DougB

I'm getting similar crashes on my "pimped up" 98SE system (U98SESP3x, 98SE2ME, RP9, IEradicator, etc). For what it's worth, here are my FaultLog dumps (some numbers are different).... On bootup, these two: RUNONCE caused an invalid page fault in module KERNEL32.DLL at 019f:bff741ca. Registers: EAX=c1abb1f0 CS=019f EIP=bff741ca EFLGS=00010202 EBX=8254eb0c SS=01a7 ESP=0063fbd0 EBP=0063fbfc ECX=7d00b90d DS=01a7 ESI=7fe40000 FS=2ff7 EDX=00000000 ES=01a7 EDI=00000000 GS=0000 Bytes at CS:EIP: ff 4a 10 75 08 89 42 08 ff 42 04 90 c3 39 42 08 Stack dump: 7d00b90d 00000000 7fe40000 8254eb0c bff20000 bff20000 bff741f7 8254eac9 00000000 bffcd4c0 8254e890 0063fdcc 7fe41606 7fe40000 bff7ddd6 7fe40000 EXPLORER caused an invalid page fault in module KERNEL32.DLL at 019f:bff741ca. Registers: EAX=c1abcbb0 CS=019f EIP=bff741ca EFLGS=00010202 EBX=8254db10 SS=01a7 ESP=0059fbd0 EBP=0059fbfc ECX=7d00b90d DS=01a7 ESI=7fe40000 FS=2d3f EDX=00000000 ES=01a7 EDI=00000000 GS=0000 Bytes at CS:EIP: ff 4a 10 75 08 89 42 08 ff 42 04 90 c3 39 42 08 Stack dump: 7d00b90d 00000000 7fe40000 8254db10 bff20000 bff20000 bff741f7 8254dacd 00000000 bffcd4c0 82549980 0059fdcc 7fe41606 7fe40000 bff7ddd6 7fe40000Only desktop background image is displayed, no desktop icons; but mouse and keyboard are functional. Ctrl-Alt-Del > Shut Down yields: RUNDLL32 caused an invalid page fault in module KERNEL32.DLL at 019f:bff741ca. Registers: EAX=c1ac48d0 CS=019f EIP=bff741ca EFLGS=00010202 EBX=82552888 SS=01a7 ESP=0063fbd0 EBP=0063fbfc ECX=7d00b90d DS=01a7 ESI=7fe40000 FS=2ec7 EDX=00000000 ES=01a7 EDI=00000000 GS=0000 Bytes at CS:EIP: ff 4a 10 75 08 89 42 08 ff 42 04 90 c3 39 42 08 Stack dump: 7d00b90d 00000000 7fe40000 82552888 bff20000 bff20000 bff741f7 82552845 00000000 bffcd4c0 82549980 0063fdcc 7fe41606 7fe40000 bff7ddd6 7fe40000- Doug B.

I've successfully fixed a bunch of mouses (i recall Ms once saying that "mouses" was the correct plural, not "mice") with some electronics spray cleaner (De-Oxit, etc) sprayed directly into the switches. I just take the mouse apart, spray the switches modestly (just a tiny squirt), leave it to work it's way inside for about a minute, then manually press the switches a few times (i use a pencil eraser), clean up the residue with a q-tip, and re-assemble. Be careful when spraying to not let it go all over the place! It hasn't fixed 'em every time, but enough to make it worth a try. - Doug B.

In addition to what Drugwash said.... This might seem kinda like a "duhhh" suggestion, but it's bitten me in the past. We've gotten so used to hard drives, flash drives, etc that we don't remember... diskette drives need to be cleaned! Every once in awhile. Especially after periods of disuse, dust will make it's way through the (unsealed) door and settle on the heads and mechanics. But over time, crud will just normally build up on the heads because of use (a contact medium). Holding the door open, blow out the dust with compressed air, and then clean the heads with a fluid-based (not dry) diskette-cleaner kit. (They're cheap... if you can still find 'em!) There are also a couple of freeware diskette-cleaning utilities around that run the heads all around the cleaning diskette (better than just doing a DIR A:). The other thing i can suggest is to physically re-seat the connector plugs on each end of the cable (drive and board). Good luck.... - Doug B.

Yes, i just tried the MDGx link, and got this message (for the entire site): This site is temporarily unavailable If you manage this site and have a question about why the site is not available, please contact us directly. Hopefully, it *will* be just temporary. (I remember the site having a few temporary glitches in the past.) Agreed that it is a great resource. Reminds us again of how important it is to have Win9x materials mirrored. The natural tendency of the universe is for things to entropy over time... especially on the web, stuff will disappear.... - Doug B.

For comparison, ClamWin (current v0.98.7, 2015-May-16, freeware): http://www.clamwin.com/ The installed files (not including virus-definition databases) total about 22mb. The most-recent core database (Main.cvd) is around 63mb, and the daily updates database (Daily.cvd) is currently around 39mb. > Now why you need or want to waste CPU power running an anti-virus > program on win-98, that's the larger question here. Occasionally, i run ClamWin manually, just out of curiosity, on my "pimped up" 98SE machine. But never find anything. Every once in awhile, for the heck of it, I also run it manually just scanning memory. - Doug B.

I agree, in essence, with schwups' and Drugwash's opinions. But there's another potential option -- if you have the WinME installation disk (which i assume you do if you're asking this question) -- 98SE-To-ME: http://www.mdgx.com/9s2m/ It updates Win98SE with core files from WinME without installing the whole of ME. I've been using it successfully for years, despite some minor installation glitches -- see end of this thread: http://www.msfn.org/board/topic/46349-98se2me-killer-replacements-me-98-se/ In my experience, 98SE2ME has increased the speed and stability of my systems (but my systems have been P3 and P4, not P1). And it leaves 98SE's DOS intact (the primary reason i would never use pure WinME). One of the things that bogs down WinME is all the extra baggage that Ms added (PC Health, System Restore, etc) -- 98SE2ME just updates the core stuff and leaves that bloat behind. If you do try it on your P1 system, make sure to do the 98SE backup option. (And make sure you have enough disk space for the backup -- it can always be deleted later.) - Doug B.

According to the U98SESP3.x documentation, the author recommends this installation order: Installation Guide: * = Optional. [1] Install Windows 98 Second Edition (with or without 98lite*). [2] Install all drivers for your hardware. [3] Install Internet Explorer (any version).* [4] Install latest Service Pack 3.x (Main Updates).* [5] Install latest DirectX 9c.* [6] Install optional components of Service Pack 3.x.* [7] Install MS Office.* [8] Install 98SE2ME, Revolution Pack, KernelEx.* Interestingly, this does differ somewhat from Intel's recommendations. Here is an earlier-published set of guidelines from the Intel website (that i can't find on the web anymore): In What Order Do I Install My Drivers? To build a new computer or reinstall your operating system, Intel recommends installing the drivers and software in the following order: 1) Windows operating-system service packs or patches available from Microsoft (for example, Service Pack 3 for Windows XP). 2) Intel Chipset Software Installation Utility. 3) Microsoft DirectX 9.0 or later. 4) Video or graphics driver (for example, Intel HD Graphics Driver). 5) Intel Application Accelerator or Intel Matrix Storage Manager. 6) Sound or audio drivers. 7) LAN or network drivers. Note: Intel's current guidelines page is similar but less detailed: http://www.intel.com/support/motherboards/desktop/sb/CS-031891.htm In particular, from what i understand, some hardware drivers depend on DX being installed beforehand. This is addressed by the Intel guidelines. - Doug B.

@Jumper - Thanks for the insight. I never considered changing compatibility mode for DLLs... DUH! Disabling extensions for SetupAPI.dll did indeed allow the XP version installed by U98SESP3 to load at Windows startup. Interestingly, changing compatibility explicitly to "Windows 98 SE" (or to Millennium, 2000 SP4, or XP SP2) did *not* work -- the error continued: "The SETUPAPI.DLL file cannot start". Only "Disable KernelEx extensions" cleared it. - Doug B.

Let me put in a vote for the media player that i've set up as the default (left-click) for my system -- MPlayerWW: http://www.mplayer-ww.com/eng/ Why i like it: - Works right out of the box for me (requires KernelEx of course). - Based on MPlayer, which has the reputation of playing almost anything thrown at it (which has been my experience as well). MP4s play flawlessly for me. - A single binary -- the MPlayer code is integrated right into the GUI executable, so it's not just a separate frontend that runs an MPlayer.exe file. - Being MPlayer-based, the codecs are also self contained -- don't have to mess around with newer DS-codec packs that only partially work on 9x, or older 9x DS-codecs with limited functionality. - There is an extended codec pack available at the site for less-common formats ("MPlayer Extra Package"). - You can still use DirectShow if you want to as an option ("Codecs for DirectShow"). - It loads fast. - It has a neat "auto play next filename in series" feature (for example, when File-1.mp4 is finished playing, it will automatically play File-2.mp4, then File-3.mp4, etc). - Nice bunch o' skins and Explorer icons downloadable at the site. Good luck.... - Doug B.

The SetupAPI issue was previously reported by me in post #113... along with a "kludgey", inelegant workaround. - Doug B.

@go98: Yes, thanks for the cool tip. I hadn't noticed this behavior until you pointed it out. I'm using the SndVol32.exe v4.90.3000 from WinME, that i probably installed via 98SE2ME. The offsets from that file also don't match up with the ones from your post, so i wanted to add to the info you've given. (I could also add before and after dis-assemblies of the small routine that is being patched in order to provide some context, but i don't know if that would be allowed here. Maybe someone could let me know?) Ok, in my v4.90.3000 SndVol32.exe file, the byte series 56 6A 08 8B 74 24 0C 56 occurs at offset 1D25h (this marks the beginning of the routine). 6A 00 appears at offset 1D40h (27 bytes after the initial 56), and the B8 appears at 1D45h (5 bytes beyond that 6A). As go98 said, change the 6A 00 to 90 90, and the B8 to 3C. Hope that helps someone. (And always make a backup copy of the original file you are working on... just in case!) @MiKl: If you're comfortable with the DOS command line, there are a number of "touch"-type utilities that change the time/date stamp on files. There are even some Windows GUI utilities like FileDate Changer by Nir Softer: http://www.nirsoft.net/utils/filedatech.html - Doug B.

With Release.9, I get this message when booting up: The SETUPAPI.DLL file cannot start. Check the file to determine the problem. The error didn't leave a message in Faultlog.txt. SetupAPI.dll is v5.1.2600.5512 from WinXP SP3, most likely installed by U98SESP3 (v3.38 is when it updated the file to this version; it installed v5.0.2195.1526 from Win2k previously). Reverting back to Release.8 eliminated the message with the newer SetupAPI.dll. Re-installing Release.9 and the older SetupAPI.dll also eliminated the message. I'm just reporting this for the info, as i don't know if it would be worth it to chase this down in KEx, since i could always just keep manually re-copying the older SetupAPI.dll whenever a new version of USP is released. Anyway, all else with Release.9 seems to be ok so far. As always, thanks! - Doug B.

Thanks everyone for the 7-zip links. I did Google v9.31, but the few links i tried all pointed to newer versions (frustrating). I went to Sourceforge first though, as i figured that would be the most-reliable and inclusive repository. Anyway, 7-zip 9.31 alpha does have bugs. For instance, it won't allow your default text viewer to open a .txt file in the archive -- gives an "undefined error" message. Reinstalling v9.22 beta restored that functionality. - Doug B.

Many thanks! I added those 4 lines to that section of KStub822.ini, and Audacity v2.20 seems to be working as previous versions did. I just tried out a few things -- opened file, played, edited, saved just fine. - Doug B.

Drugwash, could you possibly upload this version of 7-zip to your repository? I looked for it on Sourceforge, but it was not listed in their 7-zip "Browse All Files" page. The last i have is v9.22, and i would like to try out v9.31 (even tho it's alpha). Thanks.... - Doug B.

Sorry to always be the bringer of bad news, but.... Audacity audio editor, new release v2.1: The MSVCR120.DLL file is linked to missing export KERNEL32.DLL:GetNumaHighestNodeNumber. Darn. Ok, good news.... As an alternative, current OcenAudio v2.0.15 still works with W9x and KEx: http://www.ocenaudio.com.br/ So does current Wavosaur v1.1.0.0: http://www.wavosaur.com/ - Doug B. P.S. Thanks everyone for the suggestions for VLC 2.2.0, but i wasn't able to get it to play satisfactorily. Seems like many folks had issues with DVD playing, guess i'll wait 'til next release.

Ok, partial success. VLC 2.2.0 does open the DVD using MiKl's method. However, DVD playback is choppy -- every few seconds, video pauses then skips ahead (dropping frames?). Not really watchable. VLC 2.1.5 works flawlessly, and DVD playback is smooth as a baby's butt (as with my other players). System: Pentium 4, 2.4 ghz, 1g RAM. DVD: 16x, 2048 KB buffer, ATAPI. Any hints for VLC settings that might help improve playback before i go back to v2.1.5? ("Increase priority" is already checked.) - Doug B.

Just curious if anyone has tried to play DVDs with VLC v2.2.0? It will not play DVDs on my system, neither the .ZIP or the .EXE package. When i click Media -> Open Disc... the DVD drive spins / lights up, but when i click the Play button, i get this error message: Playback failure: DVDRead could not open the disc "h:". Your input can't be opened: VLC is unable to open the MRL 'dvd:///h:/'. Check the log for details. (My DVD is the H: drive.) Too bad, VLC was my default DVD player. - Doug B.

I got the same problem with Release 6 (manually installed): EXPLORER caused an invalid page fault in module KEXBASES.DLL at 019f:bfa56000. Registers: EAX=00000000 CS=019f EIP=bfa56000 EFLGS=00010246 EBX=004504e8 SS=01a7 ESP=0094f4e4 EBP=0094f4f8 ECX=0094fe04 DS=01a7 ESI=0044f3fc FS=23e7 EDX=00000010 ES=01a7 EDI=0094f8f0 GS=0000 Bytes at CS:EIP: 8b 40 04 8b 4d 28 8b 40 10 89 41 08 8b 45 28 ff Stack dump: 0094f8f0 0044f3fc 004504e8 00000000 81c1c2f8 0094f7c0 668099ee 00000000 0044fe34 00000000 00000000 00000000 04000210 00000000 0044fc24 004504a4The message was displayed on bootup, but the desktop appeared anyway and *seemed* ok. But then, nothing (not even non-KEx-dependent apps) would run -- they produced similar Explorer crashes. I couldn't even shutdown! Reinstalled Release 5 -- everything ok again. W98SE, U98SESP 3.37, 98SE2ME, RP 9.7.2, KStub822, iphlpapi4. (I haven't tried it without KStub or iphlpapi.) I retrieved the above dump later from the FaultLog.txt file in the Windows\ folder. You can enable fault logging via TweakUI under the "Paranoia" tab at the bottom. - Doug B.

Yes, thanks for mirroring it, Tmee! And the first link in post #2 on this topic is a direct link that gets you latest v9.7.2. Just downloaded it successfully (RP9.exe). - Doug B.

Here's a direct link: http://www.photofiltre-studio.com/pf7-en.htm Find add-ons, plugins, tutorials, etc there. It's a versatile graphic-image editing program. - Doug B.

Confirmed! Version 4.5.2015.4 DLLs on my system (W98SE, U98SESP 3.37, 98SE2ME, RP 9.72, ...). But just to see what would happen, i removed the entire [iphlpapi4.dll] section from KStub822.ini... and no MPRExe error! (Of course, i then re-added the section, and everything's ok.) - Doug B.

Same results here. Part of the problem of me giving feedback is that (being mainly an end user and just a rudimentary programmer) i'm not sure of what apps i should use to test each file. However, i did just test the most-recent stable Media Player Classic - Black Edition (v1.4.2) portable, and it got past the long-standing UXTheme crash! Unfortunately, it hit another one... but that's still progress.... - Doug B.

@jumper and @Mikl: All right, -- thanks. That did the trick -- it's been working! [Win98SE + USP 3.36 + 98SE2ME + RP 9.7.2 + new KernelEx DLLs + KStub822 + iphlpapi4] - Doug B.

For me too... if i'm just using KStubs. However, i just tried installing iphlpapi4 (thanks to schwups's suggestion), and it works -- no MPRExe crash on bootup! Only i used the standard installation in Kstub822.ini: [iphlpapi.dll] GetAdaptersAddresses=>iphlpapi4: GetPerAdapterInfo=>iphlpapi4: KEx 4.5.2015.3 + U98SESP 3.36 + 98SE2ME + RP 9.7.2 + ... - Doug B. P.S. All my other posts should have said RP 9.7.2 -- sorry for the typos. Edit: Oops, spoke too soon. Yes, it eliminates the MPRExe crash on bootup, but on some KEx-dependent apps (for example Audacity and VLC Media Player), it produces a whole bunch of messages similar to these: Msvcrt.dll:___lc_codepage_func=; Update DLL! SetLastError (1 / 0) [ Yes / No ] more options [ Cancel ] Msvcrt.dll:___lc_codepage_func=; Update DLL! return -1 / 0 [ Yes / No ] more options [ Cancel ] Msvcrt.dll:___lc_codepage_func=; Update DLL! return <param1> / 1 [ Yes / No ] ExitThread (-1) [ Cancel ] I'm using v7.00.9981.0 MSVCRT.dll.