Mouse not detected and Windows 98SE Freeze issues

[jj mac]

My Win98SE Computer has the following Specification :

Intel Pentium 120 Mhz
40MB RAM
1MB PCI Graphics Card
2No. HDDs Drive C: 4086MB (3871MB free) Fat 32
Drive D: 1025MB (262MB free) Fat 32
Intel i430 FX Triton Motherboard.
5 port USB2 PCI adapter card installed
Operating System : Windows 98 4.10.2222A

This Computer has developed the following faults which may be related.

1 During bootup I am getting an error message “Windows did not detect a
mouse attached to this Computerâ€. By installing a wireless mouse (attached
to a USB port) instead of the serial mouse I am able to overcome that problem
but the Serial Port fault remains. I have checked the serial mouse on
another Computer and it is OK.

2. The Computer freezes sometimes during bootup but more often two or
three mouse clicks after opening a program. When that happens all I can do
is switch off the power plug & during reboot wait while the computer runs
ScanDisk.

Win 98SE is installed in Drive C. In an attempt to correct these problems
I reformatted drive C and reinstalled Win 98SE from its original CD. I now
realise that by doing so I have lost all of the Win98 updates and IE ver.5
has been installed. As a result the mouse problem remains, and although I
have not reloaded any programs after the reformat , the Computer freezes have
worsened ,
The Computer is now virtually unusable.
I have a number of programs installed on the second HD ,drive D, but assume
that they would have no bearing on the problems.

I have a Broadband Ethernet connection with another desktop Computer and a
wireless connection with a laptop. This old Computer is not connected to the
internet at present. If I can resolve these issues I would then hope to add
a Broadband connection from my router using a USB LAN to Ethernet adapter.

The only additional hardware recently installed was the USB2 adapter card.
I recall that the card was supplied with an installation disk but to get it
to work properly I had to download and install an additional Win 98 Mass
Storage driver. The USB2 ports are working perfectly. I suppose the card
could be causing a conflict but if so it was not immediately apparent. If I
remove the card to check out whether or not it is causing a conflict I would
have no control of the cursor. I cannot find any keyboard control thereof
possibly caused by the mouse /com port fault.
After reinstalling Win 98se I removed the Modem (internal) card as its
drivers appeared not to have installed properly.
I would appreciate advice as to what is the likely cause of these problems,
there resolution, or on what trouble shooting measures I should carry out to
try and establish their cause.
Thank you

--
JJ MacA

 

[Leroy]

jj mac wrote:
> My Win98SE Computer has the following Specification :
>
> Intel Pentium 120 Mhz
> 40MB RAM
> 1MB PCI Graphics Card
> 2No. HDDs Drive C: 4086MB (3871MB free) Fat 32
> Drive D: 1025MB (262MB free) Fat 32
> Intel i430 FX Triton Motherboard.
> 5 port USB2 PCI adapter card installed
> Operating System : Windows 98 4.10.2222A
>
> This Computer has developed the following faults which may be related.
>
> 1 During bootup I am getting an error message “Windows did not detect a
> mouse attached to this Computerâ€. By installing a wireless mouse (attached
> to a USB port) instead of the serial mouse I am able to overcome that problem
> but the Serial Port fault remains. I have checked the serial mouse on
> another Computer and it is OK.
>
> 2. The Computer freezes sometimes during bootup but more often two or
> three mouse clicks after opening a program. When that happens all I can do
> is switch off the power plug & during reboot wait while the computer runs
> ScanDisk.
>
> Win 98SE is installed in Drive C. In an attempt to correct these problems
> I reformatted drive C and reinstalled Win 98SE from its original CD. I now
> realise that by doing so I have lost all of the Win98 updates and IE ver.5
> has been installed. As a result the mouse problem remains, and although I
> have not reloaded any programs after the reformat , the Computer freezes have
> worsened ,
> The Computer is now virtually unusable.
> I have a number of programs installed on the second HD ,drive D, but assume
> that they would have no bearing on the problems.
>
> I have a Broadband Ethernet connection with another desktop Computer and a
> wireless connection with a laptop. This old Computer is not connected to the
> internet at present. If I can resolve these issues I would then hope to add
> a Broadband connection from my router using a USB LAN to Ethernet adapter.
>
> The only additional hardware recently installed was the USB2 adapter card.
> I recall that the card was supplied with an installation disk but to get it
> to work properly I had to download and install an additional Win 98 Mass
> Storage driver. The USB2 ports are working perfectly. I suppose the card
> could be causing a conflict but if so it was not immediately apparent. If I
> remove the card to check out whether or not it is causing a conflict I would
> have no control of the cursor. I cannot find any keyboard control thereof
> possibly caused by the mouse /com port fault.
> After reinstalling Win 98se I removed the Modem (internal) card as its
> drivers appeared not to have installed properly.
> I would appreciate advice as to what is the likely cause of these problems,
> there resolution, or on what trouble shooting measures I should carry out to
> try and establish their cause.
> Thank you
>


How To Recycle a Computer
http://www.howtodothings.com/business/a3624-how-to-recycle-a-computer.html

 

[letterman@invalid.com]

On Sat, 6 Sep 2008 09:35:14 -0700, jj mac <jj
mac@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote:

>My Win98SE Computer has the following Specification :
>
>Intel Pentium 120 Mhz
>40MB RAM
>1MB PCI Graphics Card
>2No. HDDs Drive C: 4086MB (3871MB free) Fat 32
> Drive D: 1025MB (262MB free) Fat 32
>Intel i430 FX Triton Motherboard.
>5 port USB2 PCI adapter card installed
>Operating System : Windows 98 4.10.2222A
>
>This Computer has developed the following faults which may be related.
>
>1 During bootup I am getting an error message “Windows did not detect a
>mouse attached to this Computer”. By installing a wireless mouse (attached
>to a USB port) instead of the serial mouse I am able to overcome that problem
> but the Serial Port fault remains. I have checked the serial mouse on
>another Computer and it is OK.
>
>2. The Computer freezes sometimes during bootup but more often two or
>three mouse clicks after opening a program. When that happens all I can do
>is switch off the power plug & during reboot wait while the computer runs
>ScanDisk.
>
> Win 98SE is installed in Drive C. In an attempt to correct these problems
>I reformatted drive C and reinstalled Win 98SE from its original CD. I now
>realise that by doing so I have lost all of the Win98 updates and IE ver.5
>has been installed. As a result the mouse problem remains, and although I
>have not reloaded any programs after the reformat , the Computer freezes have
>worsened ,
> The Computer is now virtually unusable.
>I have a number of programs installed on the second HD ,drive D, but assume
>that they would have no bearing on the problems.
>
>I have a Broadband Ethernet connection with another desktop Computer and a
>wireless connection with a laptop. This old Computer is not connected to the
>internet at present. If I can resolve these issues I would then hope to add
>a Broadband connection from my router using a USB LAN to Ethernet adapter.
>
>The only additional hardware recently installed was the USB2 adapter card.
> I recall that the card was supplied with an installation disk but to get it
>to work properly I had to download and install an additional Win 98 Mass
>Storage driver. The USB2 ports are working perfectly. I suppose the card
>could be causing a conflict but if so it was not immediately apparent. If I
>remove the card to check out whether or not it is causing a conflict I would
>have no control of the cursor. I cannot find any keyboard control thereof
>possibly caused by the mouse /com port fault.
>After reinstalling Win 98se I removed the Modem (internal) card as its
>drivers appeared not to have installed properly.
>I would appreciate advice as to what is the likely cause of these problems,
>there resolution, or on what trouble shooting measures I should carry out to
>try and establish their cause.
>Thank you

This is just a possible guess.......
I had an old computer that would freeze often (with win98se). I tried
everything with the software to fix it, and nothing solved it. One
day the computer just died. I found out the power supply was dead.
After I replaced the power supply, I never had the freezeup problems
again. Before the PS totally died, I had measured the voltages and
found them to be low. I just thought the test meter was a little
"off". Now I know better. Check your PS voltages, or just try
another PS. The capacitors in those old PSs tend to get weak. Of
course your motherboard caps could also be getting bad.
Just a thought.....

I'd also add some Ram to that puter. You must have a 32 and an 8 meg
stick. I'd at least replace that 8 with another 32 or a 64. That old
ram is sold for pennies these days. You could also have bad ram too,
so change it and see if that helps.

Since you already installed Windows, and still had the problems, it
sounds to me like you have hardware problems.

PS. Look at the caps on the MB, the large ones near where the power
supply plugs to the MB. Are any of them domed (rounded) on the top?
Is there any crud (leakage) next to them?
There's a website that shows pics of bad caps. I did not bookmark it,
but maybe someone else knows the URL.

 

[philo]

"jj mac" <jj mac@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
news:29DF7D50-099F-40E3-A026-D354AC225FA4@microsoft.com...
> My Win98SE Computer has the following Specification :
>
> Intel Pentium 120 Mhz
> 40MB RAM
> 1MB PCI Graphics Card
> 2No. HDDs Drive C: 4086MB (3871MB free) Fat 32
> Drive D: 1025MB (262MB free) Fat 32
> Intel i430 FX Triton Motherboard.
> 5 port USB2 PCI adapter card installed
> Operating System : Windows 98 4.10.2222A
>
> This Computer has developed the following faults which may be related.
>
> 1 During bootup I am getting an error message "Windows did not detect a
> mouse attached to this Computer". By installing a wireless mouse
(attached
> to a USB port) instead of the serial mouse I am able to overcome that
problem
> but the Serial Port fault remains. I have checked the serial mouse on
> another Computer and it is OK.
>
> 2. The Computer freezes sometimes during bootup but more often two or
> three mouse clicks after opening a program. When that happens all I can
do
> is switch off the power plug & during reboot wait while the computer runs
> ScanDisk.
>
> Win 98SE is installed in Drive C. In an attempt to correct these
problems
> I reformatted drive C and reinstalled Win 98SE from its original CD. I
now
> realise that by doing so I have lost all of the Win98 updates and IE ver.5
> has been installed. As a result the mouse problem remains, and although I
> have not reloaded any programs after the reformat , the Computer freezes
have
> worsened ,
> The Computer is now virtually unusable.
> I have a number of programs installed on the second HD ,drive D, but
assume
> that they would have no bearing on the problems.
>
> I have a Broadband Ethernet connection with another desktop Computer and
a
> wireless connection with a laptop. This old Computer is not connected to
the
> internet at present. If I can resolve these issues I would then hope to
add
> a Broadband connection from my router using a USB LAN to Ethernet adapter.
>
> The only additional hardware recently installed was the USB2 adapter
card.
> I recall that the card was supplied with an installation disk but to get
it
> to work properly I had to download and install an additional Win 98 Mass
> Storage driver. The USB2 ports are working perfectly. I suppose the
card
> could be causing a conflict but if so it was not immediately apparent. If
I
> remove the card to check out whether or not it is causing a conflict I
would
> have no control of the cursor. I cannot find any keyboard control thereof
> possibly caused by the mouse /com port fault.
> After reinstalling Win 98se I removed the Modem (internal) card as its
> drivers appeared not to have installed properly.
> I would appreciate advice as to what is the likely cause of these
problems,
> there resolution, or on what trouble shooting measures I should carry out
to
> try and establish their cause.
> Thank you
>


As to the serial mouse not working, check your bios settings
to make sure that port is enabled...
you may want to set it to "auto". or:
If the machine has a ps/2 port, just use a ps/2 mouse.

As to the machine locking up...
It could be a lot of things...but I generally suggest running a RAM test
first
as H/W problems can often cause a "lockup"

Lockups are also caused by overheating...
but a P-120 generally does not require too much cooling...
With a large enough heatsink...a fan is not necessarily required...
but I'd have a look to make sure the heatsink is properly secured...
A p-120 without a heat sink at all, will overheat

 

[glee]

Has a serial mouse *ever* worked on this computer? Pinouts on the motherboard for
serial ports varied, and I have seen boards of that period whose serial port cable
did not match the pinouts on the motherboard, and the port simply would not work as
a result.

That motherboard supports a PS/2 mouse....it should have a PS/2 mouse header on the
motherboard, although you may not have a PS/2 mouse port connector on the case, and
would need to add one:
Physical Installation Procedures - PS/2 Mouse Port Connector
http://www.pcguide.com/proc/physinst/ps2.htm

A lot of things could cause the freeze problem. Power supply, RAM, bad caps on the
mobo (as mentioned in other replies already).
Another possibility is a failing hard drive. Does Scandisk ever find anything
wrong?

Try the procedure here: Testing a Suspect Hard Drive:
http://aumha.net/viewtopic.php?f=14&t=30382

I am partial to SeaTools for DOS (NOT SeaTools for Windows):
http://www.seagate.com/www/en-us/support/downloads/seatools

<canned>

If a failing hard drive is suspected, it can be tested by running the diagnostics
from the hard drive manufacturer's web site.

Prior to any testing, a backup of your important data should be made
immediately....if the drive is in fact failing, it could fail at any time.

If you don't know what brand the drive is, you can download the limited-use free
edition of OnTrack Data Advisor from this location:
http://www.ontrackdatarecovery.com/data-recovery-downloads/#dataadvisor

Click the download link on that page for Data Advisor Trial Edition in your
language, to download the diskette creator file.

The downloads are diskette creators. They are to be run once from a working Windows
system and will guide you through the process of extracting the Data Advisor onto a
3.5" floppy disk.

Download and Use Instructions:
http://www.ontrackdatarecovery.com/hard-drive-software/dataadvisor-download.aspx

An older version of SeaTools, for creating a bootable floppy disk or for creating a
bootable CD if you don't have a floppy drive, is here:
http://www.majorgeeks.com/download2858.html
Sea Tools contains both a Seagate-specific diagnostic and a Generic test that will
run on all brands of drives.

Hard Drive Diagnostic Programs by Vendor:

OnTrack Data Advisor:
http://www.ontrack.com/freesoftware/#dataadvisor

IBM/Hitachi Drive Fitness Test:
http://www.hgst.com/hdd/support/download.htm

Western Digital Data Lifeguard Tools:
http://support.wdc.com/download/

Quantum/Maxtor PowerMax:
http://www.majorgeeks.com/Maxtor_Powermax_d1386.html

Seagate SeaTools for DOS:
http://www.seagate.com/www/en-us/support/downloads/seatools

</canned>
--
Glen Ventura, MS MVP Windows, A+
http://dts-l.net/
http://dts-l.net/goodpost.htm


"jj mac" <jj mac@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
news:29DF7D50-099F-40E3-A026-D354AC225FA4@microsoft.com...
> My Win98SE Computer has the following Specification :
>
> Intel Pentium 120 Mhz
> 40MB RAM
> 1MB PCI Graphics Card
> 2No. HDDs Drive C: 4086MB (3871MB free) Fat 32
> Drive D: 1025MB (262MB free) Fat 32
> Intel i430 FX Triton Motherboard.
> 5 port USB2 PCI adapter card installed
> Operating System : Windows 98 4.10.2222A
>
> This Computer has developed the following faults which may be related.
>
> 1 During bootup I am getting an error message “Windows did not detect a
> mouse attached to this Computerâ€. By installing a wireless mouse (attached
> to a USB port) instead of the serial mouse I am able to overcome that problem
> but the Serial Port fault remains. I have checked the serial mouse on
> another Computer and it is OK.
>
> 2. The Computer freezes sometimes during bootup but more often two or
> three mouse clicks after opening a program. When that happens all I can do
> is switch off the power plug & during reboot wait while the computer runs
> ScanDisk.
>
> Win 98SE is installed in Drive C. In an attempt to correct these problems
> I reformatted drive C and reinstalled Win 98SE from its original CD. I now
> realise that by doing so I have lost all of the Win98 updates and IE ver.5
> has been installed. As a result the mouse problem remains, and although I
> have not reloaded any programs after the reformat , the Computer freezes have
> worsened ,
> The Computer is now virtually unusable.
> I have a number of programs installed on the second HD ,drive D, but assume
> that they would have no bearing on the problems.
>
> I have a Broadband Ethernet connection with another desktop Computer and a
> wireless connection with a laptop. This old Computer is not connected to the
> internet at present. If I can resolve these issues I would then hope to add
> a Broadband connection from my router using a USB LAN to Ethernet adapter.
>
> The only additional hardware recently installed was the USB2 adapter card.
> I recall that the card was supplied with an installation disk but to get it
> to work properly I had to download and install an additional Win 98 Mass
> Storage driver. The USB2 ports are working perfectly. I suppose the card
> could be causing a conflict but if so it was not immediately apparent. If I
> remove the card to check out whether or not it is causing a conflict I would
> have no control of the cursor. I cannot find any keyboard control thereof
> possibly caused by the mouse /com port fault.
> After reinstalling Win 98se I removed the Modem (internal) card as its
> drivers appeared not to have installed properly.
> I would appreciate advice as to what is the likely cause of these problems,
> there resolution, or on what trouble shooting measures I should carry out to
> try and establish their cause.
> Thank you
>
> --
> JJ MacA

 

[Buffalo]

jj mac wrote:
> My Win98SE Computer has the following Specification :
>
> Intel Pentium 120 Mhz
> 40MB RAM
> 1MB PCI Graphics Card
> 2No. HDDs Drive C: 4086MB (3871MB free) Fat 32
> Drive D: 1025MB (262MB free) Fat 32
> Intel i430 FX Triton Motherboard.
> 5 port USB2 PCI adapter card installed
> Operating System : Windows 98 4.10.2222A
>
> This Computer has developed the following faults which may be related.
>
> 1 During bootup I am getting an error message "Windows did not
> detect a mouse attached to this Computer". By installing a wireless
> mouse (attached to a USB port) instead of the serial mouse I am able
> to overcome that problem but the Serial Port fault remains. I have
> checked the serial mouse on another Computer and it is OK.
>
> 2. The Computer freezes sometimes during bootup but more often two
> or three mouse clicks after opening a program. When that happens all
> I can do is switch off the power plug & during reboot wait while the
> computer runs ScanDisk.
>
> Win 98SE is installed in Drive C. In an attempt to correct these
> problems I reformatted drive C and reinstalled Win 98SE from its
> original CD. I now realise that by doing so I have lost all of the
> Win98 updates and IE ver.5 has been installed. As a result the mouse
> problem remains, and although I have not reloaded any programs after
> the reformat , the Computer freezes have worsened ,
> The Computer is now virtually unusable.
> I have a number of programs installed on the second HD ,drive D, but
> assume that they would have no bearing on the problems.
>
> I have a Broadband Ethernet connection with another desktop Computer
> and a wireless connection with a laptop. This old Computer is not
> connected to the internet at present. If I can resolve these issues
> I would then hope to add a Broadband connection from my router using
> a USB LAN to Ethernet adapter.
>
> The only additional hardware recently installed was the USB2 adapter
> card. I recall that the card was supplied with an installation disk
> but to get it to work properly I had to download and install an
> additional Win 98 Mass Storage driver. The USB2 ports are working
> perfectly. I suppose the card could be causing a conflict but if
> so it was not immediately apparent. If I remove the card to check
> out whether or not it is causing a conflict I would have no control
> of the cursor. I cannot find any keyboard control thereof possibly
> caused by the mouse /com port fault.
> After reinstalling Win 98se I removed the Modem (internal) card as its
> drivers appeared not to have installed properly.
> I would appreciate advice as to what is the likely cause of these
> problems, there resolution, or on what trouble shooting measures I
> should carry out to try and establish their cause.
> Thank you

One simple thing to try is to remove and reseat the ram modules. Their
contacts can get oxidized and just removing them and reseating them often
ensures better contact. You may even want to try different ram, if you have
it or remove the 8MB stick and try just the 32MB stick.
This is easy and doesn't cost anything and is worth a try.
Like others have pointed out, the PSU may be weak and failing (perhaps it is
totally plugged up with dust and/or its fan quit
functioning).
The serial mouse problem could be a bent or broken pin in the PC socket or
perhaps one of the wires going to it is broken or shorted out. Make sure the
BIOS is recognizing the serial port and that its address is correct.

 

[Franc Zabkar]

On Sat, 6 Sep 2008 09:35:14 -0700, jj mac <jj
mac@discussions.microsoft.com> put finger to keyboard and composed:

>My Win98SE Computer has the following Specification :
>
>Intel Pentium 120 Mhz
>40MB RAM
>1MB PCI Graphics Card
>2No. HDDs Drive C: 4086MB (3871MB free) Fat 32
> Drive D: 1025MB (262MB free) Fat 32
>Intel i430 FX Triton Motherboard.
>5 port USB2 PCI adapter card installed
>Operating System : Windows 98 4.10.2222A
>
>This Computer has developed the following faults which may be related.
>
>1 During bootup I am getting an error message “Windows did not detect a
>mouse attached to this Computer”. By installing a wireless mouse (attached
>to a USB port) instead of the serial mouse I am able to overcome that problem
> but the Serial Port fault remains. I have checked the serial mouse on
>another Computer and it is OK.

Make sure the COM port is enabled in your BIOS setup. (Did you
recently replace your CMOS battery?)

I have written the following DOS program to test real COM ports:
http://www.users.on.net/~fzabkar/comstest.exe

Use a wire or paperclip to connect any output pin to any input pin.
The corresponding connection should flash on your screen.

This page shows the pinout of a serial port and describes how a serial
mouse works:
http://pinouts.ru/SerialPorts/Serial9_pinout.shtml

You need to test pins 2,3,4 and 7.

>2. The Computer freezes sometimes during bootup but more often two or
>three mouse clicks after opening a program. When that happens all I can do
>is switch off the power plug & during reboot wait while the computer runs
>ScanDisk.

Check that the power supply and CPU fans are spinning. Clean out any
dust.
Remove and reseat all cards and memory modules.
Disconnect and reconnect all cables.
Check motherboard capacitors for bulging or leaking.

Run MEMTEST for several hours to test your RAM:
http://www.memtest.org/

Run the hard disc manufacturer's diagnostic tests.

Measure the power supply voltages:
http://pinouts.ru/Power/MotherboardPower_pinout.shtml (old AT)
http://pinouts.ru/Power/atxpower_pinout.shtml (ATX)

- Franc Zabkar
--
Please remove one 'i' from my address when replying by email.

 

[letterman@invalid.com]

On Sat, 6 Sep 2008 16:49:23 -0600, "Buffalo" <Eric@nada.com.invalid>
wrote:

>One simple thing to try is to remove and reseat the ram modules. Their
>contacts can get oxidized and just removing them and reseating them often
>ensures better contact. You may even want to try different ram, if you have

Clean the contacts on the Ram strips. Just use a standard pencil
eraser on them. Old contacts on Ram as well as cards tend to get a
oxidized. Clean contacts on cards too.

>it or remove the 8MB stick and try just the 32MB stick.
>This is easy and doesn't cost anything and is worth a try.
>Like others have pointed out, the PSU may be weak and failing (perhaps it is
>totally plugged up with dust and/or its fan quit
>functioning).
>The serial mouse problem could be a bent or broken pin in the PC socket or
>perhaps one of the wires going to it is broken or shorted out. Make sure the
>BIOS is recognizing the serial port and that its address is correct.

You can also try a serial mouse in a serial port if the PS2 plug is
not working. You can buy adaptors for them too, from PS2 to Serial.

 

[jj mac]

Letterman
Many thanks for sharing your experience with me and your useful
suggestions.. I recall checking the 5 volt line about 2 months ago and it
was spot on but that was before this trouble started. I intend to recheck
both the 5 volt line and the 12 volt line within the next few days. I am
not too sure at present at what points in the circuit I should check these
voltages. If any of the capacitors are leaking I suppose it is possible that
the voltage could measure OK but a faulty smoothing capacitor could cause a
ripple on the DC lines which could cause the RAM to fault. I have had a
quick look around on the motherboard & the only capacitors I could see were
small ones about 5mm dia & 10mm tall. No sign of any bulging or leakage.
I am somewhat hampered by the lack of a manual for this Computer. I
purchased it 10 years ago in a Computer shop where it was cobbled together
using a mixture of parts and by todays standard I paid plenty for it.. It
has a Samsung monitor but that is not the name of the computer. It has none.
A few years after I purchased it I added a second hard Disk and a CD writer.
It had only 16MB of Ram at purchase which I increased to 40MB. The computer
has 4 RAM slots which were fully populated. I removed the modules from 2
slots and replaced them with 2no.16MB modules thus increasing the total RAM
to 40MB.. I still have the two strips that I removed but the markings do not
indicate either the speed or their size. I presume they must have been 4 MB
each.. I think that it is SDRAM that is fitted with a speed of PC100.
I do see the RAM as a prime suspect and I was intending to replace all 4
module strips with a single Kingstone 256MB SDRAM PC 133 strip. However, on
the internet I came across a reference to a problem if you “add more than
64MB of Ram to a system that does not support caching of more than 64 MB of
system memory eg. The Intel Triton i430FX based motherboards completely
disable the onboard L2 Cache when more than 64MB of RAM is installed, causing
major performance degradation†It so happens that my motherboard is Intel
Triton i450FX based.
This is where I get out of my depth. I don’t know if my computer has any
Cache installed. I cannot find any specific reference to it in “System
informationâ€. As mentioned, I do not have a manual but I did get a receipt
which gave a very brief description of the Computer which says that it has
“Pipeline Burst Cacheâ€
System Information†shows that at present there is 94% of system resources
free, That it has a “Windows managed swap file on drive C (3878 MB free)â€
3878 mb is in fact the amount of free space at present on Drive C..
Would I be correct in assuming that the “Pipeline burst Cache†makes
available the entire free disk space for cache, that it replaces the L2 Cache
and that there should be no reason against installing 256MB of Ram or at
least 128MB.?

P/S I have just now checked in SETUP that the COM1 port, to which the
serial mouse is attached was enabled. Both on board Serial Ports (Com1 &
Com2) are enabled. I then booted up the computer (using the wireless mouse
connected through a USB port) in order to check the Com1 Port address in
device manager. It was 03F8.. I made no alterations in SETUP or in Device
Manager. I shut down & restarted the computer and could you believe it the
Serial mouse was working. The mouse was only loosely attached to the
Computer. I tightened it up firmly which did not stop the mouse from working
but some ten minutes later when I next restarted the Computer the mouse was
not detected. It would appear that the mouse would work if windows could
detect it.. I worked with the Computer for about half an hour when the serial
mouse was working. During that time the Computer froze only once.
I still intend to replace the RAM & hope that that will cure the freezing
problem.
Many thanks for your help.
--
JJ MacA


"letterman@invalid.com" wrote:

> On Sat, 6 Sep 2008 16:49:23 -0600, "Buffalo" <Eric@nada.com.invalid>
> wrote:
>
> >One simple thing to try is to remove and reseat the ram modules. Their
> >contacts can get oxidized and just removing them and reseating them often
> >ensures better contact. You may even want to try different ram, if you have
>
> Clean the contacts on the Ram strips. Just use a standard pencil
> eraser on them. Old contacts on Ram as well as cards tend to get a
> oxidized. Clean contacts on cards too.
>
> >it or remove the 8MB stick and try just the 32MB stick.
> >This is easy and doesn't cost anything and is worth a try.
> >Like others have pointed out, the PSU may be weak and failing (perhaps it is
> >totally plugged up with dust and/or its fan quit
> >functioning).
> >The serial mouse problem could be a bent or broken pin in the PC socket or
> >perhaps one of the wires going to it is broken or shorted out. Make sure the
> >BIOS is recognizing the serial port and that its address is correct.
>
> You can also try a serial mouse in a serial port if the PS2 plug is
> not working. You can buy adaptors for them too, from PS2 to Serial.
>

 

[jj mac]

Yes But sure I enjoy tinkering with old Computers. I have an assortment of
them along with a couple of modern ones. Can't understand how they work
though.
--
JJ MacA


"Leroy" wrote:

> jj mac wrote:
> > My Win98SE Computer has the following Specification :
> >
> > Intel Pentium 120 Mhz
> > 40MB RAM
> > 1MB PCI Graphics Card
> > 2No. HDDs Drive C: 4086MB (3871MB free) Fat 32
> > Drive D: 1025MB (262MB free) Fat 32
> > Intel i430 FX Triton Motherboard.
> > 5 port USB2 PCI adapter card installed
> > Operating System : Windows 98 4.10.2222A
> >
> > This Computer has developed the following faults which may be related.
> >
> > 1 During bootup I am getting an error message “Windows did not detect a
> > mouse attached to this Computerâ€. By installing a wireless mouse (attached
> > to a USB port) instead of the serial mouse I am able to overcome that problem
> > but the Serial Port fault remains. I have checked the serial mouse on
> > another Computer and it is OK.
> >
> > 2. The Computer freezes sometimes during bootup but more often two or
> > three mouse clicks after opening a program. When that happens all I can do
> > is switch off the power plug & during reboot wait while the computer runs
> > ScanDisk.
> >
> > Win 98SE is installed in Drive C. In an attempt to correct these problems
> > I reformatted drive C and reinstalled Win 98SE from its original CD. I now
> > realise that by doing so I have lost all of the Win98 updates and IE ver.5
> > has been installed. As a result the mouse problem remains, and although I
> > have not reloaded any programs after the reformat , the Computer freezes have
> > worsened ,
> > The Computer is now virtually unusable.
> > I have a number of programs installed on the second HD ,drive D, but assume
> > that they would have no bearing on the problems.
> >
> > I have a Broadband Ethernet connection with another desktop Computer and a
> > wireless connection with a laptop. This old Computer is not connected to the
> > internet at present. If I can resolve these issues I would then hope to add
> > a Broadband connection from my router using a USB LAN to Ethernet adapter.
> >
> > The only additional hardware recently installed was the USB2 adapter card.
> > I recall that the card was supplied with an installation disk but to get it
> > to work properly I had to download and install an additional Win 98 Mass
> > Storage driver. The USB2 ports are working perfectly. I suppose the card
> > could be causing a conflict but if so it was not immediately apparent. If I
> > remove the card to check out whether or not it is causing a conflict I would
> > have no control of the cursor. I cannot find any keyboard control thereof
> > possibly caused by the mouse /com port fault.
> > After reinstalling Win 98se I removed the Modem (internal) card as its
> > drivers appeared not to have installed properly.
> > I would appreciate advice as to what is the likely cause of these problems,
> > there resolution, or on what trouble shooting measures I should carry out to
> > try and establish their cause.
> > Thank you
> >
>
>
> How To Recycle a Computer
> http://www.howtodothings.com/business/a3624-how-to-recycle-a-computer.html
>

 

[jj mac]

Thanks Philo
I have checked the BIOS settings. The serial port to which the mouse is
attached is enabled and set to auto'
I don't have a PS/2 port on that Computer but I can use a wireless mouse
through a USB port. The mouse problem is secondary to the Lockups other than
the two problems may be related.
I suspect that RAM faults may be causing the lockups. I intend to reseat
the existing Ram strips but if that does not work I will replace it.
I don't think that overheating is responsible. I have left the computer
running (idle) for over 4 hours and it did not lockup. Its only when I start
working with programs that it locksup frequently
Thanks for your help.--
JJ MacA


"philo" wrote:

>
> "jj mac" <jj mac@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
> news:29DF7D50-099F-40E3-A026-D354AC225FA4@microsoft.com...
> > My Win98SE Computer has the following Specification :
> >
> > Intel Pentium 120 Mhz
> > 40MB RAM
> > 1MB PCI Graphics Card
> > 2No. HDDs Drive C: 4086MB (3871MB free) Fat 32
> > Drive D: 1025MB (262MB free) Fat 32
> > Intel i430 FX Triton Motherboard.
> > 5 port USB2 PCI adapter card installed
> > Operating System : Windows 98 4.10.2222A
> >
> > This Computer has developed the following faults which may be related.
> >
> > 1 During bootup I am getting an error message "Windows did not detect a
> > mouse attached to this Computer". By installing a wireless mouse
> (attached
> > to a USB port) instead of the serial mouse I am able to overcome that
> problem
> > but the Serial Port fault remains. I have checked the serial mouse on
> > another Computer and it is OK.
> >
> > 2. The Computer freezes sometimes during bootup but more often two or
> > three mouse clicks after opening a program. When that happens all I can
> do
> > is switch off the power plug & during reboot wait while the computer runs
> > ScanDisk.
> >
> > Win 98SE is installed in Drive C. In an attempt to correct these
> problems
> > I reformatted drive C and reinstalled Win 98SE from its original CD. I
> now
> > realise that by doing so I have lost all of the Win98 updates and IE ver.5
> > has been installed. As a result the mouse problem remains, and although I
> > have not reloaded any programs after the reformat , the Computer freezes
> have
> > worsened ,
> > The Computer is now virtually unusable.
> > I have a number of programs installed on the second HD ,drive D, but
> assume
> > that they would have no bearing on the problems.
> >
> > I have a Broadband Ethernet connection with another desktop Computer and
> a
> > wireless connection with a laptop. This old Computer is not connected to
> the
> > internet at present. If I can resolve these issues I would then hope to
> add
> > a Broadband connection from my router using a USB LAN to Ethernet adapter.
> >
> > The only additional hardware recently installed was the USB2 adapter
> card.
> > I recall that the card was supplied with an installation disk but to get
> it
> > to work properly I had to download and install an additional Win 98 Mass
> > Storage driver. The USB2 ports are working perfectly. I suppose the
> card
> > could be causing a conflict but if so it was not immediately apparent. If
> I
> > remove the card to check out whether or not it is causing a conflict I
> would
> > have no control of the cursor. I cannot find any keyboard control thereof
> > possibly caused by the mouse /com port fault.
> > After reinstalling Win 98se I removed the Modem (internal) card as its
> > drivers appeared not to have installed properly.
> > I would appreciate advice as to what is the likely cause of these
> problems,
> > there resolution, or on what trouble shooting measures I should carry out
> to
> > try and establish their cause.
> > Thank you
> >
>
>
> As to the serial mouse not working, check your bios settings
> to make sure that port is enabled...
> you may want to set it to "auto". or:
> If the machine has a ps/2 port, just use a ps/2 mouse.
>
> As to the machine locking up...
> It could be a lot of things...but I generally suggest running a RAM test
> first
> as H/W problems can often cause a "lockup"
>
> Lockups are also caused by overheating...
> but a P-120 generally does not require too much cooling...
> With a large enough heatsink...a fan is not necessarily required...
> but I'd have a look to make sure the heatsink is properly secured...
> A p-120 without a heat sink at all, will overheat
>
>
>

 

[MEB]

"jj mac" <jj mac@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
news:7AE30F83-AA7E-4793-9B3E-5BFC54870CB3@microsoft.com...
| Letterman
| Many thanks for sharing your experience with me and your useful
| suggestions.. I recall checking the 5 volt line about 2 months ago and it
| was spot on but that was before this trouble started. I intend to
recheck
| both the 5 volt line and the 12 volt line within the next few days. I am
| not too sure at present at what points in the circuit I should check these
| voltages. If any of the capacitors are leaking I suppose it is possible
that
| the voltage could measure OK but a faulty smoothing capacitor could cause
a
| ripple on the DC lines which could cause the RAM to fault. I have had a
| quick look around on the motherboard & the only capacitors I could see
were
| small ones about 5mm dia & 10mm tall. No sign of any bulging or leakage.
| I am somewhat hampered by the lack of a manual for this Computer. I
| purchased it 10 years ago in a Computer shop where it was cobbled
together
| using a mixture of parts and by todays standard I paid plenty for it.. It
| has a Samsung monitor but that is not the name of the computer. It has
none.
| A few years after I purchased it I added a second hard Disk and a CD
writer.
| It had only 16MB of Ram at purchase which I increased to 40MB. The
computer
| has 4 RAM slots which were fully populated. I removed the modules from 2
| slots and replaced them with 2no.16MB modules thus increasing the total
RAM
| to 40MB.. I still have the two strips that I removed but the markings do
not
| indicate either the speed or their size. I presume they must have been 4
MB
| each.. I think that it is SDRAM that is fitted with a speed of PC100.
| I do see the RAM as a prime suspect and I was intending to replace all 4
| module strips with a single Kingstone 256MB SDRAM PC 133 strip. However,
on
| the internet I came across a reference to a problem if you "add more than
| 64MB of Ram to a system that does not support caching of more than 64 MB
of
| system memory eg. The Intel Triton i430FX based motherboards completely
| disable the onboard L2 Cache when more than 64MB of RAM is installed,
causing
| major performance degradation" It so happens that my motherboard is
Intel
| Triton i450FX based.
| This is where I get out of my depth. I don't know if my computer has any
| Cache installed. I cannot find any specific reference to it in "System
| information". As mentioned, I do not have a manual but I did get a
receipt
| which gave a very brief description of the Computer which says that it has
| "Pipeline Burst Cache"
| System Information" shows that at present there is 94% of system resources
| free, That it has a "Windows managed swap file on drive C (3878 MB free)"
| 3878 mb is in fact the amount of free space at present on Drive C..
| Would I be correct in assuming that the "Pipeline burst Cache" makes
| available the entire free disk space for cache, that it replaces the L2
Cache
| and that there should be no reason against installing 256MB of Ram or at
| least 128MB.?
|
| P/S I have just now checked in SETUP that the COM1 port, to which the
| serial mouse is attached was enabled. Both on board Serial Ports (Com1 &
| Com2) are enabled. I then booted up the computer (using the wireless
mouse
| connected through a USB port) in order to check the Com1 Port address in
| device manager. It was 03F8.. I made no alterations in SETUP or in Device
| Manager. I shut down & restarted the computer and could you believe it
the
| Serial mouse was working. The mouse was only loosely attached to the
| Computer. I tightened it up firmly which did not stop the mouse from
working
| but some ten minutes later when I next restarted the Computer the mouse
was
| not detected. It would appear that the mouse would work if windows could
| detect it.. I worked with the Computer for about half an hour when the
serial
| mouse was working. During that time the Computer froze only once.
| I still intend to replace the RAM & hope that will cure the freezing
| problem.
| Many thanks for your help.
| --
| JJ MacA
|
|
| "letterman@invalid.com" wrote:
|
| > On Sat, 6 Sep 2008 16:49:23 -0600, "Buffalo" <Eric@nada.com.invalid>
| > wrote:
| >
| > >One simple thing to try is to remove and reseat the ram modules. Their
| > >contacts can get oxidized and just removing them and reseating them
often
| > >ensures better contact. You may even want to try different ram, if you
have
| >
| > Clean the contacts on the Ram strips. Just use a standard pencil
| > eraser on them. Old contacts on Ram as well as cards tend to get a
| > oxidized. Clean contacts on cards too.
| >
| > >it or remove the 8MB stick and try just the 32MB stick.
| > >This is easy and doesn't cost anything and is worth a try.
| > >Like others have pointed out, the PSU may be weak and failing (perhaps
it is
| > >totally plugged up with dust and/or its fan quit
| > >functioning).
| > >The serial mouse problem could be a bent or broken pin in the PC socket
or
| > >perhaps one of the wires going to it is broken or shorted out. Make
sure the
| > >BIOS is recognizing the serial port and that its address is correct.
| >
| > You can also try a serial mouse in a serial port if the PS2 plug is
| > not working. You can buy adapters for them too, from PS2 to Serial.
| >

As you are likely aware, the chipset you mention was used by a number of
different manufacturers. IF you can identify the actual board manufacturer
[if you haven't yet] then more exact help can be supplied.

You can find the BIOS and other information upon Bootup on the initial
screen. Contained within these will be the letter/number identifiers. You
can also use third party applications. Several applications are available to
identify the motherboard and other, such as:
CTBIOS ftp://ftp.heise.de/pub/ct/ctsi/ctbios15.zip,
Diag2000{DOS},
InfoPlus{DOS} http://esca.atomki.hu/paradise/sac/utildiag.html [contains a
number of other tools] ,
among dozens of others.
As always, make sure to check ALL downloads for viruses and other.

Once you have the numbers and manufacturer, it will be much more likely
that an actual fix or otherwise can be applied.

NOTE: 256 RAM sticks MAY be incompatible with your system, please identify
the manufacturer and consult the manual.

--
MEB
a Peoples' counsel
--
_________

 

[glee]

I suggest you also run a hard drive diagnostic as I described in my previous reply
in this thread.

It may be, as philo suggested, that the RAM is at fault.
Please follow the instructions here to create a disk for testing RAM, and then run a
long loop test on the RAM overnight:
http://oca.microsoft.com/en/windiag.asp

<quote>

To run Windows Memory Diagnostic, you must first set up Windows Memory Diagnostic on
a 3.5-inch floppy disk or CD-ROM.

Go to the directory where you saved the Windows Memory Diagnostic executable file,
mtinst.exe.
Double-click mtinst.exe to start Windows Memory Diagnostic Setup. Depending on your
security settings, the File Download dialog box might appear when you run
mtinst.exe. If it appears, click Open to start Windows Memory Diagnostic Setup.
Other security dialog boxes might also appear. This can happen, for example, if you
try to install Windows Memory Diagnostic from a Universal Naming Convention (UNC)
shared folder. These dialog boxes are related to your security settings and not to
Windows Memory Diagnostic. If you experience problems when you are trying to install
Windows Memory Diagnostic, either be sure to run Mtinst.exe from your local
computer, or review your security settings and the documentation included in your
version of Windows.

Do either of the following:

Click Create Startup Disk to install Windows Memory Diagnostic on a floppy disk.

Select the floppy disk drive that you want to use from the list provided.
Insert a formatted floppy disk into this drive and then click Create. When the
installation is complete, the Success dialog box will appear.

Or, click Save CD Image to Disk if you want to create a CD-ROM that you can use to
start your computer.

Select a location where you want to save the International Organization for
Standardization (ISO) 9660 image and then click Save. When the file has been saved,
the Success dialog box will appear.

For more information about creating a CD-ROM that you can boot from, see the Note at
the end of this section.
Restart your computer with the disk on which you installed Windows Memory Diagnostic
(either the floppy or CD-ROM drive).

Important
In the boot sequence, the drive with the Windows Memory Diagnostic disk must precede
any other devices on which there is a bootable program, such as a hard disk on which
Windows is installed. You can configure the boot sequence in the BIOS settings. On
most computers, the default boot sequence includes the floppy drive. For more
information about configuring the boot sequence, see the documentation for your
motherboard.

</quote>

Diretc download link:
http://oca.microsoft.com/en/mtinst.exe

--
Glen Ventura, MS MVP Windows, A+
http://dts-l.net/
http://dts-l.net/goodpost.htm


"jj mac" <jj mac@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
news:E59A0DFF-A238-489A-B75B-60682DF43F23@microsoft.com...
> Thanks Philo
> I have checked the BIOS settings. The serial port to which the mouse is
> attached is enabled and set to auto'
> I don't have a PS/2 port on that Computer but I can use a wireless mouse
> through a USB port. The mouse problem is secondary to the Lockups other than
> the two problems may be related.
> I suspect that RAM faults may be causing the lockups. I intend to reseat
> the existing Ram strips but if that does not work I will replace it.
> I don't think that overheating is responsible. I have left the computer
> running (idle) for over 4 hours and it did not lockup. Its only when I start
> working with programs that it locksup frequently
> Thanks for your help.--
> JJ MacA
>
>
> "philo" wrote:
>
>>
>> "jj mac" <jj mac@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
>> news:29DF7D50-099F-40E3-A026-D354AC225FA4@microsoft.com...
>> > My Win98SE Computer has the following Specification :
>> >
>> > Intel Pentium 120 Mhz
>> > 40MB RAM
>> > 1MB PCI Graphics Card
>> > 2No. HDDs Drive C: 4086MB (3871MB free) Fat 32
>> > Drive D: 1025MB (262MB free) Fat 32
>> > Intel i430 FX Triton Motherboard.
>> > 5 port USB2 PCI adapter card installed
>> > Operating System : Windows 98 4.10.2222A
>> >
>> > This Computer has developed the following faults which may be related.
>> >
>> > 1 During bootup I am getting an error message "Windows did not detect a
>> > mouse attached to this Computer". By installing a wireless mouse
>> (attached
>> > to a USB port) instead of the serial mouse I am able to overcome that
>> problem
>> > but the Serial Port fault remains. I have checked the serial mouse on
>> > another Computer and it is OK.
>> >
>> > 2. The Computer freezes sometimes during bootup but more often two or
>> > three mouse clicks after opening a program. When that happens all I can
>> do
>> > is switch off the power plug & during reboot wait while the computer runs
>> > ScanDisk.
>> >
>> > Win 98SE is installed in Drive C. In an attempt to correct these
>> problems
>> > I reformatted drive C and reinstalled Win 98SE from its original CD. I
>> now
>> > realise that by doing so I have lost all of the Win98 updates and IE ver.5
>> > has been installed. As a result the mouse problem remains, and although I
>> > have not reloaded any programs after the reformat , the Computer freezes
>> have
>> > worsened ,
>> > The Computer is now virtually unusable.
>> > I have a number of programs installed on the second HD ,drive D, but
>> assume
>> > that they would have no bearing on the problems.
>> >
>> > I have a Broadband Ethernet connection with another desktop Computer and
>> a
>> > wireless connection with a laptop. This old Computer is not connected to
>> the
>> > internet at present. If I can resolve these issues I would then hope to
>> add
>> > a Broadband connection from my router using a USB LAN to Ethernet adapter.
>> >
>> > The only additional hardware recently installed was the USB2 adapter
>> card.
>> > I recall that the card was supplied with an installation disk but to get
>> it
>> > to work properly I had to download and install an additional Win 98 Mass
>> > Storage driver. The USB2 ports are working perfectly. I suppose the
>> card
>> > could be causing a conflict but if so it was not immediately apparent. If
>> I
>> > remove the card to check out whether or not it is causing a conflict I
>> would
>> > have no control of the cursor. I cannot find any keyboard control thereof
>> > possibly caused by the mouse /com port fault.
>> > After reinstalling Win 98se I removed the Modem (internal) card as its
>> > drivers appeared not to have installed properly.
>> > I would appreciate advice as to what is the likely cause of these
>> problems,
>> > there resolution, or on what trouble shooting measures I should carry out
>> to
>> > try and establish their cause.
>> > Thank you
>> >
>>
>>
>> As to the serial mouse not working, check your bios settings
>> to make sure that port is enabled...
>> you may want to set it to "auto". or:
>> If the machine has a ps/2 port, just use a ps/2 mouse.
>>
>> As to the machine locking up...
>> It could be a lot of things...but I generally suggest running a RAM test
>> first
>> as H/W problems can often cause a "lockup"
>>
>> Lockups are also caused by overheating...
>> but a P-120 generally does not require too much cooling...
>> With a large enough heatsink...a fan is not necessarily required...
>> but I'd have a look to make sure the heatsink is properly secured...
>> A p-120 without a heat sink at all, will overheat
>>
>>
>>

 

[jj mac]

Thanks Glee
Yes this is the mouse that has worked on this computer for a long time.
Actually after not working for about 2 weeks it started to work for a short
period today but stopped working again after rebooting because the Computer
is unable to detect it..
I don’t have a PS/2 port but am content using a wireless mouse through a USB
port.
I suspect that faulty RAM may be the root cause of the lockups and I intend
to replace it before looking further. I would like to install more than 64
MB of replacement RAM if that is permissible. Please see my concerns in my
reply to lettermans post.
I don’t think that Hard Drive C:\ (or HHH D:\) is causing the problems.
Each time the Computer locks up, which is every time I try to use it, I have
to switch off the power and when I restart the computer it goes through the
ScanDisk check. Not once has it reported any faults.
The Hard Drive is a Seagate. I will have to download the Seagate SeaTools
for DOS on another Computer as this computer has not got a broadband
connection.
Many thanks for all the useful URLs

--
JJ MacA


"glee" wrote:

> Has a serial mouse *ever* worked on this computer? Pinouts on the motherboard for
> serial ports varied, and I have seen boards of that period whose serial port cable
> did not match the pinouts on the motherboard, and the port simply would not work as
> a result.
>
> That motherboard supports a PS/2 mouse....it should have a PS/2 mouse header on the
> motherboard, although you may not have a PS/2 mouse port connector on the case, and
> would need to add one:
> Physical Installation Procedures - PS/2 Mouse Port Connector
> http://www.pcguide.com/proc/physinst/ps2.htm
>
> A lot of things could cause the freeze problem. Power supply, RAM, bad caps on the
> mobo (as mentioned in other replies already).
> Another possibility is a failing hard drive. Does Scandisk ever find anything
> wrong?
>
> Try the procedure here: Testing a Suspect Hard Drive:
> http://aumha.net/viewtopic.php?f=14&t=30382
>
> I am partial to SeaTools for DOS (NOT SeaTools for Windows):
> http://www.seagate.com/www/en-us/support/downloads/seatools
>
> <canned>
>
> If a failing hard drive is suspected, it can be tested by running the diagnostics
> from the hard drive manufacturer's web site.
>
> Prior to any testing, a backup of your important data should be made
> immediately....if the drive is in fact failing, it could fail at any time.
>
> If you don't know what brand the drive is, you can download the limited-use free
> edition of OnTrack Data Advisor from this location:
> http://www.ontrackdatarecovery.com/data-recovery-downloads/#dataadvisor
>
> Click the download link on that page for Data Advisor Trial Edition in your
> language, to download the diskette creator file.
>
> The downloads are diskette creators. They are to be run once from a working Windows
> system and will guide you through the process of extracting the Data Advisor onto a
> 3.5" floppy disk.
>
> Download and Use Instructions:
> http://www.ontrackdatarecovery.com/hard-drive-software/dataadvisor-download.aspx
>
> An older version of SeaTools, for creating a bootable floppy disk or for creating a
> bootable CD if you don't have a floppy drive, is here:
> http://www.majorgeeks.com/download2858.html
> Sea Tools contains both a Seagate-specific diagnostic and a Generic test that will
> run on all brands of drives.
>
> Hard Drive Diagnostic Programs by Vendor:
>
> OnTrack Data Advisor:
> http://www.ontrack.com/freesoftware/#dataadvisor
>
> IBM/Hitachi Drive Fitness Test:
> http://www.hgst.com/hdd/support/download.htm
>
> Western Digital Data Lifeguard Tools:
> http://support.wdc.com/download/
>
> Quantum/Maxtor PowerMax:
> http://www.majorgeeks.com/Maxtor_Powermax_d1386.html
>
> Seagate SeaTools for DOS:
> http://www.seagate.com/www/en-us/support/downloads/seatools
>
> </canned>
> --
> Glen Ventura, MS MVP Windows, A+
> http://dts-l.net/
> http://dts-l.net/goodpost.htm
>
>
> "jj mac" <jj mac@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
> news:29DF7D50-099F-40E3-A026-D354AC225FA4@microsoft.com...
> > My Win98SE Computer has the following Specification :
> >
> > Intel Pentium 120 Mhz
> > 40MB RAM
> > 1MB PCI Graphics Card
> > 2No. HDDs Drive C: 4086MB (3871MB free) Fat 32
> > Drive D: 1025MB (262MB free) Fat 32
> > Intel i430 FX Triton Motherboard.
> > 5 port USB2 PCI adapter card installed
> > Operating System : Windows 98 4.10.2222A
> >
> > This Computer has developed the following faults which may be related.
> >
> > 1 During bootup I am getting an error message “Windows did not detect a
> > mouse attached to this Computerâ€. By installing a wireless mouse (attached
> > to a USB port) instead of the serial mouse I am able to overcome that problem
> > but the Serial Port fault remains. I have checked the serial mouse on
> > another Computer and it is OK.
> >
> > 2. The Computer freezes sometimes during bootup but more often two or
> > three mouse clicks after opening a program. When that happens all I can do
> > is switch off the power plug & during reboot wait while the computer runs
> > ScanDisk.
> >
> > Win 98SE is installed in Drive C. In an attempt to correct these problems
> > I reformatted drive C and reinstalled Win 98SE from its original CD. I now
> > realise that by doing so I have lost all of the Win98 updates and IE ver.5
> > has been installed. As a result the mouse problem remains, and although I
> > have not reloaded any programs after the reformat , the Computer freezes have
> > worsened ,
> > The Computer is now virtually unusable.
> > I have a number of programs installed on the second HD ,drive D, but assume
> > that they would have no bearing on the problems.
> >
> > I have a Broadband Ethernet connection with another desktop Computer and a
> > wireless connection with a laptop. This old Computer is not connected to the
> > internet at present. If I can resolve these issues I would then hope to add
> > a Broadband connection from my router using a USB LAN to Ethernet adapter.
> >
> > The only additional hardware recently installed was the USB2 adapter card.
> > I recall that the card was supplied with an installation disk but to get it
> > to work properly I had to download and install an additional Win 98 Mass
> > Storage driver. The USB2 ports are working perfectly. I suppose the card
> > could be causing a conflict but if so it was not immediately apparent. If I
> > remove the card to check out whether or not it is causing a conflict I would
> > have no control of the cursor. I cannot find any keyboard control thereof
> > possibly caused by the mouse /com port fault.
> > After reinstalling Win 98se I removed the Modem (internal) card as its
> > drivers appeared not to have installed properly.
> > I would appreciate advice as to what is the likely cause of these problems,
> > there resolution, or on what trouble shooting measures I should carry out to
> > try and establish their cause.
> > Thank you
> >
> > --
> > JJ MacA
>
>

 

[MEB]

JPEG-JPG image format and inclusions, vulnerabilities

I should have added: The formats defined as JPEG/JPG [among a few other
formats] also allow the creator/author and other {identifying} information
to be included within the formats.
Web based images generally contain these types of information as well what I
previously indicated could POSSIBLY be included.
*Image search/indexing spiders* will/could access this information
increasing presence and other for the originators, and for tracking of their
usage.

--
MEB
a Peoples' counsel

--
_________

 

[MEB]

Re: JPEG-JPG image format and inclusions, vulnerabilities

Opps wrong discussion.... sorry...

--
MEB

--
_________



"MEB" <meb@not here@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:uHnPg7eEJHA.4504@TK2MSFTNGP05.phx.gbl...
| I should have added: The formats defined as JPEG/JPG [among a few other
| formats] also allow the creator/author and other {identifying} information
| to be included within the formats.
| Web based images generally contain these types of information as well what
I
| previously indicated could POSSIBLY be included.
| *Image search/indexing spiders* will/could access this information
| increasing presence and other for the originators, and for tracking of
their
| usage.
|
| --
| MEB
| a Peoples' counsel
|
| --
| _________
|
|

 

[jj mac]

Thanks Buffalo
I intend to reseat the ram modules as you have suggested. There are four
RAM slots which are fully utilised. 2No 16MB Modules & 2No. 4MB modules.
I would like to replace these with a single module of 128 MB if that is
permissible, if not with a single 64MB module
The mouse surprisingly started to work today. I rebooted the Computer on a
number of occasions and it continued to work. I noticed that the mouse was
loosely attached to the serial port so I inserted it fully and fastened the
retaining studs.. After doing so the mouse continued to work but after
closing the Computer down the next time I rebooted it there was a return of
the old error message “the Computer could not detect a mouse---“ This would
seem to indicate a fault in COM docking port. I have examined the pins and
they all seem to be OK. The ribbon cable is attached to the pins within the
moulded body of the Port and cannot be accessed.. The ribbon itself appears
to be intact. I have tried two other working serial mice and the Computer
would not detect these either. Device manager reports that the COM1 port is
working properly and has an imput/output address 03F8-03FF. There is
something amiss somewhere.

Thanks for your help

--
JJ MacA


"Buffalo" wrote:

>
>
> jj mac wrote:
> > My Win98SE Computer has the following Specification :
> >
> > Intel Pentium 120 Mhz
> > 40MB RAM
> > 1MB PCI Graphics Card
> > 2No. HDDs Drive C: 4086MB (3871MB free) Fat 32
> > Drive D: 1025MB (262MB free) Fat 32
> > Intel i430 FX Triton Motherboard.
> > 5 port USB2 PCI adapter card installed
> > Operating System : Windows 98 4.10.2222A
> >
> > This Computer has developed the following faults which may be related.
> >
> > 1 During bootup I am getting an error message "Windows did not
> > detect a mouse attached to this Computer". By installing a wireless
> > mouse (attached to a USB port) instead of the serial mouse I am able
> > to overcome that problem but the Serial Port fault remains. I have
> > checked the serial mouse on another Computer and it is OK.
> >
> > 2. The Computer freezes sometimes during bootup but more often two
> > or three mouse clicks after opening a program. When that happens all
> > I can do is switch off the power plug & during reboot wait while the
> > computer runs ScanDisk.
> >
> > Win 98SE is installed in Drive C. In an attempt to correct these
> > problems I reformatted drive C and reinstalled Win 98SE from its
> > original CD. I now realise that by doing so I have lost all of the
> > Win98 updates and IE ver.5 has been installed. As a result the mouse
> > problem remains, and although I have not reloaded any programs after
> > the reformat , the Computer freezes have worsened ,
> > The Computer is now virtually unusable.
> > I have a number of programs installed on the second HD ,drive D, but
> > assume that they would have no bearing on the problems.
> >
> > I have a Broadband Ethernet connection with another desktop Computer
> > and a wireless connection with a laptop. This old Computer is not
> > connected to the internet at present. If I can resolve these issues
> > I would then hope to add a Broadband connection from my router using
> > a USB LAN to Ethernet adapter.
> >
> > The only additional hardware recently installed was the USB2 adapter
> > card. I recall that the card was supplied with an installation disk
> > but to get it to work properly I had to download and install an
> > additional Win 98 Mass Storage driver. The USB2 ports are working
> > perfectly. I suppose the card could be causing a conflict but if
> > so it was not immediately apparent. If I remove the card to check
> > out whether or not it is causing a conflict I would have no control
> > of the cursor. I cannot find any keyboard control thereof possibly
> > caused by the mouse /com port fault.
> > After reinstalling Win 98se I removed the Modem (internal) card as its
> > drivers appeared not to have installed properly.
> > I would appreciate advice as to what is the likely cause of these
> > problems, there resolution, or on what trouble shooting measures I
> > should carry out to try and establish their cause.
> > Thank you
>
> One simple thing to try is to remove and reseat the ram modules. Their
> contacts can get oxidized and just removing them and reseating them often
> ensures better contact. You may even want to try different ram, if you have
> it or remove the 8MB stick and try just the 32MB stick.
> This is easy and doesn't cost anything and is worth a try.
> Like others have pointed out, the PSU may be weak and failing (perhaps it is
> totally plugged up with dust and/or its fan quit
> functioning).
> The serial mouse problem could be a bent or broken pin in the PC socket or
> perhaps one of the wires going to it is broken or shorted out. Make sure the
> BIOS is recognizing the serial port and that its address is correct.
>
>
>

 

[Franc Zabkar]

On Mon, 8 Sep 2008 09:53:01 -0700, jj mac <jj
mac@discussions.microsoft.com> put finger to keyboard and composed:

>I am somewhat hampered by the lack of a manual for this Computer.

Another utility that may help you identify your hardware is Everest
Home Edition:
http://www.majorgeeks.com/download4181.html
I
>I still have the two strips [of RAM] that I removed but the markings do not
>indicate either the speed or their size. I presume they must have been 4 MB
>each.. I think that it is SDRAM that is fitted with a speed of PC100.

The individual RAM chips on each module have part numbers on them. If
you post these numbers (not the ones on the sticker), then we can
accurately determine the specs of the module. You also need to tell us
how many chips each module has.

>I do see the RAM as a prime suspect and I was intending to replace all 4
>module strips with a single Kingstone 256MB SDRAM PC 133 strip. However, on
>the internet I came across a reference to a problem if you “add more than
>64MB of Ram to a system that does not support caching of more than 64 MB of
>system memory eg. The Intel Triton i430FX based motherboards completely
>disable the onboard L2 Cache when more than 64MB of RAM is installed, causing
>major performance degradation”

I've always read that only the first 64MB of system RAM is cached and
the remainder is uncached.

You can easily check this in real DOS mode (not a Windows DOS box)
with the Celem Cache Test:
ftp://ftp.sac.sk/pub/sac/utildiag/cct386.zip

You should see three plateaus corresponding to L1 CPU cache, L2
motherboard cache, and system RAM. This brilliant little program was
able to detect fake cache RAM chips that were peddled by PCChips and
others in the 486 days.

>P/S I have just now checked in SETUP that the COM1 port, to which the
>serial mouse is attached was enabled. Both on board Serial Ports (Com1 &
>Com2) are enabled. I then booted up the computer (using the wireless mouse
>connected through a USB port) in order to check the Com1 Port address in
>device manager. It was 03F8.. I made no alterations in SETUP or in Device
>Manager. I shut down & restarted the computer and could you believe it the
>Serial mouse was working. The mouse was only loosely attached to the
>Computer. I tightened it up firmly which did not stop the mouse from working
>but some ten minutes later when I next restarted the Computer the mouse was
>not detected. It would appear that the mouse would work if windows could
>detect it.. I worked with the Computer for about half an hour when the serial
>mouse was working. During that time the Computer froze only once.
>I still intend to replace the RAM & hope that that will cure the freezing
>problem.
>Many thanks for your help.

Switch your mouse to COM2.

- Franc Zabkar
--
Please remove one 'i' from my address when replying by email.

 

[jj mac]

Thank you Franc
The COM port is enabled in the BIOS setup. I have not replaced the CMOS
battery for about three years but the time and date settings are correct so I
am assuming that it is OK.
I would like to test the Com Port but before attempting to do so I would
like a little bit more advice. When you say to use a paper clip to connect
any output pin to any imput pin do you mean to connect say RXD to TXD or DTR
or RTS on the COM port an the computer.? Does the flash appear the same for
each connection. ? Is there a danger of creating a short if say pin 2 was
inadvertently connected to pin 5.?
Are any precautions necessary?
The Win98 Computer does not have an internet connection. which means that I
cannot download directly to it. Instead of testing the RAM I intend to
replace it.
Thanks for your help

--
JJ MacA


"Franc Zabkar" wrote:

> On Sat, 6 Sep 2008 09:35:14 -0700, jj mac <jj
> mac@discussions.microsoft.com> put finger to keyboard and composed:
>
> >My Win98SE Computer has the following Specification :
> >
> >Intel Pentium 120 Mhz
> >40MB RAM
> >1MB PCI Graphics Card
> >2No. HDDs Drive C: 4086MB (3871MB free) Fat 32
> > Drive D: 1025MB (262MB free) Fat 32
> >Intel i430 FX Triton Motherboard.
> >5 port USB2 PCI adapter card installed
> >Operating System : Windows 98 4.10.2222A
> >
> >This Computer has developed the following faults which may be related.
> >
> >1 During bootup I am getting an error message “Windows did not detect a
> >mouse attached to this Computerâ€. By installing a wireless mouse (attached
> >to a USB port) instead of the serial mouse I am able to overcome that problem
> > but the Serial Port fault remains. I have checked the serial mouse on
> >another Computer and it is OK.
>
> Make sure the COM port is enabled in your BIOS setup. (Did you
> recently replace your CMOS battery?)
>
> I have written the following DOS program to test real COM ports:
> http://www.users.on.net/~fzabkar/comstest.exe
>
> Use a wire or paperclip to connect any output pin to any input pin.
> The corresponding connection should flash on your screen.
>
> This page shows the pinout of a serial port and describes how a serial
> mouse works:
> http://pinouts.ru/SerialPorts/Serial9_pinout.shtml
>
> You need to test pins 2,3,4 and 7.
>
> >2. The Computer freezes sometimes during bootup but more often two or
> >three mouse clicks after opening a program. When that happens all I can do
> >is switch off the power plug & during reboot wait while the computer runs
> >ScanDisk.
>
> Check that the power supply and CPU fans are spinning. Clean out any
> dust.
> Remove and reseat all cards and memory modules.
> Disconnect and reconnect all cables.
> Check motherboard capacitors for bulging or leaking.
>
> Run MEMTEST for several hours to test your RAM:
> http://www.memtest.org/
>
> Run the hard disc manufacturer's diagnostic tests.
>
> Measure the power supply voltages:
> http://pinouts.ru/Power/MotherboardPower_pinout.shtml (old AT)
> http://pinouts.ru/Power/atxpower_pinout.shtml (ATX)
>
> - Franc Zabkar
> --
> Please remove one 'i' from my address when replying by email.
>

 

[philo]

"jj mac" <jj mac@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
news:E59A0DFF-A238-489A-B75B-60682DF43F23@microsoft.com...
> Thanks Philo
> I have checked the BIOS settings. The serial port to which the mouse is
> attached is enabled and set to auto'
> I don't have a PS/2 port on that Computer but I can use a wireless mouse
> through a USB port. The mouse problem is secondary to the Lockups other
than
> the two problems may be related.
> I suspect that RAM faults may be causing the lockups. I intend to reseat
> the existing Ram strips but if that does not work I will replace it.
> I don't think that overheating is responsible. I have left the computer
> running (idle) for over 4 hours and it did not lockup. Its only when I
start
> working with programs that it locksup frequently
> Thanks for your help.--
> JJ MacA
>
>

I also like fooling with old computers...
look in device manager and see if there are any conflicts
or just exactly how com1 is listed (assuming you have the mouse one com1)

I also assume the mouse was working at one time...
because as one person had mentioned elsewhere...
there are several different wiring schemes for serial ports.

Oh...one other thing.
by any chance are you using a PS/2 mouse with a serial port adaptor?

If so the mouse must be specifically designed to work as either ps/2 or
serial.
most ps/2 mice will not work as a serial mouse even with an adaptor...
so try a non-adaptor type if you have not done so.

If you ever manage to get a serial mouse working,
then you can remove your USB card to see if that is what's causing the
lockups


> "philo" wrote:
>
> >
> > "jj mac" <jj mac@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
> > news:29DF7D50-099F-40E3-A026-D354AC225FA4@microsoft.com...
> > > My Win98SE Computer has the following Specification :
> > >
> > > Intel Pentium 120 Mhz
> > > 40MB RAM
> > > 1MB PCI Graphics Card
> > > 2No. HDDs Drive C: 4086MB (3871MB free) Fat 32
> > > Drive D: 1025MB (262MB free) Fat 32
> > > Intel i430 FX Triton Motherboard.
> > > 5 port USB2 PCI adapter card installed
> > > Operating System : Windows 98 4.10.2222A
> > >
> > > This Computer has developed the following faults which may be related.
> > >
> > > 1 During bootup I am getting an error message "Windows did not
detect a
> > > mouse attached to this Computer". By installing a wireless mouse
> > (attached
> > > to a USB port) instead of the serial mouse I am able to overcome that
> > problem
> > > but the Serial Port fault remains. I have checked the serial mouse
on
> > > another Computer and it is OK.
> > >
> > > 2. The Computer freezes sometimes during bootup but more often two
or
> > > three mouse clicks after opening a program. When that happens all I
can
> > do
> > > is switch off the power plug & during reboot wait while the computer
runs
> > > ScanDisk.
> > >
> > > Win 98SE is installed in Drive C. In an attempt to correct these
> > problems
> > > I reformatted drive C and reinstalled Win 98SE from its original CD.
I
> > now
> > > realise that by doing so I have lost all of the Win98 updates and IE
ver.5
> > > has been installed. As a result the mouse problem remains, and
although I
> > > have not reloaded any programs after the reformat , the Computer
freezes
> > have
> > > worsened ,
> > > The Computer is now virtually unusable.
> > > I have a number of programs installed on the second HD ,drive D, but
> > assume
> > > that they would have no bearing on the problems.
> > >
> > > I have a Broadband Ethernet connection with another desktop Computer
and
> > a
> > > wireless connection with a laptop. This old Computer is not connected
to
> > the
> > > internet at present. If I can resolve these issues I would then hope
to
> > add
> > > a Broadband connection from my router using a USB LAN to Ethernet
adapter.
> > >
> > > The only additional hardware recently installed was the USB2 adapter
> > card.
> > > I recall that the card was supplied with an installation disk but to
get
> > it
> > > to work properly I had to download and install an additional Win 98
Mass
> > > Storage driver. The USB2 ports are working perfectly. I suppose
the
> > card
> > > could be causing a conflict but if so it was not immediately apparent.
If
> > I
> > > remove the card to check out whether or not it is causing a conflict
I
> > would
> > > have no control of the cursor. I cannot find any keyboard control
thereof
> > > possibly caused by the mouse /com port fault.
> > > After reinstalling Win 98se I removed the Modem (internal) card as its
> > > drivers appeared not to have installed properly.
> > > I would appreciate advice as to what is the likely cause of these
> > problems,
> > > there resolution, or on what trouble shooting measures I should carry
out
> > to
> > > try and establish their cause.
> > > Thank you
> > >
> >
> >
> > As to the serial mouse not working, check your bios settings
> > to make sure that port is enabled...
> > you may want to set it to "auto". or:
> > If the machine has a ps/2 port, just use a ps/2 mouse.
> >
> > As to the machine locking up...
> > It could be a lot of things...but I generally suggest running a RAM test
> > first
> > as H/W problems can often cause a "lockup"
> >
> > Lockups are also caused by overheating...
> > but a P-120 generally does not require too much cooling...
> > With a large enough heatsink...a fan is not necessarily required...
> > but I'd have a look to make sure the heatsink is properly secured...
> > A p-120 without a heat sink at all, will overheat
> >
> >
> >