Hangs/Freezes - Windows 98 or motherboard ? HELP !

[waf2000]

I just obtained a new motherboard and CPU.

Now I have hangs/freezes where nothing responds - not cursor or keyboard - zip!

I have "end tasked" everything but Explorer and Systray.
I have added Files=200, Buffers=80,0, Stacks=12,256 to Config.sys.
I added MinSps=4 to [386Enh] and MinFileCache=512, MaxFileCache=6144, and
ChunkSize=512 in System.ini plus DOS16m=2 in Autoexec.bat.

My BIOS has been set to activate or disactivate power management. Makes no difference.... Win 98 is set to not go into standby.

All to no avail !! I still get hangs.

My 3Dfx PCI 16 MB vram is running the latest driver. No screensaver is running.
I have 128 MB of RAM (DIMM). My CPU runs cool (around 100 deg F).
I have virtual mem set to manual 10Min - 400max MB on a free partition (16 GB HD
available).

How can I tell if this is a motherboard problem or due to Windows 98 ?
How can I find out where the hang occurs?
The hangs/freezes happen during idling in Windows or when some programs run,
such as NetScape, PhotoShop LE, etc. - NOT when games are running.

Netscape cache is set to a different partition than Windows Virtual Mem.

HELP !!!! I am going to wear out my Reset button and Scandisk (which checks each
time after reset).

HELP!

 

[waf2000]

More info I forgot to add:
Just joined Tek-Tips !

CPU AMD 750 Thunderbird. Not overclocked!
Motherboard is a Soyo K7VTA KT133 AGP/PCI
VIA VT8363 chipset - latest BIOS update.
POST checks mem as OK.

I am trying setting the video hardware acceleration
to none. How to check if vram is OK ?

 

[Comtech]

I'm assuming your new mobo and CPU were just slapped in, and your original HD and windows were added, then booted.
Here's the fix, and it should have been done BEFORE installing the new mobo/CPU, but will work just as well now.
Remove any "fixes" you've done since the upgrade.
Boot to safe mode, and remove EVERYTHING in device manager.
Open Regedit, and navigate to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Enum and delete the WHOLE key (enum and all sub-folders).
Restart, and reinstall all your hardware. Cheers,
Jim
reboot@pcmech.com

http://members.cnx.net/reboot/

Moderator at

http://www.56k.com

Staff at

http://www.pcmech.com

Windows 9x/ME instructor.
Jim's Modems:

http://members.cnx.net/reboot/modems/

 

[waf2000]

OK, Jim. Two things.
1. I have found out that I get no hangs (so far) if I set my video hardware
acceleration setting to "none".
Could I have bad vram? How does one check it?

2. Can you tell me in a few words what your fix is doing?

Yes, I put the new mobo (cpu and RAM already inserted by TC Computers)
into a new case and put 3Dfx and Boca modem in. Installed my two old
8 GB WD HD's, floppy, ZIP, and CD-ROM.
Booted Win 98 and let the PnP go to work. Messy....
Installed VIA drivers and after much fiddling with it, got it to work as it is now.

I will wait for your response before messing with the Device Manager and Regedit.
That is doing some scary stuff !
You mean that I should "remove" each device and then erase HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Enum in Regedit.....(!)

Is this sort of like doing a round-about clean install of Win 98 by erasing
all the old settings and making Win98 start "fresh" as it were ?

Thanks for the advice. Retired PhD Biochemist.

 

[waf2000]

I may have solved this problem. I had not used the BIOS Optimal Default Settings because if the Fail-Safe settings caused lockups, then Optimal would be worse! Wrong!
Optimal Default Settings in BIOS have fixed the problem. I am wondering which ones (or one?) did the trick ?
Here is a comparison of the changed settings from Fail-Safe (which caused lockups) to Optimal Settings which work:
AWARD BIOS

Bios Defaults >> Fail Optimal
Safe settings
Advanced BIOS Features
Virus warning En Dis
Gate A20 Option Normal Fast
HDD S.M.A.R.T. Dis En
Adv Chipset Features
PCIMasterPipelineReq Dis En
P2C/C2P Concurrency Dis En
K7 Clk_CTL Select Def Opt
Integrated Peripherals
IDE Prefetch Mode Dis En
Primary Master UDMA Dis Auto
Primary Slave UDMA Dis Auto
Secondary Master UDMA Dis Auto
Secondary Slave UDMA Dis Auto
IDE HDD Block Mode Dis En
Power Management Setup
-Wake Up Events,
IRQ Act Monitoring,
IRQ 13 (CPU ) Dis En

Everything else is the same, except the
Optimal Defs stop the locking up !

Can someone explain which one(s) were
likely to be causing the lockup? waf2000 - Retired PhD Biochemist.
UC Davis 1973 Biochem & Biophysics.
Bayer Corp., Pharma Div 22 years.