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Fix for Windows 98 SE WINDOWS PROTECTION ERROR


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Hi all. I'm using Windows 98 Second Edition (MY FAVORITE SYSTEM) and i used to receive an error because of which i was forced to boot in safe mode. I want to share how i fixed the error so in order to write it i just joined MSFN. I fixed it yesterday. The error was: "While initializing device CONFIGMG Windows protection error. You need to restart your computer." 

My FIX:

1. Make sure Windows 98 SE installation directory is on the hard drive, available from MS-DOS /Safe Mode and that MINI.CAB is renamed to MINI.CA or somethin' else. That directory takes around 120 MB.

2. Boot into Safe Mode (Hold Right CTRL while computer's booting).

3. Go to Control Panel -> System -> Device Manager and Click on all + signs to EXPAND ALL DEVICES.

4. REMOVE ALL THAT CAN BE REMOVED. If done right, only HDD will not be removed (because it's in use).

5. Go to Start -> Run -> MSCONFIG -> SYSTEM.INI -> [386Enh] MaxPhysPage=1EBFF (492MB RAM); [vcache] MinFileCache=65536, MaxFileCache=262144 and ChunkSize=1024

6. Rename VMM32.VXD to VMM32.BAD or somethin' else. Path=C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM\

Rename SETUPX.DLL to SETUPX.BAD or somethin' else. Path=C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM\

Rename CONFIGMG.VXD to CONFIGMG.BAD or somethin' else. Paths=C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM\VMM32\, C:\WINDOWS\OPTIONS\CABS\ and C:\WINDOWS\SYSBCKUP                 

Note:C:\WINDOWS\SYSBCKUP IS A HIDDEN DIRECTORY. Since you are already in it, make another directory in it and PUT ALL RB00X.CAB IN IT SO WINDOWS CAN'T FIND AND USE ANY OF *.CAB FILES. Don't DELETE ANYTHING YET!

7. Start -> Run -> SFC: Extract these files, if asked to keep backup, answer YES. Backed up files are in: C:\WINDOWS\HELPDESK\SFC\. Extract these files: SETUPX.DLL, WINSPOOL.DRV, CONFIGMG.VXD and VMM32.VXD (Source = Windows 98 SE SETUP directory mentioned above).

8. Shut down the computer. Wait 3 minutes or more. Power up the computer. IMPORTANT: FROM STEP 1 TO THIS STEP YOU MUST NOT RESTART OR POWER DOWN!!!

9. WINDOWS REGISTRY CHECKER WILL REPAIR A FILE : C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM.DAT LET IT FINISH. IT'S A BIT SLOW. While you wait, prepare floppy's and CD's with drivers, you'll need them. (It may not detect CD/DVD drive before other more important driver's are found and installed from Hard Drive or before 3 rd time you restart. DO NOT FORCE ANYTHING, LET THINGS DEVELOP THE WAY THEY DEVELOP.

10. Help Windows with paths to find drivers and whenever asked to restart, restart.

 

Good luck and keep Windows 9X alive!

Edited by Fido-X
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16 hours ago, Fido-X said:


 

8. Shut down the computer. Wait 3 minutes or more. Power up the computer.


 

I tried waiting only 137 seconds (i.e. a little more than 2 minutes) and it worked fine as well :).

It must be because I have a remarkably fast machine, particularly when it is off ;).

Or maybe it was because I kept my finger crossed all the time.

Seriously, maybe you went through more work than really-really needed, it is rare that a single error has so many causes (System.ini AND VMM32.VXD AND SETUPX.DLL AND CONFIGMG.VXD AND WINSPOOL.DRV AND SYSTEM.DAT AND re-install drivers), it is more likely that only one or two of these items needed checking/replacing.

About the VMM32.VXD, you may find of interest this article:
http://www.helpwithwindows.com/techfiles/vmm32.html

jaclaz


 

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"MaxPhysPage=20000 is all you need for get rid of this message, no need to destroy the OS."

MaxPhysPage=1FFFF is the same as MaxPhysPage=20000 - both are equal to 512 mb RAM.

I have 512 mb (2x256 DDRAM), SO my setting BEFORE THE ERROR WAS: MaxPhysPage=1FEFF SO THAT I'M BELOW 512MB.

A few times before i was so close to fixing windows 9x and i failed because i didn't destroy enough so i had to do all deleted / renamed files AGAIN + some of my suspect files / drivers and then i suceeded so i destroy operating system if need be but i do not like to work twice on same problem.

I didn't mention that i swapped the RAM sticks and tried to boot with only one stick and those didn't work. Then my fix above worked.

I hear some people can't go into safe mode because of that same error. They need to perform destruction preferably from another hard drive and working windows. Anyway thank you MrMateczko. Which version of Windows 98 was fixed with that 512mb ram limit? Mine is English. V 4.10.2222A

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jaclaz, thank you for vmm32.vxd, good info. I wait 3 or more minutes to play on safe side and so that it doesn't happen that i put fraudulent information here. I put my fix here AFTER IT WORKED and if i waited 3 minutes than i must claim so. I came here to help potential reader/s with same error. That's why i joined. I shall write later about SETUPX.DLL (what a b***h this file is), so i replaced it just in case.

SYSTEM.INI and RAM explanation: I lowered the ram because i suspect that corrupt ram   writes corrupted data on hard drive and therefore must be lowered in increments. When the error came, setting MaxPhysPage=1FEFF was used. (511mb) so i decreased it to MaxPhysPage=1EBFF (492mb) and if that didn't work i'd decrease it again. And so on untill i enter stability. By the way 1 ram stick is from IBM and another from Kingston both sticks are 256mb DDRAM.

 My money was on Corrupted Ram when i saw the error message. Registry *.CAB files must be removed, so windows redetect all. CONFIGMG.VXD - was mentioned in error, would you leave it there? WINSPOOL.DRV - knows to be a troublemaker - must be replaced. VMM32.VXD - has failed me 2 times in past - away with it! And a fresh one in it's place so i don't have to repeat all over AGAIN. How did you fix your protection error?

Both of us figured that we should wait 2-3 minutes before turning on pc. That time could be more or less because different motherboards got different capacitors and hold charge accordingly.

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11 hours ago, Fido-X said:

Both of us figured that we should wait 2-3 minutes before turning on pc. That time could be more or less because different motherboards got different capacitors and hold charge accordingly.

Well, not really (I was joking :whistle:).

Once a system is switched off, it is off.

Though there are differences between a "warm re-boot" (Ctrl+Alt+Del) and a "cold reboot" (switch off, then on again), a "cold reboot" is a "cold reboot".

As you correctly stated one may want to wait a little bit to allow for the possibility that *something* is still powered (due to capacitors charge), something *like* like 5 or 10 seconds (not minutes) but anything more than that won't make any difference on relatively modern hardware.

For PC's there is the issue of RAM "slow decay", the classic reference (JFYI) is the original research about the so called "cold boot attack" :

https://citp.princeton.edu/research/memory/

but what the researcher did was to try and avoid the BIOS (when booting) to wipe/rewrite the memory as much as they can, and - on many systems - they needed to actually remove the sticks and read them "externally".

The "wait 10" (or 15 or 30) seconds before powering on is (largely) a tradition, most probably "amplified" in suggested length of wait because of this or that.

Anyway I don't doubt in the least that your exact procedure solved your problem :), I was only making a note about it being seemingly more complex than what actually *strictly needed*.

Practical example:

Your car doesn't start in the morning.

A common issue is that the battery is too low on voltage (because - say - you forgot your headlights on yesterday night) or has failed and another (less common but still happening) occurrence is that your starter motor is stuck (or as well gone bad).

The normal troubleshooting path would begin with a test of the battery voltage and capacity and - in case - replace it with a working one.

If the car still doesn't start test the starter motor, clean its solenoid contacts, verify and if needed replace brushes, or replace it with a spare one.

Now, on a forum someone posts that since his car didn't start in the morning he replaced :w00t::
battery
starter
engine block
gearbox
seats
rear mirrors
fuel tank

and refilled with premium gasoline.

Then, as soon as he tried again, after having waited 42 ;) hours since the refill - the car started fine :thumbup.

No doubts about the procedure being effective, only a bit redundant and not providing any hint about what the actual problem was and which replaced item solved it.

jaclaz


 


 

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jaclaz, my motherboard is GIGABYTE GA-7VAX and when pc is powered down, the board is still charged. That's how i charge my android phone sometimes. I just plug it in pc (usb cable) and leave it. Also the keyboard and mouse got lights while the pc is off. The lights only go off when i pull the wall cord out. How did you fix windows protection error, which file/s did you delete/replace?

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To Cold Boot, turning off Power for 1 to 2 Seconds is enough.

If you need to erase the standby powered Registers or change hardware, and the Main Power is off, you might need to wait a Minute after pulling the plug for the Power Supply Capacitors to drain.
If you are in a rush, press the Power Button to drain it faster or pull the plug with the Power On but not while running an OS.

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"No doubts about the procedure being effective, only a bit redundant and not providing any hint about what the actual problem was and which replaced item solved it.

jaclaz"

When i booted in safe mode i went to Device Manager to find that there are double keyboards, mouse, most devices were in conflict with their real counterparts. That's why i replaced SETUPX.DLL, It WAS SUSPICIOUS. That's why i also moved all RB00X.CAB files, to make WINDOWS REDETECT EVERYTHING PROPERLY.

Ring any bells? The error is related to FILES, NOT A SINGLE FILE.

Edited by Fido-X
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8 hours ago, Fido-X said:

jaclaz, my motherboard is GIGABYTE GA-7VAX and when pc is powered down, the board is still charged. That's how i charge my android phone sometimes. I just plug it in pc (usb cable) and leave it. Also the keyboard and mouse got lights while the pc is off. The lights only go off when i pull the wall cord out. How did you fix windows protection error, which file/s did you delete/replace?

It doesn't depend on the motherboard, but on the power supply.

In old AT PSU the switch actually switched off the PSU.

In new (new since what 15 years?) ATX power supply the "switch" is just a push button that turns the PSU in either "On" or "Off" which is actually more like a "suspend mode" the PSU is always "partially on" (but when it is off it is only powering a small subset of devices, typically USB ports and network card - this allows for switching it on with a combo-key and to have WOL - Wake On Lan, etc.).

Most "good" quality ATX PSU's have anyway  a physical switch 0/1 on the back, near the power cable socket.

For the "memory effect" it doesn't make any difference to turn the PSU in "Off/suspend mode" or switch off completely from the switch on the back (or pulling the mains cable out).

The motherboard, disks, etc. (and RAM) are powered only when the PSU is ON.

jaclaz


 

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There may be some other Registers in the Chipset that are powered by the Standby Rail of the Power Supply. My MA785 remembers whether I last used a Mouse or a Keyboard on the single PS/2 Port, unless I lose Power.

Of course there is also the CMOS which is Battery powered even if you pull the plug.

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