Have you ever wondered how in the hell ya coaxed a pc back to health?

digitalwanderer · Dec 28, 2002, 03:11 AM

I think I just saved Bubble's 98se install somehow, but I'll be jiggered if'n I can figure out exactly how.

I thought the 98se install was completely hosed. I'd only been thru about 3 sets of video drivers & a new set of drivers on the soundcard, when suddenly she'd lock-up tight as a drum whenever I started installing ANY viddy drivers on her. I was clueless and just figured that my 98se had finally crapped out on me. (I tend to change things a LOT, so me installs sometimes corrupt every 6 mos to 1 year.

) But dang it, I'd just done a fresh install a few months ago and didn't feel it was due yet....she wasn't acting at all flaky, just this stinking lock-up!

So I can still boot her into XP, but if I re-install 98se I lose both 98 & XP. (98se is on me boot drive) I can't figure out a cheap/easy way to re-install 98se & then somehow "re-activate" me XP Corp install on a different partition. So I start working on it.

"Working on it" consists of booting into XP, deleting all "nv*" files in the C:\windows directory and trying to re-load the default display drivers in 98. Nope.

So I do it again, but this time I just cancel the driver install to boot into 98se without a display adapter. Half-way home, so I run the official 41.09 install package thinking that will help.

Nope, locks at install.

I finally got bright and booted into 98 without display drivers and disabled the audio drivers I installed today.

<cha-ching!>

I just installed default display drivers without crashing, I'm now gonna try for some real ones and I think it'll work. I went TOTALLY back-asswards I feel with troubleshooting this one, but I'm just TOTALLY relieved that I think I figured it out.

Wish me luck, me wife's back and I'm abandoning Blue.

ToshiroOC · Dec 28, 2002, 03:18 AM

Well Digi, you and I both know that it wasn't anything technical you did, but it was that dramatic scene where you clutched the monitor and started crying "NO!!! ITS NOT YOUR TIME!!! DON'T LEAVE ME!!!" and you gave the CRT a prince-wakes-up-princess sort of kiss

No, but seriously, glad to hear you fixed things up. Sometimes smart people avoid simple answers just because they are simple

digitalwanderer · Dec 28, 2002, 03:32 AM

But I do confess to talking nice to it and putting on me mojo bag....

ToshiroOC · Dec 28, 2002, 03:48 AM

Yer mojo bag? Damn, I think that I really shouldn't ask... oh, have you seen Z-thrust around? I have some news that I want him to post, but he hasn't answered his PM's (and its been a whole hour!) Compulsive Refresh Syndrome set in... help!

digitalwanderer · Dec 28, 2002, 04:01 AM

Last I heard, he was heading out to a party a couple of hours ago....so he might be back by Monday.

If'n it's something important, you could always PM it to your friendly supey-dupey mod with news posting privs....

BTW-Your PM box is full.

ToshiroOC · Dec 28, 2002, 05:35 AM

Whoa, sorry about that - I didn't realize that PM boxes filled up so fast. I only had about 50 total messages, sent and recieved... Well, its cleared up a bit now, sorry about that :sheepish grin:

Vampyromaniac · Dec 28, 2002, 07:30 AM

Yeah dig' I know what you mean . . . plenty of times things just are cured (or get hosed

) for no apparent reason

JavaFox · Dec 28, 2002, 05:01 PM

Yeah, I know exactly what you mean, and that kind of fix, to me, has got to be one of the most unsatisfying things in this world. I hate not knowing what was wrong!

Dec 28, 2002, 03:11 AM	#1
digitalwanderer Colour Commentator Join Date: May 2002 Location: Highland, IN USA Posts: 5,619 Rep Power: 0	Have you ever wondered how in the hell ya coaxed a pc back to health? I think I just saved Bubble's 98se install somehow, but I'll be jiggered if'n I can figure out exactly how. I thought the 98se install was completely hosed. I'd only been thru about 3 sets of video drivers & a new set of drivers on the soundcard, when suddenly she'd lock-up tight as a drum whenever I started installing ANY viddy drivers on her. I was clueless and just figured that my 98se had finally crapped out on me. (I tend to change things a LOT, so me installs sometimes corrupt every 6 mos to 1 year. ) But dang it, I'd just done a fresh install a few months ago and didn't feel it was due yet....she wasn't acting at all flaky, just this stinking lock-up! So I can still boot her into XP, but if I re-install 98se I lose both 98 & XP. (98se is on me boot drive) I can't figure out a cheap/easy way to re-install 98se & then somehow "re-activate" me XP Corp install on a different partition. So I start working on it. "Working on it" consists of booting into XP, deleting all "nv*" files in the C:\windows directory and trying to re-load the default display drivers in 98. Nope. So I do it again, but this time I just cancel the driver install to boot into 98se without a display adapter. Half-way home, so I run the official 41.09 install package thinking that will help. Nope, locks at install. I finally got bright and booted into 98 without display drivers and disabled the audio drivers I installed today. <cha-ching!> I just installed default display drivers without crashing, I'm now gonna try for some real ones and I think it'll work. I went TOTALLY back-asswards I feel with troubleshooting this one, but I'm just TOTALLY relieved that I think I figured it out. Wish me luck, me wife's back and I'm abandoning Blue. __________________ WTF is up with the sigs?

Dec 28, 2002, 03:18 AM	#2
ToshiroOC Unbiased. Join Date: Jun 2002 Posts: 4,812 Rep Power: 0	Well Digi, you and I both know that it wasn't anything technical you did, but it was that dramatic scene where you clutched the monitor and started crying "NO!!! ITS NOT YOUR TIME!!! DON'T LEAVE ME!!!" and you gave the CRT a prince-wakes-up-princess sort of kiss No, but seriously, glad to hear you fixed things up. Sometimes smart people avoid simple answers just because they are simple __________________ [img][/img] [color=White]Peace be with you, Joe.[/color] Driverheaven Staff Member (Supermoderator)

Dec 28, 2002, 03:32 AM	Thread Starter #3
digitalwanderer Colour Commentator Join Date: May 2002 Location: Highland, IN USA Posts: 5,619 Rep Power: 0	I DID NOT! But I do confess to talking nice to it and putting on me mojo bag.... __________________ WTF is up with the sigs?

Dec 28, 2002, 03:48 AM	#4
ToshiroOC Unbiased. Join Date: Jun 2002 Posts: 4,812 Rep Power: 0	Yer mojo bag? Damn, I think that I really shouldn't ask... oh, have you seen Z-thrust around? I have some news that I want him to post, but he hasn't answered his PM's (and its been a whole hour!) Compulsive Refresh Syndrome set in... help! __________________ [img][/img] [color=White]Peace be with you, Joe.[/color] Driverheaven Staff Member (Supermoderator)

Dec 28, 2002, 04:01 AM	Thread Starter #5
digitalwanderer Colour Commentator Join Date: May 2002 Location: Highland, IN USA Posts: 5,619 Rep Power: 0	Nope, haven't seen Zarathustra lately. Last I heard, he was heading out to a party a couple of hours ago....so he might be back by Monday. If'n it's something important, you could always PM it to your friendly supey-dupey mod with news posting privs.... BTW-Your PM box is full. __________________ WTF is up with the sigs?

Dec 28, 2002, 05:35 AM	#6
ToshiroOC Unbiased. Join Date: Jun 2002 Posts: 4,812 Rep Power: 0	Whoa, sorry about that - I didn't realize that PM boxes filled up so fast. I only had about 50 total messages, sent and recieved... Well, its cleared up a bit now, sorry about that :sheepish grin: __________________ [img][/img] [color=White]Peace be with you, Joe.[/color] Driverheaven Staff Member (Supermoderator)

Dec 28, 2002, 07:30 AM	#7
Vampyromaniac confutatis maledictis Join Date: May 2002 Location: somewhere dark Posts: 5,974 Rep Power: 77 System Specs	Yeah dig' I know what you mean . . . plenty of times things just are cured (or get hosed ) for no apparent reason __________________ *Digitalis 3.3* Athlon 64 3000 // ASUS K8V SE Deluxe // 1024MB PC3200 (2-2-2-10 1T) ATI All-In-Wonder 9700 Pro // 20" Dell 2005FPW (DVI) M-Audio Revo 7.1 + Philips Acoustic Edge // Klipsch ProMedia 2.1 320/16 Western Digital WD3200KS + 120/8 Seagate 7200.7 NEC ND-3550A 16x DVD±RW + Lite-On 52x24x CD-RW Antec Sonata case // 480W Antec TruePower personal bests \|\| Aq'3: 46796 \| 3D'01: 20461 \| 3D'03: 6336 \| 3D'05: 2677 \| PC'04: 4605 \| PC'02: 7691,9092,1250

Dec 28, 2002, 05:01 PM	#8
JavaFox E Pluribus Unum Join Date: May 2002 Posts: 3,203 Rep Power: 0	Yeah, I know exactly what you mean, and that kind of fix, to me, has got to be one of the most unsatisfying things in this world. I hate not knowing what was wrong!