98 problems....stop laughing

OK, so I've got a new computer on the way, but I would still like to solve some of my old computer's problems. I'm running on windows 98:lol: small hard drive, very minimum RAM, etc. Here's a small list of the problems I deal with everyday on this beast:

1. Upon startup, my display settings are not saved. It puts the setting at the lowest possible resolution. Looks like crap. Edges of images aren't smooth, etc. I change the settings and restart...and get ready for problem 2...

2. [also on startup] I get the message "A required .DLL file could not be found" ....this message appears twice. I click OK and go along with my business...

3. I try to defrag my computer and check it for errors at least once a month, however, lately I have been unable to do either. When I try to check for errors OR defrag, the process begins but I get the message that "scan disk/defrag has restarted 10 times because another program..."
When I get this message I "Ctrl+Alt+Delete" and close all the programs that are running, except Explorer and ScanDisk. This doesn't solve my problem.

4. Sometimes when I'm viewing pages on the internet, my computer will pause...then won't continue until I push a key on the keyboard. Then it will continue loading the page....very annoying!

5. Last problem, for now. I'm on the internet every day and I've begun to have troubles just opening Iexplorer. I used to be able to just click the Explorer icon and open it right up. Not now, Whenever I click the icon, my computer makes a quick noise and nothing happens. Sometimes it acts like it's going to open (the hour glass spins) however, after a moment, nothing happens. The only way I'm able to get on the internet now is to right click the Explorer icon and click "browse".

that's my quick list of problems for now. If anyone has any solutions to any of them, please respond! I've had most of these problems for a long time now and I'm getting quite pissed.:banghead: Any advice would be super! **Note, I do own a sledge hammer!!

How about:

1. Save your documents on an external media
2. Format and reinstall...

Before you do this though, make sure you have all required drivers for the computer. 98 has horrible driver support even for the hardware of the time, and if you don't have the necessary drivers you are pretty much SOL. If you don't have them, then I suggest you try to find them BEFORE formatting.

You have such a plethora of problems, this seems like the logical fix for me anyway instead of trying to diagnose each problem...in Win 98.

1. Change the display settings to what they should be, then reboot. It should save them. (Have you been turning your computer off instead of shutting down properly?

2. Check Event Viewer for which DLL file it is, copy it over and see if the message goes away.

3. Defrag was NEVER good in Win98, get a program called Buzzsaw from http://www.dirms.com/

4. Known fault - STOP USING IE, IT'S CRAP.

5. See 4.

To be honest, to get that last bit of mileage out of your hardware, get a lightweight Linux distro, your computer will be worlds more stable, faster and more secure. And you'll learn a lot.

1-for the display problem try downloading new drivers for your video card

2-what dll files are missing.

3-defrag. other programs could be running that don't show on the list when you hit ctr-alt-del. have you run a virus and spyware scan? you can always try running defag in safe mode.

4-IE. go to control panel open Internet Options. on the General tab under Temporary Internet Files click on Delete Cookies and Delete Files. then click on Settings and reduce your hard drive usage setting.

5-Go to Opera.com and get a decent browser for free.

wow! thanks all! I didn't think I would get any responses on this. I will try to do each of them ASAP! OZ: problem #1 occurs every time I restart the computer. I've saved/applied the settings and it still changes if I turn the computer off then on again. I use "start" to shut down, unless it's completely frozen, in which case I kill it. Thanks for the replies though.

I will take your advice, Eclipse, and save all my files to an external and reinstall. Thanks again. I will take other advice into consideration, however, I have one more question. How do you go about running defrag in safe mode? then, how do you return the computer to normal mode?

How do you go about running defrag in safe mode? then, how do you return the computer to normal mode?

Why run defrag now if you are going to reinstall?
Anyway - to start in safe mode you have to hit the F8 key before Windows loads. When you power up your computer it does a power-on self test, when that is done it beeps and Windows starts loading. Hit F8 immediately after the beep but before Windows starts loading to bring up the Windows startup menu. If you see the Windows splash screen that means you didn't hit F8 fast enough. On the Windows startup screen select safe mode - then run defrag after Windows loads in safe mode.

To return to normal mode just reboot.

As Eclipse said make sure you have the correct drivers saved somewhere before you reinstall. Before you reinstall go to the Device Manager and write down the brand name and model number of the following devices:
Display Adapter
Network Adapter
Sound, video and game controllers
Then search the internet for the correct drivers - they're easy to find. I have a Win98 pc that I recently reinstalled. I had to manually install drivers for those three devices. Make sure you have a copy of winzip or something similar saved also, you might need it to unzip the downloaded drivers.

yeah, probably a good idea to reformat and reload. that will get rid of a lot of crap thats been building up on the drive for years. make sure you have the CD key for your windows disk before you start.