Timing or Conflict Problem [Solved]

[bpalone]

NOTE, there are three (3) posts describing this. Sorry for the length of it all.

OK, finally got all the hardware and got it all put together. The 98se install got to a point where I was getting drivers ironed out, etc. The problem that has me baffled is as follows:

Will not boot, it either hangs or reboots and comes up to the safe mode, etc selection screen.

It will boot, if I step through the start up and answer everything Yes.

So... it would appear to me that something is having a timing conflict/race condition that doesn't happen when I step through the start up.

Any ideas or thoughts? The only things I see in a BOOTLOG that raises my eyebrows is as follows:

[0002E899] Dynamic load device  nvmini.vxd

[0002E89A] Dynamic init device  NVMINI

[0002E89B] Dynamic load device  NVCORE.VXD

[0002E8A2] Dynamic init device  NVCORE

[0002E8A3] Dynamic init success NVCORE

[0002E8A3] Dynamic load success NVCORE.VXD

[0002E8A3] Dynamic init success NVMINI

[0002E8A3] Dynamic load success nvmini.vxd

[0002E8A4] Dynamic load device  NVCORE.VXD

[0002E8A8] Dynamic init device  NVCORE

[0002E8A8] Dynamic init success NVCORE

[0002E8A8] Dynamic load success NVCORE.VXD

which appears at the end, and I'm questioning the twice loading of NVCORE.VXD, and the following that appears about midway

[0002E881] Starting Unknown (HTREE\ROOT\0)

[0002E881] Started Unknown (HTREE\ROOT\0)

[0002E881] Enumerating Unknown (HTREE\ROOT\0)

[0002E882] Enumerated Unknown (HTREE\ROOT\0)

[0002E882] Starting Unknown (HTREE\RESERVED\0)

[0002E882] Started Unknown (HTREE\RESERVED\0)

[0002E882] Enumerating Unknown (HTREE\RESERVED\0)

[0002E882] Enumerated Unknown (HTREE\RESERVED\0)

Any thoughts from anyone?

Thanks in advance.

Edited November 9, 2009 by dencorso
Added [Solved] to the title.

[bpalone]

Here is some more data. The following is from the BOOTLOG done one step at a time:

[000F25DA] Loading PNP drivers of NVIDIA GeForce 6200 (PCI\VEN_10DE&DEV_0160&SUBSYS_C3563842&REV_A1\001000)

[000F25DA] Loaded PNP drivers of NVIDIA GeForce 6200 (PCI\VEN_10DE&DEV_0160&SUBSYS_C3563842&REV_A1\001000)

[000F25DA] Starting NVIDIA GeForce 6200 (PCI\VEN_10DE&DEV_0160&SUBSYS_C3563842&REV_A1\001000)

[000F25DA] Dynamic load device  nvmini.vxd

[000F25DB] Dynamic init device  NVMINI

[000F25DC] Dynamic load device  NVCORE.VXD

[000F25E4] Dynamic init device  NVCORE

[000F25E4] Dynamic init success NVCORE

[000F25E4] Dynamic load success NVCORE.VXD

[000F25E4] Dynamic init success NVMINI

[000F25E5] Dynamic load success nvmini.vxd

[000F25E5] Dynamic load device  NVCORE.VXD

[000F25E9] Dynamic init device  NVCORE

[000F25E9] Dynamic init success NVCORE

[000F25E9] Dynamic load success NVCORE.VXD

[000F25EE] Started NVIDIA GeForce 6200 (PCI\VEN_10DE&DEV_0160&SUBSYS_C3563842&REV_A1\001000)

[000F25EF] Enumerating NVIDIA GeForce 6200 (PCI\VEN_10DE&DEV_0160&SUBSYS_C3563842&REV_A1\001000)

[000F25EF] ASD: failing Calling a VESA BIOS, d=PCI\VEN_10DE&DEV_0160&SUBSYS_C3563842&REV_A1\001000, rc=00000001[000F25EF] 
[000F25F0] Enumerated NVIDIA GeForce 6200 (PCI\VEN_10DE&DEV_0160&SUBSYS_C3563842&REV_A1\001000)

It would appear that NVidia is the culprit, as the top portion of the code above is the same as the failed boot log down to and including the last "Dynamic load success NVCOR.VXD" at which point the failed boot log ceases. I will google and look around for anything dealing with Nvidia and 98 timing issues.

If someone already knows the answer please post. Thanks.

[bpalone]

In my infinite wisdom, I managed to hose my install. With a new install and only installing the VIA 4 in 1 drivers I get the same results. Here is the hardware:

ASUS A8V-E SE

AMD Athlon 3800 (2.2Gig)

256 meg memeory

EVGA e-GeForce 6500 with 256 memory

I have turned off everything I can think of in the BIOS to minimize possible conflicts, such as sound and the on board SATA. Also turned off the serial port.

If I can get it to work without having to do the step by step boot, I would like to keep it around and evaluate if I want to head back or not. If not, I guess it can become another Win2K box with Linux.

Thanks for the help.

[sp193]

What is your mainboard model?

I am aware of a few models of mainboards that *cannot* boot Windows 98 with a Geforce card installed.

I had a Biostar M6TBA mainboard(With a very slow, old PII 400MHZ CPU).

I tried 3 GeForce cards on it. Windows always crashes/has issues after the Nvidia driver is loaded.

1. Geforce 2 MX-400 (Second hand)

Windows 98 started, but would not progress further after the Windows 98 startup screen clears (Before the desktop appears).

2. Geforce 2 GTS (Sparkle SP-6600, second hand like above)

Windows 98 would also fail to start like above, but would sometimes start, abeit with only 640x480x16 support. This was not really a fair test as this card had a problem (It overheats). I could not detemine if it was over overclocked by it's previous owner, or if it was physically damaged. I could not flash it's BIOS either as Windows 98 would not boot up with the Nvidia driver loaded.

3. Geforce FX 5200

Windows 98 did start, but some games that use HW T&L had terrible graphics (Attributed by the mainboard's AGP 1.0 slot?). I think that it did have occasional problems starting up too.

The cause of the failures was that my Mainboard had a problem managing IRQs (A BIOS fix was availiable for the M6TBA version 1.2, but mine was a 1.0). The Geforce often conflicted with "PCI IRQ steering" or some other system device. Pity that I did not do boot logging when I still had that system working, or I could have seen whether your problem is similar.

In a local magazine, a user with a similar mainboard(Biostar M6TZA) with a Geforce card also had a similar problem.

In short, you may need to try to update your mainboard's BIOS if a IRQ conflict exists.

Edited November 8, 2009 by sp193

[dencorso]

Try to install in non-ACPI mode, and see whether this solves your issue.

See: this post and KB186111. Bear in mind that a space between the "/p" and the "i" is mandatory.

In case it solves your problem, you might, or might nor, also want to disable APM, as well.

If so, this post tells how to do it.

I'd also recommend you precisely VIAHyperion4in1456v, not a newer version. Then remove the installed SATA driver, if any, and install instead Via's older but great SerialATA_V220E.zip, in case you have SATA, which you probably do.

And read carefully all of the linked threads in nVidia GeForce and Win 9x/ME - Relevant Threads.

[bpalone]

Try to install in non-ACPI mode, and see whether this solves your issue.

See: this post and KB186111. Bear in mind that a space between the "/p" and the "i" is mandatory.

In case it solves your problem, you might, or might nor, also want to disable APM, as well.

If so, this post tells how to do it.

Thanks a million. The ACPI was the problem. I used the registry hack pointed out in the post referenced above. Now to make an image, so I can move onward with the knowledge I can reinstall in minutes.

So, if anyone else is using the ASUS A8V-e SE motherboard (that I pointed out as being available on ebay the other day) install with the /p i option or do a normal install and follow the Registry Hack described in the post referenced above.

Thanks again and I will post if I run into any other surprises.