Booting up

Archived from groups: microsoft.public.win98.gen_discussion (More info?)

I am having a lot of trouble booting up my computer. I can get it booted
up after a quite a few of attempts, sometimes it will take an hour to boot it
up. What is funny is a lot of times my computer will try to boot up when I
turn my surge protector on but these attempts usually fail.

The last error messages I got were: While initializing device vcache:
Windows protection error. You need to restart your computer.

Another one was: Registry file was not found. Registry service may be
inoperative for this session. A friend of mine that knows more about the
operation of a computer then I do thought it could be the power supply
getting weak. Could it be the hard drive?

Archived from groups: microsoft.public.win98.gen_discussion (More info?)

L M <LM@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in
news:B8096E32-3AB0-46D1-921F-920D3211A3F4@microsoft.com:

> I am having a lot of trouble booting up my computer. I can get it
> booted
> up after a quite a few of attempts, sometimes it will take an hour to
> boot it up. What is funny is a lot of times my computer will try to
> boot up when I turn my surge protector on but these attempts usually
> fail.

This is often the sign of a failing motherboard. If the computer starts to
boot when you apply power to it, then hold the start button in till it
shuts back off. Then start it again with the start button.
When you do finally get Windows booted up alright, can you then do a
"restart" or "shutdown" alright?
If so, I'd recommend not turning off the surge protector... leave power on
to the motherboard all the time. Unless, of course, the wetaher is *really*
threatening.

--
--- A Freudian slip is when you say one thing but mean your mother. ---

Archived from groups: microsoft.public.win98.gen_discussion (More info?)

Sure sounds like RAM to me, like philo said.
What are you using to test the ram? Best one I know of is memtest86.
You can download it from http://www.mewnlite.com/_utilities/memtest86.zip
Unzip the files into a common folder and run "install.bat" This will create
a bootable floppy disk. Leave the disk in the drive and reboot.

L M <LM@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in
news:263A1501-7CA4-4E65-A5F3-3BB9571EE90C@microsoft.com:

> I will try to answer both of the replies to my problem. I am having
> a hard
> time trying to run a ram test.
>
> I held in the start button as the computer started to boot. Then I
> tried
> to boot it by pressing the start button but got the same results. I
> try to leave the computer on all the time so I won't have the booting
> problem but it will freeze up and sometimes when I go to restart it I
> will have the problem of not being able to boot up. I left it on last
> night and this morning my screen was black and I couldn't do anything
> with it but to restart it and had trouble booting it up. The last time
> took 15 minutes to get it booted.
>
>
> "Menno Hershberger" wrote:
>
>> L M <LM@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in
>> news:B8096E32-3AB0-46D1-921F-920D3211A3F4@microsoft.com:
>>
>> > I am having a lot of trouble booting up my computer. I can get
>> > it booted
>> > up after a quite a few of attempts, sometimes it will take an hour
>> > to boot it up. What is funny is a lot of times my computer will try
>> > to boot up when I turn my surge protector on but these attempts
>> > usually fail.
>>
>> This is often the sign of a failing motherboard. If the computer
>> starts to boot when you apply power to it, then hold the start button
>> in till it shuts back off. Then start it again with the start button.
>> When you do finally get Windows booted up alright, can you then do a
>> "restart" or "shutdown" alright?
>> If so, I'd recommend not turning off the surge protector... leave
>> power on to the motherboard all the time. Unless, of course, the
>> wetaher is *really* threatening.
>>
>> --
>> --- A Freudian slip is when you say one thing but mean your mother.
>> ---
>>



--
--- A Freudian slip is when you say one thing but mean your mother. ---

Archived from groups: microsoft.public.win98.gen_discussion (More info?)

"This is often the sign of a failing", well, nearly
everything in the computer. IOW first effort is to target the
collection of facts. For example, pressing F8 (often
repeatedly) when booting provides a boot menu. What happens
when you single step that boot? Critical facts that may mean
nothing to you but would be absolutely essential of obtain a
reply not based upon speculation.

You describe how the computer may attempt to boot when
started from surge protector. That is a function of the power
supply controller - just another of many components of a power
supply 'system'. Power supply is just another component.
That symptom has nothing to do with RAM.

As for registry errors and Windows protection errors: an
abbreviated list of suspects includes power supply system,
disk drive, IDE controller, RAM, video controller, malware,
failing electrolytic on motherboard, bad fan on AMD CPU, hot
spot inside system sometimes created by a misplaced ribbon
cable, etc. IOW from facts provided, then suspect everything.

Start a solution by collecting facts. For example, numbers
were displayed with every failure message. What were those
numbers and the exact phrase that pointed directly at a
suspect or its symptom?

Responsible computer manufacturers provide a complete and
comprehensive diagnostics with that machine. What did those
diagnostics report? If not, then download diagnostics for
each subsystem - such as one for memory, one for disk drive,
one for video controller, etc. Diagnostics that execute
without any operating system. Notice the trend. Break a
problem down into parts. Separate hardware from software -
then analyze each.

Of course one system that can cause numerous strange
symptoms is the power supply system. The 3.5 digit multimeter
(a tool so ubiquitous as to be sold in Sears, Walmart, Radio
Shack, Lowes, and Home Depot) is essential to first establish
voltages where motherboard connects to power supply. Most
important are voltages on red, orange, yellow, and purple
wires. Numbers that are obtained in well less than 2
minutes. Without numbers, then your replies have been mostly
speculation. Those numbers must be from a meter; not from the
on-board voltage monitor.

Provided is step one - first collect important information
and symptoms. Fixing the problem is a second step - getting
it solved the first time.

L M wrote:
> I will try to answer both of the replies to my problem. I am having
> a hard time trying to run a ram test.
>
> I held in the start button as the computer started to boot. Then I tried
> to boot it by pressing the start button but got the same results. I try to
> leave the computer on all the time so I won't have the booting problem but it
> will freeze up and sometimes when I go to restart it I will have the problem
> of not being able to boot up. I left it on last night and this morning my
> screen was black and I couldn't do anything with it but to restart it and had
> trouble booting it up. The last time took 15 minutes to get it booted.