Microsoft Registry Checker at Startup

pokersk8trshark · 08-20-2006, 05:42 PM

Hello Everyone,

I'm not sure if anyone can help me with this, I've been researching for several months and have come up with zilch, but I thought I'd give this a shot.

Whenever I turn on my computer (Toshiba Laptop 2535CDS) Win98SE I automatically get a screen that says running Microsoft Registry Checker. It gets past the first screen and then to the Repairing C: WINDOWS\system.dat blue screen and nothing. It will not load windows and freezes there.

I have gone into safe mode and disabled the option at startup, I have lowered the memory to 16mb. I have gone into the prompt and tried to do the smartdrv, but nothing. I get the Himem.sys is not loaded. Check the Config.sys file for a device=himem.sys. I tried loading directly from the disc that came with the laptop, but it does nothing. I made a WIN98 boot disk and that did not work either. I even tried installing a new OS and it wouldn’t let me.

I tried the instructions from the Microsoft Knowledge Database and that didn’t work either.

I am really at my wits end here.

I know that the obvious is that I should buy a new laptop, but that isn’t an option for me right now.

Anyway, I would REALLY appreciate any help with this.

Thanks a lot!

**OldGrayGary** · 08-22-2006, 03:02 AM

Hi pokersk8trshark

You might have some success with an over-the-top reinstallation, if the hardware is still OK. [You could test the hardware, to make sure that you aren't wasting time with software fixes for hardware problems - test the memory ( http://www.memtest.org ), and the harddrive ( http://www.tacktech.com/display.cfm?ttid=287 ) ]

That model originally came with diskette-based diagnostics . . . if you still have them around somewhere, they can test several more components.

Here's a guide for over-the-top reinstallation of Win9x/Me http://forum.pcmech.com/showthread.php?t=70846

An over-the-top should help rebuild the Registry to a workable state. And it does rather seem that a broken Registry is involved - though whether it's the only problem is a good question, too. Scan for malware as part of your system restoration.

Best of luck
. . . Gary

pokersk8trshark · 08-22-2006, 11:41 AM

Hi Gary,
Thanks for replying to my issue. I am unable to get online with my laptop. The only way to get to my desktop is to enter it via Safe Mode and SM won't let me online. Is there a way to work around that?

The disk I have is called the Toshiba Companion Diskette and when I load it, it only takes me to the BIOS screen.

Also, when I am in SM, it won't recognize my CD or Floppy drive.

I do not have a floppy drive on the computer I am using right now so I don't know how to make a new boot disk for Win98. The one I thought I had made is wrong.

Oh, so many issues! LOL

Thanks a lot for any help! I am in desperate mode now!

Justine

**OldGrayGary** · 08-22-2006, 05:40 PM

Hi again

To run an over-the-top, you'll need a bootable diskette or CD, and the Windows 98 installation files either on your hard drive or CD.

I'm going to assume that you don't have any Recovery Disk sets around anymore, and perhaps don't have a Windows 98 CD either. You might, however, have your Windows installation files saved onto the hard drive at the factory. Boot into Safe Mode again, and check to see if this is the case. In Windows Explorer, visit the Windows folder - many manufacturers saved the Windows installation .cab files to this location --> C:\Windows\Options\Cabs ... sometimes C:\Windows\Options\Cabs\Win98. The installation files will have the .cab extension (not .dll, .vxd, .ocx, .exe, .sys, .txt. etc....) and should be fairly large - an there should be quite a few (a couple dozen, but it's been a while since I've looked at them, so I can't remember the exact number). If you have the .cab files on your hard drive, great - use those for the over-the-top reinstall.

If you don't have the .cab files on your hard drive, see if someone has a Win98 CD you can borrow to repair your laptop (Win98se is the version I recommend). Save your original product key beforehand [it's stored in your Toshiba's Registry = boot into Safe Mode, and in Start/run box, type "regedit" (without the quotes) to open your Registry. Click on the plus (+) sign to view keys. You'll go to HKEY_Local_Machine/Software/Microsoft/Windows/Current Version ... Click on "Current Version" to see the key list. Look for the key "ProductID" - it will have a five-sets-of-five characters license number xxxxx-xxxxx-xxxxx-xxxxx-xxxxx = that is your original, legally licensed product key - write it down & don't lose it. You may or may not need the license during the reinstall, but it's best to have it handy if prompted for it.

If you've borrowed a Win98/98se CD to use, you can boot from that "start computer with CD-rom support" to start your over-the-top.

If you will be using the .cab files on your hard drive, you will need a bootable diskette to start the installation. On a computer with a working floppy drive, visit http://www.bootdisk.com, and download a bootdisk that matches the version of Windows you have on the Toshiba (you can use the "No Ram Disk" versions). The download creates a bootable diskette - so place a blank diskette in the floppy drive, and the bootdisk.com download will write the necessary files onto the diskette. You'll boot the Toshiba from that. If the Toshiba doesn't boot from the diskette, you'll have to enter the Bios Setup and set the floppy as the first drive in the boot list.

Then follow the instructions for the over-the-top link from my first reply. [You'll be renaming win.com, and starting setup]. Pay attention to the details (you need to be unplugged from networks, printers, cameras, scanners, PDAs, etc. - and you need to make sure any Bios Antivirus protection is temporarily disabled during the reinstall).

***Stay disconnected from any networks or the Internet until you have your firewall, antivirus, and antispyware installed and running.*** (or you'll be doing this again soon)

An over-the-top can fail to succeed if virus infections are present, or if hardware failure is the underlying cause of the trouble. So, if it fails, you may have to check your hardware - and scan the drive [it could involve removing it and scanning it from another computer -or using a bootable CD (such as the Ultimate Boot CD) that has been created with an antivirus scanner and current virus definitions on it] .. but we'll get to that if necessary.

See if this gets the Toshiba going again
. . . Gary

pokersk8trshark · 08-22-2006, 05:57 PM

Thank you very much for all the info. I am going to work on that tonight and will post my results.

Thanks again!

pokersk8trshark · 09-27-2006, 05:56 PM

Hello,
Unfortunately, none of this worked. I have been trying for over a month now.

If anyone has any ideas, I would so appreciate it. I can't buy a new laptop and I am in a critical point now. :3crying:

Much thanks!!

**OldGrayGary** · 09-28-2006, 03:37 AM

Hi again

Were you ever able to run any diagnostics at all? If you weren't able to get the Toshiba diagnostics to run, I suppose you could try some generic diagnostics. The Ultimate Boot Cd (the Linux-based version) creates a DOS-floppy-diskette emulator, and can run diagnostics from that - since it would make sense to see if there isn't a hardware problem complicating things http://www.ultimatebootcd.com/

You could also see if the system will boot & run from any versions of the CD-based distribution called "Knoppix". If it does boot from that (which it will do very slowly, since it runs entirely from the system memory & the CD-drive), then you might be able to get online with the FireFox included in most Knoppix CDs (most do a fairly decent job of detecting the networking chip on modern motherboards - and provide a working driver). http://www.knoppix.org/ (if the webpage displays in German, click on the US/British flag icon to read it in English - several other languages are available as well).

Were you able to discover if you had the .cab files on the hard drive? Or did you find anyone willing to let you borrow their Win98 CD so you could reinstall? (not a Recovery Disk, though! - a genuine Win98 installation Cd -- and not an OEM version that's bound to a particular company's motherboard [Dell CDs tend to feature locked versions in this manner] . . . )

Since you tried a different OS along the way, it's possible that the MBR is a bit off as far as Windows 98 is concerned. Booting from a Windows 98 installation Cd "start computer with cd-rom support", and running the command "fdisk /mbr" [without the quotes] can sometimes help by restoring a workable Win98 MBR.

See if any of that helps
. . . Gary

pokersk8trshark · 09-28-2006, 01:05 PM

Hi and thanks for the quick reply. I will go through your questions so you can kind of see where I am coming from.

Were you ever able to run any diagnostics at all? Yes If you weren't able to get the Toshiba diagnostics to run (no, this would not work. It would only go to "starting windows98...and then hang there), I suppose you could try some generic diagnostics. The Ultimate Boot Cd (the Linux-based version) creates a DOS-floppy-diskette emulator, and can run diagnostics from that - since it would make sense to see if there isn't a hardware problem complicating things http://www.ultimatebootcd.com/ ( I tried this and there were no hardware problems at all)

You could also see if the system will boot & run from any versions of the CD-based distribution called "Knoppix". If it does boot from that (which it will do very slowly, since it runs entirely from the system memory & the CD-drive), then you might be able to get online with the FireFox included in most Knoppix CDs (most do a fairly decent job of detecting the networking chip on modern motherboards - and provide a working driver). http://www.knoppix.org/ (if the webpage displays in German, click on the US/British flag icon to read it in English - several other languages are available as well). I tried this but could not get online at all. I am still only able to boot in safe mode.

Were you able to discover if you had the .cab files on the hard drive? (Yes, I have .cab files on my hard drive, but not sure what I should do with those. They are there though)

Or did you find anyone willing to let you borrow their Win98 CD so you could reinstall? (No one I know has the Win98CD. I found all of my original documentation and the only thing that came with my laptop was the Toshiba Companion Diskette and a Microsoft Windows 98 Book that has my Product Key printed at the bottom. Does not have a CD of the OS though.)

Can I get a bootdisk that is not a floppy drive? I do not have access to a floppy drive at all.

Thanks again for taking the time to help me!

**OldGrayGary** · 09-29-2006, 02:16 PM

Hi again

Your next assignment:

[first disconnect any network cables, disable wireless, disconnect printers, cameras, PDAs, external modems, -- just leave mouse, keyboard, & monitor attached -- and make sure that any Bios Protection Antivirus in the Bios Setup screens is set to disabled while installing/reinstalling Windows - then re-enable it after]

1) Boot into Safe Mode
2) Use Windows Explorer & browse to the location you found .cab files in. [Might be in C:\Windows\Options\Cabs, or something similiar... if you go to the "Tools" item on your Explorer toolbar, you can choose "Find - Files or Folders" and search your entire hard drive for "*.cab" files]
3) If the full set of Win98 .cabs are in there, you should see .cab files with names like these: BASE4.cab-BASE6.cab, CATALOG3.cab, DRIVER11.cab-DRIVER20.cab, MINI.cab, NET7.cab-NET10.cab, PRECOPY1.cab-PRECOPY2.cab, Win9821.cab-Win9874.cab [in other words, about 175mb of .cab files] -

- if you don't have the full set, you're going to need to borrow a matching-version CD for your repair [you'll still keep your original product key in use, you'll just be using the borrowed CD as a repair tool].

4) If you have the .cab files, from the Startup menu that you've been choosing Safe Mode from, instead choose "Command Prompt only".
5) From the command prompt, type "cd \Windows" without the quotes.
6) From the command prompt, type "rename win.com win.old" without the quotes.
7) From the command prompt, type "cd \Windows\Options\Cabs" [or whatever other location your full set of Win98 .cab files resides in] without the quotes.
8) From the command prompt, type "Setup" without the quotes.
9) Windows 98 Setup should start. During Setup, Windows will ask where you want to install the system files, and will offer a location such as "C:\Windows.000"... DO NOT install to that location. Instead, choose the option "Other" and type in "C:\Windows" (or whatever location your original Windows folder lives in) -- this will allow you to do an "over-the-top", which should preserve all your personal files and programs in-place. If all goes well.
10. Don't reconnect to the Internet until you have your firewall, antivirus, and antispyware programs running.

You'll have to catch up on Windows Updates - if anyone you know has the "Windows Security Update CD - February 2004" disk around, you can use that right away, and save a LOT of time -- otherwise you'll be spending several hours catching up on all the patches since 1999 (when Win98se came out). I believe there is a link here in the Win98 forum to another CD that a friend with broadband could download for you, that contains even more of the updates -- Ah here it is, it's called the "Unofficial Service Pack 2.1a" at Major Geeks http://www.majorgeeks.com/download4131.html

I'll assume you are using dial-up to connect to the Internet? Otherwise the Knoppix disk should have allowed you to go online via your Ethernet cable. I believe Knoppix also has dial-up modem tools included in it's wide variety of tools, I just haven't had to try them yet - they might require a bit of time to get started with (especially if you've never setup a modem in Linux).

Best of luck
. . . Gary

[should you have trouble during any of this that you suspect might be due to malware infection, you might have to pull the hard drive & clean it using another computer -- an external USB housing is the easiest way]

Harvey E. Smith · 10-01-2006, 08:06 PM

thanks for the "over the top" installation instructions, i might be able to use the method to assist in restoring a factory orignal windows 98 se system to my compaq computer, which also only operates in safe mode.

one day i will discover a backup program that makes a virtual image of your entire hard drive (taken at that exact moment in time) and allow you to restore that exact image. all this via the USB port to an external hard drive, and also to a special partition in the C; drive.

if you are aware of any "mirroring" software that is not overhead intensive, it would be nice to know. Symantec has a product called "Ghost" but I am not sure if it makes a bootable image that can be placed upon the defective image. if you think about it, you would need an operating version of WIN98SE to run the computer while you copied over the files you were using to run the computer.

perhaps an impossible task.

any suggestions would be appreciated. the MS "backup" command will only move 6.2 gigs or some other certain number, before it quits.

oh well....

Harv Smith

Geekgirl · 10-02-2006, 04:20 AM

Acronis True Image is my choice of backup software

Harvey E. Smith · 10-02-2006, 12:25 PM

thank you Geek Girl: i agree with your advice, sadly these folks wish for you to download the program (for me this would be at 14.4), and their only option on their web page to contact themselves is info@acronis.com and it comes back via MailerDeamon reporting "can not deliver mail"

I really do wish to purchase this item as a CD, (it won't then die when the HD dies, and it will take a week or two to download it at 14.4)

i HAD AN INTERESTING dialogue with their "live support" technician, and noticed that it kept respondiing saying "did I wish to place an order". regardless of the question I posed, the final question by me was "am i speaking to a computer" the answer was "confirmed" no other words came back to me, sort of thought I would get the previously repeated "did i wish to place an order"

so, if you have any info that could help, please pass it along. you may respond to my email address just as i now receive notice to your response being posted.

thank you for the help.

**OldGrayGary** · 10-03-2006, 02:59 AM

Hi again all

pokersk8tshark - any luck with the repairs?

Harvey - some of the techs over in the hardware forums (hard drives, especially) have mentioned a free-for-personal-use tool called XXClone. This might have enough features for the job you're thinking of. I haven't tried the program myself yet - I was hoping to get to it last week, but have been swamped & haven't had the chance yet. Their main webpage is easy to find --- http://www.xxclone.com/

I believe there is an XXClone "plug-in" available for the "BartPE" CD/DVD (a bootable Windows XP Pre-Install Environment) --- http://www.nu2.nu/pebuilder/ Nice tools - the Bart's PE version of the "Ultimate Boot CD" [called UBCD4Win, naturally enough] website seems to be down at the moment, but here's the link, in case it's working again soon --- http://www.ubcd4win.com/

The Acronis product (that GeekGirl mentioned) and Norton/Symantec's Ghost are the top retail products in the field.

Best of luck
. . . Gary

08-20-2006, 05:42 PM	#1 (permalink)
pokersk8trshark Registered User Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Los Angeles, CA Posts: 6 OS: Win98 & WinXP	Microsoft Registry Checker at Startup Hello Everyone, I'm not sure if anyone can help me with this, I've been researching for several months and have come up with zilch, but I thought I'd give this a shot. Whenever I turn on my computer (Toshiba Laptop 2535CDS) Win98SE I automatically get a screen that says running Microsoft Registry Checker. It gets past the first screen and then to the Repairing C: WINDOWS\system.dat blue screen and nothing. It will not load windows and freezes there. I have gone into safe mode and disabled the option at startup, I have lowered the memory to 16mb. I have gone into the prompt and tried to do the smartdrv, but nothing. I get the Himem.sys is not loaded. Check the Config.sys file for a device=himem.sys. I tried loading directly from the disc that came with the laptop, but it does nothing. I made a WIN98 boot disk and that did not work either. I even tried installing a new OS and it wouldn’t let me. I tried the instructions from the Microsoft Knowledge Database and that didn’t work either. I am really at my wits end here. I know that the obvious is that I should buy a new laptop, but that isn’t an option for me right now. Anyway, I would REALLY appreciate any help with this. Thanks a lot!

09-28-2006, 03:37 AM	#7 (permalink)
OldGrayGary Mentor, Microsoft Support Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Woodland Hills, CA Posts: 2,233 OS: Windows 98se/2000/XP/Vista	Hi again Were you ever able to run any diagnostics at all? If you weren't able to get the Toshiba diagnostics to run, I suppose you could try some generic diagnostics. The Ultimate Boot Cd (the Linux-based version) creates a DOS-floppy-diskette emulator, and can run diagnostics from that - since it would make sense to see if there isn't a hardware problem complicating things http://www.ultimatebootcd.com/ You could also see if the system will boot & run from any versions of the CD-based distribution called "Knoppix". If it does boot from that (which it will do very slowly, since it runs entirely from the system memory & the CD-drive), then you might be able to get online with the FireFox included in most Knoppix CDs (most do a fairly decent job of detecting the networking chip on modern motherboards - and provide a working driver). http://www.knoppix.org/ (if the webpage displays in German, click on the US/British flag icon to read it in English - several other languages are available as well). Were you able to discover if you had the .cab files on the hard drive? Or did you find anyone willing to let you borrow their Win98 CD so you could reinstall? (not a Recovery Disk, though! - a genuine Win98 installation Cd -- and not an OEM version that's bound to a particular company's motherboard [Dell CDs tend to feature locked versions in this manner] . . . ) Since you tried a different OS along the way, it's possible that the MBR is a bit off as far as Windows 98 is concerned. Booting from a Windows 98 installation Cd "start computer with cd-rom support", and running the command "fdisk /mbr" [without the quotes] can sometimes help by restoring a workable Win98 MBR. See if any of that helps . . . Gary __________________

09-29-2006, 02:16 PM	#9 (permalink)
OldGrayGary Mentor, Microsoft Support Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Woodland Hills, CA Posts: 2,233 OS: Windows 98se/2000/XP/Vista	Hi again Your next assignment: [first disconnect any network cables, disable wireless, disconnect printers, cameras, PDAs, external modems, -- just leave mouse, keyboard, & monitor attached -- and make sure that any Bios Protection Antivirus in the Bios Setup screens is set to disabled while installing/reinstalling Windows - then re-enable it after] 1) Boot into Safe Mode 2) Use Windows Explorer & browse to the location you found .cab files in. [Might be in C:\Windows\Options\Cabs, or something similiar... if you go to the "Tools" item on your Explorer toolbar, you can choose "Find - Files or Folders" and search your entire hard drive for "*.cab" files] 3) If the full set of Win98 .cabs are in there, you should see .cab files with names like these: BASE4.cab-BASE6.cab, CATALOG3.cab, DRIVER11.cab-DRIVER20.cab, MINI.cab, NET7.cab-NET10.cab, PRECOPY1.cab-PRECOPY2.cab, Win9821.cab-Win9874.cab [in other words, about 175mb of .cab files] - - if you don't have the full set, you're going to need to borrow a matching-version CD for your repair [you'll still keep your original product key in use, you'll just be using the borrowed CD as a repair tool]. 4) If you have the .cab files, from the Startup menu that you've been choosing Safe Mode from, instead choose "Command Prompt only". 5) From the command prompt, type "cd \Windows" without the quotes. 6) From the command prompt, type "rename win.com win.old" without the quotes. 7) From the command prompt, type "cd \Windows\Options\Cabs" [or whatever other location your full set of Win98 .cab files resides in] without the quotes. 8) From the command prompt, type "Setup" without the quotes. 9) Windows 98 Setup should start. During Setup, Windows will ask where you want to install the system files, and will offer a location such as "C:\Windows.000"... DO NOT install to that location. Instead, choose the option "Other" and type in "C:\Windows" (or whatever location your original Windows folder lives in) -- this will allow you to do an "over-the-top", which should preserve all your personal files and programs in-place. If all goes well. 10. Don't reconnect to the Internet until you have your firewall, antivirus, and antispyware programs running. You'll have to catch up on Windows Updates - if anyone you know has the "Windows Security Update CD - February 2004" disk around, you can use that right away, and save a LOT of time -- otherwise you'll be spending several hours catching up on all the patches since 1999 (when Win98se came out). I believe there is a link here in the Win98 forum to another CD that a friend with broadband could download for you, that contains even more of the updates -- Ah here it is, it's called the "Unofficial Service Pack 2.1a" at Major Geeks http://www.majorgeeks.com/download4131.html I'll assume you are using dial-up to connect to the Internet? Otherwise the Knoppix disk should have allowed you to go online via your Ethernet cable. I believe Knoppix also has dial-up modem tools included in it's wide variety of tools, I just haven't had to try them yet - they might require a bit of time to get started with (especially if you've never setup a modem in Linux). Best of luck . . . Gary [should you have trouble during any of this that you suspect might be due to malware infection, you might have to pull the hard drive & clean it using another computer -- an external USB housing is the easiest way] __________________

10-02-2006, 04:20 AM	#11 (permalink)
Geekgirl Assistant Manager, Microsoft Support Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Six-burgh, Pennsylvania Posts: 14,118 OS: 98SE/WinXP Home/WinXP Pro/Vista/Windows 7	Acronis True Image is my choice of backup software __________________ Compare NOD32 to your current antivirus and anti-spyware solution, HERE How to back up and restore the registry in Windows XP and Windows Vista Or Windows 7 How to back up and restore the registry in Windows 98/ ME / NT 4.0 / 2000 I DO NOT ACCEPT EMAILS AND WILL NOT REPLY TO THEM !!!!! TSF DOES NOT SUPPORT ASSISTANCE THROUGH EMAIL OR PRIVATE MESSAGES, PLEASE KEEP ALL QUESTIONS IN THE OPEN FORUM *The Pittsburgh Steelers - 6 X Superbowl Champions !!!!!!!* *The Pittsburgh Penguins - 2009 Stanley Cup Champions !!!!!!!*

10-03-2006, 02:59 AM	#13 (permalink)
OldGrayGary Mentor, Microsoft Support Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Woodland Hills, CA Posts: 2,233 OS: Windows 98se/2000/XP/Vista	Hi again all pokersk8tshark - any luck with the repairs? Harvey - some of the techs over in the hardware forums (hard drives, especially) have mentioned a free-for-personal-use tool called XXClone. This might have enough features for the job you're thinking of. I haven't tried the program myself yet - I was hoping to get to it last week, but have been swamped & haven't had the chance yet. Their main webpage is easy to find --- http://www.xxclone.com/ I believe there is an XXClone "plug-in" available for the "BartPE" CD/DVD (a bootable Windows XP Pre-Install Environment) --- http://www.nu2.nu/pebuilder/ Nice tools - the Bart's PE version of the "Ultimate Boot CD" [called UBCD4Win, naturally enough] website seems to be down at the moment, but here's the link, in case it's working again soon --- http://www.ubcd4win.com/ The Acronis product (that GeekGirl mentioned) and Norton/Symantec's Ghost are the top retail products in the field. Best of luck . . . Gary __________________

08-22-2006, 03:02 AM	#2 (permalink)
OldGrayGary Mentor, Microsoft Support Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Woodland Hills, CA Posts: 2,233 OS: Windows 98se/2000/XP/Vista	Hi pokersk8trshark You might have some success with an over-the-top reinstallation, if the hardware is still OK. [You could test the hardware, to make sure that you aren't wasting time with software fixes for hardware problems - test the memory ( http://www.memtest.org ), and the harddrive ( http://www.tacktech.com/display.cfm?ttid=287 ) ] That model originally came with diskette-based diagnostics . . . if you still have them around somewhere, they can test several more components. Here's a guide for over-the-top reinstallation of Win9x/Me http://forum.pcmech.com/showthread.php?t=70846 An over-the-top should help rebuild the Registry to a workable state. And it does rather seem that a broken Registry is involved - though whether it's the only problem is a good question, too. Scan for malware as part of your system restoration. Best of luck . . . Gary

08-22-2006, 11:41 AM	#3 (permalink)
pokersk8trshark Registered User Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Los Angeles, CA Posts: 6 OS: Win98 & WinXP	Hi Gary, Thanks for replying to my issue. I am unable to get online with my laptop. The only way to get to my desktop is to enter it via Safe Mode and SM won't let me online. Is there a way to work around that? The disk I have is called the Toshiba Companion Diskette and when I load it, it only takes me to the BIOS screen. Also, when I am in SM, it won't recognize my CD or Floppy drive. I do not have a floppy drive on the computer I am using right now so I don't know how to make a new boot disk for Win98. The one I thought I had made is wrong. Oh, so many issues! LOL Thanks a lot for any help! I am in desperate mode now! Justine

08-22-2006, 05:40 PM	#4 (permalink)
OldGrayGary Mentor, Microsoft Support Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Woodland Hills, CA Posts: 2,233 OS: Windows 98se/2000/XP/Vista	Hi again To run an over-the-top, you'll need a bootable diskette or CD, and the Windows 98 installation files either on your hard drive or CD. I'm going to assume that you don't have any Recovery Disk sets around anymore, and perhaps don't have a Windows 98 CD either. You might, however, have your Windows installation files saved onto the hard drive at the factory. Boot into Safe Mode again, and check to see if this is the case. In Windows Explorer, visit the Windows folder - many manufacturers saved the Windows installation .cab files to this location --> C:\Windows\Options\Cabs ... sometimes C:\Windows\Options\Cabs\Win98. The installation files will have the .cab extension (not .dll, .vxd, .ocx, .exe, .sys, .txt. etc....) and should be fairly large - an there should be quite a few (a couple dozen, but it's been a while since I've looked at them, so I can't remember the exact number). If you have the .cab files on your hard drive, great - use those for the over-the-top reinstall. If you don't have the .cab files on your hard drive, see if someone has a Win98 CD you can borrow to repair your laptop (Win98se is the version I recommend). Save your original product key beforehand [it's stored in your Toshiba's Registry = boot into Safe Mode, and in Start/run box, type "regedit" (without the quotes) to open your Registry. Click on the plus (+) sign to view keys. You'll go to HKEY_Local_Machine/Software/Microsoft/Windows/Current Version ... Click on "Current Version" to see the key list. Look for the key "ProductID" - it will have a five-sets-of-five characters license number xxxxx-xxxxx-xxxxx-xxxxx-xxxxx = that is your original, legally licensed product key - write it down & don't lose it. You may or may not need the license during the reinstall, but it's best to have it handy if prompted for it. If you've borrowed a Win98/98se CD to use, you can boot from that "start computer with CD-rom support" to start your over-the-top. If you will be using the .cab files on your hard drive, you will need a bootable diskette to start the installation. On a computer with a working floppy drive, visit http://www.bootdisk.com, and download a bootdisk that matches the version of Windows you have on the Toshiba (you can use the "No Ram Disk" versions). The download creates a bootable diskette - so place a blank diskette in the floppy drive, and the bootdisk.com download will write the necessary files onto the diskette. You'll boot the Toshiba from that. If the Toshiba doesn't boot from the diskette, you'll have to enter the Bios Setup and set the floppy as the first drive in the boot list. Then follow the instructions for the over-the-top link from my first reply. [You'll be renaming win.com, and starting setup]. Pay attention to the details (you need to be unplugged from networks, printers, cameras, scanners, PDAs, etc. - and you need to make sure any Bios Antivirus protection is temporarily disabled during the reinstall). *Stay disconnected from any networks or the Internet until you have your firewall, antivirus, and antispyware installed and running.* (or you'll be doing this again soon) An over-the-top can fail to succeed if virus infections are present, or if hardware failure is the underlying cause of the trouble. So, if it fails, you may have to check your hardware - and scan the drive [it could involve removing it and scanning it from another computer -or using a bootable CD (such as the Ultimate Boot CD) that has been created with an antivirus scanner and current virus definitions on it] .. but we'll get to that if necessary. See if this gets the Toshiba going again . . . Gary

08-22-2006, 05:57 PM	#5 (permalink)
pokersk8trshark Registered User Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Los Angeles, CA Posts: 6 OS: Win98 & WinXP	Thank you very much for all the info. I am going to work on that tonight and will post my results. Thanks again!

09-27-2006, 05:56 PM	#6 (permalink)
pokersk8trshark Registered User Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Los Angeles, CA Posts: 6 OS: Win98 & WinXP	Hello, Unfortunately, none of this worked. I have been trying for over a month now. If anyone has any ideas, I would so appreciate it. I can't buy a new laptop and I am in a critical point now. :3crying: Much thanks!!

09-28-2006, 01:05 PM	#8 (permalink)
pokersk8trshark Registered User Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Los Angeles, CA Posts: 6 OS: Win98 & WinXP	Hi and thanks for the quick reply. I will go through your questions so you can kind of see where I am coming from. Were you ever able to run any diagnostics at all? Yes If you weren't able to get the Toshiba diagnostics to run (no, this would not work. It would only go to "starting windows98...and then hang there), I suppose you could try some generic diagnostics. The Ultimate Boot Cd (the Linux-based version) creates a DOS-floppy-diskette emulator, and can run diagnostics from that - since it would make sense to see if there isn't a hardware problem complicating things http://www.ultimatebootcd.com/ ( I tried this and there were no hardware problems at all) You could also see if the system will boot & run from any versions of the CD-based distribution called "Knoppix". If it does boot from that (which it will do very slowly, since it runs entirely from the system memory & the CD-drive), then you might be able to get online with the FireFox included in most Knoppix CDs (most do a fairly decent job of detecting the networking chip on modern motherboards - and provide a working driver). http://www.knoppix.org/ (if the webpage displays in German, click on the US/British flag icon to read it in English - several other languages are available as well). I tried this but could not get online at all. I am still only able to boot in safe mode. Were you able to discover if you had the .cab files on the hard drive? (Yes, I have .cab files on my hard drive, but not sure what I should do with those. They are there though) Or did you find anyone willing to let you borrow their Win98 CD so you could reinstall? (No one I know has the Win98CD. I found all of my original documentation and the only thing that came with my laptop was the Toshiba Companion Diskette and a Microsoft Windows 98 Book that has my Product Key printed at the bottom. Does not have a CD of the OS though.) Can I get a bootdisk that is not a floppy drive? I do not have access to a floppy drive at all. Thanks again for taking the time to help me!

10-01-2006, 08:06 PM	#10 (permalink)
Harvey E. Smith Registered User Join Date: Oct 2006 Posts: 6 OS: DOS/Win98SE	thanks for the "over the top" installation instructions, i might be able to use the method to assist in restoring a factory orignal windows 98 se system to my compaq computer, which also only operates in safe mode. one day i will discover a backup program that makes a virtual image of your entire hard drive (taken at that exact moment in time) and allow you to restore that exact image. all this via the USB port to an external hard drive, and also to a special partition in the C; drive. if you are aware of any "mirroring" software that is not overhead intensive, it would be nice to know. Symantec has a product called "Ghost" but I am not sure if it makes a bootable image that can be placed upon the defective image. if you think about it, you would need an operating version of WIN98SE to run the computer while you copied over the files you were using to run the computer. perhaps an impossible task. any suggestions would be appreciated. the MS "backup" command will only move 6.2 gigs or some other certain number, before it quits. oh well.... Harv Smith

10-02-2006, 12:25 PM	#12 (permalink)
Harvey E. Smith Registered User Join Date: Oct 2006 Posts: 6 OS: DOS/Win98SE	thank you Geek Girl: i agree with your advice, sadly these folks wish for you to download the program (for me this would be at 14.4), and their only option on their web page to contact themselves is info@acronis.com and it comes back via MailerDeamon reporting "can not deliver mail" I really do wish to purchase this item as a CD, (it won't then die when the HD dies, and it will take a week or two to download it at 14.4) i HAD AN INTERESTING dialogue with their "live support" technician, and noticed that it kept respondiing saying "did I wish to place an order". regardless of the question I posed, the final question by me was "am i speaking to a computer" the answer was "confirmed" no other words came back to me, sort of thought I would get the previously repeated "did i wish to place an order" so, if you have any info that could help, please pass it along. you may respond to my email address just as i now receive notice to your response being posted. thank you for the help.