go98

Hi Dencorso, yes, a modified vcache.vxd may be what it also fixes...but that had already been accessible to the forum (can't remember clearly, here too seldom). Why use a less comprehensive alternative? Umm, well, for those who like it :)

Hello, since Rloew is gone (sadly) and I read somewhere his son gave his work to the forum for free (if I understood right), no one will be offended by this: There is an alternative permanent solution, so there's no more need for the rampatch on every install: You can patch the vmm32 (in cab50, but with name vmm if I remember correctly) with a hex-editor, and place it outside of the cab on the install media/folder, since the install give preference for those: Change they bytes like this (hopefully no typing errors): A8E: 08 -> 88 A93: 0B C0 0F 84 B3 00 66 0F B7 C8 8B D0 -> 66 09 C0 74 13 66 89 C1 66 89 C2 90 AA2: 09 -> 89 10524: 1C 58 -> 00 EA 4180C: 34 08 -> 90 0E 41813: 34 08 -> 90 0E 41939: 52 -> 91 41941: 52 -> 91 41968: 68 -> B8 4196D: E8 BE 0E -> E9 AA 1C 41970: 00 -> 01 41C0C: 06 -> 0A 41C4B: 60 -> A0 42084: 81 -> 01 4209E: 84 -> 04 5361C: 00 00 00 -> 05 80 59 53621: 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 -> 50 E8 09 F2 FE FF E9 46 E3 FE FF

You could of course do it manually by checking the PE file documentation to know where to alter pointers to make room for new code; but that may be tedious although free. This is to say: let's be happy there are guys like Rloew who contribute with solutions here. This is his income, like the rest of us have income from other jobs - so we are not free either, just charging elsewhere :)

Right, not always easy to make a good and clear presentation, I tried to make it clearer now...and thanks, Problemchyld, for the picture

If you create a shortcut on the desktop using this method: right-click a file in explorer or on the start menu -> Send to -> Desktop (create shortcut), there's another of those unnecessary dialogs that pops up every time. If you want to get rid of that, you can hexedit shell32.dll at: search for the bytes 6A 40 68 37 10 00 00 68 14, then change the first two bytes to EB 1B (I have 98 SE, but other versions may have the same dialog and fix). Note: the SendTo target is Send to (separate words) in my language version.

Well, I don't have this problem, I tried to push it with screen savers and the program ACDSee (v2.1)...(btw, nice tiny program, Jumper!). Do you all use a heavily fixed explorer.exe for the english version? So, what are the other 49 flaws...? Or 48, you just posted another one.

Drugwash, I always wondered if you were a former drug addict, but not so... Apart from that, I started with windows 95 at home, then 98, and later 98 SE...and kept it until around 2008 when I bought a new computer which ended up with windows 7 hmmm...until I saw this forum, and got back the hope...alone with little time, there's not much you can do, and I never even thought of fixing the OS myself before. That's all changed now Well, I always liked the BIOS too...sadly, it had to be replaced

I had wished you would say: "Unless it's a *really new* PC, I prefer Win98SE..."

Ha ha, Dencorso, you've been around for some time to have found out that...thanks for the tip, I will have a look, maybe it can complement my own tool...anything that can further simplify the task is good. However, it was partly because of IDA I decided to make my own disassembler, I wasn't satisfied with how it works (at least the free version). Jaclaz, thanks for the quicker-than-upstart-of-windows-7 response

Anyone knows of any good downloadable vxd disassembler? I never saw one, had to make my own...vxd is not strictly LE format.

Hmm, CamTron, I insist, this is an interesting problem, but hard to diagnose if it's not clear how...or...when it is hard to diagnose, suspect the hardware... Acctually, it's a better starting check-point to do according to my instructions than using the setting you mentioned, because then we are down in the vmm/vxd-line directly. For those who like it technical, it's controlled by the locked code section in reboot.vxd, but it's also calling services...where does the locking possibly occur? => interesting! In the end, if ppl in this forum together get it rock-stable in the future, you might even transform into an 9Xocalypse survivor

That's great, rloew, at least one dedicated 9x-developer who can work full time (I assume) on solutions...

Well, your just-for-the-record links are not just for the record, they are actually quite good

Are you runnnig windows 98 on more than one core? Seems you are in for a 9x version of ReactOS...haha, no not that...better with the real thing, though modified...

Hello, yes this is interesting. The problem is, that to find the cause, it has to be reproducable in an exact way. ...but if you experience this often enough, you can assist by doing this: The file kernel32.dll (c:\windows\system), which you cannot alter directly, but need to make a copy first. If you know about hex-editors, then search for the following bytes (there's only one occurance): 6830A0F7BF Now, go back 5 bytes in the file where the byte is 55 and from there enter the following: 6A006A01FF152CB3FCBF When finished, exit to dos and replace the original file with the one you changed (keep the original file too). Now, everytime you press ctrl-alt-delete, the computer will shut down immedeately. This way we will get an idea of where to start...because there are 2 possibilities, either it works or not when your computer locks/freezes and so we can rule out things. My time is limited, so I may not be here too often, but sooner or later things get fixed by someone... NOTE! It's always risky to edit important files, so you decide! I only see my own system.