Help with WIN98 SE start and freeze probs

Hi, running WIN 98 SE
sometimes it starts then suddenly re-starts in the middle by itself.
i alsays get it goiing when i use F8 and the conffirmation option
Now : after a good start all works well eccept; I cannot e.g. try a defrag. red light HD goes on, compu freezes and makes churnig sounds at HD.
e.g. cannot make a Boot disk , same then above red liight stays on, freeze and sound.
when i try to run SFC same thing;
tryed to re-install win from CD, goes into setup but tells me that I have a virus program running (wich I have de-installed for that purpose).
when Compu runs for hours no probs , shut downmo probs; re-star =no probs, BUT letting it sit shut down over night , see beginning , hangs at start up until I use F*etc.
any Idea?
Help pnr

 

addition to original posting

Hi, I think the main problem is: I nat even start windows with a bootdisk it loops and loops
the red light at the HD , everytime the problem starts it stays on but no " not sponding" item in the Task box
Any idea????

 

Hi I nearly called yo a saint. did all suggested but..
I must stress:
If I would be an expert I would think of the core of window e. Kernel or command.com
Why?: I can do lots of things after the succesful boot. But NOT:
every time I call upon WIN to do : a Boot disk : freezes grays all out the "sound starts:4xtickatickaticka fo;;owed be the HD working sound 'chuuuuurn chuuuuurn=red HD light comes on and all WINDOWS "core" operations take very long or system get blie screen: system busy!!!!
Even in windows Explorer trying to pan downquickly in C" folder to go von A to , say S triggers the "sound" and red light on HD.
I cannot ewoke SFC, see above; iI can scandisk but NOT defrag.
I can all "little" things but not the 'heavier WIN duties.
We had the "beast " for 4 hours perfectly running and playing, surfing , no problems. The "Test" trying to do in Add/remove a boot disk , see above
Shall i open the House window and get rid of the "biest "?
Thanks, Pnr (Peter)

 

pnr (peter),
Have you tried re-installing windows? You don't need the orginal CD or boot diskette for this. Simply go to the F8 menu, and select "Command prompt only ". Then type in the following command "cd\windows\options\cabs ". Then type "setup ". If you have the orignal Win98CD, then instead of cd\windows etc. you insert the CD, and type D: (assuming D is your CD drive) <enter> cd win98 <enter> setup <enter>. It could be a bit of Windows corruption, which this would fix. All your existing data, etc. will be unaffected by this process. If this fails, then I suggest the window option. Opening is entirely optional, as I find I get more satisfaction if I don't open the window beforehand.

 

Hi Rayder
thanks but:command promt: try to change to d; invalid Drive specification ( in the opening page it says CD rom found) but D drive (my CD with WIN 98 in it is not loaded).
the other option doesn't work because no cabs there.
As i was able to boot I tryed to install from the CD but got a message that a Virus protection is running (wich isn't true because I de-installed and regedit any trace of it) or Virus protection build in (which i disabled in BIOS setup).
No,as of today I spend 6 hours booting , easlily can boot into safe mode, But all other options end like this: win boots fine then comes the final page (before the window sound sounds) and our compu freezes and makes that above noise--hanging frozen. I do the Alt/Ctr/Del and see the box with mabe 1 !!!!! item in it sometimes msmsgr32 (which i don't have) by end task the box is empty eccept a empty black lined field and the noise =HD drive is working- red light on-
when i close (end task) this empty box a white SYSTEM ERror comes up
...cannot acces Drive C etc. when I say abort, it disappiers and my last (here pink screen) stays on . Now it comes : after 3 minutes my screensaver kicks in TASK Box stillempty no sign from Explorer or other items
go figure.
That is the latest and it is getting to the point out she goes!!!!1
Never in all my years I had that.
Our second compu (mine) is identical and works like a charm.
ty,
pnr (peter)
PS Did I mention that I cannot boot from A: drive , doesn't matter which disk i take it says WIN98 starting one more line and the A drive is lit up and compu hangs
I had checked the last days for any or all Viruses Worms etc none

 

Hi Ryder , and others who are maybe able to help
Here is the latest:
Found my "Ultimate Start-up Disk" and was able to start the re-install of WIN98 to maybe restore corrupted files.
diskscan found no error. all pre-checking went fine.
then window displayed the option screen --from typical to the one for experts. this was checked and i could not reset it to typical and the process of copying files to the compueter started and guess what 1 minute into it : YES the redl light stayed on the ' "noice' sarted and nothing after that. 5 minutes later i check with the A?C?D and the compu went into re-start telling me that some files had been copied go into promt D (with the CD) and type restore or so BUT it never came to it
another thing : on this disk (ultimate) are a few tools and one is to prepaire the C: (main0 drive for installatuion. what it tryes is to copy command come from A to C and it couln'd do it.
I feel something is wrong with command come how can i replace it with the one from my other WIN98 SE machine?
ty
pnr (peter)

 

pnr,
I think I had a similar problem with my PC once. What would happen is that it would boot fine in safe mode, but in normal mode, it would just freeze when trying to load the desktop. The problem in the end was driver-related. I swapped some PCI cards around (I still haven't put my modem back in, actually...), and Windows re-detected and re-installed them all, and everything has been fine since. Try that, and if doesn't work, try removing the cards individually and then rebooting. The fact that you can boot to safe mode makes me belive the problem is driver-related, rather than anything else. (Of course, I have been known to make the occasional mis-diagnosis )By doing this, perhaps you can isolate exactly which component is causing the problem.

Hope this Helps! ;

 

Hi Ryder,
now we are getting close.
I have only 1 networkcard and the sound card to beremoved , the other one i resetted but all did not help BUTor HOWEVER: when the compu is ready to start the desktop he disaplays very briefly : found new hardware (but not telling what) and the building a windows driver base box comes up and he goes to 3 or 4 % and startd hid "noice' and red HD light and hangs.
in Safe mode i cannot update the driver because not knowing what he ask for the WIN CD and she is in the CD-rom drive wich is not supported by Safe mode. now the cat is chasing her tail WHAT else/
ty
Peter

 

Hi Ryder and all
The verdict is in
The Harddisk is gone
No scandisk or other found it only Format. i tryed to format the HD and , yes guess what, at "THE NOISE" point it started to recover 49000 bad 'cluster?" and could not format any further. Same noice same hanging compu
There it is, any unsual noice from the HD area = Funeral.
Thanks and we learn every day. Itryed 5 days and now I'm grieving.
Take care,
pnr (peter)