JDoors Posted November 8, 2006 Report Share Posted November 8, 2006 I usually turn on the DSL modem, wait for that to connect, then turn on the computer. The modem would not connect (I tried twice). Fine, I've got bills to pay, I turn off the modem and start the computer. It goes fine up to the first Windows ('98SE) desktop screen, where I get an error message that Windows could not find a mouse, click to continue. Well, the mouse is where it always is, and it's plugged in, so, "OK" and we'll figure that one out after Windows starts. Uh-oh. I get one "new hardware found" message after another, and that included "motherboard resources," all the COMM ports, USB resources, etc. Whoa, why would it have to reload all THAT stuff? I dug up an old mouse (in case the current one was defective), turned off the system, plugged in the mouse and booted up. Everything is fine. I turn on the modem and it does not connect. Now that the computer's running I go to the modem's ISP address/diagnosis page, sign in using its setup page, and it connects (I understand DSL like I understand Einstein's theory of relativity, I understand the WORDS used, but I can't grasp the concepts involved -- like why a modem has an "address," etc. -- I'm not looking for a tutorial, just stating where I am knowledge-wise). My gut-feeling was an electrical glitch like a power surge (though the weather was perfect since the system was last used). I have an industrial power supply/surge protector (cribbed from work -- it's OK, they wanted to get rid of stuff). Finally, the question(s): What on Earth could force Windows to reload motherboard resources and all that other stuff? How could that be related to the DSL modem no longer being connected? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
TheTerrorist_75 Posted November 8, 2006 Report Share Posted November 8, 2006 I'd haphazard a guess and say a vxd file became corrupted. I would reboot and press F8 to get into the boot menu then select Command Prompt Only. Run scandisk /autofix and see if any issues are reported.If the mouse was faulty it may have led to the corruption. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
JDoors Posted November 9, 2006 Author Report Share Posted November 9, 2006 Just an update (since there have been no ill effects other than the bizarre reloading of system drivers). Scandisk reported nothing wrong. I'm not gonna experiment by reusing the original mouse (but it's tempting -- though I suspect not finding the mouse was just similar to having to reload the other drivers -- whatever caused that to happen in the first place). Quote Link to post Share on other sites
shanenin Posted November 9, 2006 Report Share Posted November 9, 2006 I'm not gonna experiment by reusing the original mouse (but it's tempting -- though I suspect not finding the mouse was just similar to having to reload the other drivers -- whatever caused that to happen in the first place).The temptation would be to great. I would have to see :-) Quote Link to post Share on other sites
JDoors Posted November 10, 2006 Author Report Share Posted November 10, 2006 The temptation would be to great. I would have to see :-) I know what you mean, but it means pulling out the system, risking loosening something in the back, etc. Plus the original mouse was a fancy-schmancy gift (silver-plated) that had seen better days. I just have to get used to the system's original mouse again (it's a clickety-clackity kind, the gift one was silent). Click! Click! Clickety-Click! Rattle-rumble! (The wheel.) Today the DSL modem would not connect again -- Took three tries before it worked. Something's up. Let's see, I'm catching up on my bills, so it must be time to replace the computer! Of course! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
lefty1953 Posted November 13, 2006 Report Share Posted November 13, 2006 The temptation would be to great. I would have to see :-) I know what you mean, but it means pulling out the system, risking loosening something in the back, etc. Plus the original mouse was a fancy-schmancy gift (silver-plated) that had seen better days. I just have to get used to the system's original mouse again (it's a clickety-clackity kind, the gift one was silent). Click! Click! Clickety-Click! Rattle-rumble! (The wheel.) Today the DSL modem would not connect again -- Took three tries before it worked. Something's up. Let's see, I'm catching up on my bills, so it must be time to replace the computer! Of course! What does the time on the PC say? Could be a old CMOS battery. Might also try Run sfc /scannow Quote Link to post Share on other sites
JDoors Posted November 13, 2006 Author Report Share Posted November 13, 2006 What does the time on the PC say? Could be a old CMOS battery. Might also try Run sfc /scannow Could be the battery, considering the age of the system it deserves to be the battery, but no other problems have cropped up (at least, none as unusual or severe as having to reload system resource drivers). As for the modem not connecting (which I'm not sure could be related to the battery) I just chose to leave it on for now. Remind me, is that SFC the program that scans for corrupt or missing files? If it's what I think it is its usefullness is rather limited on a system that's been up and running for this long. SO many files have been replaced over the years it's difficult to know which ones should be restored and which should be left alone, or wheter replacing one file might cause another to fail. I've been down that road before and don't wish to revisit it. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
lefty1953 Posted November 13, 2006 Report Share Posted November 13, 2006 (edited) What does the time on the PC say? Could be a old CMOS battery. Might also try Run sfc /scannow Could be the battery, considering the age of the system it deserves to be the battery, but no other problems have cropped up (at least, none as unusual or severe as having to reload system resource drivers). As for the modem not connecting (which I'm not sure could be related to the battery) I just chose to leave it on for now. Remind me, is that SFC the program that scans for corrupt or missing files? If it's what I think it is its usefullness is rather limited on a system that's been up and running for this long. SO many files have been replaced over the years it's difficult to know which ones should be restored and which should be left alone, or wheter replacing one file might cause another to fail. I've been down that road before and don't wish to revisit it.sfc Checks Windows System files and replaces or fixes the ones that are corrupted or missing.AS for the Modem not working some of the times and does other times, My brother-in-law had the same problem and it turned out to be the PCI slot it was in. I moved it to another slot and it worked fine from then on. You might reinstall the drivers for the modem also. Edited November 13, 2006 by lefty1953 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
TheTerrorist_75 Posted November 13, 2006 Report Share Posted November 13, 2006 In Win98SE the command typed in the Run box is sfc.exe. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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