Brand new install, VMM32.vxd missing

[dencorso]

Well. If we can get Super Pi to run, fine. If not, no sweat. Format & Scandisk (with surface check) the HDD, make it DOS bootable, create a folder called Win98SE and copy the CD to it, while preserving the CD's directory structure. Then boot from the HDD, and let's install from that folder.

[submix8c]

It says to make sure the path is correct, and right now it's trying to copy from C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM\PRECOPY, should I direct it somewhere else?

???Where could that folder have come from? What kind of CD do you have? That is NOT normal (AFAIK) and sounds VERY much like some kind of OEM Pre-Install...

[loblo]

Precopy is the name of the primary install cab archive if I am not mistaken, setup presumably unpacks it to sysdir during the first phase of install and delete it afterwards???

[submix8c]

AHHH!!!! Silly me! I think you're right. It appears that something may be failing (hardware, reading the CD, etc)...

You could ATTEMPT to Fdisk/Format the Drive/Partition and manually copy the Win98 folder to the Partition, switch to it and try to install that way. At least that will confirm that the Install files are really and truly available in case the reading of the CD is "glitching" you (read speed, whatever). I've had that happen before to me...

Your Compaq - Your MoBo... some hardware has obviously been changed in it. If the CD Drive was also changed ("upgraded") it very well could cause some problems (as I had before, same situation). Older Compaq's are touchy beasts, including the RAM (VERY touchy, usually must MATCH the Required Specs or just get "lucky")...

AAAAND some specifics (in case you didn't pop the case off) here.

2200-Series (pick yours) here. Found this with a bit more info.

VERY much looks like you need PC-66 or PC-100 (PC-66 compatible) RAM. PC-133 may bust you unless it, too, is backwards compatible.

(sigh...) "MoboKiver" elhvb has this info.

Edited April 14, 2013 by submix8c

[christarp]

Well, I've managed to fix the problem!

It took like 8 tries inching closer step by step to a complete system, but I've managed it!

Decided to format windows again. and started the install.

Mid install when it had to reboot I would get the VMM32.vxd missing error, after getting this error it would make you shut down and try again.

So the key to getting past that error was to take out the CD, and try to start windows before the installation completed. This would bypass that error and take you back into setup before you left off. (Apparently it was looking for VMM32.vxd in the cd in the wrong area or something). Once you were back into setup, you had to put the CD back in the drive, then continue the rest of the setup.

After you got to the first boot up you then get treated to the tons of dll's missing. Windows initially tries to find these files in the C:\windows\system\precopy folder, but it will fail. In order to get around this you need to manually type in D:\WIN98 for the search path instead so it'll look in the CD-ROM for those missing files, it will then find them and put them in their corresponding area.

Now you can boot to the desktop error free. Now, to get the network drivers to work, I had to install those, and then it would ask about 'choosusr.dll' (or something along those lines, I can't quite remember the file name it was looking for). Again it wants to look in precopy for these files, and they won't be there. So you again need to direct it to D:\WIN98 for it to get them off of the CD. I've opted to copy D:\WIN98 to another folder on the C: drive for easy access so I don't need to keep putting in the CD if I ever need some of those files when installing something in the future.

Note: I did this without the radeon 7000 in the machine. I used the SiS5598 integrated graphics for this because I suspected the radeon 7000 might be causing conflicts with the integrated graphics. After everything is all patched up and ready to go (almost there, just running the windows 98 Auto-patcher right now!), I'll probably try disabling the SiS5598 in the device manager and try to reinstall the radeon 7000. Before when I was trying to install the radeon 7000 drivers I got an error message saying that I had the wrong device installed for the drivers I was trying to install (but I know for a fact these are the correct drivers), which led me to think there was a conflict with the integrated graphics and my radeon 7000. From what I can see, there's no way to disable the integrated graphics from jumpers on the motherboard, nor is there a disable option for the graphics in the BIOS (only a 2MB and 4MB option)

I believe the RAM is working in it, I'm getting a reported 124MB of ram (-4 because of the integrated graphics), and the hard drive and CPU seem to be doing fine as well. CD drive works, ethernet works, and sound apparently works (I see the sound in the task bar, but no speakers to test on). If I can get past the final radeon 7000 road block I should be home free!

[dencorso]

OK. Good luck!