Win98 Startup Disk problems

[Bazango]

In anticipation of flashing my BIOS, I used the Win98 Startup Disk to make a startup disk and tried booting up from my floppy with that disk. It seemed to go OK until I cnt-alt-deleted for a normal bootup and it locked up after giving me the Windows 98 splash screen.

After tinkering around with Safe Mode and Step by Step startup, I found a few things:
I had a "The following file is missing or corrupted command.com" message during Step by Step.
It seemed to lock up when the second screen (dual monitors here...) was trying to come up.
During Step by Step it was right after C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM\VSHINIT.VXD was allowed - disallowing made no difference.


Using the Trouble shooting guide in the Windows 98 Help section while in Safe Mode, I selectively disabled my drivers until I found that it was the Secondary IDE Controller causing the problem. When this was the only driver disabled, I get a normal startup.

Another symptom is that my Systray is completely empty. Not even the sound is showing. The only item in there now as I type is the modem indicator. I used to have the Diamond utility and the Hotmail Messenger utility down there. I did try a "Sys C:" from the Startup Disk, maybe that did it.

Should I wait until this is cleared up before I do my BIOS flash?

Does anybody have any ideas about what is going on?

[This message has been edited by Bazango (edited 11-30-1999).]

[DaddyGoose]

Why are you flashing your bios ???????????
Did your computer work before you made the start-up disk ??????
You shouldn't use a start-up disk for flashing make a "Clean" Boot disk...
Remove the extra video card.....
Format the drive after you make your boot disk....
Flash the BIOS and re-install windows...

[Bazango]

I am flashing my BIOS in the hope of gaining the ability of making my AGP card primary in a dual card setup.

Before I tried booting from the startup disk, everything worked fine.

The tech page at www.pcchips.com.tw (http://www.pcchips.com.tw) advises me to use the startup disk utility.

I have the second card out now...

"Format the drive after you make the boot disk"? Which drive? What about my data? That doesn't sound like a good idea.

[This message has been edited by Bazango (edited 11-30-1999).]

[This message has been edited by Bazango (edited 11-30-1999).]

[Bazango]

I have an additional symptom, the CDROM is not being recognized and it is on the secondary IDE. I am also getting an "invalid disk" message if I try to use IDE-1, which is the primary IDE and where my HDD is. Another problem is that my COM and printer port drivers vanished.

The CDROM is an IOMagic unit and this all reminds me of the problem I had installing it in the first place. Then, my solution had been to switch to Win98.

[This message has been edited by Bazango (edited 11-30-1999).]

[Susan]

Do you have a good updated virus scanner?

[Bazango]

Do you think the problem is a virus?

[Susan]

I wouldn't rule it out...if you don't have any scanner, you can download a trial from www.avp.com/download.html (http://www.avp.com/download.html)

I would definitely wait until you get all this ironed out before you flash the BIOS.

When DaddyGoose said format the drive when you are done, I believe he meant 'format the floppy disk'.

When making a bootable floppy disk to copy a flash to, all that is needed is to format a floppy through windows using the "copy system files" option and it will become bootable and formatted. It is from that disk that you can download the flash files to it, and sucessfully boot to and run.

Run a virus scan and post back with your findings. /forum/smile.gif

[Russianguy]

To make "clean" boot disk do that
go to DOS promt.Take a blank fploppy and instert it on floppy drive . On DOS promt type FORMAT A: /s you will create a "clean" boot disk and boot comp with it to flash BIOS. To make AGP card primary you have just chenge setting on BIOS on Advanced- PCI Configuration tab "VGA BIOS Sequence" there are settings PCI/AGP AGP/PCI choose AGP/PCI. Also in Advanced -- I/O Device Configuration chek if Onboard serial and parallel ports are enabled.

[This message has been edited by Russianguy (edited 11-30-1999).]

[bobcat]

Try getting a boot disk from: www.bootdisk.com (http://www.bootdisk.com)

[commodsquad]

Russianguy is right on the money for making a "clean" boot disk. The reason for using the disk is to make it so that there are no TSR's and drivers running that will ultimately interfere and/or possibly create havoc on the system when the BIOS flashing operation is being done. Like he said to make a floppy "clean" bootable you have to type at the command prompt:
format a: /s
(there is a space between the colon and the forward slash). You can also put the flash utility ( the .exe file) on the disk and the .BIN file too so that you can run the program from the disk. Dont write protect the disk so you can save the original bios in case of unforseen problems. There have been many threads recently that concern flashing the Bios and a lot of great advice within them.
You might want to check them out also .. Hope this helps /forum/smile.gif

[Bazango]

Thanks, all.

Susan, I downloaded the software you recommended and ran a scan on my disks. I have one file in the root of the WINDOWS file that cannot be accessed. It is called WIN386.SWP.

I was also poking around in my Command file and found an executable file called SULFNBK.EXE. The AVP software did not pop this up as a virus, but it is an executable file. Here is an odd thing, maybe. My COMMAND.COM files (which are said to be corrupted during the Step by Step) show a last modification date that is the same as the last modification date of this SULFNBK.EXE file. Hmmm...whatcha think?

[This message has been edited by Bazango (edited 12-01-1999).]

[Underclocked]

I truly believe you need to make a clean boot disc from any PC that has the same OS. Get the bios flash program and data on the disc, reboot with disc inserted, flash the bios (remember to write down the name of the bios file before hand and be sure to save old bios during the install). Then, reinstall Windows as a minimum, a clean install would be better.

[Russianguy]

I thing you have gotten a virus in command file there are only DOS commands and nothig like that file that you found. So create a "clean' boot disk as I told you copy flush program for flushing BIOS,BIOS file. flush BIOS but save your exsisting BIOS. Befor do that write down new BIOSfile name. After flushing BIOS boot comp on DOS with the same boot disk and rename file that you found with different extantion like sxe or xxe so that that file coudn't start any more. And check if every thing is OK I mean Windows and so on. But it's better to reformat hard drive to make shure you kill any virus on your hard disk and instal Win98 SE. Sorry for my English /forum/smile.gifit's not my native language.
Hope I could help you.

[Bazango]

Thanks Russianguy. I'll keep an eye on your advice. I suspect a virus too. I'm having occasional spontaneous software startups. I think someone is trying to get my system to format my disk remotely or something.

[BBA]

No, you do not have a virus...

Follow the events he has done here:

1. Add PCI video card (to what slot? hope not the one next to the AGP)

2. Flashed BIOS to be able to select the primary display adapter as AGP because otherwise any PCI adapter will take it first.

3. Wonder if a virus has gotten in?
You are having I/O resource problems from the simple act of plugging in the second video card.

Well, I just added a CD-RW to my SCSI card(which was previously unused) and lost the ability to run my IDE DVD in dma mode because it forced the SCSI to take resources the SB-LIVE wanted, so it in turn took resources from the secondary IDE controller, which prevented it from operating in DMA mode...etc...etc...etc...

To say the least, took me hours to pin it down! I just sat with a clean install of the OS (with a "WINBAK" copy to fall back on) and plugged away, removing and adding devices in different slots, removing and adding drivers in different orders and etc... until I found by moving the DVD to the primary IDE connector and disabling the secondary connector from bios, all things worked fine!

I almost thought I had a virus also!

Just goes to show WIN98 will confuse the hell out of you by switching resources to make things "kinda" work to the point looking like an infection! And remember, if it is a i/o resource, 90% of the time, windows will never show a conflict!

BBA

[Bazango]

Yep. My lockup is related to the IDE secondary controller, if that's the kind of thing you are talking about. I disabled the driver for it and it starts up OK. My CDROM is on the secondary so I think that is the source of the problem. When I first got it, I had all kinds of problems. I don't recall exactly what I did to fix it. I still have the "corrupted or missing COMMAND.COM" during a Step by Step though.

I'm hoping the BIOS upgrade may clear up the secondary problem too.