problems with a very outdated win98 machine

**norin** · 01-11-2005, 07:26 PM

ok let me say... this machine is one of the worst ui have offered to tend to. my friend has a machine with win98SE i believe and there are many issues i see with this issue.

1. the keyboard [that must be used is ps/2] the thing with the keyboard is that the peripheral is 2x the size of that of a normal modern ps/2 keybardn or mouse peripheral.

2. there is no mouse ps/2 mouse port i have to use a ps/2-serial converter and even now the system won't recognize the mouse. although my friend uses a childrens winnie the poo mouse and it seems to work fine thru the serial converter.

3. the keyboard has no windows key. i am assuming this computer used to be a refurbished unix box or other workstation type thing in the early 90's but i can still access the start button by hitting ctrl-esc. i have to use ctrl esc due to the mouse not working.

4. the screensavers no longer work. i have had to disable them becuz when they popup there is a run32.dll error and if you click close the computer shuts off. this is no big problem really. but it still remains as an issue.

5. the HDD [not sure how big it is] is in doublesspace mode. for me to upgrade to win200 pro i need to decompress the drive. how can i go about doing that?

6. the CDROM occasionally opens randomly and then shuts automatically then repeats. this may be one of those prank programs or even a virus. i have searched using norton and have found nothing.

7. the BIOS is very old too. no where can you set the boot sequence to include the CDROM as an optionm only A, and C which upsets me greatly.

i believe i may be able to solve #5 by creating a boot disk and then using Fdisk and format.com but i am not sure if that will work.

any help would be appreciated!

**kodi** · 01-11-2005, 10:51 PM

HI, By reading your post IMHO i don't think this computer will take Win2000, Why not leave 98se on it ,it's a stable OS that was designed for this vintage machine. I'll try to answer some of your questions
1. The keyboard is pre PS2 i think the fitting was called PS1 if it works why worry what connection is on it.
2. What's wrong with a Winnie the poo Mouse (lets face it not everybody has one) again if it works use it till you get things running right then mess around changing it.
3. My keyboard has a Windows key and I have never used it , I grew up in the era when there was no such thing.
4.5. & 6. A reinstall of win98se over the old one might fix this.or If you want to Format and fresh install useing a boot disk
7. set the BIOS to floppy then HDD and use a floppy to boot
Hope this helps ,please let us know

**norin** · 01-12-2005, 08:26 AM

well yes that was my original thought was to do a fresh instal. the only problem is if i can't use the mouse that i have now [i do not have access to the winnie the pooh mouse] then how am i to make more efficient use of the fresh install? i can do almost everything i can with the mosue by using the keyboard.

and yes i barely use the windows key either. because i have the mouse available... but when the mouse is seemingly not present it is a huge help.

now when i put in a windows98 cdrom nothing pops up so what i do is this:

1 ctrl-esc
2 highligh run...
3 type: D:\
4 use the arrow keys to highlight setup.exe and hit enter

then i get the error message that says my windows already has upgraded files and an install is not nessessary.

the problem is. yes i want to format the disk and kill all of windows my friend does not care about anything on the computer basically as long as it works. but if i format and fdisk it then how am i to install again? can i make install diskettes like you would in win95 or win2000? if so how can i go about this? thanks again.

**kodi** · 01-12-2005, 12:25 PM

You can download a bootdisk HERE See if that can help.

**kodi** · 01-12-2005, 01:42 PM

Not positive but i think that a serial /ps2 connecter will only work on a basic 2 button mouse.

Prophet · 01-12-2005, 05:24 PM

Ok here's the deal. you need a floppy boot disk. if you are not familiar with the fdisk tool then do a google search on it and print it out or have access to it while formating and reinstalling windows. no mouse no problem when reinstalling just use the tab keys and the enter button. also be aware the windows gives you quick keys. for instance if the prompt is "accept" and the a is underlined then alt-a will automatically jump you there. if c is underlined then alt-c is the prompt. after install is complete you may need a mouse. If worse comes to worse call your local mom and pop comp repair shop the probably have a box or two of serial mouses and will loan, give, or sell one to you for cheap.

**norin** · 01-12-2005, 09:39 PM

thank you guys for the help. i forgot about bootdisk.com. i will get right on that...

01-11-2005, 07:26 PM	#1 (permalink)
norin TSF Veteran Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: L-Town, Maine Posts: 1,748 OS: WinXP Pro SP3 My System	problems with a very outdated win98 machine ok let me say... this machine is one of the worst ui have offered to tend to. my friend has a machine with win98SE i believe and there are many issues i see with this issue. 1. the keyboard [that must be used is ps/2] the thing with the keyboard is that the peripheral is 2x the size of that of a normal modern ps/2 keybardn or mouse peripheral. 2. there is no mouse ps/2 mouse port i have to use a ps/2-serial converter and even now the system won't recognize the mouse. although my friend uses a childrens winnie the poo mouse and it seems to work fine thru the serial converter. 3. the keyboard has no windows key. i am assuming this computer used to be a refurbished unix box or other workstation type thing in the early 90's but i can still access the start button by hitting ctrl-esc. i have to use ctrl esc due to the mouse not working. 4. the screensavers no longer work. i have had to disable them becuz when they popup there is a run32.dll error and if you click close the computer shuts off. this is no big problem really. but it still remains as an issue. 5. the HDD [not sure how big it is] is in doublesspace mode. for me to upgrade to win200 pro i need to decompress the drive. how can i go about doing that? 6. the CDROM occasionally opens randomly and then shuts automatically then repeats. this may be one of those prank programs or even a virus. i have searched using norton and have found nothing. 7. the BIOS is very old too. no where can you set the boot sequence to include the CDROM as an optionm only A, and C which upsets me greatly. i believe i may be able to solve #5 by creating a boot disk and then using Fdisk and format.com but i am not sure if that will work. any help would be appreciated! __________________

01-11-2005, 10:51 PM	#2 (permalink)
kodi Moderator Hardware Team Join Date: Jun 2004 Location: Sydney Australia Posts: 7,407 OS: Windows 7-Ultimate 64 Bit My System	HI, By reading your post IMHO i don't think this computer will take Win2000, Why not leave 98se on it ,it's a stable OS that was designed for this vintage machine. I'll try to answer some of your questions 1. The keyboard is pre PS2 i think the fitting was called PS1 if it works why worry what connection is on it. 2. What's wrong with a Winnie the poo Mouse (lets face it not everybody has one) again if it works use it till you get things running right then mess around changing it. 3. My keyboard has a Windows key and I have never used it , I grew up in the era when there was no such thing. 4.5. & 6. A reinstall of win98se over the old one might fix this.or If you want to Format and fresh install useing a boot disk 7. set the BIOS to floppy then HDD and use a floppy to boot Hope this helps ,please let us know __________________ Brian Last edited by kodi; 01-11-2005 at 10:52 PM.

01-12-2005, 08:26 AM	#3 (permalink)
norin TSF Veteran Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: L-Town, Maine Posts: 1,748 OS: WinXP Pro SP3 My System	well yes that was my original thought was to do a fresh instal. the only problem is if i can't use the mouse that i have now [i do not have access to the winnie the pooh mouse] then how am i to make more efficient use of the fresh install? i can do almost everything i can with the mosue by using the keyboard. and yes i barely use the windows key either. because i have the mouse available... but when the mouse is seemingly not present it is a huge help. now when i put in a windows98 cdrom nothing pops up so what i do is this: 1 ctrl-esc 2 highligh run... 3 type: D:\ 4 use the arrow keys to highlight setup.exe and hit enter then i get the error message that says my windows already has upgraded files and an install is not nessessary. the problem is. yes i want to format the disk and kill all of windows my friend does not care about anything on the computer basically as long as it works. but if i format and fdisk it then how am i to install again? can i make install diskettes like you would in win95 or win2000? if so how can i go about this? thanks again. __________________

01-12-2005, 12:25 PM	#4 (permalink)
kodi Moderator Hardware Team Join Date: Jun 2004 Location: Sydney Australia Posts: 7,407 OS: Windows 7-Ultimate 64 Bit My System	You can download a bootdisk HERE See if that can help. __________________ Brian

01-12-2005, 01:42 PM	#5 (permalink)
kodi Moderator Hardware Team Join Date: Jun 2004 Location: Sydney Australia Posts: 7,407 OS: Windows 7-Ultimate 64 Bit My System	Not positive but i think that a serial /ps2 connecter will only work on a basic 2 button mouse. __________________ Brian

01-12-2005, 05:24 PM	#6 (permalink)
Prophet Registered User Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Illinois, USA Posts: 145 OS: win xp pro	Ok here's the deal. you need a floppy boot disk. if you are not familiar with the fdisk tool then do a google search on it and print it out or have access to it while formating and reinstalling windows. no mouse no problem when reinstalling just use the tab keys and the enter button. also be aware the windows gives you quick keys. for instance if the prompt is "accept" and the a is underlined then alt-a will automatically jump you there. if c is underlined then alt-c is the prompt. after install is complete you may need a mouse. If worse comes to worse call your local mom and pop comp repair shop the probably have a box or two of serial mouses and will loan, give, or sell one to you for cheap.

01-12-2005, 09:39 PM	#7 (permalink)
norin TSF Veteran Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: L-Town, Maine Posts: 1,748 OS: WinXP Pro SP3 My System	thank you guys for the help. i forgot about bootdisk.com. i will get right on that... __________________