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A home without a wall, |
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| Geek Stuff |
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Win98SE probs |
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Alicat Member Elite
since 1999-05-23
Posts 4094Coastal Texas 
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As some of you might have known, I was going to build a system this weekend, and I did. Motherboard installation went off very smoothly, as did all other hardware. The problem came when I was trying to install the Soundblaster Audigy drivers. Towards the end of the install, I received an Out of Virtual Memory error, then the Blue Screen of Death. When I was finally able to check my virtual memory settings, I learned that my virtual memory was at a -28gig setting, and could not be changed. That's one heck of a negative virtual memory. I did some checking on the Microsoft site, and sure enough, my question was answered. Win98 and ME have a little known barrier: 32gig harddrives. Anything above 32 will have problems. I installed a Maxtor 40gig, since the manual stated it could handle up to 2 terrabytes. I'm waiting to hear back from Microsoft about a hotfix for sysdm.cpl. I have version 4.10.2222 and need 4.10.2224. Is there anyone out there who might have this version for Win98? I would really appreciate any info. Alicat persnikitty@yahoo.com |
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Ron
Administrator
Member Rara Avis
since 1999-05-19
Posts 8669Michigan, US |
Have you checked the Maxtor site? In the old days, when we were dealing with a 32meg HD limitation, most of the hard drive manufacturers had their own work-arounds. Does fdisk allow you to access the whole 40 gig? If so, you might try setting up multiple partitions. In fact, I would recommend that even if Microsoft has a different solution. I run C through H drives on one hard disk just so scandisk doesn't take a day and a half to run when Win98 inevitably does its daily (or more frequent) lockup. Essentially, the drive letters just become meta-folders and help keep things more easily organized. |
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Alicat Member Elite
since 1999-05-23
Posts 4094Coastal Texas |
Thanks for the input, Ron, and for the extra advice. I was considering a repartioning (very glad of the USBNet I got...makes the backup transfers very easy) if nothing else was forthcoming. I do hope to hear back from Microsoft, but will also check around more for what can be done. |
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Acies
Moderator
Member Rara Avis
since 2000-06-07
Posts 7665Twilight Zone |
hmmmmm, I always thought that virtual memory is at least zero. That is so weird. And Windows is actually managing your settings. How did you partition and format the Hard Drive? Did you let Win98SE do it, or did you manually do it with any system boot disk? i suggest you redo it again and see if it happens again. It should'nt take long anyways. I do a lot of calls for Dell, and I haven't really had any problems changing HDDs and reinstalling 98 or ME. I suggest you try again  là où est mon amour? |
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Ron
Administrator
Member Rara Avis
since 1999-05-19
Posts 8669Michigan, US |
The problem, acire, is with the SIZE of the hard disk. Imagine for a minute that your mind only worked with three-digit numbers. The absolute highest you could count was 999. If someone then told you the size of their hard disk was 1000, something would get lost. You might count it as 100, dropping the last digit, or count it as 000, dropping the first digit, but you could NOT compute 1000 - because it's outside your range of three digits. That's what is happening with Win98. It stores the HD clusters in a signed register of limited bits and CANNOT count higher than 32 gig. When the hard disk tries to tell Win98 that it's 40 gig, something is getting lost. With a signed register, it's even worse than our 3-digit example. Signed just means it can have a plus or minus. So when you try to store too much in the register, the number "rolls" over, like a car odometer, but instead of going back to zero it goes to its lowest possible setting - which is a negative number. And Ali ends up with LESS than zero bytes available on the HD. He can reformat all day long, but he'll never be able to cram a 40 gig number into a 32 gig bucket. Ain't room...  |
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Alicat Member Elite
since 1999-05-23
Posts 4094Coastal Texas |
So I ended up doing a dual 20gig partition. Thanks again for the advice, Ron. And everything was peachy...that is until the motherboard I purchased back in September (30 day warranty) gave up the ghost after 3 days of use. No power going to the motherboard at all. So, it's back to the drawing board...and this time I'll get a recent, ATX motherboard...which also means a new case, but I think I can live with that. The old one will be standby in case of power supply probs with the kids' system. The only thing that worries me, and perhaps you could answer this one for me, Ron, is this: when the motherboard goes bad, are any of the cards and add-ons damaged? I had just purchased the cpu, fan, video card and sound card. I would hate to think that something happened to them. There was no smell, just the system suddenly powered off after I had finished installing the last of the updates from Windows Update, and I tried hooking the power supply up from the other system (which works fine), but to no avail. Not even a fan was turning. Alicat, wondering if the kids will get a working system for Christmas. |
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Ron
Administrator
Member Rara Avis
since 1999-05-19
Posts 8669Michigan, US |
Yea, when the motherboard goes bye-bye, it can and very often does take a whole lot of other components with it. But it doesn't necessary have to be that way. It depends on why the MB suddenly stopped distributing electricity. If a surge burnt out a connection, chances are that surge got through to other components at least long enough to goose them real hard. On the other hand, if a connection simply "broke," then the components should be fine. If you didn't smell anything, you're probably okay. One thing you might want to try is removing the MB and PS from the case, setting them on a non-conductive surface (a wood table is good), and trying to apply power from there. You are thus eliminating the very real (and entirely too common) chance that the MB is grounding itself against the metal chassis. From your description, I doubt that's what happened. But it's usually be the first thing to check. Aren't computers just so much fun? |
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Alicat Member Elite
since 1999-05-23
Posts 4094Coastal Texas |
Yawp, they's a laugh-a-minute! LOL And thanks for the extra tip, Ron. I had already tried that. Removed the MB, retry PS. Try another PS. Nada. I am and have been working on a wooden workbench, just for the nonconductivity, and I'm being very careful to be grounded at all times. I figuring that the board was just a dud. It's a shame that it's not made anymore. On a side note, the new MB and ATX case have been ordered, but we might not get them until after Christmas...but 3-day Select can sometimes surprise you. |
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