[toothache]

I tried installing an external storage device in windows 98se but it failed to work. I have given up on it but i am still getting the 'found new hardware ' box on boot up,even though it is not plugged in. Reads found mass storage device PCI. How can i rid this so it boots up clean as before. Have looked in device manager but can't see anything there.

I am also getting pop up boxes on boot as follows

RUNDLL
ERROR LOADING POWERPROF.DLL

and

ERROR STARTING PROGRAM
THE SETUPAPI.DLL FILE IS LINKED TO MISSING EXPORT
NTDLL.DLL:NTCLOSE

Very annoying.


Thanks

[redaxe]

After searching the internet high and low, it looks like you need to reinstall Win98SE over the current installation. That will overwrite all the faulty drivers and registry entries and your system should go back to working normally. You might need to reinstall the odd piece of software, but that's hopefully a small price to pay for a stable running system.

[toothache]

Thanks redaxe for your time.

Problem i don't have the SE98 disc. Can i get it from anywhere,and what do i do with it just insert it and run it?
Novice at this pc thing.

Thanks.

[toothache]

Can anyone talk me through the process of re-installing windows 98SE over the existing one. I do not have the startup disc as it was already pre-installed when i bought the computer some years back however i have obtained the product i.d and product keys from windows folders. If this could be explained in the simplest form it would be most appreciated and a great help in getting my pc to run normally again. As mentioned in the above topics it seems at the moment i have some registry problems so following your advice a re-installation seems in order...but how?

Thanks

[redaxe]

In basic terms, you need the Win98SE installation disk and you need to install it over the old default installation folder. You also need the Windows 98SE serial number, to be able to finalise the installation and then you should be in good stead.

The CD should autorun when you start the computer, and the basic installation is very straight forward from that moment on. There's no magic to it, just allow it to run it's course. Only don't allow it to format your hard drive, because you might still have some old and valuable data on it and it will get lost, if you allow the format to happen.

Good luck