win98 explorer startup error

I have an older Sony VAIO which came with Windows 95 installed. I recently installed the Windows 98 Upgrade. It booted fine the first couple of times during which I adjusted some settings and deleted unnecessary programs to free up hard drive space. Now, every time that I boot the computer following the Windows 98 screen I get a page fault error message that says,

"Explorer caused an invalid page fault in module EXPLORER.EXE at 015f:00401f31."

Once I hit the Close button, I am left with a plain background with no icons or start menus or anything. I am forced to restart from here. I am not able to boot in Safe Mode, but I am able to boot in DOS and can perform any DOS functions. Please help me!

 

You installed the 98SE Upgrade directly on top of Win95.
http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=296211
This link has your exact error message listed, and most likely applies in your case.
A format and a clean install would have been the better way to go, problems like this appears otherwise. The Upgrade will do a full install, but you must have the Win95 CD or Win3.1 floppies to do this. It will ask for them for proof.

 

mark, I'm confused, the link you posted refers to Juno and it's ramifications. My situation has nothing to do with Juno, in fact I don't even have it on my computer. Could you please clarify or provide some further assistance. I am really struggling for a solution here. Thanks

 

This may help

http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;225040

 

A couple of things here

#1 an OEM machine is being dealt with. ( may be the main problem )
#2 EXPLORER is an Operating System file ( a main one at that ).
#3 How was 98 installed ? Was it installed from a harddrive boot up or from a cold boot to a floppy with CDROM support. If booted from the HD 98 WILL NOT go in properly. It MUST be allowed to overwrite ALL files right from the Boot Sector on up. It will not do this PROPERLY from a HD bootup. And this is more important when putting 98 over 95.

But I MUST add this. Putting 98 over 95 will work. I did it BUT I DO NOT RECOMMEND IT 98 is quite diffferent than 95.

In fact I do not recommend putting any OS over another IF IT is being done to fix problems

I think that if jtrags927 would boot to a Floppy with CDROM support and re-install 98 it could well be fine.

BillyBob

 

If you had gone down further you would have seen that you may have incorrect versions of IE files mixed up, caused by a bad overlay upgrade of Windows 98SE, and it did match the error exactly. It just happens Juno will do the same thing, while it does not say specifically a bad install of Windows has happened.
From the page;

If you had Win95 with IE5.5 SP2 installed, and the bad overlay upgrade install of Win98SE did an install of IE files, a previous version of IE that is, that is how that page can apply. Win98SE does have a version of IE on the CD in it's install cab files, an older version.
All I had seen the error message, no mention of a ISP in your original post, not that it really makes a difference in this case.

There is also another possibility to this error message, it is that there is a Explorer.Exe at the root or C:\, also caused by an upgrade.
Do this command at the prompt;
dir c:\explorer.exe
If the explorer.exe file is found it will give it's size, if not there, it will say so on the screen.
If there, do this command at the prompt;
ren c:\explorer.exe explorer.old
Reboot.
If that does not work, try the install again, booting from a startup floppy. But don't bother to save the old files, as that installation of windows is not working, be sure that it installs into C:\Windows.
Good luck to you!
Post back whatever happens.