WEB MEDIA SCHOOL session 50 -PC PROBLEMS
If Windows 95 won't load, you may have a problem with a sound, video, or modem card or a corrupted software driver. You will need to start Windows in Safe Mode, Reboot Windows, when you see the 'Starting Windows 95 message, press <F5>. This will start Windows with minimal plain drivers to operate the system. If it loads successfully, go to the Device Manager by selecting Start - Settings - Control Panel, double-click the System icon, and click the Device Manager tab .Expand the entries in the device tree by double-clicking each one. They will have a plus sign in a box. Double-click a device's entry to open its Properties box, check the Device Status area for conflicts, and then click the Resources tab and look at the 'Conflicting device list.' If you see a reported conflict, start the Windows 95's Hardware Conflict Troubleshooter by selecting Start - Help, click the Contents tab if it's not already on top, and double-click the Troubleshooting icon to open the list of Troubleshooters.
If there's no conflict, shut down and look for a problem in another area by starting Windows 95 in a step-by-step confirmation mode. Reboot and when you see the "Starting Windows 95" message, press <F8>. You will see the Windows 95 start-up menu. Option 5 walks takes you through a start-up procedure one step at a time. You can load or skip devices that are listed in the Registry and each command listed in your autoexec.bat and config.sys files. An error message will appear for any device or program that fails to load properly. When you start this processes you will have an opportunity to create a start-up log file, called bootlog.txt, in the root directory. This documents the successful-or unsuccessful-completion of each step.
Should Windows 95 boot, but has other problems while you're operating, check the Device Manager for hardware conflicts. You may want to check your hard disk for problems. You can sometimes detect file errors and physical damage by running ScanDisk. Select Start - Programs - Accessories - System Tools - ScanDisk. Select Thorough under 'Type of test.' If your disk has substantial physical damage, you may need expert help. If you only have a few damaged sectors, ScanDisk will mark them as unuseable and tries to salvage their data. Run ScanDisk often; if new bad sectors keep showing up, your hard disk may be failing.
Shutting down your computer without closing Windows 95 properly, or deleting unwanted software instead of uninstalling it, can also lead to problems and annoyances. Windows 95 and application programs operate from a Registry that reads and loads individual files located all over your hard drive. Reinstall applications that you think may be causing the problem. First uninstall it and then reinstall it. Do not manually delete the program's files, you will not clean out references in Registry for the application. Some programs install an uninstall utility that can be launched from the Start - Programs menu or from the Control Panel's Add/Remove icon. If you don't see either of these possibilities, a good uninstall program, like Clean Sweep or Remove-It 95 comes in handy, You will need some experience understanding some of the options in these programs. If that didn't work the next step is to reinstall Windows 95 files. To verify that no Windows 95 files are missing or corrupt. you need to run Windows 95 setup program from the location of the Windows 95 installation files. This may be on your hard drive, CD or disks. WindowS will recognize that it is already installed and, if you have the upgrade release of Windows 95 it will display a dialog box with two choices. Select Restore Windows files that are missing or corrupted and proceed with the setup. You will need to know what type of installation you wish to perform, usually the standard version of Windows 95. Windows 95 will occasionally ask if you want to overwrite a certain files with an older version. If you previously installed updates your best bet is to choose old files to get Windows to function properly and than reinstall any updates you may have.Shut down all programs before you reinstall Windows 95, including any that are in your start-up menu or ones you can see in your system tray.
Windows 95 continually tracks and stores your PC's current hardware and software configuration in the Registry. An improper shutdown can cause Registry files incomplete or even damaged, on the way to powering off.Windows 95 stores Registry information in the files user.dat and system.dat in the Windows folder, if you can't find them you will need to allow your system to show hidden files. If you don't know how to do this, see you Windows 95 on-line Help file. Each time Windows 95 launches successfully, it automatically makes backup copies of Registry files, called user.dao and system.dao. But if your files are already damaged from a previous operation of Windows, for example after a power failure or improper shut down, then those backup copies will be damaged, too. You can use the utilities on the Windows 95 CD to back up the Registry or make a copy of each file and rename it. It's a good idea to have two copies, one on your hard disk and one on a floppy. You may need to use a compression utility to get the files to fit on a floppy disk.
If you reformat your hard drive and reinstall everything. First get copies of other important files. You will usually find them in your root folder (directory) of drive C: These files will be named, Autoexec.bat and config.sys files - These are needed by some pre-Windows 95 software and hardware. Save any driver programs referenced in the files. For example, save your CD-ROM drive's DOS driver in case you need to reinstall Windows 95 from DOS.
System.1st - holds your PC's hardware configuration data for Windows 95's initial installation only; it contains no information about subsequently added hardware.
System.dat and system.da0 -holds your PC's hardware configuration data and Windows 95 updates it automatically. System.da0 is a backup copy of the system.dat made at the beginning of each session.
System.ini and win.ini files are needed for pre-Windows 95 software or hardware.
user.dat and user.da0 holds most user-specific software configuration data, including Windows 95 settings; Windows 95 updates it automatically. User.da0 is the backup copy of user.dat made at the beginning of each session.
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