M
Malke
Jim Lang said:
No, installing XP on a failing computer would be foolish. Either do a
clean install of Windows 98 on this machine or give it a burial with
honors and replace it.
Malke
No, installing XP on a failing computer would be foolish. Either do a
clean install of Windows 98 on this machine or give it a burial with
honors and replace it.
Malke
A
Anna
Malke said:
Jim:
Malke is making an assumption that you're dealing with a failing PC
(hardware-wise). That may well be a valid assumption and to the extent that
it is I would agree that an XP upgrade would be a useless endeavor.
But on the other hand...
VxD error messages in the Win9x/Me environment can arise from a whole host
of reasons - both software & hardware. Misconfiguration of components,
conflicting device drivers, defective equipment, software conflicts - the
list goes on & on. In our experience we frequently found that a
reinstallation of the OS was all that was necessary to correct the problem
(even when we couldn't track down the precise cause of the problem).
So if you are unable to resolve the problem within your current OS and and
assuming your basic hardware has the "horsepower" to run XP, i..e, processor
power, sufficient RAM, etc. - which you can check out - I'm wondering
whether it might be worthwhile to at least try to "upgrade" your system to
XP and hopefully resolve the problem that way.
If you decide to go that route, it would be prudent (I would even say
essential) to backup whatever files are important to you before undertaking
the XP upgrade process. There's no guarantee that data won't be lost as a
result of doing this. And a strong possibility that you might have to
reinstall programs even if the upgrade is successful. Best of all would be
for you to use a disk imaging program to create a clone of your HDD before
undertaking the upgrade.
Anna
D
Detlev Dreyer
Jim Lang <> wrote:
[Excessive X-Posting w/o F'up2 trimmed]
Without posting the exact error message/s, even the Win98 group won't
be able to help you. Note that issues with virtual VxD drivers may or
may not result from hardware problems. Hardware issues are especially
likely when no system changes (installations) have been made recently.
No - an OS upgrade is never ever meant to fix existing problems. Even if
there were no problems, upgrading from Win98(SE) to WinXP is not really
recommended. Note that WinXP is an NT-based OS in contrast to Win9x/Me
and therefore, upgrading to WinXP means to transfer a lot of garbage.
Perform a *clean* install of WinXP on a new system instead since your
existing Win98 system may not allow for an upgrade due to the hardware
problems anyway.
[X-Post: 2 Groups]
[Excessive X-Posting w/o F'up2 trimmed]
Without posting the exact error message/s, even the Win98 group won't
be able to help you. Note that issues with virtual VxD drivers may or
may not result from hardware problems. Hardware issues are especially
likely when no system changes (installations) have been made recently.
No - an OS upgrade is never ever meant to fix existing problems. Even if
there were no problems, upgrading from Win98(SE) to WinXP is not really
recommended. Note that WinXP is an NT-based OS in contrast to Win9x/Me
and therefore, upgrading to WinXP means to transfer a lot of garbage.
Perform a *clean* install of WinXP on a new system instead since your
existing Win98 system may not allow for an upgrade due to the hardware
problems anyway.
[X-Post: 2 Groups]
Y
Yves Leclerc
NO. It may also cause more problems since XP does not normally use any VxD
based files. You are better off backing up all your important
documents/files and do a complete clean installation of XP (this would be
easier for you in the long run!)
based files. You are better off backing up all your important
documents/files and do a complete clean installation of XP (this would be
easier for you in the long run!)
J
JS
Most likely not.
But as the other two replies indicated to do a fresh clean install of XP
after backing up any important files, after the backup has been completed
and since your going to install XP anyway (yes), then it can't hurt to go do
an upgrade of 98 to XP and see what happens.
Note: Even if the upgrade of 98 to XP does work I would still wipe the drive
clean and then do a fresh install, you will be better off without any of the
old Windows 98 registry crap and files lingering around.
Also would not hurt to verify that you have located all your application CDs
and the latest drivers downloaded and burned to a CD before you start a
clean install of Windows XP
JS
But as the other two replies indicated to do a fresh clean install of XP
after backing up any important files, after the backup has been completed
and since your going to install XP anyway (yes), then it can't hurt to go do
an upgrade of 98 to XP and see what happens.
Note: Even if the upgrade of 98 to XP does work I would still wipe the drive
clean and then do a fresh install, you will be better off without any of the
old Windows 98 registry crap and files lingering around.
Also would not hurt to verify that you have located all your application CDs
and the latest drivers downloaded and burned to a CD before you start a
clean install of Windows XP
JS
K
Ken Blake, MVP
in message
Although I am normally in favor of doing upgrades, rather than clean
installations, the one situation where I strongly recommend against it is
when you are having problems with the existing operating system.
Doing what you suggest will much more likely exacerbate the problems than
fix them.
Although I am normally in favor of doing upgrades, rather than clean
installations, the one situation where I strongly recommend against it is
when you are having problems with the existing operating system.
Doing what you suggest will much more likely exacerbate the problems than
fix them.
A
Angus
Just to add to above replies, if you have an old computer you may be better
off backing up your data and doing a fresh install of Windows 98 rather than
XP. XP requires more power than 98 and also drivers may not be available
for your hardware.
Angus
off backing up your data and doing a fresh install of Windows 98 rather than
XP. XP requires more power than 98 and also drivers may not be available
for your hardware.
Angus
J
Jim Lang
Windows 98 (2nd edition) has recently started crashing with VxD
problems, and nothing (including reinstalling my video driver, using
diagnostic startup, etc) has fixed the problem.
If I upgrade to XP will that just install itself over my existing
problems, or will it repair them when installs its own files.
Thanks very much for any advice.
problems, and nothing (including reinstalling my video driver, using
diagnostic startup, etc) has fixed the problem.
If I upgrade to XP will that just install itself over my existing
problems, or will it repair them when installs its own files.
Thanks very much for any advice.
J
Jupiter Jones [MVP]
I don't think Malke assumed any such thing..
If the hardware is failing, there would be no reason for Malke to suggest a
Clean Installation of Windows 98.
"failing computer" is extremely vague and can mean hardware or software.
The OPs issues suggest a failure, specific cause as hardware or software yet
unknown.
In any case, an upgrade should not be performed to repair software issues.
All problems should be resolved before the upgrade is attempted.
If the hardware is failing, there would be no reason for Malke to suggest a
Clean Installation of Windows 98.
"failing computer" is extremely vague and can mean hardware or software.
The OPs issues suggest a failure, specific cause as hardware or software yet
unknown.
In any case, an upgrade should not be performed to repair software issues.
All problems should be resolved before the upgrade is attempted.
A
Anna
Jupiter Jones said:
Jupiter Jones:
The advice I provided was based on my experience with dealing with the raft
of VxD problems we frequently experienced when dealing in an Win9x/Me
environment (the OPs current environment). Unfortunately, these VxD problems
were not an infrequent occurrence in those pre-XP operating systems and it
was not unusual, indeed it was common, that we frequently were unable to
track down the precise cause of the problem even to the extent that we could
not determine whether it was definitively caused by software conflicts of
one kind or another, OS corruption, or hardware-based.
In many cases the problem resolved itself through no user intervention for
reasons that we could never discern. This, of course, was where the problem
did not affect the system boot.
But in many cases where we simply couldn't resolve the problem, the only
practical expedient left to us was a reinstall of the OS where in most cases
the existing data was retained. Did it always work? Of course not. And the
user was warned to back up his or her data before undertaking the reinstall
process assuming the data was accessible.
In the present case the OP apparently is not averse to "upgrading" his/her
system to XP should that possibly solve the problem. I indicated to the OP
that if he/she is unable to resolve the problem with his/her current system
then it might be worth a try to install XP over his/her present Win9x/Me
system. I pointed out that this assumed his/her present hardware was
sufficient to accommodate an XP OS and that his/her data should be backed
up, or better to create a disk clone, prior to undertaking this XP install.
I trust I made it clear to the OP that this process might not work but I
thought it might be worth the risk given a situation where the problem
cannot be resolved within his/her present system.
Anna
J
JS
J
JS
Sorry, forget that other web site, see below instead.
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/pro/evaluation/sysreqs.mspx
This has the min. requirements
JS
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/pro/evaluation/sysreqs.mspx
This has the min. requirements
JS
9
98 Guy
Jim said:
You should run a drive diagnostic and check the drive for file
fragmentation, media problems (bad sectors), FAT or other structural
problems.
You might be running low on drive space, you might have too many files
in your root directory, etc.
If you "upgrade" (I use the term loosely) to XP then you will have XP,
and most likely your problem will go away.
And if you re-install 98, then again most likely your problem will go
away.
In any case, regardless of what direction you go (a re-install of 98
or a new install of XP) you should fork out $50 for a new hard drive
and perform the installation to that new drive. Then slave your
existing win-98 drive to your system and copy your personal files from
it to the new drive. That is the cleanest way to go, and gives you
the best future reliability and maintains the contents of your old
drive as backup.
J
Jim Lang
I want to thank everyone for taking the time to provide opinons on how
i should go about taking care of my problem. I should have mentioned
that the computer is an IBM thinkpad A20m with a P III 850, 512K and a
60 gig HD.
If i'm not mistaken, it should handle XP? If not, i guess i'll first
try reinstalling 98 over my existing installation, and if that doesn't
work, reformatting and installing 98 fresh.
Any additional comments would also be greatly appreciated.
i should go about taking care of my problem. I should have mentioned
that the computer is an IBM thinkpad A20m with a P III 850, 512K and a
60 gig HD.
If i'm not mistaken, it should handle XP? If not, i guess i'll first
try reinstalling 98 over my existing installation, and if that doesn't
work, reformatting and installing 98 fresh.
Any additional comments would also be greatly appreciated.
C
Charlie Tame
The best bit of advice so far is to ensure you have backups of all Data and
the originals of any software you will need in future.
98 Uses FAT format on hard drives, it cannot read or write the newer and
more secure NTFS format, so the first issue will be what file format you
want to use and for this reason I would generally perform a totally clean
install. The hardware certainly sounds like it can handle XP, I have a
number of machines that are older and slower and they do quite well
considering, however RAM is very helpful and I think 512 is the minimum.
Sure it will work with less but then you tend to experience slower
performance due to any data swapping.
I think you have to consider the "Upgrade" option as being a gamble in any
circumstances. In that regard I don't see the current problem you have as
making a lot of difference to your chances of it being successful. There is
almost nothing in common between 98 and XP so whatever drivers / system
files are causing the errors will be replaced. Nothing will fix broken
hardware of course.
There is also the possibility that this is a malware issue, how confident
are you that there's nothing nasty on the system? A clean format with an XP
CD will almost certainly avoid the possibility of something nasty being
"Carried over", I am not at all sure an upgrade would do so, and if you
choose to do the switch remember you will have to spend quite some time
downloading updates and patches. If your CD is not XP / SP2 I suggest you
first download and burn SP2 onto CD so you can install that before even
connecting back to the internet.
I just installed XP on a test machine and I think there were about 65
updates after SP2
Charlie
the originals of any software you will need in future.
98 Uses FAT format on hard drives, it cannot read or write the newer and
more secure NTFS format, so the first issue will be what file format you
want to use and for this reason I would generally perform a totally clean
install. The hardware certainly sounds like it can handle XP, I have a
number of machines that are older and slower and they do quite well
considering, however RAM is very helpful and I think 512 is the minimum.
Sure it will work with less but then you tend to experience slower
performance due to any data swapping.
I think you have to consider the "Upgrade" option as being a gamble in any
circumstances. In that regard I don't see the current problem you have as
making a lot of difference to your chances of it being successful. There is
almost nothing in common between 98 and XP so whatever drivers / system
files are causing the errors will be replaced. Nothing will fix broken
hardware of course.
There is also the possibility that this is a malware issue, how confident
are you that there's nothing nasty on the system? A clean format with an XP
CD will almost certainly avoid the possibility of something nasty being
"Carried over", I am not at all sure an upgrade would do so, and if you
choose to do the switch remember you will have to spend quite some time
downloading updates and patches. If your CD is not XP / SP2 I suggest you
first download and burn SP2 onto CD so you can install that before even
connecting back to the internet.
I just installed XP on a test machine and I think there were about 65
updates after SP2
Charlie
T
Todd Burns
Thanks. That makes sense. Stupid question: how do i "slave" my old hd
to my new one in a laptop? i've built desktops, but my laptop
experience is limited
to my new one in a laptop? i've built desktops, but my laptop
experience is limited
L
lurkswithin
VxD errors are all about faulty hardware. Usually caused by bad driver
files but not always( could be just bad hardware). These issues were
always a pain to deal with in W9x and ME because of how W9x deals
with drivers...and this caused complications on repairing the
errors.
Windows XP with its Superior driver handling capabilities stopped VxD
issues except as noted from defective hardware.
In saying that, I would venture to state that the upgrading from
W9x/Me to XP would more than likely solve the issues. Your computer
can handle the upgrade other than the possibility of faulty
hardware...In that case XP would not install a driver for it and you
would either have to remove or totally disable the faulty hardware.
Note*************
I really don't like the upgrading act ....back up everything to disc
and then do a complete reformat (NTSF) and do a clean installation of
XP which can be accomplished with an upgrade version of XP if you have
the older installation disc to prove upgrading check.
files but not always( could be just bad hardware). These issues were
always a pain to deal with in W9x and ME because of how W9x deals
with drivers...and this caused complications on repairing the
errors.
Windows XP with its Superior driver handling capabilities stopped VxD
issues except as noted from defective hardware.
In saying that, I would venture to state that the upgrading from
W9x/Me to XP would more than likely solve the issues. Your computer
can handle the upgrade other than the possibility of faulty
hardware...In that case XP would not install a driver for it and you
would either have to remove or totally disable the faulty hardware.
Note*************
I really don't like the upgrading act ....back up everything to disc
and then do a complete reformat (NTSF) and do a clean installation of
XP which can be accomplished with an upgrade version of XP if you have
the older installation disc to prove upgrading check.
G
Guest
I would check your hardware and software >for any problems >then if you
decide to upgrade to Windows XP, make sure your existing hardware and
software are compatible.
decide to upgrade to Windows XP, make sure your existing hardware and
software are compatible.