HIMEM is missing

Hi,
Last night I was working on a computer to remove Spyware. I have done this type of troubleshooting to numerous computers except this particular problem was my first in experiencing and just want to clarify the steps to recover HIMEM. Apparently the family that owns this computer is non-knowledgable with basic stuff such as maintenance (which has not been done for approx 2 years) and was unaware of what apparently has entered their computer. After I detected some spyware, I went to download Spybot and an error message came up saying something to the effect could not complete the download due to corrupted files. I proceeded to spywareguide.com to run the X-Cleaner spyware remover and after it detected several I rebooted the computer and up came the error message that the HIMEM was missing.

My question is, should I use the bootable startup disk and type in at the A: prompt the following; copy himem.sys c:\windows and reboot - or - should I use a Windows 98 CD and run it and hope HIMEM re-installs itself over the current version of Windows 98 that the computer has...The computer will not load the operating system because the HIMEM is missing and I understand that it could be related to memory and maintenance issues or even a motherboard problem. At this point I am leaning towards a memory issue...

 

Hi Master Green, Copying himem.sys may not be enough and a re-install-over
may be too much. What about a SFC run ?
regards

 

Hi,
Thanks for the reply and as for the SFC, that may not be possible at this point because when the computer is turned on / boots up, the HIMEM is missing comes up which as you know will not allow the operating system to load. The second problem is, when I try to get into Safe Mode the safe mode screen comes up showing safe mode in all four corners but that's about as far as it goes leaving no options. That is kind of why I was wondering if the two possible options I inquired about was the best approach to restoring the HIMEM.

The family has allot of family photo's stored within and wants to save that at what ever cost there is. They have done no maintenance in 2 years, there seems to be conflicting reports of what the computer has for memory and they are short on computer knowledge. I tried to explain that the problems I noticed and ended up encountering were already exisiting and in the process of spyware elimination the computer went south bringing on the HIMEM issue.

 

An excellent way to test is to create a Bootloader Boot Disk, as I have come to call it.

Format a floppy on a machine running the same version as the crippled one. Then copy the io.sys and msdos.sys files to that floppy.

Be sure you "Write Protect" the disk when finished.

Place that in the bay of the cripple and boot from it. If the problem is being caused by the bootloader files on the cripple, this floppy will bring you right up to a Windows session. If it doesn't, you probably have a physical problem.

I recommend that all users create one of these disks for their systems while it's still healthy. You never know when you might need it. Test it and put it away for that day.

Edit: Do not confuse this with any other boot disk, system disk, or startup disk you are familiar with. It's a different animal and so simple most people won't believe it works. Try it, it works!

 

? scanreg /restore ???? Are you familiar with restoring a backup of the registry and some system files? May not help but it can't hurt and can be undone if it does not solve the problem.
NOTE:
Not being familiar with xcleaner and the exactly what you can clean many times these can be used to clean to much.

 

If the 98 boot floppy boots the computer with no problems, it would appear memory may not be the issue, as Himem.Sys is loaded by the 98 floppy.
It is worth the try to copy the file from the floppy into the windows folder.
However, in my experience, when Himem.Sys is missing, so are others.

 

Hi,
I wish to thank everyone for their great assistance once again but luckily we can place this issue to rest as I was able to re-install the Windows 98se over the previously installed version and the problem with HIMEM was no longer an issue. The floppy trick of copying the HIMEM did not work. So I did the 98 cd trick and that worked. Afterwards I installed more memory (and a NIC card) and all is well...Thank you all once again.

 

Some of us like the challenge so much we tend to forget that others wish for the quick fix when available. I'm glad you found the fix that worked for you and this problem is behind. Thanks for the update...

 

Phooey Master Green, now what are we going to do for pastime? I was planning on having you perform some things I always wanted to try but was afraid it would wreck my computer.

Congratulations in getting it back in shape! We'll get you next time.

 

Hi,
That's a good one, don't know if I should consider myself lucky or what (ha, ha)...I would of almost tried anything because all three family members were hanging over my shoulder watching every move I made and asking a thousand questions. Anyways, have no fear as we all know these computers never seem to let us down and are a sure bet for bringing on that unknown and we will meet again...Cheers

 

Hi again Master Green,

I hate to point out the obvious but can't seem to let this dog lie. The board members, here, generally try to provide fixes in the order of least destructive first and saving the bigger guns as a last resort. This has become even more important when using Win98xx as the risk of versonitus or the loss of some patches may have occured, not to mention the rollback of some versions of programs and applications. Since this OS is being phased out...(it's been a while, for myself) I am unsure of exactly how much support microsoft is still giving win98, if one wishes to continue using this as an operating system they would be well advised to grab up and "burn to cd" any updates they can.

There are links in the "past post" archives that offer good advice and instructions on how to do this.

 

Hi,
No dogs sleeping here...I usually try the simplier manuvers first before moving onto the big guns myself. Be it here or, with Microsoft support, I seek the best since not all have moved on or not all wish to seek out the alternatives. All being the owners / users we can only try our best and with that in mind, I once again appreaciate the great assistance I receive from all including yourself...Keep up the good work.

 

You STILL should also make the "Bootloader Disk" as I described. It's invaluable for situations like you just came out of. I don't think you tried it - it could possibly have saved you the effort of the reinstall.

If you want more reference to it, here's the source that I found it at years ago - XXCOPY They call it a "Quick Boot" disk but i like "Bootloader Disk" better.

It's very quick and easy to create. There is one for XP as well.

 

Hi,
Thanks for that, and I will look into it. As for the bootdisk, I inserted it and then booted up the computer. When the A: prompt came up I tyed in the following: A:copy himem.sys c:\windows and rebooted when it was done. I also was finally able to get into safe mode and did the step by step confirmation. I always leave room for that possibility of missing a step. If I did from what I described here please advise...Thanks again

 

Yes, but did you try booting with the "Bootloader Disk" that I described?

I think you used the boot disk that you already had.

Make another as I outlined and try it now that your system is healthy. Just format a floppy. DO NOT SELECT "MAKE SYSTEM DISK." You just want a blank formatted floppy to begin with. Then go to the root of your drive and copy the two files I mentioned (io.sys and msdos.sys) to that floppy. Write protect it and the deal is done. That disk will boot you all the way into Windows, using the Master Boot Record (MBR) from the floppy as well as the boot loader files you copied to it. The whole point is to bypass the MBR and boot loader files on your HD so as to be able to boot when those things get corrupt. It's a handy way to diagnose problems in the boot sequence.

Incidentally, when you get the error message, "Himem.sys missing" it generally doesn't mean it's actually missing, it means the bootloader instructions aren't pointing to the location where the file is resident. Many times that means one of the bootloader files is missing instead.

 

That's very valuable info and really appreciate it. Keep this up and I might be a scietist instead of a computer tech (ha, ha)...Anyways, after getting the computer healthy again and running top speed, I once again downloaded Spybot and after it detected 178 problems, and fixed them, I rebooted and we are once again back at the drawing board. The computer boots up and when it gets to the desk top freezes and that's where it stays. Yesterday it said HIMEM.Sys was missing and this time it says "Ilegal Operation" and closes. It has become some what frustrating at this point...

 

Hi,
Just wanted to add an update...After the same problem happened again, I tried to reinstall Windows 98 again and it would not do it. When I put in the bootdisk it and did a step by step confirmation ending at the A: prompt I typed in scanreg /restore and rolled back the date a few days, I was back in business. Ran Spybot and that "finally" went as smooth as silk. The first time I tried downloading it, a corrupt files error message came up and then the HIMEM problem. The second attempt of downloading Spybot went well but on reboot we once again could not get past the desktop screen (minus the HIMEM problem this time). It has since rebooted several times and I am happy to report "no problems "...I am on third base heading for home if you get my drift and will keep you updated...