Win98SE and Abit NF7-S2

[niall]

I started a thread under Motherboards, but it looks like this forum may have been more suited to it, from the post I made last year here on similar problems in upgrading. I'd point that one to here, but there are already a few answers on it, so I won't start a full second thread here.

In short, I had several troubles with drivers and especially my CD not being recognised after amotherboard upgrade, from Via to nForce chipsets. Other troubles still of note include device drivers (PCI, ethernet, floppy disk).

I'll also note that annoyingly, from Windows, I can't do a restart or a shutdown - I always get a flashing cursor in the upper left corner of a black screen that keeps blinking ad infinitum. I have to go the 4-second route to shut off. But there's never a problem upon booting up, so it is out of Windows at least.

You can find the post and updates here. Any further feedback and possible solutions on that post would be appreciated!

Thank you.

 

[Link19]

The problm is your OS. Windows 98/ME are pieces of junk operating systems and IN NO WAY should you be using either one of them as your primary OS on reasonably good system like that. Install Windows 2000/XP on that system for your primary OS and your problems will be solved. Enough said.

Windows 98/ME are DEAD!!

 

[niall]

Um, thanks, but it seems like you haven't read the crosspost where I state clearly at the start that such advice, while received with the value it's meant, is not useful. I explain why there.

Also, there are plenty of computers still happily running 98 around. I don't need cutting-edge software or games, and my rig is still socket A - hardly "new" by any stretch of the imagination. I am acutely aware that once I go to any newer socket architecture, then it'll be really problematic.

And 98 is not junk. (ME, though, is.) My 98 has been incredibly stable without ever needing reinstalls for 5 years except when I upgraded mobos a year ago, and even then it was just on top of itself. It's not new, and it's not the best. but it's not junk. I'm one who can resist the attraction of New and Shiny when I don't need it.

 

[Link19]

Originally posted by: niall
Um, thanks, but it seems like you haven't read the crosspost where I state clearly at the start that such advice, while received with the value it's meant, is not useful. I explain why there.

Also, there are plenty of computers still happily running 98 around. I don't need cutting-edge software or games, and my rig is still socket A - hardly "new" by any stretch of the imagination. I am acutely aware that once I go to any newer socket architecture, then it'll be really problematic.

And 98 is not junk. (ME, though, is.) My 98 has been incredibly stable without ever needing reinstalls for 5 years except when I upgraded mobos a year ago, and even then it was just on top of itself. It's not new, and it's not the best. but it's not junk. I'm one who can resist the attraction of New and Shiny when I don't need it.

Windows 98 is pure junk when it comes to multi tasking, security, and resource intensive 32-bit computing. The system you have my not be new, but it seems based on that motherboard, that it is new enough where you shouldn't be using such a crumby OS like Windows 98 if you intend to multi task and run today's software. If all you want to do is run legacy programs, than Windows 98 is all you need. But in no way is Windows 98 acceptable on that hardware for running any of today's programs that are even somewhat resource intensive. Anyone who purchased a new motherboard and CPU for the intent of running modern applications in the last 3 1/2 years should HAVE NEVER used Windows 9X as their primary OS on such a system!!

 

[Canterwood]

Not sure if it applies here, but anyway.

The Nvidia driver package can install its own IDE drivers, which some have had problems with. (CD drives and burning issues)
If you have them installed maybe try uninstalling them and using the default MS ones instead.

 

[Jeff7]

Originally posted by: niall
Um, thanks, but it seems like you haven't read the crosspost where I state clearly at the start that such advice, while received with the value it's meant, is not useful. I explain why there.

Also, there are plenty of computers still happily running 98 around. I don't need cutting-edge software or games, and my rig is still socket A - hardly "new" by any stretch of the imagination. I am acutely aware that once I go to any newer socket architecture, then it'll be really problematic.

And 98 is not junk. (ME, though, is.) My 98 has been incredibly stable without ever needing reinstalls for 5 years except when I upgraded mobos a year ago, and even then it was just on top of itself. It's not new, and it's not the best. but it's not junk. I'm one who can resist the attraction of New and Shiny when I don't need it.

Haven't read the crosspost? Well, simple solution - don't crosspost.


Win98SE is alright. 98 had some problems. And I agree that ME is junk. Utter, pathetic junk.

I went from 98SE to XP Pro. It was fairly stable, but XP is much better at preventing critical system screwups.

 

[niall]

Originally posted by: Canterwood
The Nvidia driver package can install its own IDE drivers ... try uninstalling them and using the default MS ones instead.

I couldn't find any mention of IDE drivers, but I found the MS ones and reinstalled them again, no change.

Is it telling that my system also can't do a proper powerdown? Any attempt to shutdown or restart ends with the windows out, the screen black but a cursor blinking on the screen ad infinitum. I remember having this at my last upgrade, but I forget how I fixed it.

 

[rogue1979]

Originally posted by: Link19
The problm is your OS. Windows 98/ME are pieces of junk operating systems and IN NO WAY should you be using either one of them as your primary OS on reasonably good system like that. Install Windows 2000/XP on that system for your primary OS and your problems will be solved. Enough said.

Windows 98/ME are DEAD!!

I have installed WinME on literally scores of modern machines. If you are savvy enough to load the correct drivers, they run Millenium just fine.

Just go into msconfig and turn off the crappy pchealth and the other "go back" stuff, forget what it is called, I think there are 4 of them. Use the control panel to turn off Automatic Updates, load up an upgraded browser. WinME will run every bit as stable as Win98SE and have much better networking and usb support.

 

[Varun]

Originally posted by: Link19

Originally posted by: niall
Um, thanks, but it seems like you haven't read the crosspost where I state clearly at the start that such advice, while received with the value it's meant, is not useful. I explain why there.

Also, there are plenty of computers still happily running 98 around. I don't need cutting-edge software or games, and my rig is still socket A - hardly "new" by any stretch of the imagination. I am acutely aware that once I go to any newer socket architecture, then it'll be really problematic.

And 98 is not junk. (ME, though, is.) My 98 has been incredibly stable without ever needing reinstalls for 5 years except when I upgraded mobos a year ago, and even then it was just on top of itself. It's not new, and it's not the best. but it's not junk. I'm one who can resist the attraction of New and Shiny when I don't need it.

Windows 98 is pure junk when it comes to multi tasking, security, and resource intensive 32-bit computing. The system you have my not be new, but it seems based on that motherboard, that it is new enough where you shouldn't be using such a crumby OS like Windows 98 if you intend to multi task and run today's software. If all you want to do is run legacy programs, than Windows 98 is all you need. But in no way is Windows 98 acceptable on that hardware for running any of today's programs that are even somewhat resource intensive. Anyone who purchased a new motherboard and CPU for the intent of running modern applications in the last 3 1/2 years should HAVE NEVER used Windows 9X as their primary OS on such a system!!

Windows 98 isn't junk - though it is certainly not the best OS out there. I had one virus ever in 8 years, and that was my wife opening an email attachment. With XP Pro I usually find one every week. I never had serious stability issues, though you sure couldn't leave Windows 98 on all the time like I do with XP. A couple of reboots a day were needed to restore the memory back to a nice pristine condition.

To Niall, I was very much like you for a long time. I stuck with Windows 98 because it worked, and I never had any serious problems with it. Recently I have moved to XP Pro - mostly because that is what we use at work. The difference is truly amazing.

XP is a great OS, despite what the Linux guys say. Stable, powerful, it really has it all. I saw that you run 1GB of RAM, well in XP you don't need any registry hacks for that to work like Windows 98.

You don't want to hear this, but you should move to XP. It would be the best $100 you have spent on your computer in quite some time. I used to think Windows 98 was stable, but now I don't know how I lived with it.

I gave you advice in your other thread suggesting you reinstall your OS. You just can't switch from a Via motherboard to an Nvidia motherboard and not think you would have to reinstall your OS, that's just not realistic. Since you basically have to do that anyway, look at right now as the perfect time to upgrade your OS.
You won't have any more compatibility issues, you will likely never see a bluescreen again.

 

[niall]

The "correct drivers" is of course always the key.

In any case, thanks, but networking and USB support have never been a problem, and aren't a problem here either. It's recognising the cd-rw as a cd-rw and being able to read a cd-rom so I can reinstall the rest of my software that's the main stumbling block here. Instead, it sees a blind/blank drive as soon as Windows starts to load.

I'll try reinstalling every driver from scratch, see what that does.

 

[Link19]

I have installed WinME on literally scores of modern machines. If you are savvy enough to load the correct drivers, they run Millenium just fine.

Just go into msconfig and turn off the crappy pchealth and the other "go back" stuff, forget what it is called, I think there are 4 of them. Use the control panel to turn off Automatic Updates, load up an upgraded browser. WinME will run every bit as stable as Win98SE and have much better networking and usb support.

You have to be savvy enough to load the right drivers on 2000 too. But Windows 2000 is a ton times better than ME. I say Windows 98/ME are junk because it just seems so unfortunate that we have had to deal with cross platform compatibility the last few years. Windows 98/ME are completely different from Windows 2000/XP. SO wouldn't it be easier to just support the much better kerenl of the two completely different OS architectures? I mean before Windows XP was released, developers only had to support Windows 9X based OSs. But ever since the release of Windows XP, developers have had to support two completely different operating systems as if they were the same common platform. I mean once the whole migration to an NT core becoming the standard platform began, wouldn't it have been best if all applications written for MS opertaing systems were designated to one common OS architecture of Windows 2000/XP which was the better than the Windows 9X/ME core, both of which are tow completely different operating systems?? Another words, it seems performance in applications would have been much better if deelopers could spend their time having to focus on only one OS kernel as opposed to two distinctly different OS kernels made by the same company with the same OS name. It's that thought that gets to me and what bothers me about continued support for Windows 98/ME.


AM I right on the fact that Windows 98/ME are completely different OS's than Windows 2000/XP and does stating that developers had to exert much more effort to support two completely different OS cores, as opposed to supporting one common OS core only be it native 9X/ME based OS only, or native NT/2000/XP/2003 only??