MemTest Screwed OS

[wbth]

Hi all, spent hours getting this old machine setup and running sweet including software/hardware etc. Then I found a MB jumper setting for memory speed I thought I'd change BUT BEFORE doing so, I wanted to run Memtest through at the slower setting. So changed BIOS to boot from A: first; changed from D:, C:.
Popped Memtest v.3 into A:, saved bios change and exited. Well, it booted right past A: onto C: and win98SE - BUT SLOW. Everything is now slow.

System: MB-AI5VG+ ver 2 - AMD K62 500 - 128mb PC133 - AT power - ISA modem & old hand scanner card - PCI legend 64 video - USB Canon scanner & Sandisk SM reader

What I did first:
bios- changed boot sequence back - NO change
bios- halt all errors - boots
device manager check- norm & safe mode - OK
scandisk- norm, safe & dos - OK
defrag- OK
norton win & disk doctor- OK

What I did next and where I'm at:
bios- changed to boot A: first, put in memtest and restart
memtest ran OK, exited memtest, removed disk and restarted
gets through post showing drives,cpu,memory etc THEN

""Warning: the system configuration manager failed to run. Some of your real-mode device drivers may not initialize properly.
The following file is missing or corrupted: c:\win\himem.sys
The following file is missing or corrupted: win.com
The following file is missing or corrupted: command.com
Type the name of the Command Interpreter (e.g., C:\win\command .com
C>""

I typed C:\win\command .com at the prompt and got the same error message:
""The following file is missing or corrupted: command.com
Type the name of the Command Interpreter (e.g., C:\win\command .com
C>""

This is how the machine sits now, with me scratching my head!!??

I have a win98SE startup disk which has himem.sys & command.com on it but not win.com. I also have NSW which I believe you can boot from if CD support exists. I should point out that during the initial install, I used the Win Update loader which updates some win 98 files with win me ones.

Anyone know the reason for this happening and more importantly, how I should proceed from here?

Thanks in advance - Dave.

[Monkey Hanger]

Could you try re-installing Win98 over the top?

[wbth]

Hi Geoff, thanks for the reply.

Not that I know how to "install over the top", but wouldn't that put me back a bit, updates and all?

Could I not copy himem.sys & command.com from the startup disk OR are these files "written to" throughout normal operation making the startup copies redundant as well as ones fron the CD? If this is a possible go, would the correct dos be from the A: prompt:
copy himem.sys c:\windows
copy command.com c:\

Please bear with me, just learning here!!

Any thoughts as to why changing boot sequence and/or memtest would do this?

OFF THREAD: I got the other OCR problem sorted with IRIS!

Thanks - Dave.

[Monkey Hanger]

Post copies of your Autoexec.bat and Config.sys please.


It's easy to reinstall, just do whatever you did to install. It will replace all the system files.
It's hard to believe that Memtest screwed your system, but it looks like something did. You could copy over those files, it wont do any harm. But, on doing so, you are treating the symptom not the cause. It could well be something else that is the real problem, but it manifests itself when trying to load those files!

[wbth]

Yep, you're right. I booted to a: with startup disk and copied himem & command over with no improvement.
Before doing so I ran scandisk from dos again, no problems. I also ran sfc from safemode, nothing found.

From msconfig, nothing in autoexec.bat or config.sys. Running norton cd at the moment so can't physically confirm what msconfig says.

Any other thoughts?

I think it has something to do with the bios. The same symptom happened on previous install of old hardware using floppies which was why I was so maticulas with this one.

So install over without format? Does this leave programs & hardware intact? Does this impact on registry? Any negative impact at all?

Another thought; I have a recent reg backup, only installed adobe reader and worked on a couple of files since. Strange how scandisk finds nothing, could it be something in reg corrupted?

Thanks again - Dave.

[Monkey Hanger]

So install over without format? Does this leave programs & hardware intact? Does this impact on registry? Any negative impact at all?

No, everything else will be as was. You will have lost all your OS updates though! Registry will be OK!

Maybe you caould do a registry restore first though?

[wbth]

Originally Posted by Monkey Hanger

No, everything else will be as was. You will have lost all your OS updates though! Registry will be OK!

Maybe you caould do a registry restore first though?

Sorry for the delay Geoff, time zones don't help.
Installed over, some updates remained, sfc confirmed this. Boot to OS a bit slower, main problem programs take forever; i.e., Adobe Reader 6.01 30sec to load, 5sec to close. Subsequent program starts are more like normal. Defrag doesn't help. Vague memory of reading something about a file that defrag uses which contains on most recent activity which can become corrupt and hence not defrag correctly and is safe to delete because it automatically gets recreated at next start. So as a last ditch, I'm of to try MS KB Article 218160.

If you or anyone else have any other ideas, please let me know because if this doesn't work, I feel it's time for a reformat etc:

Cheers, Dave.

[Tapir]

Is the command interpretor "command.com the same version? Do you have another copy somewhere else. Try cleaning the drive before you use it.

[wbth]

Originally Posted by Tapir

Is the command interpretor "command.com the same version? Do you have another copy somewhere else. Try cleaning the drive before you use it.

Hi Tapir, R clicking doesn't bring up version but both from startup disk & in c: have exactly same size and dates, both of which come from the same win98SE CD. I probably have other versions on win95 & xp pro cd's.

Sorry, I don't know what you mean by "Try cleaning the drive before you use it". Could you please explain.

Cheers - Dave

[wbth]

OK, this is stranger by the minute/hour!

I deleted applog folder & contents and scandisk & defrag ran smooth.

I started and closed programs and watched the new lgc files being generated in the new applog folder. Adobe Reader had the biggest lgc size of 60k.

If you remember, the lastest issue was programs taking so long to load, reader being about 30 odd seconds.

Now it was taking 11-12 secs and allothers were much better & shutdown to about 7 secs, cold boot 1:20 - 1:30 (takes a while for the scanner stuff to load). This was pretty much as was before the initial disaster.

NOW this is the wierd part. I shut down, restart and go to defrag. It shortly halted with the error message ID NoEFRAG00205 (MS KB Art - 238165). The message says defrag can't complete/run because of errors on the drive, run scandisk to repair. This I did and it found 3 date/time errors so I repaired. Went to run defrag, same error. Shutdown/restart, try to run defrag, same error. ????.
Started scandisk from dos, left it doing surface scan - again - and went of and got the kb article above which says it's because of corrupted files in the applog folder - OK?

So I delete them again, scandisk again and defrag which runs through.

I then start opening programs again but this time Adobe Reader doesn't get listed in applog at all and I'm back to the 30 secs load!

What's going On? I'm completely out of ideas! I know the obvious thing to do would be a format/install but that option leaves me and everyone else not knowing what problem actually is for this particular situation, not to mention what the **** caused the ORIGINAL situation as in first post.

Also, what can cause the clock to loose time?

Please can we have so imput!

Cheers, Dave.

[Monkey Hanger]

Also, what can cause the clock to loose time?

CMOS battery!

As for everything else, I just don't know!

How about getting the diagnostic s/w that your hard drive manufacturer produces. Maybe there is something underlying all of this connected to the integrity of the hard drive?

You're not overclocking are you?

[wbth]

Hi Geoff, battery huh! Not done that before. Correct me if I'm wrong;
power down
romove battery
shift jumper to clear CMOS??
wait about 5 mins
shift jumper back
put in new battery
restart into bios and reset settings and restart - hows that??

I was on the Seagate site as you were replying trying to run the online diags. Some wouldn't run because this old 1.2G ain't SMART enough. I'll get a floppy and do it that way. I DO have a new battery on hand though, give that a go upon confirmation of proceedure.

Thanks for hanging on in there, sorry I'm not so SMART either - Dave.

[Monkey Hanger]

I've only done it once Dave, and I did it then under power. Just popped out the old battery and popped in the new one. Did it that way to preserve the CMOS contents.

However, it wont do any harm to do it the way you suggest. That should also have the benefit of clearing any problem withe CMOS contents!

PS. What model is your 1.2Gb Seagate?

[wbth]

Sorry, I'm a bit of an impatient bas**rd at times. I've changed the battery, quick as I could and all bios settings remained intact. Hmm, perhaps clearing is a good idea. Yeah, I think I'll do it now I've written them all down.

Tested old battery - 3.16V no load - 2.69V 100Kohm load - 1.23V 10Kohm load
I have no idea what the load would be on the battery in reality, pretty minimal I would think so don't know if old one is OK or not - got an old mb, might just measure out of curiosity.

The HD is a Medalist 1276 ST31276A.

I've just finished d/l the seagate test, will use and post back.

Cheers - Dave

[Monkey Hanger]

Dave, the drive is jumpered as a master?