dencorso

If it's working OK, you've got nothing to worry. It works well while the conditions are what it expects them to be. However, if you decide to double-boot with a FAT-32 based NT-family OS (say, 2k, XP or later), it'll complicate the needed deletion of all RECYCLED folders before booting to 9x.

Let's do it differently... Modify MSDOS.SYS in the following manner: Don't change anything in the [Paths] section. Then add the following to the [Options] section: BootDelay=0 BootMulti=0 BootGUI=0 LoadTop=1 DoubleBuffer=1 DblSpace=0 DrvSpace=0 AutoScan=2 Logo=0 DisableLog=0 Then set config.sys with the following: DEVICE=C:\WINDOWS\HIMEM.SYS /TESTMEM:ON /EISA /V DEVICE=C:\WINDOWS\IFSHLP.SYS DEVICE=C:\WINDOWS\DBLBUFF.SYS DOS=HIGH FILES=240 LASTDRIVE=Z BUFFERS=64,8 FCBS=40,8 STACKS=18,256 And use no autoexec.bat. With this set-up the system will boot to the DOS prompt and stop. Then run manually these 4 commands: XMSDSK.EXE 524288 Z: /C1 /T /Y XMSDSK VOL Z: WIN The first sets up a 512 MiB ramdisk Z: The second reports the status of the ramdisk, so you can verify it was created. The third reports the label of the ramdisk. The last starts the windows GUI. Then please report your results.

Why? Describe in more details your setup for the ramdisk and what is happening, please. It does work. I used such a configuration for about two years. Others in the > 1 GiB List have done so too:

I guess you may be able to change them by looking to for "default icon" value under the appropriate CLSID key inside HKR, in the Registry...

Agreed.

Great! No. No screenshots are needed at this point. All is well. Now That we know RPM 2.43 is giving results consistent with Partition Logic, I'll let jaclaz guide you (without my meddling) through the process of getting around to a sensible partitioning scheme. Things to do latter (so that we don't forget): 1) Troubleshoot the BSODs 2) Get you main HDD back to a state where it doesn't give you the "Booting HD1..." message on boot (OK, I know it's harmless, but it can be fixed).

So... now we have another mystery solved! Thanks, piikea! Now we know that RPM is simply complaining these partitions aren't formatted!!! So format them using Windows Explorer (after it gives each of them a letter and an icon), by right-clicking on the icon and selecting format. But do not do it with RPM open. After they're formatted check with RPM to see whethter the became white. And report, please. BTW: We'll address those BSODs after the 1 TB HDDs is propperly partittioned and formatted.

It seems you're getting BSODs for some unrelated cause. The other time you've got it with RPM. Was that an isolated case, and you're getting them almost always just with USB devices? Always on inserting? Or on removing? Or on both? Did you have them before adding USB20DRV? And... can you give me that screenshot with partition 2 highlighted, instead of the MBR? Please?

Well... At least one mystery solved! Thanks, AndrewNi! You rock!

Well... 1) It's a no go. Those RPM screenshots are so small that they're just unreadable. We need them bigger. Best soluton: open a free photobucket account and post links to the pics uploaded there. Just take care to set the album open to everybody for viewing. 2) Did you redetect all your other USB devices, as I said you'd have to? I suppose you didn't, and hence the BSODs.

Something here is fishy... I can open and use jaclaz's worksheet all right, using my (razor-edge tech) excel 97 sr2... Try redownloading it.

OK. So it's simpler. If it's just the Win 98 Recycle Bin that's giving you grief, boot to true DOS and DELTREE it just once. Then reboot and let Win 98 start, and it'll recreate it from scratch. Ususally this is enough to fix any issue with it.

Win XP understands Win 9x Recycle Bin, but Win 9x does not understand Win XP Recycle Bin, therefore messing it up. There's no avoiding it. If you have a Norton Protected Recycle Bin, disable it so it becomes a normal Recycle Bin. Then it's safe to delete it. The downside is you clean the Recycle Bin forever, each time you reboot into Win 9x. So if you're keen on preserving large amounts of deleted files, so that you'd be able to change your mind and recover then next year, this is bad news, I know! Sorry! Assuming all your drives are FAT (either 16 or 32), the best thing to do is to delete the Recycle Bin, before booting Win9x: Add this to your autoexec.bat (create one if it doesn't already exist): ATTRIB -R -H -S <drive letter>:\<path>\PAGEFILE.SYS DEL <drive letter>:\<path>\PAGEFILE.SYS ATTRIB -R -H -S <drive letter>:\<path>\RECYCLED DELTREE /Y <drive letter>:\<path>\RECYCLED Repeat the last two lines as many times as needed to cover all your partitions, since there'll be a RECYCLED folder in each of them.

OK. To return to windowed mode you must hit <Alt> + <Enter>... But don't do that from inside RPM... unless you are sure you're in HDD3. What happened to your HDD1 is that you changed the boot code in the MBR for RPM's boot loader. It's easy to correct, but I think you should get a good night's sleep, before proceeding. Let's call it a day, for now.

OK. Let's do something with RPM 2.43: 1) Take a deep breathe, relax, and 2) Highlight partition 2, go to the ending head select it and type-in 255, in place of the current 254, then accept, save select format latter, and see whether it becomes white. 3) Whatever the result, post again the pair of screenshots, with partiton 2 highlited.

What's your setup? Win98 (SE?) and Win (XP? SP?) double boot?

So, here's the solution for you. However, you'll be limited to 4 GiB, due to how the Windows filesystem drivers were written. RLoew explained that better elsewhere: Then again, to be able to use 4 GiB, not 2 GiB, you need also to apply the Unofficial Windows 98/98 SP1/98 SE 2-4 GB Files Errors Fix COPY2GB.EXE beforehand. However, Vista can use FAT-32 all right, so you're not in fact stuck with NTFS, unless that's your boot drive (and, even then, Vista *can* actually be installed to FAT-32, but that's a lot of work).

There's a limit to how many attachments you have in the forum. Enter your profile, then settings, then manage your attachments and see it. Then delete some older attachments to make room for the new ones. BTW, for maximum information create the screenshots with the partition of interest highlighted, not the MBR, please. I'm almost proposing that we do the converse: partition with RPM 2.43, and Partition Logic shall not complain. And... please, arm yourself with a lot of patience... we're almost there, by now, all main hurdles are already overcome.

...and it still doesn't accept to search for members with more than zero posts (it returns everybody). IPB 2.xx did that correctly.

@jaclaz: Well, I'm happy to see I'm just about half again a year late in finding out about LBA12 (and LBA14). Your reference to the RMPrepUSB is quite accurate and dates things from early 2009. Of course, I should be reading Boot-Land more closely than I've been doing... That thread eluded me completely then, and yesterday, when I seached, google pointed me to it, but Boot-Land wasn't loading at that precise moment. Now, the reference to the Starman isn't fair at all: that's exactly the first place I looked, before posting, and he never mentions either LBA12 or LBA14 at all (and the Starman *is* the Boot Bible!). Or if he does mention them he does it in such a cryptical way that I've not found it, even now, on close rereading. All in all, it still begs the question: why use LBA12 or LBA14 without a backup, when LBA2 and LBA8 sit there unused? Just to allow double-booting with DOS by substituting just the 1st sector of the boot loader? Ain't that kind of perverse? Thanks a lot, you do rock!

Great! Sure. It's a must for security. Hope it doesn't give you a hard time, too.

If the counting starts from zero, it'd be: 0c-485519c 485520c-971039c etc. But since an extended partition will be created, it has to be taken into account, too. Then again, it seems, from your screenshot, that Partiton Logic takes care of it.

No. Keep the files from 98. You problem lies elsewhere. And, as I was already suspecting, it's related to *too much* memory. See MS KB239550 for the workaround. This should allow you to install IE5.01... Afterwards, do let me know whether it worked or not. Cheers to both you and Jake!

It never gave me any grief, but I'd gladly read what issues you've had with it. Notice that Kensington mouseware is one piece of software that I recommend but it seems nobody really likes it but me. To me the MS Intellimouse Optical v. 1.1 connected through the PS/2 connector plus Kensington mouseware 6.11 is a winner...

dencorso, Great to be in touch again! It's MS-DOS 6.20. (Yeah, not even 6.22.) The timestamp for both HIMEM.SYS and EMM386.EXE is 11-03-93, and the file sizes are 29,136 and 120,926, respectively. Hope this helps in figuring things out. Let me know if you need any more info on those two files. --JorgeA Sure, JorgeA, it's nice to be in touch again! I'm not betting on it, but try upgrading HIMEM.SYS and EMM386.EXE to the versions that shipped with Win 98 and up. For HIMEM.SYS we have: HIMEM.SYS: Version 3.95 - 05/11/98 33191 kiB Win 98 FE HIMEM.SYS: Version 3.95 - 04/23/99 33191 kiB Win 98 SE HIMEM.SYS: Version 3.95 - 06/08/00 33191 kiB Win ME (at C:\WINDOWS\COMMAND\EBD\) despite their dates, these files are binarily identical. For EMM386.EXE we have: EMM386.EXE: Version 3.95 - 05/11/98 125495 kiB Win 98 FE EMM386.EXE: Version 3.95 - 04/23/99 125495 kiB Win 98 SE EMM386.EXE: Version 3.95 - 06/08/00 125495 kiB Win ME (at C:\WINDOWS\COMMAND\EBD\) despite their dates, the first two files are binarily identical, while the 3rd has only the internal date and DOS version strings changed, so it's the same for all purposes, too. Both HIMEM.SYS and EMM386.EXE don't check for DOS version, so they should work OK with any DOS version, at least from 5.00 up. Maybe, by upgrading those files you'll be able to install IE 5.01. Good luck!