Re: HANG time...

There's no technology like old technology, eh?  <g>  It's been awhile since
I've heard of Windows 98 referred to as new.  <vbg>  Seriously, if it's
truly a scratch install then you shouldn't have any files that you need to
preserve.  The worst case scenario is that you have to reload windows.  Can
you start up in safe mode and then run scan disk or does that hang?  You
say that you did a scratch install.  By that do you mean running FDISK to
delete the old partition and recreate a new one, format the c: drive, then
booting from a Win98 startup floppy and running the install?  Have you run
Windows Update since the scratch install?  If that's the case then you
don't have anything to loose by doing it again other than the time it takes
to do it.  What's the processor speed?  I tried loading Windows 98 a long
time ago on a 486 with not much memory and it took almost 24 hours.  On a
new install where you've loaded some software I would be inclined to start
over rather than trying to patch this and that.  Once it's initially up and
running do a Windows Update first thing before you start loading software
and setting things up.

It may also have nothing to do with what's loaded.  It might be memory
that's gone bad.  If it's an old PC it might have worked its way loose.
You could try taking the simms out and reseating them.  The same could be
done with the processor and any cards.  It also wouldn't hurt to make sure
that cable are secure.

If all else fails check Ebay for a P-II Windows ME system.  <another vbg>
Personally, I like using Windows to drag and drop when copying files
instead of doing it from DOS.  Either way, once it starts let it go until
it's done.  Good luck.

Dave Parnin
Nishikawa Standard Company
Topeka, IN  46571
daparnin@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx




                                                                                
                              
                      Dan Bale                                                  
                              
                      <dbale@Duro-last.        To:       
pctech@xxxxxxxxxxxx@SMTP@CTB                         
                      com>                     cc:       (bcc: David A 
Parnin/Topeka/NISCO/SPCO)              
                                               Subject:  [PCTECH] HANG time...  
                              
                      07/08/2004 06:00                                          
                              
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In a bind at home with my brand spankin' new Win98SE install.  I've got a
problem with a folder that I was copying large files to.  During the last
copy, done from a DOS boot & using XCOPY, it seemed to hang, so I tried
Ctrl-C to kill it.  Waited 5 minutes, still no change, so I flicked off the
power.  Powered back on, but any attempt to access the folder that I was
copying the files into causes the system to hang immediately.  Again from
DOS boot, run a DIR on the folder lists the first several files I know were
copied completely, then the list stops, and the system hangs.  I tried a
DELTREE, same hang.  DOS SCANDISK hangs!  Norton's DOS NDD hangs!  Sheeze!
I am avoiding booting into Win98 for fear it will crumble the house of
cards.

Just before I go to reformat the drive, I remember that Norton Utilities
has
DISKEDIT.  Without the /M (maintenance mode) switch, *it* hangs!  Try with
the /M switch, get the main DISKEDIT screen.  Go to the Advanced Recovery
Mode and did something that has it (apparently) scanning every dam*ed
cluster on my 30GB HD!  Supposedly / theoretically, this will find enough
information to automatically fix the problem.  I started it last night, and
this morning it wasn't even half-way through.  I estimate it will take 33
HOURS to complete.  I guess that's one way to give the new hard drive a
burn-in test!  I'd give more details on what's on the DISKEDIT screen, but
since I don't have internet access at home right now, and I'm doing this
from work.

FWIW, this PC is 9 years old, has 128 MB ram, 30GB HD formatted to FAT32,
and Win98SE was scratch-installed (by me).  I would like to avoid another
scratch install, since getting it to this point was a total PITA and
consumed enormous amounts of time, but I wouldn't lose anything I couldn't
otherwise recover from backups.

Any ideas?  If not, can anyone recommend websites better able to handle
queries like this one?

TIA, db

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