can't restart Windows from DOS

[aurgathor]

New 98SE install with IE6, SP3B3, and some other M$ software.

Shutdown, restart, and exit to DOS work fine, but when I try to go back from DOS to Windows by typing exit, I get:

"Windows is now restarting..."

And that's all. I need to use 'Reset' to continue, but that leads to all the improper shutdown issues.

Does anyone know what's causing this? I had many issues before, but never this one.

TIA

[cannie]

when I try to go back from DOS to Windows by typing exit

Try typing instead:

Win

HTH

Edited September 17, 2008 by cannie

[aurgathor]

Just tried it. This time it hangs with:

"C:\Windows\win

_"

(blinking cursor in the next line)

Interestingly, the system is not fully hanged: 'Num Lock' still works, but 'Caps Lock' and 'Scroll Lock' don't.

[cannie]

'Num Lock' still works, but 'Caps Lock' and 'Scroll Lock' don't.

1.- Maybe the problem is in the master boot record. Boot using a boot floppy and type:

fdisk /mbr

Then switch off the computer, extract the floppy, boot in the normal way and run Scandisk and Defrag from Windows.

2.- Alternatively, maybe the problem is caused by a dirty and fragmented Windows registry. It is always good to have it clean and defragmented, using a good registry cleaner (there are a lot of them and many are freeware) and a good registry compressor (I use Registry Compressor Pro, freeware and easy to find in the Internet).

HTH

Edited September 18, 2008 by cannie

[cannie]

(This is a wrong entry when trying to edit the precedent post. Please disregard.)

Edited September 18, 2008 by cannie

[aurgathor]

Maybe the problem is in the master boot record. Boot using a boot floppy and type:

fdisk /mbr

I just tried it, and it didn't make any difference.

[os2fan2]

Based on what i saw at Wengier Wu's site, ye might want to do this.

run windows from a batch file

:win9x.bat
@echo off
c:
cd \windows
win
cd \

[cannie]

I just tried it, and it didn't make any difference.

Have you also cleaned and defragmented the registry?

Even whe IMO best results are obtained from Windows, you may also do it from DOS typing:

scanreg /fix (first) and

scanreg /opt (after that)

HTH

Edited September 18, 2008 by cannie

[aurgathor]

run windows from a batch file

I don't understand the notion behind this -- on startup Win runs automatically, and once I'm out to DOS, it wouldn't make any difference.

[aurgathor]

I ended up pulling/replacing and disabling everything to boot only with the bare essentials (HD, video, kb, mouse) and it turned out that the culprit is most likely either the video card with the Nvidi Quadro2MXR chip, or the 81.98_forceware driver.

After replacement, system was working fine wit a RageXL PCI video, and now it is working fine with a Viper V770D AGP card (using some Nvidia chip!) and a Diamond driver with a same (!) version number. Go figure....