If you mean turning it off the "wrong way" as hitting the power button, then yes, that will surely cause Win98 to boot up in Safe Mode the next time you power it on. Try this:
While your PC is booting through it's POST, start hitting the F8 key about once per second. Eventually it should come up to the Windows boot menu. Choose Option 1: Normal Mode.
But these freezes need to be addressed. Does the entire PC lockup? Can you move the mouse? Can you Alt+Tab or hit Ctrl+Esc to bring up the Start Menu? Does the PC make any kind of noise, particularly a "ticking" noise when tapping keys or moving the mouse? Any artifacts on the screen such as lines or garbled icons?
While your PC is booting through it's POST, start hitting the F8 key about once per second. Eventually it should come up to the Windows boot menu. Choose Option 1: Normal Mode.
But these freezes need to be addressed. Does the entire PC lockup? Can you move the mouse? Can you Alt+Tab or hit Ctrl+Esc to bring up the Start Menu? Does the PC make any kind of noise, particularly a "ticking" noise when tapping keys or moving the mouse? Any artifacts on the screen such as lines or garbled icons?