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Cant install any OS complete

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9 replies

by mrice22y

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I was currently running windows 98 and had a lot of problems( think i had a virus) so I thought i would try a clean install. I didnt have access to the win98 but had win2000 pro. I inserted the disk in win98 and chose to do a clean intallation. I selected to keep the fat32 file system. During the installation the pc locked up and a screen came up beginning dump of physical memory. Physical memory dump complete and then contact tech support group. When i try to restart it picks up the installation from where it left off but then does the same agai in different stages. Please help me because it is becoming frustrating. I hav tried to install win98 again but during the product key number screen the pc locks up again and again time after time.I have got a basic system with an AMD athlon 1800 processor. The current temperature of it is around 40-45C.

9 replies

by thechas

Usually, when Windows locks up during installation, it points to a problem with physical memory.

Do you have your files backed up?

Since you suspect that you may have a virus, re-installing Windows without getting rid of the virus will NOT fixthe problem.

Boot up with your W98 startup floppy.
(Make sure that the write protect tab is set to write protect the disk.)

At the DOS prompt, run fdisk /mbr
This will clean out most boot sector viruses.

Run fdisk, and delete ALL partitions.
CAUTION: you will loose ALL files on the hard drive when you do this.

Exit fdisk, and shut down the PC.

If you want to switch to Windows 2000, boot from the W2K CD, and follow the instructions.

If you want to re-install W98, boot from the startup floppy again.
Run fdisk, and partition the drive as desired.
Re-boot, and format at least the C: drive.
format c: /s
(the 's' switch copies the system files from the floppy and makes it possible to boot from the hard drive)

After the format is complete, run setup with the W98 CD in the drive.

If you still have problems with a clean drive, I would try different RAM modules.

Chas

by alima

In addition if you can make note of the error message and see if you can pop on to microsoft site and see if can gain some insight into what the problem might be. Mostly likely though if it is one set-up then it is probably hardware of some type. I recently had a blue screen problem on set-up and it ended up being one of the processors (I was running dual cpu). HOwever, I agree with the statement above it is always best to do a celan install but to that you have to delete the partition and reformat teh drive etc. It seems what you might have been doing is an upgrade. Hope this helps.

by pctech

The two previous answers are excellent. I would also suggest, since you suspect virus activity, to turn off your computer and unplug it for a minimum of 30 seconds, in the event you have a memory resident type of virus, and then run the FDISK /mbr on a clean boot. I would also suggest checking your ram modules, as previously suggested, should these suggestions not solve your problem.

by jedimaster2003

Memory or Power Supply is the issue. Did you upgrade the memory recently, or installed a new power supply? A lag in the power or even a defective power supply would cause this. Bad or incompatible memeory would also cause this.

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