can't defrag or scan my HD

[LIKE2bonvacation]

Help!! I'm actually having (2) problems that I think may be related?
symtom #1- When I close a window or switch programs, for instance going from Word back to the desktop,or switching from one internet site to another, there remains fragments of the previous window in the form of lines,particals or segments, etc. from the previous screen.
Problem #2- In an attempt to "clean-up" this mess I thought I would go ahead and scan, defrag, virus scan etc. but when I attempt to scan my drive I get a message that a utility has my HD locked so I can't proceed and I can't find the source of this problem. I'm running Athlon 600 on
SD11,128 Sdram,3D Savage4,300w, clone. Any suggestions? Thanks in Advance.

[Paleo Pete]

Sounds like either video setting or something using up system resources.

Check the refresh rate in your display settings, maybe the monitor doesn't like the present refresh rate, or the video card doesn't have the memory to keep up with it. Try updating video drivers, and check the video card manufacturer's website for any reference to a documented problem similar to yours. They might have a patch.

The "utility has my HD locked" needs to be explained a bit better, and what utility are you trying to run when you get this message?

For optimization, run scandisk from a DOS prompt. Boot to a Win 95/98 Start Up disk, or use the F8 key, and at the boot menu choose Command Prompt Only type this command line at the A:\> or C:\> prompt to run scandisk unattended:

scandisk all /autofix /nosummary /surface

This will run a full scandisk on all drives, and surface scan as well. Scandisk should be on the Start Up disk, or can be run from C:\> Prompt.
NOTE: Do not try to run scandisk from a DOS prompt withing Windows, boot into DOS to do it. Windows scandisk will work, but doing it from a DOS prompt also defrags the section of the drive where the Windows swapfile would be in use while windows is running, plus you can specify certain parameters that make life easier.

Then reboot into Windows, and run defrag. Turn off everything possible before running defrag, using the icons in the tool tray, or Ctrl + Alt + Del and End Task everything but :
Systray, Explorer, rundll, rundll32 and Rnaapp if it's running, everything else can go.

Check the System resources, something might be eating them up. If you don't have the Resource Meter in system tools, open Control Panel and add it, from Add/Remove Programs, and have the Windows CD handy.

How much is running in the background? Office programs' fast find feature is notorious for eating up resources. First thing I do when I have to reinstall my machine is delete the fast find icon from the Start Up folder. I drag everything else in the Start Up folder into a temporary folder I create somewhere, so it can be replaced easily if I decide I need it someday.

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[LIKE2bonvacation]

Paleo Pete for President. YEAH! I went into the monitor and video card
settings area and made the adjustments that you suggested and WHAMO! it worked. I'm terribly grateful and really appreciate your help. Now, how about explaining the part where I run scandisk from a DOS prompt and the task of booting to a Win 95/98 start up disk. It makes perfect sense to me
but I've never done this before and don't know exactly where to begin.
Your further explanation and time is appreciated. In appreciation I would like to submit one of my favorite quotes for your consideration;

what would you attempt to do if you knew you could not fail!

[Paleo Pete]

To boot to a start up disk, simply make sure the disk is write-protected, the square hole at bottom with a small tab should be OPEN, put the disk in the floppy and turn the machine on. Win 98 start up disk has a boot menu with 3 options. Command Prompt Only is the one you want for this purpose.

To use the F8 key, press F8 every second or so until you see a boot menu onscreen with about 6 choices. Choose Command Prompt Only here too. Use the arrow keys at bottom right of keyboard to highlight the option you want. Press [Enter] to activate it. With a boot disk you'll get an A:\> prompt, with the F8 key you'll get a C:\> prompt. (Change to C from the A:\> prompt by typing c: and press [Enter])

From the C:\> prompt type:

scandisk all /autofix /nosummary /surface [Enter]

and that's all there is to it. If using a boot disk it will work from the A:\> prompt as well, scandisk is included on the start up disk if it's made from a working win95/98 computer.

I would use the F8 key, it works either when you see a message that says "Starting Windows" or "Verifying Pool Data" depending on the computer, or simply press F8 every second or so. This will bring up the boot menu.

I haven't used win95 in years, and can't remember how its start up disk works, but if you get no boot menu, simply an A:\> prompt, no problem, proceed as above.

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[LIKE2bonvacation]

sounds like something even I can handle. your explanations are great and easy to understand. Thanks again. While I have your attention I posted to the A/V troubleshooting forum some time back with a screen size problem and I was unable to solve then and I am still living with the same frustration. When I put the computer on standby or turn off the computer
and then return and boot up from either standby or restart, the screen size
is enlarged by approx. 1/4" inch. [ the my computer icon is partially hidden as well as the taskbar on the bottom of the screen] I have replaced the monitor as well as the video card. What else could it be?? How about this one my friend...

[StoneDragon]

A 95 disk just boots to that evil blinking A:\> prompt... that and a black screen. No menu.

[Paleo Pete]

Thanks Stone Dragon, I haven't used a Win95 disk in years, and couldn't remember, but I thought it just went to the A:\> prompt.

LIKE2- I can't tell you any more about the boot screeen issue, I remember that thread, and don't know of a reason it would act like that. Tried everything I could think of in the other topic. It's probably the difference between the default resolution and the resolution later set by Windows. At boot up the monitor uses a default resolution, since the Windows settings are not yet active. When Windows takes over one of the things it does is set the screen resolution you configured in Display Properties last time it was changed or set. The video card also operates under its own BIOS, with a generic driver or none, until Windows takes over and installs Windows drivers. The difference is somewhere in that transfer of control between BIOS, DOS and Windows.

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