Trouble with whimsical, sporadic reboot

When I reboot for any reason, by any means, the setup page runs from BIOS, then sometimes Win98 starts, and sometimes I get only a black screen, rather as if no signal is getting to the screen. However, I have used two different terminals with the same result, so I assume the problem does not lie with the terminals. The machine does not then respond to ctrl/alt/del or anything else except shutting it off with the start button. Sometimes I need to go through the process three or four times before the Windows screen arrives...Does this sound like a battery problem?...But don't let me steer you in that direction, because I really have no clue.

 

The video card could be dying, or a corrupted video driver.

 

I have an old, less desirable video card. I'll pop it in later today for purposes of experiment.

 

Diagnosis correct! I put in the old video card and the problem has vanished. Unfortunately the old card will only give me 16 colors so I suppose I have to buy a new one. Good news, bad news. ...Thanks for the quick and accurate analysis.

 

Did you install video drivers for the card? If not, windows is probably using a generic driver that doesn't have all the capabilities of a driver written specifically for the card. While the old card is more than likely not state of the art (so to speak) it may be more than enough for your needs with the proper drivers. Check the manufacturers site to see if they have drivers available. If so, download and install them and see if it performs to your satisfaction. If you can't find drivers, maybe we can help. What kind of card is it?

 

Drivers installed, problem solved. Thanks again.

 

Thanks for posting the outcome!