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What's wrong with my pc?

  • Thread starter jimscott
  • Start date
  • #21
[b said:
Quote[/b] (jimscott @ Aug. 23 2006,9:37)]Typing live, from ole' faithful Gateway G6-400c, thanks, J.T.!
[b said:
Quote[/b] ]I'm using the church computer right now
Perhaps your thanks to J.T was misguided. Perhaps your thanks should really be to J. C. (or Bill Gates?)
 
  • #22
[b said:
Quote[/b] ]Perhaps your thanks to J.T was misguided. Perhaps your thanks should really be to J. C.

In all fairness I think you're right. God's hand probably played a role in getting this thing fixed. Windows be an ornery beast!
laugh.gif
 
  • #23
[b said:
Quote[/b] (BobZ @ Aug. 23 2006,6:02)]
[b said:
Quote[/b] (jimscott @ Aug. 23 2006,9:37)]Typing live, from ole' faithful Gateway G6-400c, thanks, J.T.!
[b said:
Quote[/b] ]I'm using the church computer right now
Perhaps your thanks to J.T was misguided. Perhaps your thanks should really be to J. C. (or Bill Gates?)
LOL! And here I was, trying to think which forum member had the initials, J.C.
smile_l_32.gif
 
  • #24
[b said:
Quote[/b] (Est @ Aug. 18 2006,8:31)]Just my opinion here, but considering the disparity of resources consumed between 98 and XP and the seemingly change in number of crashes- I'm not too impressed.  And if Jim's machine is older, I'm not really sure if it's a good idea anyway.
Windows 98 was a beast, but at least I had it at bay, I knew the ins and outs and when something went wrong, I could generally go to the source of the problem without all the hubbub.  Seems like XP is still a beast, albeit more complex.
Are you saying XP crashes *more* than Win98 did?
If so, my experience is the opposite..

I had a 98 machine for many years..
was mostly stable, but would lock-up once in awhile..
just freeze solid, whatever was on the screen would just stay there frozen..mouse or keyboard had no effect..
had to unplug it to reboot..
(and then on the re-boot windows would always give you hat hilarious message about "windows was not shut down properly, make sure you shut down the machine properly you moron"..like it was MY fault!
smile_l_32.gif
)
would happen 1 or 2 times a month.

For the last 3 years or so I have been using WinXP machines at both home and work..EVERY day for three years..
8 hours a day at work, with one main desktop and 2 other machines, plus my Home XP machine that my wife and I use every day..

I have not had ONE sngle problem with any of these XP machines..never one freeze-up, never one error message..nothing.
for me, XP is practically a miracle..

Scot
 
  • #25
[b said:
Quote[/b] ]Are you saying XP crashes *more* than Win98 did?

Nope. I was just saying that there was no major leap. XP still crashes, though considerably less. Number of crashes can often be attributed to 3rd party software use, so there's always that to keep in mind. It seems like XP have handle programs crashing a bit better. I like the CTRL ALT DEL system much better in XP, too. I just don't think that switching to XP would have been the right thing to do in this case.

I wouldn't go so far as to call it a miracle though. Still riddled with MS surprises for you when you least expect them (I wont bother listing any instances off, but they're there.) I still have problems with using windows because it's trying to tell me what to do- like you said, it blaming the crash on you!
laugh.gif
 
  • #26
[b said:
Quote[/b] (scottychaos @ Aug. 24 2006,12:13)]I had a 98 machine for many years..
was mostly stable, but would lock-up once in awhile..
just freeze solid, whatever was on the screen would just stay there frozen..mouse or keyboard had no effect..
had to unplug it to reboot..
(and then on the re-boot windows would always give you hat hilarious message about "windows was not shut down properly, make sure you shut down the machine properly you moron"..like it was MY fault!
smile_l_32.gif
 )
That's exactly what would happen for me. But this time, it was taken further. It locked up again this morning, but not with that Boot Error thing. And then I did a Disk Cleanup, a thorough Scandisk, and a Defrag. Been awhile.
 
  • #27
[b said:
Quote[/b] (scottychaos @ Aug. 24 2006,10:13)]
(and then on the re-boot windows would always give you hat hilarious message about "windows was not shut down properly, make sure you shut down the machine properly you moron"..like it was MY fault!
smile_l_32.gif
)
That message has always irratated the H... out of me. It's one of the few times I actually fell like punching something...like maybe the airheaded dork that put that cutesy message in the program in the first place...

I was in the local Wal Mart today and they had the Windows XP upgrade for the Win98 OS. Has anybody had experience with it and would it be better to get the full Windows XP OS instead? When XP first came out it had a lot of problems being installed over Win98 as opposed to being a clean install by itself. I am wondering if this still holds true and if it applies to the upgrade version.
 
  • #28
[b said:
Quote[/b] (BigCarnivourKid @ Aug. 26 2006,12:13)]That message has always irratated the H... out of me.  It's one of the few times I actually fell like punching something...like maybe the airheaded dork that put that cutesy message in the program in the first place...

I was in the local Wal Mart today and they had the Windows XP upgrade for the Win98 OS.  Has anybody had experience with it and would it be better to get the full Windows XP OS instead?  When XP first came out it had a lot of problems being installed over Win98 as opposed to being a clean install by itself.  I am wondering if this still holds true and if it applies to the upgrade version.
"Strike any key to continue". And the single panelled cartoon showing a guy with a pickaxe (or something to that effect) poised over the computer.

J.C. could be the forum member 'Juan Carlos'.

Steve, how much was that OS upgrade?
 
  • #29
[b said:
Quote[/b] (jimscott @ Aug. 26 2006,6:36)]Steve, how much was that OS upgrade?
It was $99 and change, so figure 100°°+ with tax. It was on a CD and the program would scan the existing Win98 OS to see if it was a legitamate copy or if it was pirated before installing XP.
 
  • #30
I wouldn't expect much from an XP upgrade on already buggy 98 installation.

In this case the ideal installation is a clean XP installation. The next ideal installation is an XP upgrade on a fresh, unused 98 installation. And the last on the list is an XP upgrade on a worn out, buggy 98 installation that's been used for years already.

Windows is kind of like a dying animal. It hides its symptoms until the bitter end. The longer it's installed and used the closer it is to failure, even if it doesn't show it outwardly. And I just wouldn't trust that none of those "symptoms" will get carried over in the upgrade.

So if you want to save money you could go with the XP upgrade. But I would suggest wiping the computer first, installing 98 fresh, and then doing the upgrade.
 
  • #31
[b said:
Quote[/b] (endparenthesis @ Aug. 26 2006,12:09)]The longer it's installed and used the closer it is to failure, even if it doesn't show it outwardly. And I just wouldn't trust that none of those "symptoms" will get carried over in the upgrade.

So if you want to save money you could go with the XP upgrade. But I would suggest wiping the computer first, installing 98 fresh, and then doing the upgrade.
OK, I suspected as much myself, but wanted a second opinion. The idea of formatting the drive and spending a couple days of reloading drivers and tweaking the OS doesn't hold much appeal to me these days though.
confused.gif
If I'm going to have to do a clean install of Win98 and then load XP, I might as well just install XP to begin with and save some hassle.
 
  • #32
It always seems like a nightmare, but every time I've wiped it's always been easier to recover than I thought it would be. Multiple hard drives make things enormously easier... I'll never go back to a single one.
 
  • #33
My biggest nightmare/worry is discovering I've misplaced the key/code to activate some piece of software. I know I've got them...somewhere... I think. I have purchased so many over the years I've lost track of them.
 
  • #34
[b said:
Quote[/b] ]My biggest nightmare/worry is discovering I've misplaced the key/code to activate some piece of software. I know I've got them...somewhere... I think. I have purchased so many over the years I've lost track of them.

That's why I have a box o' electronics. Keep the "important" stuff there. If all else fails, I have no reservations about simply finding a crack- you shouldn't either. If I lose my product code, it's not like I'm going to go buy another one. With some companies you can get another code, but let's face it', it's usually easier to... Do something very difficult.

Still, I hear where you're coming from! Luckily nowadays just about everything can be found on the internet if you look hard enough!
 
  • #35
pff thats how I got half my games to work (which Ive only played like twice sence I rebuilt this computer). If I ever get organized theirs going to be a book I allways have with all my computer stuff!
 
  • #36
Update: I think my CPU is about ready to be die completely. After a week of seemingly being fixed, for the past two evenings, it went back to that Boot Error thing. My son wasn't around and i haven't a clue as to where he has that Window 98 disk (the room, shared with his brothers, is a 'black hole"). What I did do was toss a Restoration CD in there and fumbeld my way through a few F1's and F10's and a couple CTRL ALT Del's and then it worked. Fortunately,I have some access to the church computer.
 
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