Strange Autoexec.bat, My Computer type problem

[Jonty]

When I started my computer today everything was normal and after opening Outlook Express, IE5.5 and Zonealarm I connected to the Internet using my 56k dialup.Sysopt is my homepage but the page half loaded and stuck. I wasn't too concerned so I tried to maximize Outlook but I kept clicking the button on the taskbar but Outlook would not maximize. The same happened to IE after I minimized it.

I disconnected and closed the programs and restarted the computer. Then some odd things happened. After restarting I noticed that the boot sequence wasn't quite the same as normal , there seemed to be a bit missing, but more of that in a moment.

I discovered that when I double clicked on My Computer the window came up but the view settings had changed, OK easy enough to fix. What was strange though was if I moved the slider bar up or down or left to right the processor usage goes up to about 70% and the slider bar takes about three seconds to move a couple of inches! There are no other programs running apart from the usual ones when I do a ctrl-alt-del. If I double click on a folder in this window, the folder opens and the slider bar moves normally with no processor uasge. If I go up again to the My Computer part the problem reappears.

I also discovered that my Autoexec.bat file had lost most of its contents!! Fortunately I have a hard copy and also backup of this so this has been restored. I restarted the computer again and the boot sequence was now like it was.

So, in conclusion what is causing the initial My Computer window to slow right up?? And what happened to my Autoexec.bat file??

I'm using Windows 98 original version and I haven't installed anything on the computer recently.

Thanks for any help on this.

[Philip1952]

Win98 and higher doesn't need the autoexes.bat or config system file unless you do work or play in dos. These are 16 bit driver files for dos. (Windows is supposed to remove hiemen and emm386 after install. But it doesn't some times). I turn off these two files from loading. Now if your config file has any thing in it. Like Hiemen then leave it on. It will throw some errors in the boot up process if you turn it off. As far as what caused your file corruptions or lose there is no telling.
Do a system file check and a through scan disk. See if you have any bad sectors. That would be my first guess on the file problem. My second would be a stick of ram starting to go bad. A bad stick of ram will throw all sort of file problems until it dies.
I just went thru this problem about as week ago on one of my computers. File problems and bsod's. Found a new stick of ram was bad. Pulled it out. Computer ran fine since.
Let us know how it is going.

[This message has been edited by Philip1952 (edited 08-14-2001).]

[Jonty]

Hmmm...I hope it isn't the ram, I put a new stick of Crucial in back in April but, I don't know, I feel it's more of a Windows problem. I will certainly run the file checker and scan disc. I did do a scan on both drives at the weekend and they were OK.

I will certainly let you know but I'm a bit pushed for time at the moment!

[Philip1952]

Well this new stick I have on the self that is bad is Micron 128 meg CLS2. So brand doesn't mean every thing. they can spit out bad ones to.

[Jonty]

Well I've run the system file checker and the only real thing it found was a file called mprexe.exe missing from C:\Windows\System. I don't know what this file does and haven't restored it yet either...anyway...after exiting the checker I tried the My Computer thing again and it's all OK and back to normal!?

Perhaps the problem sorted itself out?

[EastSt]

Ahhhh...If only all the problems would
do that - fix themselves on the reboot !!!

[Philip1952]

Here is what M$ has to say from the program microsoft file info in the windows resourse kit.

Windows 98 Multiple Provider Manager. This file helps determine where network requests are sent when more than one redirector exists on the computer in Windows 98.

Location on the win98 cd is WIN98_49.CAB

[Jonty]

Oh, when I turned my computer on again today the My Computer problem was back again - EastSt you're right!!!! Odd thing is, like yesterday the problem has gone after the computer being on for an hour, I haven't rebooted either. I ran scandisk and everything is OK.

Philip1952, I extracted and unzipped the files you mentioned from the Windows disc in WIN98_49.CAB but what do I do with them and how can I read them? I'm not sure what you're on about when you talk about Multiple Provider Manager. What is this redirector you talk about and what has it got to do with the current problem??

[daveleau]

Moved to Tech Support

Have a good day

Dave

[BFlurie]

Check fer Viruses? Overheating? Progs screwing up? IE5.5 is a suspect right off the bat.

Almost sounds like some files were lost/corrupted. Bytes in a file can get corrupted w/o changing the size, name, etc., so Scandisk might miss it.

[Philip1952]

Go to system file checker. The bottom box which says extract single file from disk. Check mark this box. Then type in win98_ thewre you go. It will replace the whole cab file.
I have never tried to read a cab file. I'm not sure if note pad would do it.

[This message has been edited by Philip1952 (edited 08-15-2001).]

[Philip1952]

Some thing else. Try system file checker in safe mode also. I have seen computers show no file problem with windows running. Then restart in safe mode and find file problems.
To find where files are on you windows disk. Put your cd in the cd-rom. Shut down auto run. The go to run\browse the cd. In the tool folder look for RESKIT open it. Double click on the setup icon. This will instal the windows resource kit. In this program is a program called Microsoft File Information. It wiil tell you where a file is located and to some extent what it does.
When I have a file jump up as bad on system file checker. I just write it down. Then I replace the complete cab file from the extract a single file button. I have had a file show bad before. Replace the single file and still have problems. Replace the whole cab file and cure the problem.

[Jonty]

I'll have to try the file checker in safe mode at the weekend now.

It's not viruses, I've got Inoculate and it's updated weekly, it hasn't found anything either. No, not overheating either, progs screwing up, hmm maybe, IE5.5 suspect, could be!

I think I'm going to have to live with this one!

Thanks for all your help however.