Where's my shotgun?

[AnakiMana]

I'm about to shoot my sister's computer. It keeps giving her the blue screen, referencing VxD and VMM(01). I know that VxD means virtual device driver, and that VMM is a virtual machine manager. But I don't know what's causing the errors! They keep popping up every minute or so. Doesn't seem to matter what's happening.

I know it'd be fun to pump some lead into the mutha http://sysopt.earthweb.com/forum/smile.gif ... but then she'd be out a bit of money...

Any ideas or suggestions?

Thanks,
AnakiMana http://sysopt.earthweb.com/forum/wink.gif

[deep_sky]

i personally would start over from scratch. i got that once with win98se, and i just gave up and reformatted and reinstalled everything....maybe someone here knows of a way to get around it ,but my knowledge was not enough to get it to actually boot into windows all the way so i just started over....

[AnakiMana]

Oh yeah, I forgot to mention.... I already did reinstall Windows 98 (not SE)! Naturally, I thought the problem would be solved... I'm thinking it's probably the motherboard. It's a PC Chips mobo with integrated video, sound, modem (disabled) etc.

I was hoping to fix the problem before replacing the mobo with a decent one.

Sounds like a hardware problem, huh?

AnakiMana

[finger51]

shot gun idea would be one way. or you could go here:
http://members.aol.com/spoons1000/break/index.html

I especially like the bit on defragging the Hard Drive.

[AnakiMana]

Thanks Finger51!
I think I'll end up replacing the mobo and mutilating it afterwords. I'll have to post pics in here afterwords.... if my seester lets me mutilate it. http://sysopt.earthweb.com/forum/smile.gif

Anybody else have any ideas to fix the blue screens?

AnakiMana

[SoopaStar]

Well, I would go get this months issue of PC Computting magazine. There was a nice article in there on common Windows errors and their causes. I have only seen that error a few times. Did you re-install or re-format/fdisk adn reinstall? I have seen that error before and it commonly means a few things 1) there is a corrupt device driver so you may want to mannually install it from the CD. Also, try getting Norton Utilities if you can. Run Windoctor on that program. You could have some DLL files conflicting or Active X controls being loaded, and not being needed.

Paul

oh, you can get a demo copy of notron utils from www.norton.com (http://www.norton.com)

[AnakiMana]

I reformatted the hard drive before I reinstalled Win98. Do you happen to know how the demo of Norton Utilities is limited? I'd hate to download the thing and not have a good use for it. I'll definitely check out the mag.

Muchas gracias!
AnakiMana

[ghostface]

norton 2000 is a 30 day limited trial. i think it's complete retail, you just got only 30 days to use it.

[Gene C.]

AnakiMana
try reinstalling the sound and video drivers. there are a hundreds vxd errors. it is a way for windows to say. I don't understand something and it is your fault ect. he he

I have also, gotten vdx errors and cured them by changeing and reinstalling the video cards ect. also, try lowering your voltage from 2.3 to 2.2 if your board will let you do it.

and yes, 12 guage shotgun oo buck load. it is a hell've lot of fun to shot a system.

I did a complete k6 3-450 in my back yard one time. the best feeling I ever got from a system. but, I had. had a very good reason to do it too. it's that childish bada$$ temper I got. and if you do shoot it. people in your town will remember when you go to work on there systems. don't shoot it, just fix it. he he

[This message has been edited by Gene C. (edited 05-23-2000).]

[Darvocet]

Those PC chips MB have an SIS chipset. I have a friend who has one and he gets the same kind of errors. I had one and gave it to my Bro-inlaw after I found that Win98 wouldn't even install on it. Win95 runs great on them though. Try Win95 and I'll bet the problem is solved. But don't forget the Microsoft patch for processors over 350mhz for win95.

[thxmanu]

Go here http://www.speedguide.net/Windows/win_bugs.htm
Follow the instructions. It helped my system fix some vxd errors.

[AnakiMana]

I fixed it!! When I originally put the machine together, I had overclocked the K6-2 400 up to 450. I had to up the voltage at that point from 2.2 to 2.3v for it to be stable. She had no problems for a long time. But somewhere along the line, it started blue screening. Maybe because we added a USB modem & USB scanner?? Anyhow, I went into the BIOS and set the processor back to "automatic" (100x4.0 @ 2.2v) and it started behaving! She doesn't care if it's overclocked or not. I'm just a freak. http://sysopt.earthweb.com/forum/smile.gif

Well, now I have a good idea what to do if I get a REAL blue screen!

[codybear]

oops...you got it http://sysopt.earthweb.com/forum/smile.gif


It's a standard Windows problem. While Windows is booting you see
an error message that names a particular file -- usually a .DLL
or .VXD -- that's missing or corrupted. It can happen all of
sudden, for no apparent reason. Here's how to deal with the
problem. Start by rebooting and writing down the exact name of
the errant file. Chances are very good that the file was removed
improperly from your system. Usually it's because someone
uninstalled an application by deleting its directory instead of
running its Uninstall program. Another common cause is that you
moved or renamed the program folder. Or it could be that a
program's uninstaller hit a glitch and didn't complete its
operation.

With any of these causes, the problem is either that the file no
longer exists on your hard drive, or one of Windows' system
initialization files -- such as the Registry or SYSTEM.INI --
lists the wrong location for the file.

To solve the problem, begin by using Start > Find > Files and
Folders to search for the missing file on your entire hard disk.
If you find it, you'll need to assess why Windows can't find it.
Chances are good it's in a program folder that was moved or
renamed after the program was installed. If you're certain you
know what the original path and name was, make it so, and try
restarting. If you're not certain, reinstall the application over
itself so that Windows knows where it is. Restart your computer
and see if the message goes away.

If you don't find the file -- and this is the most likely
scenario -- your new goal is to find the reference in Registry,
SYSTEM.INI, or WIN.INI to a no longer present program. Use the
System Registry Editor's (C:\WINDOWS\REGEDIT.EXE) search function
to search for entries using the filename. Use WordPad to open and
Search SYSTEM.INI for the filename too. You may also need to look
for an icon in your C:\Windows\StartUp folder that calls the
file. When you find the reference to the file, write down where
it is and exactly what the setting is so you can re-instate it if
necessary, then delete the reference. Remember to back up your
Registry before making any changes.




[This message has been edited by codybear (edited 05-24-2000).]