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Windows 98 Troubleshooting #3 |
SymEvent & Windows 98 Compatibility
Situation:
You recently upgraded to Windows 98. Now you experience problems with various installed Symantec products. Some of the symptoms you experience are:
- Windows Protection Errors upon shutdown if Norton AntiVirus is installed
- Windows 98 hangs when warm booting the system if Norton AntiVirus is installed
- Cannot reboot Windows 98 in MS-DOS mode if Norton AntiVirus is installed
This applies to other Symantec Products;
Norton Navigator is not 98/FAT32 nor Y2K compliant and has been discountinued.
You must Update to the latest SYMEVNT files at:
http://service1.symantec.com/SUPPORT/nav.nsf/docid/19987311083
The most common problem people may have with Win98 SE, no matter how they installed it, is the hanging shutdown. Looking through the discussion area of top WinMag.com columnist Fred Langa's July 19 column, What's Up with Windows 98 Second Edition?, I found several suggested fixes. I had a friend try this fix and it worked, so here it is. Everything worked fine on his system after Win98 SE-- except that it caught the hung shutdown bug, and that has meant ScanDisk runs annoyingly each time I start up. The problem disappeared when he applied J.R. Guthrie's tip:
Open Device Manager, open System Devices, double- click PCI Bus, select the IRQ Steering tab and remove the check mark beside "Get IRQ Table from Real Mode PCIBIOS 2.1 Call." Then restart your PC and have your Win98 SE CD ready. Windows will add the check back in the PCI Bus section. According to Guthrie, this should work on about half of the machines with the shutdown problem.
In case that fix doesn't work for you, here are five other shutdown fixes I collected. I haven't tested them, so I can't vouch for their safety or ability to fix your problems, but just in case they may help you:
1.Some people say they were able to cure their shutdown problem by going into CMOS setup, also known as "BIOS" (see your PC's owner's manual) and selecting an option that reads "Enable IRQ for VGA." Not everyone has this option in system BIOS, however.
2.On some PCs you may cure a shutdown problem by disabling power management in the system BIOS.
3.You'll find the option to select Disable Fast Shutdown in the System Configuration Utility (C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM\MSCONFIG.EXE). Here's the laughable but official way to get to System Configuration Utility: Open Start, select Programs/Accessories/System Tools, and launch System Information. Open System Information's Tools menu, and select System Configuration Utility there. On the General tab, click the Advanced button. Now place a check mark beside "Disable fast shutdown." More than likely, you'll already find the check mark there, where it belongs. Apparently, some people who upgraded to Win98 SE found the check mark missing.
4.Another solution several people suggested was erasing files in your C:\WINDOWS\TEMP folder just prior to shutdown. Other people said you should delete only files with a tilde (~) as the first character of the filename.
5.According to one message poster, Intel SE440BX-2 motherboards are
prone to the shutdown problem, and a newer BIOS revision might cure it.
(Don't do this without checking with your system manufacturer though.)
Windows 98 includes a tool called Microsoft Signature Verification Tool. You can use this tool to view files to determine if they are signed or unsigned files. This article describes the Signature Verification tool.
The Signature Verification tool finds signed and unsigned files on your computer. A signed file is a file that has been given a digital signature by a certifying authority. The digital signature indicates that the file is an unaltered copy of the original file.
With the Signature Verification tool, you can:
-Search for signed files in a specific location.
-Search for unsigned files in a specific location.
-View the certificates of the signed files to make sure the files have
not been tampered with.
How to Search for Signed or Unsigned Files
To search for signed or unsigned files, use the following steps:
1.Click Start, Point to Programs, point to Accessories, point to System Tools, and then click System Information.
2.On the Tools menu, click Signature Verification Tool.
3.In the Look For box, click Signed Files or Not Signed Files.
4.If you are looking for a specific file, type the name of the file you want to find in the Named box, and then click Find Now. If you are not looking for a specific file and you want to view all signed or unsigned files, click Find Now.
How to View a Certificate of a Signed File
To view a signed file's certificate, use the following steps:
1.Click Start, Point to Programs, point to Accessories, point to System Tools, and then click System Information.
2.On the Tools menu, click Signature Verification Tool.
3.In the Look For box, click Signed Files.
4.If you are looking for a specific file, type the name of the file you want to find in the Named box, and then click Find Now. If you are not looking for a specific file and you want to view all signed files, click Find Now.
5.Click the signed file name, and then click Details.
Microsoft has issued two versions of CTL3D32.dll, an important shared file on 95/98 systems. One version is for 95/98 and the other is for NT.
"The problem crops up when a programmer releases software that has the NT version in it. When the user loads the software, it overwrites the current CTL3D32 file and replaces it with the NT version. From then on, many applications (especially TWAIN operations) will not work. HP products, such as scanners, are very vulnerable.
One preventive measure: Make a backup copy of CTL3D32.DLL, so that you can restore it should trouble arise.
DLL Version Control
Many program share files, called DLL's (Dynamic Link Libraries). These files provide functionality that many applications can use (such as how you can see the same "File Open" box on many applications). The problem arises when one errant application overwrites a newer version of a DLL with an older (or just different) version. This problem has been addressed with Version Control, although the problem hasn't been solved. Try this; right-click on any DLL on your hard disk, and click Properties - you should see a Version tab (if not, choose another file and try again). This tab displays the version of the file, and usually the manufacturer and a short description. If that isn't enough, every DLL file (every file, actually) has a date - newer dates usually mean newer files, but not always.
EXAMPLE:
WINSOCK.DLL - this file is used by most (if not all) internet applications, and the version depends on which dialer you're using. If you're using Dial-Up Networking (built-into Windows 98), the file should be dated the same as most of the other files in your Windows\System folder (dates not yet available). For other dialers (also known as Winsock Stacks), such as Trumpet, the file will have a different date, version, and size.
The issue here is to make sure you only have one of these files on your hard disk, and that it's the appropriate (not necessarilly the newest) version. CTL3D.DLL - this file (and it's cousins, CTL3DV2.DLL and CTL3D32.DLL) seem to cause lots of problems. It's used by older applications to display certain 3-D effects, where the controls in some windows look "carved" out. Although the newer versions usually are preferred, some applications will display an error if you use anything but the version that came with the product.
CTL3D.DLL, you should have version 2.05; for CTL3DV2.DLL, you should have version 2.31; and for CTL3D32.DLL, you should have version 2.31. If you don't have these versions, don't panic - it's just a guideline if you are having trouble with this.
Make a habit of backing up these files (Windows 98 provides a directory, SYSBCKUP, for this purpose), so that you can easily restore them if overwritten.
ALSO REMEMBER to regularly use 98's "System File Checker". Your old files are probably already backed up.
If you need to get your hands on a particular DLL, See
The DLL Archive
http://solo.abac.com/dllarchive/
I've known for a couple of years that some PC makers deliver PCs without Windows CDs -- especially their consumer or SOHO models. What I never realized is how many people who wind up with these PCs never realize that their hard drives may contain the contents of the Windows CD. Even people who did get a Windows CD with a new PC they bought may find the contents of the CD on their hard drive. Check it out; if they're there, you'll probably find them in a folder located at either C:\Windows\Options\CABS or C:\Windows\Options\Win98. Having these files on your PC uses some disk space, but this is a good thing, and I'm going to tell you why.
First of all, you can install Windows from this folder. Even if you wipe everything else off your hard drive, as long as you can boot to your hard drive, you can reinstall Windows.
Second, you can quibble with how well it works, but Win9x is supposed to be a plug and play operating system. That means that when you install a plug and play compatible device or component in your PC, Windows should be able to identify the hardware and then find and configure a driver for it automatically. But in order for the operating system to find a driver, it needs one of two things: Your Windows CD, or the contents of your Windows CD on your hard drive. Because that's where it stores its drivers.
By placing copies on your hard drive of the Windows CD files, most of which are .CAB files -- a compressed archive Microsoft uses to store setup files -- you make it possible for plug and play to work without even prompting you to insert your CD. It just works (well, a lot of the time). There is one trick to making that happen, though. Windows needs a "default Windows setup location" that points to the location of the Windows Setup .CABs. Without that, it'll keep prompting you for the Windows CD when it needs a driver.
There is a dark side to having the Windows CABs on your PC. When you upgrade Windows to a newer version, it's important to clean out the old .CABs and replace them with the ones from the newer version. That way you'll have the setup files that match your version of the operating system.
One last point. Some people, especially recently, are finding that the new PC they bought came without either a Windows CD or a copy of the Windows CD on their hard drive. The only thing they get is a Recovery CD, or a copy of a Recovery CD on a different partition of their hard drive. A recovery CD is very definitely not the same thing as a copy of the Windows Setup .CABs. You can use a Recovery CD to install Windows on your PC, but when you do, everything on your PC will be wiped, including all your data files and applications. The subsequent Windows installation should look exactly the way it did the first time you turned on your PC. That can be either an advantage or a disadvantage. But the best thing is to have both a Win98 CD *and* a Recovery CD.
If you didn't get a Win98 CD with your PC, go out and buy yourself the
roughly $90 Win98 Upgrade or Win98 SE Upgrade CD. It'll be money well spent.
COPY WINDOWS SETUP .CABS TO YOUR HARD DRIVE
Whether you simply want to make your Win98 installation independent of your CD or you're performing a hybrid clean installation of Windows 98 as described in our Essential Guide to Installing Windows 98 http://www.winmag.com/library/1998/0701/cov0076.htm, it's easy to place your Win98 setup .CAB files right on your hard drive. And if you're working on a clean installation of Win98, there are serious advantages. Not only will setup run faster, but you won't have to set up DOS-based CD-ROM drivers. Depending on your Windows version, and your file system, this will require between about 105MB and 125MB of drive space.
The best place to put the setup files is in a newly created Options folder inside your Windows folder. Insert your Win98 CD, and decline to install the operating system when prompted. Choose the Browse This CD option, and open the \Win98 folder on the CD. Select all the files in that folder, but not the folders there. Copy the files to the new Options folder you just created on your hard drive. Follow the steps in the next tip to finish the job.
CHANGE THE DEFAULT WINDOWS
SETUP LOCATION
This is a very simple Registry editing tip, but you should backup your
Registry files beforehand nevertheless. Launch the Registry Editor and
navigate to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Setup
Locate (or create) the "SourcePath" entry (without quotation
marks). Modify it to show the new path that Windows should use to find
your installation files. For example, C:\Windows\Options\Win98\. (You must
end the pathname you type with a backslash for this to work properly.)
System File Checker Tool Extracts Incorrect File Versions
When you use the System File Checker (Sfc.exe) tool to restore a Windows 98 system file (for example, the User.exe, Gdi.exe, or Krnl386.exe file) from a Windows 98 cabinet (.cab) file, the wrong version of the file may be extracted from the Mini.cab cabinet file. This can result in the inability to start Windows 98 (for example, your computer may stop responding) or "Windows Protection Error" error messages in normal and Safe mode.
NOTE: This symptom can occur when the System File Checker tool prompts you to restore a corrupt system file during a scan or when you extract and replace a system file using the System File Checker tool.
The Cause
This behavior occurs because the System File Checker tool baseline file (Default.sfc) contains incorrect information about the source cabinet file locations for some Windows 98 system files. As a result, the System File Checker tool searches for the system file in the specified folder (if it is not in a cabinet file) and then in all cabinet files in the specified folder. The System File Checker tool searches cabinet files using their MS-DOS folder order and extracts the first instance found. If the Mini.cab cabinet file appears in an MS-DOS folder listing before the correct Windows 98 cabinet file (for example, the correct cabinet file for the User.exe file is the Win98_42.cab cabinet file.), the System File Checker tool may find the mini-Windows mode version of the system file in the Mini.cab cabinet file first.
NOTE: The Mini.cab cabinet file contains mini-Windows mode files used only by Windows 98 Setup and DriveSpace.
The Fix
To work around this behavior, restart your computer using the Windows 98 Startup disk, choose Start Computer With CD-ROM Support from the Windows 98 Startup menu, and then re-extract the file at a command prompt using the Extract.exe tool. For information about how to extract a file, please see the following article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
Microsoft has confirmed this to be a problem in the Microsoft products listed at the beginning of this article.
This problem has been addressed in the Default.sfc file included with Windows 98 Second Edition.
How the System File Checker Baseline Is Determined
System File Checker (SFC) verifies the integrity of system files. After scanning for altered files, it offers to restore damaged files. If a file is found to be damaged, SFC prompts you to restore the original file. SFC can also be configured to notify you of changed and deleted files.
You can use SFC to:
Scan system files for damaged, missing, or changed files.
Extract original Windows 98 system files.
Track changes to the system and identify altered files.
The SFC baseline file (Default.sfc) maintains the tool's settings and a profile of system files. The baseline contains the following information for each file:
Location
Source
Cyclical Redundancy Checksum (CRC)
Date/Time Stamp
Size
Version
The SFC baseline for the retail version of Windows 98 comes populated with Windows 98 file information. The baseline is backed up and selectively updated during Windows 98 Setup. Running SFC for the first time establishes a profile of the system.
Default Windows 98 File Information
The following files provide the SFC baseline with the default list of files copied by Windows 98 Setup:
Copy.inf
Copy1.inf
Copy2.inf
The following files provide SFC with the source for the copied files:
Layout.inf
Layout1.inf
Layout2.inf
Windows 98 Setup
Windows 98 Setup copies the Default.sfc file to Default.sf0. SFC updates the baseline for files such as Vmm32.vxd that have properties that can vary. SFC updates the baseline with changes to the properties for these files without noting the changes in its log file (Sfclog.txt). If a file is missing, it is removed from the baseline.
The Sfcsync.txt file is a list of files to silently update in the SFC baseline during Setup. Sfcsync.txt is limited to the following locations:
Sfcsync.txt Actual location
-------------------------------------
10 Windows
11 Windows\System
12 Windows\System\Iosubsys
13 Windows\Command
22 Windows\System\Vmm32
The first time SFC runs, it creates a profile of the system. All of the changes to the baseline are noted in the Sfclog.txt log file, with the exception of missing files.
Missing files are silently removed from the baseline the first time SFC runs, even if you enable notification for missing files. Files that are removed after SFC runs for the first time are identified as missing the next time SFC runs. You are prompted to restore the file if SFC is configured to check for missing files.
Changed files are noted in the log file and you are notified if the setting is enabled. A file is identified as changed if its date and version information changes. Changed files are identified in the Sfclog.txt file as "Updated" unless you enabled notification for changed files and chose to restore the original file.
You are always notified of damaged files. A file is identified as damaged if its date and version match, but the CRC value does not match the baseline.
You are not notified of files that are added to the baseline. Files
that are added to the baseline are noted in the log file as "Added."
First, most blue screen and freeze errors are related to either bad drivers, hardware problems, file corruption or duplicate devices in device manager or a combination of all of the above.
Here's what I would do: (In the order noted)
1. Run Scandisk.
2. Run Disk Cleanup.
3. Download the most current drivers for your hardware devices, such a video card, sound etc. Uninstall the present software for those hardware devices and remove the files from the system and then install the new drivers.
4. Boot the PC into safemode and then go into device manager. Expand each area and look for duplicate device entries. If there are any duplicates, remove them all and then reboot the PC and load the device correctly.
5. Now run the system file checker SFC from the Start, Run. Click the Settings button and select the check for changed and deleted files box and then run SFC.
Replace (A) all corrupted files, (B) replace older file versions with the latest. Ignore the file dates, just use the lastest versions.
6. Now boot the system to a Command Prompt Only. Change directories to \Windows\Command. Type SCANRE/FIX. This will cause scanreg to review and correct the registry. There is a caveat here though. If the folders and files for old drivers and programs remain on the system, scanreg will not remove the registry entries.
7. Once the above is done, run a defrag on the system.
Thanks Dennis
Have your Windows 98 CD Rom disk handy.
1. Reboot the system and either hold the Ctrl key down right after memory post or when you see the “Starting Windows…” dialogue, touch the F8 key.
2. Choose #5 Command (MSDOS) Prompt only.
3. At the dos prompt, change directories to X:\Windows\Command, with “X” being the directory where Windows is installed.
4. Now type SCANREG/FIX <enter>
5. Follow the dialogue and let Scanreg review your registry and make any necessary repairs.
6. When Scanreg is done, reboot into Windows.
NEXT:
1. Insert your Windows 98 CD Rom disk into the drive.
2. Click Start, Run and type SFC <OK>
3. This will start the System File Checker.
4. Click on the settings button and select “Check for changed and deleted files” and click OK to start.
5. Replace any files that are detected as bad or corrupt. Also watch the file dates carefully and always try and replace older files (pre-May 1998) with newer files, and most important, always use the latest version numbers for all files. SFC will copy the old file to X:\Windows\Sysbckup in case you need it back.
6. When SFC is done, reboot the system and note the performance.
1st
There are as many therories on swap files as there are *experts*. just
check the newsgroups to see for yourself.
Here's one I'm using quite nicely right now.
To get your Swapfile out of your Windows Directory, where it will be
moved around like all other files there, give it
(your swap file) a Minimum value of 1.
That will put it in you root directory where your programs are not
accessed, there for not bothered with as much in terms of fragmentation.
Plus, with a large hard drive, you'll have all the rest of you HDD for it to use, there by letting it grow to what ever size it needs.
For me, so far so good.
Convention wisdom says however:
"Let windows handle you swapfile'.
2nd
In order to provide more memory to applications than is physically
present in the computer in the form of RAM, Windows uses hard disk space
to simulate RAM. The amount of RAM in the computer plus the size of the
paging file (also known as the swap file) equals the total physical memory,
or virtual memory, size. Windows uses a dynamic paging file that remains
at a size of 0K until it is needed. The paging file can grow to use all
the available space on the hard disk if it is necessary. This is the default
setting for the paging file. You should use this setting if possible.
If you have limited hard disk space, other applications may reduce the amount of virtual memory below that needed by Windows and its applications. If this occurs, choose the "Let me specify my own virtual memory settings" option button on the Performance tab of the My Computer property sheet. You can use this option to set a minimum and maximum size for the paging file.
You can also choose to use no virtual memory. You should use this option only if there is enough RAM to meet all the needs of Windows and the applications you run.
NOTE, The old standard of setting a Permanent Swap File by using the
2 1/2 X Ram size is very outdated now.
Or, you could use a great little utility called Cacheman
If the Auto Insert Notification option is enabled in Device Manager, Windows checks for the presence of a CD-ROM in the CD-ROM drive every few seconds. Most CD-ROM drives return an answer directly, but some drives blink the drive light before returning an answer. This can happen with IDE, SCSI, and proprietary CD-ROM drives.
If your computer contains a SCSI controller, Windows polls the SCSI
bus periodically to determine the status of the bus and the devices installed
on the bus. On some computers, the disk drive access light on the front
panel turns on when any SCSI device, or the SCSI bus itself, is accessed.
On these computers, the disk drive access light turns on each time Windows
polls the SCSI bus. In addition, if the computer contains a SCSI CD-ROM
drive, the CD-ROM access light may blink in conjunction with the disk drive
access light. This blinking of the CD-ROM access light is independent of
the Auto Insert Notification option as above.
THE FIX
You do not need to take any action. However, if you do not want the
CD-ROM access light to blink, you may be able to prevent this behavior
by disabling the Auto Insert Notification option in Device Manager. To
do so, follow these steps:
1.In Control Panel, double-click System.
2.Click the Device Manager tab, double-click CD-ROM, and then double- click the installed CD-ROM device.
3.Click the Settings tab, and then click the Auto Insert Notification check box to clear it.
4.Click the Close button. When you are prompted to restart your computer, do so.
NOTE: If the CD-ROM drive is connected to a SCSI hard disk controller,
these steps may not prevent the CD-ROM access light from blinking. When
this occurs, the CD-ROM access light is blinking because Windows is polling
the SCSI bus, not because the Auto Insert Notification option is enabled.
When you run the Disk Defragmenter tool in Windows 98, you may receive the following error message:
Error Defragmenting Drive C
Windows cannot finish defragmenting this drive because it has encountered a problem. Click Help and carry out the instructions for running Scan Disk, and then try defragmenting again.
ID No:DEFRAG00205
This occurs when if the Applog file in the hidden C:\Windows\Applog folder is damaged.
To fix this follow these steps:
Right-click an empty area on the desktop, and then click Properties.
On the Web tab, click Folder Options.
Click Yes.
On the View tab under Hidden files, click Show all files, and then click OK.
Click Start, point to Find, and then click Files or Folders.
In the Named box, type applog, click C: in the Look in box, click to select the Include subfolders check box, and then click Find Now.
Double-click the Applog folder to open it.
On the Edit menu, click Select all.
On the File menu, click Delete, and then click Yes when you are prompted
to confirm the deletion.
Windows 95/98 /98 SE
When you use the Date/Time tool to select a different year, the clock
may stop until you click Apply or OK and the clock does not compensate
for the length of time it was stopped.
OR
When you use the Date/Time tool to select a different month or date,
the time may be decreased by 5-10 seconds.
OR
When you leave your computer on for an extended amount of time, the
time may lose two minutes up to an hour per day.
IMPORTANT: The CMOS does keep the correct time and if you restart the computer, the Windows clock is updated. Also, if you start your computer in Safe Mode, Windows does not lose time.
NOTE: If either of the symptoms listed in this article occur, the Windows clock on the taskbar and in the Date/Time tool in Control Panel may experience a loss of time.
REASON:
This last symptom listed in this article can occur for either of the
following reasons:
Advanced Power Management (APM) settings are enabled in the BIOS.
You configure your computer to use third-party anti-virus, system utility,
and screen saver programs.
THE FIX:
To resolve the issue for the last symptom listed in this article, use
one of the following methods:
APM Settings
Disable APM in the BIOS and configure Windows to manage APM. For information about how to disable APM in the BIOS, please contact the manufacturer of your computer.
To configure Windows to manage APM, follow these steps:
Click Start, point to Settings, and then click Control Panel.
Double-click the Power Management icon, select the settings you want
for APM, and then click OK.
Disable Third-Party Programs and Utilities
Disable the following types of programs and utilities:
Anti-virus
Screen savers
System utilities
Clean Boot
Configure your computer to start with a clean boot. For additional
information about configuring a clean boot, click the article numbers below
to view the articles in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
Q192926 How to Perform Clean-Boot Troubleshooting for Windows 98
Q243039 How to Perform a Clean Boot in Windows 95
NOTE:
If your computer loses time, use the Date/Time tool to set the correct time. To do this, follow these steps:
Click Start, point to Settings, and then click Control Panel.
Double-click the Date/Time icon.
On the Date & Time tab, configure the correct time, and then click OK.
To determine if the time loss is a result of a weak computer battery, follow these steps:
Click Start, point to Programs, and then click MS-DOS Prompt.
At the command prompt, type time, and then press ENTER.
Compare this time with the time reported by the clock on the taskbar.
Type exit, and then press ENTER.
If the computer's time and the time on the clock are different, the computer's battery may be too weak to keep accurate time, and it should be replaced. For information about how to replace the battery, refer to the documentation included with your computer.
NOTE: This problem does not affect the clock in your computer's CMOS.