Hello all. First time post, so here is my problem. A 133MHz, 32MB PC running Win98 crashed during an install of Office 2000. I was asked to look at the machine. I ran ScanDisk, and discovered that there were large numbers of bad sectors on the disk. However, I made a boot disk and found I could still navigate, meaning that the data is still there. What I first tried to do was fix the bad sectors. ScanDisk failed, but NDD cleared the data and rewrote them to sectors that weren't damaged. After NDD had its fun, I defragged and tried to reboot. No luck. Then I tried to reinstall the OS. This seemed reasonable as the error I got was that Explorer was causing a page fault. After reinstalling Win98, same problem. My solution, get a new hard disk, transfer the data files, and reinstall the program files. Okay, the new HD is a Maxtor 20GB (Model #32049H2) replacing a Maxtor #71670AP. Installation goes smooth. Reinstalling the OS is smooth. Everything is cool until I begin to reinstall the programs, and now the CD ROM spins up and down and cycles repeatedly. Finally, I will get an error message that says that AutoRun caused a page fault. Now the new HDD is set up to the primary master and the CDROM is primary slave. They are on the same cable. The CDROM is a Goldstar 8X (Model #GCD-R580B). I am almost free from this if I can just get the CD to work. Anyone with helpful information, I would be greatly appreciative.

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JC

Oh yeah. I went to the CD-ROM manufacturer site, downloaded the driver and tried to update them. But Win98 said drivers it was using were better.

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JC

Try putting the CDROM drive on the second channel as master.

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sleddog
[sleddog.f2s.com] (http://www.sleddog.f2s.com)

Agree with putting CD on another channel; however, you may have worn out the CD Rom (which was already old) when working it so hard to reinstall everything. Best bet is to spend another $60 and get a new CD Rom. While you are at it (if budget permits) add 32 more MB RAM in system. It's tough enough for a P-133 to Run Win 98, much less with only 32MB Ram.

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"I didn't have a relationship with that OS...Win ME."

I agree, add more RAM, my P-200MMX has a hard time with win98 and 32MB..althought it runs pretty good, and I've seen what a 133 does, definitely get more RAM, if you can afford it.

For the CD ROM, I also agree to put it on the secondary IDE channel. You might also be able to get a temporary fix by opening the drive and cleaning the drive hubs with Q-tips and rubbing alcohol. Take the cover off, and look for two round, usually black, plastic hubs, These squeeze the disk and spin it so the drive can read it. When it gets old, it gets dirty, and the hubs can't spin the disk, so the laser can't read it. My 16X has been cleaned 2 times, and still works great after over 3 years.

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Eagles may soar, but weasels don't get sucked into jet engines!
Note: Please post your questions on the forums, not in my email.

Computer Information Links (http://www.geocities.com/paleopete/)

Here's something I just discovered with one of my systems... I thought the CD drive was on the way out... put a disk in and it would spin up, down, up, down, up, down... trying *so* hard to get started. Eventually it always succeeded http://www.PCGuide.com/ubb/smile.gif

Well I moved drives around in the case for a better layout... the CD was slave on channel one, *but* I had it at the end of the IDE cable. Now the harddrive is at the end and the CD on the middle connector, and guess what? All that up, down, up, down, up, down startup business is gone! The CD drive works perfectly (first time for ages!)


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sleddog
[sleddog.f2s.com] (http://www.sleddog.f2s.com)

Hello all,

Since I had some other computers laying around, I decided to replace the CD-ROM with another unit. This unit worked fine, and I installed the software to go with the particular data files. I will try the recommendations on cleaning the CD-ROM. Switching the devices position on the cable had no effect. And when I "switched channels" (which I assume means to connect the device to the other IDE connection on the motherboard), the drive did not work at all. The end result is that I told them to invest in another CD-ROM and I will install it for them.

But thanks for the help, and I will be a regular poster to this group as I have decided to try and build my own machine.



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JC

When you change the CD ROM to the slave position on the cable with the hard drive you also have to change a jumper on the back of the drive and make it slave to correspond to its position on the cable. The jumpers are almost always beside the ribbon cable connector, and are usually marked MA or MS for master, SL for slave and CS for Cable Select. Cable select is not often used, but sometimes works. It tells the machine to set the drive according to its position on the cable.

That's the reason it didn't work when you changed it to the primary IDE channel. If it works at all, that's the only thing that can cause it, even if it won't actually read the disks, it still should try...unless the jumper is wrong, or the power cable is not plugged in. Then you get nothing.

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Eagles may soar, but weasels don't get sucked into jet engines!
Note: Please post your questions on the forums, not in my email.

Computer Information Links (http://www.geocities.com/paleopete/)