Starting IBM X20 (W98SE)

[paieye]

I am having difficulty starting my IBM X20 note-book (W98SE).

I switch it on, and eventually the 'Welcome to Windows' window appears. I enter my user-name and pass- word. I click O.K. The screen freezes, in the sense that I can still steer the mouse-pointer, but the buttons no longer respond.

I press Ctrl-Alt-Del. The 'Close program' window shows "Avgserv9, Msgsrv32(Not responding)". I click on 'End task' in that window and the next one, and the screen simply becomes empty, showing nothing except the default background for the IBM desk-top. I can still steer the mouse-pointer, but there are no icons.

I again press Ctrl-Alt-Del. It now shows only "Avgsvr9". I try the 'Tab'-key to move the focus to the 'Shut down' button, but the key is not working, so I click it with the mouse. Nothing happens for about a minute, then the 'This program is not responding. It may be busy, &c.' window appears. I now click 'End task', and the computer closes down.

Why should this be happening and how can I get Windows working again ?

[enat66]

Does it work booting into Safe Mode (tell us if you are having trouble booting into safemode...there can be some tricks)

[paieye]

Yes, I booted in Safe mode, then clicked Start, Settings, Run. I used msconfig, Step-by-step. I entered a 'Y' against everything, including config.sys, save for autoexec.bat, against which I entered an 'N'. I then did a normal restart, and everything is now perfect.

But: Can anyone tell me why what I did worked ? What did I do that the software would not do left to itself ? I am only asking out of interest, so do not answer if you have got more pressing matters.

Secondly, what happens if you cannot boot in Safe Mode ?

Thank you for your helpful response.

[enat66]

I misunderstand what you did slightly. Did you go in and uncheck some of the startup items? If so you must have disabled a program from starting at startup that was causing windows to crash. I have had this happen before with gamepad software and I had to go into safe mode and disable it from starting up.

Secondly, what happens if you cannot boot in Safe Mode ?

Well...that is a bad sign...you'd probably end up reinstalling windows (which may erase all your data unless windows is in a seperate partition or drive from your data (partitioned means that 1 physically hard drive is seperated into sections virtually so you can erase one of those virtual sections and it leaves the other sections alone))

[Spider]

Go into Safe Mode again
msconfig again
Startup(tab)
and uncheck all the AVG anti virus things
save (say OK) and reboot

[paieye]

Originally Posted by enat66

I misunderstand what you did slightly. Did you go in and uncheck some of the startup items? If so you must have disabled a program from starting at startup that was causing windows to crash....

When I opened msconfig, I did not go to autoexec.bat, and untick anything suspicious. Instead, I chose step-by-step start-up. As each choice presented itself, I pressed Enter, save in relation to autoexec.bat, when I pressed 'N'.

I did not make any reasoned choice in the matter, I have simply been feeling my way with Windows, this being the first time that I have been compelled to do this.

My autoexec.bat now looks like this:

@C:\PROGRA~1\GRISOFT\AVG6\bootup.exe
rem - By Windows 98 Network - c:\windows\net initialize
rem - By Windows 98 Network - ban /nc
rem - By Windows 98 Network - ndisban
rem - By Windows 98 Network - redirall
rem - By Windows 98 Network - c:\windows\net start
rem - By Windows 98 Network - arswait
rem - By Windows 98 Network - z:login
@ECHO OFF
C:\WINDOWS\COMMAND\DOSKEY.COM

SET Path=C:\PROGRA~1\THINKPAD\UTILIT~1;C:\PROGRA~1\GRI SOFT\AVG6

REM The following line creates the hibernation file.
if not exist C:\save2dsk.bin C:\PROGRA~1\THINKPAD\UTILIT~1\phdisk /c /f <C:\PROGRA~1\THINKPAD\UTILIT~1\yes

Rem The following line is no longer needed. It may be deleted.
If Exist C:\MFGBOOTI.REG C:\WINDOWS\REGEDIT C:\MFGBOOTI.REG











mode con codepage prepare=((850) c:\windows\COMMAND\ega.cpi)
mode con codepage select=850
keyb uk,,c:\windows\COMMAND\keyboard.sys

The large blank area that you see appears in msconfig with a column of ticks down the left-hand margin (this was copied from sysedit, as I cannot copy to clipboard in msconfig).

Does that tell you anything ?

Many thanks to you and to everyone that is trying to help me with this.

[paieye]

I am still in deep trouble. I installed the drivers for the external floppy-disc and compact-disc drives available for this notebook by sending the drivers for the compact-disc drive to this notebook from another computer as an attachment to an e-mail letter. I then installed the floppy-disc drivers from the compact-disc, as I now had a working compact-disc drive.

Since then, I have added software as follows:

1. I downloaded AVG, MailWasher and SpyBot (I think in that order).

2. I used the compact-disc drive to instal the drivers for an HP and a Canon printer.

After literally hours of struggling to get Windows to work properly on this notebook, I am no longer sure whether the external drives worked normally after I installed the drivers, though I think that they probably did. I have had this anxiety, though, that they were not installed to a: and d:, but to e: and f:. More alarmingly, when I tried to create a Windows start-up disc today, I could not get Windows to go further than to begin the process, after which it kept showing the 'Insert floppy disc' window, even though there was already a floppy disc in the drive.

I noticed no difference whatever in the working of Windows after carrying out the downloads.

However, installing the drivers has been followed by a sea of troubles. If I start in Normal Mode, the notebook frequently hangs when I try to close down. If I close down by using Ctrl-Alt-Del twice, the notebooks hangs after I have clicked 'O.K.' in the 'Welcome to Windows' window.

I have tried to uninstal the printers. I have uninstalled the HP printer, but only after numerous attempts. When I try to uninstal the Canon printer, I get the error-message: "Log file: C:\windows\CJPDRV\3W\DelsL1.isu is not valid, &c."

I am hoping that with your help I can sort this out. How much can I safely experiment with msconfig ? Is it safe to use TweakUI to uninstal the Canon printer ? What else can I try ? Has the time really come when I must re-instal Windows ? Where do I go from here ?

My young son would say "Straight to Apple Macintosh", and just at present I am tempted to agree....

Originally Posted by paieye

When I opened msconfig, I did not go to autoexec.bat, and untick anything suspicious. Instead, I chose step-by-step start-up. As each choice presented itself, I pressed Enter, save in relation to autoexec.bat, when I pressed 'N'.

I did not make any reasoned choice in the matter, I have simply been feeling my way with Windows, this being the first time that I have been compelled to do this.

My autoexec.bat now looks like this:

@C:\PROGRA~1\GRISOFT\AVG6\bootup.exe
rem - By Windows 98 Network - c:\windows\net initialize
rem - By Windows 98 Network - ban /nc
rem - By Windows 98 Network - ndisban
rem - By Windows 98 Network - redirall
rem - By Windows 98 Network - c:\windows\net start
rem - By Windows 98 Network - arswait
rem - By Windows 98 Network - z:login
@ECHO OFF
C:\WINDOWS\COMMAND\DOSKEY.COM

SET Path=C:\PROGRA~1\THINKPAD\UTILIT~1;C:\PROGRA~1\GRI SOFT\AVG6

REM The following line creates the hibernation file.
if not exist C:\save2dsk.bin C:\PROGRA~1\THINKPAD\UTILIT~1\phdisk /c /f <C:\PROGRA~1\THINKPAD\UTILIT~1\yes

Rem The following line is no longer needed. It may be deleted.
If Exist C:\MFGBOOTI.REG C:\WINDOWS\REGEDIT C:\MFGBOOTI.REG











mode con codepage prepare=((850) c:\windows\COMMAND\ega.cpi)
mode con codepage select=850
keyb uk,,c:\windows\COMMAND\keyboard.sys

The large blank area that you see appears in msconfig with a column of ticks down the left-hand margin (this was copied from sysedit, as I cannot copy to clipboard in msconfig).

Does that tell you anything ?

Many thanks to you and to everyone that is trying to help me with this.

[enat66]

Well I would only go as far in msconfig to select "Selective startup" and then uncheck "Load startup group items" See if that helps.

About your drives...my removable media drives are always after the harddrives...only my floppy drive is before my harddrive....I wouldn't worry about it.