First Time Startup Issues

[Spacetech]

I'm having trouble up starting up windows 98SE. I installed windows 98SE and it was restarting the pc to load up windows for the first time. It loads up to the windows logo loading screen, then it flicks to a black screen for about a second, then it goes back to the windows logo and then to the Windows 98 Startup Screen where it shows the options like Normal, Safe Mode. It freezes at this screen.

I used the log option and it freezes up at ESDI_506. I have tried a lot of the ESDI_506 files I have found around the forum but none of them work. Right now I'm on windows xp which is on my sata drive channel 0. My windows 98 installation is on an ide hard drive channel 4. The sata drive is 160gb, the ide drive is 80gb. I have 4gb memory.

I put my system.ini file and bootlog.txt file on pastebin.

system.ini file

bootlog.txt file

Any help would be appreciated

[Drugwash]

• The IDE drive should be partitioned to 32GB/partition at most.

• You need to read around regarding limiting RAM for Win9x when more than 512MB is installed

[Sfor]

• The IDE drive should be partitioned to 32GB/partition at most.

Not true, anything below 128GB should do.

It would be good to test how the system works with the SATA drive disconnected, as the Windows 98 could need additional drivers to work with SATA drives. This experiment is not the solution, but it could remove one part of the equation.

[Drugwash]

Apologies, apparently yesterday I was locked onto this 32GB partition thing. Please disregard that statement.

[CharlotteTheHarlot]

Apologies, apparently yesterday I was locked onto this 32GB partition thing. Please disregard that statement.

You were thinking in XP. I've done the same sitting here surrounded by a hodgepodge of PC's.

[CharlotteTheHarlot]

I'm having trouble up starting up windows 98SE. I installed windows 98SE and it was restarting the pc to load up windows for the first time. It loads up to the windows logo loading screen, then it flicks to a black screen for about a second, then it goes back to the windows logo and then to the Windows 98 Startup Screen where it shows the options like Normal, Safe Mode. It freezes at this screen.

I used the log option and it freezes up at ESDI_506. I have tried a lot of the ESDI_506 files I have found around the forum but none of them work. Right now I'm on windows xp which is on my sata drive channel 0. My windows 98 installation is on an ide hard drive channel 4. The sata drive is 160gb, the ide drive is 80gb. I have 4gb memory.

One thing for certain, you cannot use 4 GB in this dual-boot configuration since one OS is Win9x (ask the RAM experts in this thread: Day-to-day running Win 9x/ME with more than 1 GiB RAM who are all over this). You'll have to physically pull most of it out each time you want to boot in Win9x and replace it when going to WinXP (get a computer case with a easy-open hinged door! Actually, you'll kill the memory itself by handling it constantly). It would be nice if the BIOS let you turn-off sticks of RAM, but to my knowledge it hasn't yet been done.

However, I doubt the ESDI_506 error comes from too much RAM ...

Assuming your strategy is to use only the 80 GB drive when booting to Win9x (i.e., never using the 160 GB while Win9x is running) ... you have no need to replace ESDI_506 as that 80 GB drive is fine for Win9x.

And, if the WinXP 160 GB drive is NTFS, it should be naturally invisible to Win9x when it successfully boots from the 80 GB drive. So theoretically, the 160 GB drive could remain powered up and online while the 80 GB boots to Win9x and not cause any problems with ESDI_506 ... you still have no need to replace ESDI_506 as it will not need to address the 160 GB drive. Of course the BIOS needs to be told which drive to bootstrap first. For Win9x it must be set to use PATA for this to work.

However, if that WinXP SATA 160 GB is powered up and also happens to be FAT32, this may be what ESDI_506 is choking on ... you must replace ESDI_506 with the LLXX Version as the SATA 160 GB FAT32 would be seen and addressed under Win9x regardless of what OS is installed on it.

IMHO, the perfect solution is found in some really good BIOS's (apprx 2005 and on) where there is great SATA/PATA control. Specifically you want a simple choice of ENABLE/DISABLE any given SATA channel. In your configuration, I would just disable SATA0, and voila! Pure joy. The PATA drive will boot, the SATA drive isn't even powered up. Reverse the logic to boot WinXP. Hopefully you have these options.

Lesser BIOS's just offer PATA ONLY or SATA ONLY or BOTH or HYBRID (or similar nomenclature) and you would need to try PATA ONLY for Win9x or SATA ONLY for WinXP for this to work. However I have had much less success here as the settings somehow get corrupted.

Edited October 9, 2008 by CharlotteTheHarlot

[MatureTech]

I had this problem with a late-2004 vintage PC. It went away when I changed the BIOS setting for the hard drives from "Native" mode to "Legacy" mode. I have two SATA hard drives and two PATA optical drives; now all are mapped onto one of two "legacy" IDE channels. Don't think ESDI_506 likes to see hard drives using non-traditional IRQs.