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Is
your computer crashing in Windows 98?
Crashing
is probably the most frequent complaint that users have. The panic
is generally that the RAM or the motherboard has started to give
trouble. Well, there is good news and there is bad.
The
good news is that the problem is usually not hardware related, but
just one of the joys of working with Windows :-)
The bad news is that it's won't be easy to locate and fix.
However, we do have some suggestions.
First,
what is the nature of the crash? Does the mouse
stop moving? Do you get blue
screens? Have you noted the number of the fatal
exception error? Does the fault happen only when
using a certain program, or just while on the internet, or does it
happen in several programs? Does it happen after you've been using
the PC for a while, or soon after you put it on?
If
the fault happens only in a certain program, then the program is
obviously the culprit. If it happens in several different programs
then read the below before resorting to extreme
measures.
Many
problems can be rectified by following a logical approach. Save
time by always ensuring you do a scandisk (for the moment you
don't need a surface scan. If the problem persists you can try
that later). When scandisk is complete, do it again. Yes, it is
necessary to run it at least twice. Do also run a defrag. Then
re-boot your PC. Follow all these steps before trying ANY of the
below suggestions. You may find that your problem has gone away.
Mouse
stops moving
First
identify if it's a mouse problem or a wider issue. See if the
keyboard works. Hit the Windows key
(between control and Alt
on your keyboard) or try using Control + Alt + Del to call up the
Task Manager. If the PC responds as expected then the PC is fine -
it's probably just your mouse playing up.
Solution:
Remove the mouse, try another one if possible, or clean the mouse
roller ball. If it's a serial mouse it could also be an IRQ
conflict. Windows' built-in help should give you some advice on
IRQ conflicts.
Is
it the whole system that's frozen up?
If
it's more than just your mouse, and it's the whole system that
does not respond then gather as much information as you can. How
often does it happen? Is it a problem you can reproduce? Does it
happen at random, or only at certain times? Document this because
if this page doesn't solve your problem we have links at the
bottom of the page to other help sites on the web where you will
need more information on the symptoms.
If
it only happens after long periods of use it could be that your
free memory has dropped to unacceptable levels. Click the System
icon in the Control Panel and click on performance.
How much of your system resources is
free? 70% and above is acceptable. Below that and you probably
need to reboot your PC. (see also using
MSConfig and Taskmanager
below)
If
freezing occurs only when using the internet it could be your ISP
or the fact that your ISP's modem racks "don't like"
your modem. Try another ISP; most offer free trial periods. You
could also try uninstalling and re-installing Dial Up Networking
and TCP/IP. (Control Panel > Add/Remove Programs> Windows
Setup).
Blue
Screens
Very
often there are cryptic numbers embedded in the blue screen
message. These often help to locate the device, the driver or the
vxd that is causing the problem. You can try other help sites to
identify what the message means. You can even use that number or
text string in Search Engines like Google.
Fatal
Exception Errors
Fatal
exception errors are generally caused when a program that you
started up and shut down has not released the memory it was using.
This is a common problem. Trial and error should help you locate
the offending program. Uninstall and re-install it (add/remove
programs in control panel). See also step-by-step.
Does the problem happen in several programs? Then you may have to
take extreme
steps.
Very
often there are cryptic numbers embedded in the Fatal Exception
Error message as well. You can try other help sites to identify
what the message means. You can even use that number or text
string in Search Engines like Google.
Step-by-step
There
are several programs running in the background whether you realise
it or not. We need to boot the PC with ALL those programs turned
off. Use the msconfig command. Click
on start, go to run
and type msconfig. When the System
Configuration Utility opens click on startup
and uncheck ALL the boxes that are ticked. Reboot the PC. Call up task
manager. There should be only one program listed
here i.e. Explorer. Any other
programs listed are not required and can be terminated using the End
Task button.
Now
that you're in Windows and have no programs running in the
background it's time for the trial and error. Open up the suspect
program and use if for a while to see if it crashes. If it does it
may need to be uninstalled from the control panel (add/remove
programs) and re-installed. Does the problem persist? Does the
problem happen in several programs? Then you may have to take extreme
steps.
Task
Manager
Task
manager tells you what programs are running in the background. You
can call up the task manager by holding the Control
and Alt keys down and tapping
the Del key once. Note
here that hitting Del twice while holding the other two keys down
will actually result in shutting off your PC.
Extreme
Steps
If
nothing else works then it may be some part of Windows that is
faulty and it may mean a complete re-installation. Don't fancy
that? Well, you could try uninstalling and re-installing every
program that you ever loaded. You may find that biting the bullet
and reinstalling actually saves you time.
OK,
it's not simple but it's probably the most effective solution.
Make a backup of your files and always ensure that you format
the hard disk first before attempting a new
installation of Windows. Helpful
hints 1 & helpful
hints 2. After the installation always use the
latest drivers for your devices rather than the drivers you
received when you bought your PC. You can get them off the
manufacturer's site. We have links to all the Major IT
manufacturers. Simple go to our main
support page and look for the link.
Info
HQ has some good
advice.
Other
Help Sites on the Web
Good
luck
Ensuring
top performance - some secrets shared here
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