I Can'T Install ANYTHING without getting d/c'd!!

[Daniel-Man]

Please help me, when I try to install something I get disconnected from the Internet. I run win 98 2nd edition, and use a 56k USB external Starweb modem. This is affecting me because I can't update Internet explorer, windows, or Outlook express, because when it goes to decompress the installation files after its finished updating I just get disconnected and the installations don't work!!! The disconnections are also happening when I try and copy large files on the hard drive to replace another one on the hard drive, or copy large files from a cd to the hard drive. Can someone tell me why this is happening? I recently installed a 2nd hard drive which is 80Gig and 7200RPM and set it as the master drive, while my 20 gig 5400 RPM drive became the primary. I heard if they're both plugged in as HDD's both will run at 5400 RPM. Could there be some kind of conflict here which when large files are copied to the hard drive causes disconnection of the modem? I also discovered when large files are copied or de-compressed it seems everything sort of goes in slow motion and if you try and move the mouse pointer it will flicker slowly across the screen or not move at all until the decompressing or copying of files is finished.

[YODA74]

man...with the problems your having with that machine and basically seeing simple and complicated problems in the last couple of days I would suggest re-format and start all over. becouse the installation is null. couse if this is the same machine it's junked.

[Budfred]

I agree with Yoda about starting over.

For the drives running at 5400rpm. The one that is designed to run at 7200 will do so and the one that is designed to run at 5400 will do so. Neither will spin slower because they are on the same cable. On older systems the rate of transfer might be slowed down on the faster one if one is ATA66 and the other is ATA100, but if the system is newer, this won't be an issue either.

Budfred

[Fruss Tray Ted]

When you download an update, can you disconnect THEN install it? It sounds like a memory problem or too much running in the background.

Also you stated that your new drive is set to master and your older one is your primary. Have you tried putting your primary as master and your storage drive as secondary?

What are the rest of your specs? What is running processes in the background? How many Windows open at once while you are trying to do an update or download?

The others are suggesting a reformat, they must know more about your system than I by your previous posts. If this is a recent install and you've been having loads of problems, I would definitely do as the others have suggested.

Maybe you are having RAM or Spyware problems?

[YODA74]

1.http://www.pcguide.com/vb/search.php?s=&action=showresults&searchid=27126

he's getting a lot of kernal errors, dynamic libray problems,OE5 problems,cd-rom driver problems,and now HDD problems all in a couple of days??

Either the installation or registry is bloched or were doing study work?

at this point your going to have to localize ONE problem at a time and fix it or take it all apart and start from scratch and do it step by step? But to keep posting different problems with the same machine isn't going to get it fixed.Your just confusing it all.

[mjc]

Ok, here is my list.....

1. Kernel problems
2. OE problems....including but not limited to an inability to use the block senders.
3. Game install problems.....
4. Nonfunctioning DOS mode.
5. Connection problems.

To me it is looking like you have either a corrupted install (either drivers or OS), registry problems, too many background apps running (or some spyware/malware that is using a lot of resources) or a flat out viral infection.

There have been a couple of suggestions to wipe and start over....that may just be the way to go. With so many problems, just trying to isolate one may be more trouble than it is worth.

I would suggest, that before anything else you try to run a virus scan, with up to date definitions.....if you can't then try one of the online scans. (links in my sig)

[Daniel-Man]

thanks, i use AVG and update nearly every day. I recently (2 or 3 months ago) reformatted and reinstalled all drivers and the windows 98 2nd edt O/s again and the errors still come back. In my RAM I have one 256MB chip and one 128MB chip. I originally had my harddrives set in the other order, primary was secondary, secondary was master. But changed the 20 gig hard drive to secondary and 80 gig to primary as that was the most appropriate and convenient. As for spyware taking up lots of the RAM, I use AVG 6, TC Monitor, TC Active, Trojan Trap Agent and BlackICE Utilities which run in the background. I seem to not understand the uses of computer RAM, as I thought 256 + 128 MB was an unbelievable amazing amount and thought that I could have lots of stuff running in the background. How many apps and security apps should I be able to have in the background with RAM equivelant to 256 + 128MBs??

[mjc]

http://www2.whidbey.net/djdenham/Window_memory.htm

Read the above article, it is not just Physical RAM but other resources that determine how many programs you can run..........