If your system's stuck and you can't boot normally, restart
your computer in Safe Mode (If you can get to your normal
Windows' desktop, skip this step and start with the System
Configuration Utility below).
To boot in Safe Mode, press F8 shortly after your PC powers
up--when it displays the "Starting Windows 9x" text message--
to arrive at the Windows 9x Startup Menu. Choose "Safe
Mode," and Windows will load a stripped-down version of
itself with a simple VGA display driver and a minimum
number of other device drivers.
Unless Windows is damaged beyond repair, it should
successfully launch in Safe Mode. Assuming it starts in Safe
Mode, your problem is likely a corrupted registry file,
damaged or missing system files or another Windows-related
problem.
The next step is to look for the root cause of your trouble.
First off, check out your system with the Windows 98 System
Configuration utility. Select Start>>Run, then enter msconfig
in the field, and click OK. In the new dialog box, select the
Startup tab, and examine the list to make sure Windows isn't
loading a given process more than once.
If you see the same item twice, uncheck the box beside the
second occurrence. Another thing to try: Uncheck items you
may have added recently, especially if the program doesn't
have an uninstall option (Start>>Settings>>Control
Panel>>Add/Remove Programs>>Install/Uninstall).
When you're done making changes, click Apply, and then close
the System Configuration Utility. You'll have to reboot before
your changes take effect, and you'll have to find out by trial
and error (or freeze, in this case) if you've solved your
problem.
Next, run ScanDisk to look for hard drive damage, as a
possible cause of missing or corrupted files (and therefore
system halts) is a dying hard disk. Run ScanDisk from
Start>>Programs>>Accessories>>System Tools>>ScanDisk.
If ScanDisk finds damaged sectors, that's a sign of significant
system corruption or real hard drive problems (modern hard
drives map out disk errors at the firmware level, so ScanDisk
shouldn't report any). Back up everything immediately. On the
other hand, a few cross-linked files or lost clusters are
nothing to worry about, especially after a loss of power or a
system crash. Just make sure you clean them up, as they can
cause problems for Windows.
You can also look for hardware conflicts. Right-click My
Computer, select Properties, and choose the Device Manager
tab. Scan the listing of your PC's components, looking for any
component marked with a yellow circle and exclamation point.
If you find one, double-click the component's name and read
the "Device status" (in the middle of the Properties window),
then select the Resources tab and look in the Conflicting
Device list.
If you find a conflict in that list, you must remove it. Do
that physically -- by removing one of the conflicting devices
(after powering down and unplugging your computer!) -- or
through software, by checking the "Disable in this hardware
profile" box at the bottom of that device's General tab in
Device Manager. Then try restarting your PC.
If you're still stumped, try starting Windows with step-by-
step confirmations. Restart Windows and hold down the F8 key
to bring up the Windows 9x Startup Menu. Select Step-by-Step
Confirmation, and Windows will start each device one at a
time, prompting you at each step. Select "Yes" for each
device, which lead to a message confirming the device's
initialization. If you get a loading error message, you'll
know which device is causing the problem.
You can also check your Registry files, where most of Windows'
hardware and software settings are located. Check the Registry
by running ScanReg, a utility that automatically creates and
stores Registry backups.
To run ScanReg, restart your PC, press F8 to reach the
Windows 9x Startup Menu, and select Command Prompt Only.
From the DOS prompt type scanreg. The utility will check your
Registry for errors and offer to back up the system Registry.
Finally, if it looks like heading in for repair, create a boot
log to make their troubleshooting easier. From the Windows 9x
Startup Menu (use F8 to get there), select the "Logged
(\BOOTLOG.TXT)" start-up option. As Windows launches, it will
meticulously record each step of the start-up process in the
file c:\bootlog.txt.