own installation CD, and then upgrade it
to ME with my ME-upgrade CD. I can copy back from the
questionable HDD those files that I have on it. I don't
like giving up on what you and Mike and I have spent so
much time on, but maybe it *is* time to move on to
"Plan B".
See my previous paragraph.

Mart

snipped



Okay, Mike and Mart, I asked about the SATA connectors, spread
the cabling to get my arthritic fingers in there, pulled the
main HDD power connector, connected the Slave, and started to
install 98 from CD. I then had only the blank 7.5 GB drive
powered up.

It first formatted the 7.5 GB drive, and
proceeded to load the files, everything looked good, and it got
to 21 minutes to go, and it said it had to restart. Okay, I expected
that, and I expected the prompt about "Hard Disk or CD" and from
experience, I knew that if I said CD Rom, it would go back to load
all the files again. So I selected Boot from Hard Disk, and it
clunked and mumbled and came up with "Sorry, you don't have enough
memory" (I think), "Go back and take some stuff out of your autoexec".

Sorry to bother you with such an elementary question, but I have 1.5 GB
of RAM and this "new" HDD is 7.5GB, has *nothing* on it, and........
how do I get out of this CATCH-22?
  #60  
Old April 7th 08, 03:01 PM posted to microsoft.public.windowsme.setup
Mike M
External Usenet User
 
Posts: 2,047
Default New PC, ME with old BIOS

Your problem is 1.5GB of RAM.

In truth no Win 9x operating system is suited to your system since I now
see you mention that it has sata drives for which you will have to try and
find Win Me compatible drivers or rather Win 9x compatible chipset drivers
for your motherboard.

Turning to your RAM, the error message you mention is to be expected. Win
Me, like all Win 9x operating systems, can support and use up to 2GB of
memory although there are a number of caveats and exceptions to that
details of which are contained in the following Microsoft Knowledge Base
articles with the first essential reading where more than 512MB of memory
is installed.

For more details see:
MS KB 253912 - ""Out of Memory" Error Messages with Large Amounts of RAM
Installed" (http://support.microsoft.com?kbid=253912). The reason is that
allocating more than 512MB of RAM to vcache will exhaust all available
upper memory addresses and thus prevent them being used for other
purposes. This problem is easily fixed as follows:
To limit vcache, open system.ini and add the lines
[VCache]
MaxFileCache=512000
Note that this will still mean that all memory is available to
applications but is simply limiting the amount used as virtual cache
memory.

MS KB 296773 - "Computer May Not Hibernate with More Than 192 MB of
Memory"
(http://support.microsoft.com?kbid=296773). This makes reference to an
updated file vmm.vxd. Unfortunately due to Win Me being out of support
this file can no longer be obtained from Microsoft.

MS KB 304943 - "Computer May Reboot Continuously with More Than 1.5 GB of
RAM" (http://support.microsoft.com?kbid=304943).
--
Mike Maltby




William B. Lurie wrote:

Okay, Mike and Mart, I asked about the SATA connectors, spread
the cabling to get my arthritic fingers in there, pulled the
main HDD power connector, connected the Slave, and started to
install 98 from CD. I then had only the blank 7.5 GB drive
powered up.

It first formatted the 7.5 GB drive, and
proceeded to load the files, everything looked good, and it got
to 21 minutes to go, and it said it had to restart. Okay, I expected
that, and I expected the prompt about "Hard Disk or CD" and from
experience, I knew that if I said CD Rom, it would go back to load
all the files again. So I selected Boot from Hard Disk, and it
clunked and mumbled and came up with "Sorry, you don't have enough
memory" (I think), "Go back and take some stuff out of your autoexec".

Sorry to bother you with such an elementary question, but I have 1.5
GB of RAM and this "new" HDD is 7.5GB, has *nothing* on it,
and........ how do I get out of this CATCH-22?


 




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