cannot start viagart device

Windows 98SE will only start in safe mode.

When I try to boot ip in normal mode I get a message that says cannot start device viagart.

 

Hi,
You can disable Viagart in the Registry.
Click Start, Run and type Regedit.
Locate and click the following key in the Registry :
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Services\VxD\VIAGART

On the Edit menu click Delete
Click Yes to confirm you want to delete the key.
Quit the Registry Editor.

 

Reinstall your video drivers, you are missing one file, Viagart.Vxd.

 

Thanks I made the changes to my register and removed the video driver from the device manager.

Now I cant start windows because it cannot start device ntkern.

 

The sudden disappearance of these files can be explained by one of three things; a dying hard drive, a virus delivering it's payload, or user intervention. I believe you should do this command at the prompt to eliminate the possible drive failure.
scandisk /all /autofix /surface

Do this command at the prompt, and post back if this file is found.
dir c:\windows\system\vmm32.vxd
The file Ntkern.Vxd is typically included in this file, and the file Vmm32.Vxd is created when you install windows.
You could boot your computer with a boot floppy. Don't have one? Go to Bootdisk and download the file for 98SE OEM. Do not just copy this file to a floppy and expect it to work, instead double click it with a floppy in the drive, and the boot floppy will be created for you. When you boot with it, choose With CD Rom support, watch the screen for the CD drive letter assignment, it will not be the usual letter, it could be E or maybe R, use this letter in place of the X below.Have your windows CD handy, you will need it.
This message appears just before the A:\> appears. and do these commands at the A:\> prompt.
c:
cd\windows\system\vmm32
extract /y X:\win98\win98_54.cab ntkern.vxd
If you do not have the Windows CD, do this command.
dir c:\windows\options\cabs\*.cab
If you see a bunch of files scroll on the screen do these commands.
c:
cd\windows\system\vmm32
extract /y c:\windows\options\cabs\win98_53.cab ntkern.vxd

Note: the file C:\Windows\System\Vmm32.Vxd is not to confused with the folder C:\Windows\System\Vmm32

Perhaps my previous advice should have been followed.

Now you have no video drivers, when windows does start up in normal mode, most likely you will have only 16 colors, not 16 bit color {High Color}.

 

If you get thrown back to Safe Mode...

If it is possibly a virus, you should be able to get the DOS version of F-Prot Antivirus via floppy disk(s) and run it in Safe Mode (assuming your normal antivirus was not up to date). Note that DOS F-Prot antivirus does not have mouse control, it uses keyboard commands.

You can run programs in Safe Mode if they do not require drivers (eg. your normal antivirus program, if it is up-to-date, Scandisk, Spybot, AdAware, etc).

In Safe Mode check in Device Manager. It will probably have warnings on the video adapter, but check if there are any other problems.

If a failing harddrive is suspected, get the manufacturers diagnostic utilites from their website. You will need to make boot floppies from the download.

Matt
(If I have the option of working in Safe Mode or DOS, guess which one I choose ).

 

I can find vmm32.vxd in my Windos system files, but when I boot from the A: drive and then go to the C: from there, I do not get my hard drive but I get the ram drive which does not have windows on it.

I think I can try extracting a new file and copying it to my system files without booting form the A:

I know that the slave drive (drive ) has problems because bad sectors have come up on the scan disk but the C: does not appear to have any problems.

I was surprised to find that I had a full windows program on each drive since normally the slave drive has only command.com. The slave drive is a drive that was formerly a master drive and maybe it was working when I set it up as a slave and so I never formated it beyond that. Usually I format the slave drive to the primary drive with a disk formatting program. It has been in operation for several years. I thought I had recently changed the name of the windows system files on the D: drive but when I just checked again , they are still called windows. I wondered if the two operating systems might be causing a problem.

Norton antivirus is up to date and did not indicate a virus.

The device manager did not indicate a problem device, but I removed the video and networking devices any way.

 

Virus that attacks hard drive format?

I took your advice abd used a diagnostic disk on the hard drive and to my surprise the C drive is not formatted.

I know it was previously formatted. I don't think it is even possible to install an operating system on an unformatted drive.

So what happened? Virus?

 

drive failed test

i did another test with the diagnosis disk, which the drive failed so I guess that is the problem.

 

Hi
When you say "slave ", do two hard disk drives show in the diagnostics program (you can select which hard disk to diagnose)?

If you have two HDDs you will need to run the diagnostics of each manufacturer (unless they are the same brand, of course...although some manufacturers have different diagnostics for various models).

It does not sound good. If all seems lost, run any or all of the manufacturers utilities on the drive (Edit: if there is more than one hard disk drive, physically disconnect those HDDs that may have important data before running utilities).

Matt

 

From experience I believe the better thing to do ( or at least try ) in the first place would have been.

1-Do everything possible to make sure that AntiVirus programs are shut down. Also If a Firewall is used, shut it down.

2-Boot directly from a power off state to the 98 Startup disk ( hope you had same ) and select " with CDROM support. " Do Not allow the machine to go to the Hard Drive first.

3-Insert Win98 CD

4-At the A: prompt type [CDROM]:\win98\setup; DO NOT just go to the CD and type SETUP[/b] Make it D:\Win98\setup.

5-Then watch carefully as the screens go by and make sure that Windows is re-installed into the EXISTING folder. Which is normaly C:\Windows.

I had the same problem(s) as SMA a couple of times. Every time the problem was fixed.

The Error may say " THIS FILE " but " THIS FILE " may not be the real problem.

NOT the thing to do this case

Again. I have found the better way to fix this type of problem is to do a repair install of Windows. At least it has worked well for me.

And last but certainly not least.

I do not see any mention as to what type of machine you have. ie: home built, Dell, or HP etc. If it is a Dell or such my idea MAY NOT work.

BillyBob

 

One other thing I forgot in my reply.

If at all possible set the Video to Standard VGA setting before shutting down.

BillyBob

 

Thanks for the advice but when I boot to the A drive I lost all acsess to the hard drive. The C: drive became the Ram drive.

Both the slave and master are Maxtor. The good news is that the drive is still in warranty and tha since I had lost a drive with a lot of information on it I had backed the master up on the slave, but at the moment the information on both drives is still accessable.

I suspect the problem will go away when I get the new drive, but if it doesn't I will try what you have suggested.

I have a home built computer.

SMA