Hang-up during verifying dmi data pool

I am using Win98 FE. When I boot my computer it hangs after the message verifying dmi data pool is displayed. 98% of the time it sits there for 2-3 minutes and then the login prompt appears and everything is fine. The other 2% of the time it just hangs until I turn it off. I have tried several of the suggestions such as replacing my system files, changing the order of drives on boot-up, etc. without success. I have narrowed down the problem that it is somehow related to TCP/IP protocol. When I remove TCP/IP protocol it doesn’t hang up. When I re-add it it does. Any suggestions would be appreciated.