🚀 go-pugleaf

Chris Burrell <cburrell@ihug.coDOTnz> wrote in message
news:754tn5$2nm$1@newsource.ihug.co.nz...

> Well, my comp's pretty f***ed up a the mo, so i htought I'd tryand get
> some help. Ive already taken it into the local computer store and they,
> being the hick town airheads they are, not only couldn't fix it, but tried to
> charge me twice for **not** fixing it. sheesh. Anyways, heres what happened:

> the machine is a Intel pentium 200 MMX, with 64 megs SDram, with
> a 430tx motherboard. 32bit yamaha soundcard, dynalink 33.6k modem,
> realtek NE2000 network card 4mb S3 Virge video card, Mitsumi 24X
> CDROM, 4.3GB HDD (Bigfoot? One of those big crappy 5 1/4" ones).

> I used to have a Gig dedicated to linux, which I used for  programming
> while at Uni. When term broke up I decided to delete it to give me more
> room for other stuff. Backed up all my files, then stuffed up by forgetting
> to use the linux partition program to wipe the partition, instead using fdisk.
> Comp started running **slow** like, not even able to handle an mp3 (only
> buffering 2.3 secs) when it used to handle an mp3 (8.6 secs buffered)
> AND carmageddon.

> thought, oh, ok, win98 (had the beta back then) needs to be reinstalled,
> so reinstalled win98. No change. tried installing win95 (a very old version -
> didn't even have USB support). no help there. borrowed friends brand new
> win98 and installed that. nada. zip. zilch. Thought "It must be the HDD", so
> went to foremention hick store and got them to completely wipe the HDD
> (boot sector and all) Partititoned it,  formatted it, reinstalled new win98.
> Still runs slows. "hmm" methinks "could be the cards". So, out come the
> cards, trashed them in the system properties. restarted - nothing. reinstalled
> win98 (glutton for punishemnt huh?). nothing. still slow as a one legged
> dog. Put cards back in one by one(even in different orders) co improvement.

> Took hte machine into the hick store again. they reset the CMOS
> settings. nothing. played around and did other stuff. nothing.  I've now
> got it so that it can limp along (can handle an mp3 with 1.8 secs buffered).
> Still very slow - estimate performance at about 484 DMX4 100 with
> maybe 16 megs ram. Its that bad. I have run out of ideas. I've tried
> different drivers. everything. Has anybody else heard of anything like this?
> please let me know if you know a fix - I would be SOOOOOOO grateful.

In this situation the best approach is to start again from scratch,
mainly checking that all the thrashing around above hasnt managed
to produce some weird config thats producing the slowdown.

I'd first of all reset to system defaults in the cmos. Thats what the
award bios calls it, its worded a bit more obviously with the ami bios.
And check that both caching levels are enabled. That will slow the
system down noticeably if you have managed to turn one off.

Now completely clear your hard drive and completely eliminate
any possibility that something is being loaded at boot time by
the remains of some boot loader left in the boot sector. The
easiest way to do this is with a ute called CLEARHDD from
http://www.sec.samsung.co.kr/support/contact/FILES/CLEARHDD.EXE

That just completely scrubs all data from the first few tracks of the drive.

Now fdisk the drive and install Win98 from scratch yet again.

Now run some simple speed test and see if you still have a speed problem.
If you do, the most likely explanation is that thrashing around has managed
to kill something. Pull everything non essential out of the system and see
if its still slow. Ideally just have a video card and the hard drive.

If its still slow in that minimum config, check the hard drive jumpering
in case someone has managed to misjumper it in the thrashing around.
If its still slow, see if you can borrow a drive you can speed test with.

I guess one possibility is that you originally had the system overclocked
and its been restored to default parameters when they saw some problems.
This gets a bit tricky but is best left till you ensure you havent got some very
basic config error like having the cache disabled or the drive misjumpered.

>ps, interestingly, I can no longer run ICQ NEt detect in the background. ideas?

Nope, dont use it.