🚀 go-pugleaf

FruitLoop <Hyperactive@fruitloop.net> wrote
> Rod Speed <rod_speed@yahoo.com> wrote

>> Rather odd problem with a Win98SE install on a Compaq Prosignia 340.

>> IE, OE, VET and firefox all crash very quickly after starting them.

>> Everything else works fine.

>> Those that do crash are all attempting to use the net.
>> Firefox was installed after first seeing the problem and
>> is the evidence that there is some fundamental problem
>> with net access somewhere.

>> The system file checker did replace a couple of files, made no difference.

>> It was running IE and OE 6, repairing IE 6 made no
>> difference, uninstalling that back to 5 made no difference.

>> Same result with the internal modem and an external router.

>> Clean install of 98SE fixes the problem completely so its
>> clearly SE thats got screwed up somehow. Reasonably
>> clean install of SE, tho its been installed quite a while now.

>> Main problem is that I cant get the Compaq QuickRestore
>> to even start, it just whines 'restoration cannot continue',

>>     This is caused by one of the following conditions :
>>     The QuickRestore disk is not in the drive

>> cant be that, the CD is in the drive and the floppy makes no difference

>>     This QuickRestore disk is not designed for this computer

>> thats a real possibility, as far as I know its never been used

>>     The system board has been replace

>> not as far as I am aware

>>     The Flash BIOS is corrupt or has been rewritten

>> no evidence of either

>>     A hardware error has occurred

>> no evidence of any hardware problem.

>> It comes with a diskette too which appears to write the serial
>> number to the hard drive and diskette. That runs fine with no
>> complaints and it makes no difference if thats in the drive when
>> the QuickRestore CD is booted.


>> So I'd like some way of actually fixing the problem in the current
>> SE install thats causing the crashes in IE, OE, VET and firefox.
>> Presumably it must be a problem with one of the dlls or something,
>> but the system file checker doesnt see any problem with any of them.

>> Or some way of getting the QuickRestore to work.

>> I can obviously do a clean install of SE from a normal OEM CD
>> and the product key on the SE manual works fine. But thats quite
>> a bit different in detail to the original SE install, no drivers etc
>> and it looks like there is a problem with the drivers from

> http://h18007.www1.hp.com/support/files/DesktopProsignia/us/family/134.html?
> lang=en&cc=us&prodSeriesId=96448
>> no obviously suitable video driver for starters, this one has an
>> intel chipset video. The original SE install has got the supplementary
>> drivers on the hard drive too, so you dont have to fart around
>> with a CD when say adding a NIC etc either.

> Windows 98 is no longer supported ,

The owner doesnt care and neither should
they. IE6 and OE6 are still supported fine.

> update to XP .

Not even possible, its only got 64M.

> Also be wary of the hidden partition used on compaqs , if its been
> blown away you wont be able to restore from compaq quick restore .

It doesnt complain about that when run, and the the floppy calls
itself the QuickRestore Maintenance Utility when run and says


The HDD has a QRed image on it

    found good SN and CTO info on the system board

            Writing CTO data to HDD

            Writing CTO data to the diskette

<<<<< QRMAINT has successfully complete. >>>>>

  Please remove this diskette from the computer

  And store it with your QuickRestore CD.


So it appears to be happy that whatever it needs is on the HDD.

There is no hidden partition, the only partition
there is occupys the full space on the hard drive.

> I would blow away the partitions reinstall XP SP2

Doesnt have enough memory for that.

Its only used for quite basic stuff, SE should be fine
for that and has been up till this problem showed up.