# windows 98 explorer.exe crashes on boot



## balloucs (May 26, 2004)

Long story short I crashed my computer today. Here is what I was up to...

I had just downloaded all the install files for PWS on my win98 machine so I could run my own web server from my machine. Something was wrong with the install because a file could not read but the install completed anyways. (I was used to using IIS 5.0 on Windows 2000). So I open up PWS and attempt to create a /cgi-bin/ directory in (inetpub) underneath my root directory (inetpub/wwwroot). There was a problem with this creation and somehow the cgi-bin directory got moved to (inetpub/wwwroot/scripts/cgi-bin) by itself. I tried moving the folder manually, with the options selected for running scripts, executables, and reading.... I got a ton of popup errors and my system crashed. Upon restarting my computer I got to my wallpaper before the desktop loads and explorer.exe crashes and loading ends at that screen with nothing in my "close program" dialog box. I believe my autoexec.bat file may have been changed by PWS and the new setting was..
PATH=%PATH%;"C:\Program Files\Mts"

I created a backup autoexec.bak file and then tried to change the original to..
PATH=%PATH%;C:\WIN98\command

Nothing is working still.. I miss my computer! Any help would be appreciated.


----------



## Pacalis (Sep 8, 2003)

Hi Balloucs ; Give this a shot , it should work for ya. Good Luck !!

1. Completely shut down your computer, wait 30 - 60 seconds, then turn it back on. 

2. As soon as you turn it back on, start pressing the F8 key repeatedly until the black screen appears. 

3. Use the arrow keys to select "Command Prompt Only", then press the Enter key. 

4. At the A:\> prompt, type in C: (including the colon), then press the Enter key. 

5. At the C:\> prompt, type in SCANREG /RESTORE(make sure there is a space between the G and /), then press the Enter key. The system files will be checked. 

6. When the list of backup registry copies appears, use the arrow keys to select a registry copy with a date prior to when the problem occurred, then press the Enter key. The system files will be backed up and restored. 

(Note: Do not use the oldest registry copy in the list because the restore process will probably fail) 

6. When you are advised that the registry has being replaced with a good copy and has to restart, use the arrow keys to select Restart, then press the Enter key. 

7. If all goes well, Windows will load and the problem will be solved.


----------



## Rollin' Rog (Dec 9, 2000)

Un fortunately the "blank desktop" issue is usually one that scanreg /restore cannot repair because it involves file version mismatches with respect to shared IE/Explorer shell files.

One resolution is to re-run IE Setup. Or remove and reinstall it. I've given instructions here, but only the persistant and resourceful need apply 

http://forums.techguy.org/showthread.php?s=&threadid=145869


----------



## BondoFox (Jan 22, 2005)

This happened to me! I did what you recommended, and it worked!

*w00t!*

Thanks, TechGuy!

BondoFox


----------



## Rollin' Rog (Dec 9, 2000)

:up:


----------



## saint0 (Nov 8, 2004)

A guest is using our extra PC that's running Win98se. It was working beautifully before... Then all of a sudden Norton Antivirus 2002 bit the dust and wouldn't take a re-install. (Symantec pulled all of the Knowledge Base for this "downlevel" version of NAV. I wonder why? ;-) ) Anyway, I noticed a gradually increasing degradation in the speed of doing just about anything and everything. 

I was OK with that until I was told that the box had crashed and wouldn't boot. I confirmed this. After the logon screen was populated, about 3 minutes later the desktop tried to come up but crashed a sequence of things starting with Explorer. So, I just re-installed Windows 98 for the second time, virus checked the drive (all clean) on another PC, and it STILL doesn't boot up. The SAME startup apps crash and Win98 doesn't ever bring up a viable desktop. I may need to remove Norton System works altogether from the pseudo DOS command line, but the registry would still be damaged, right?

What can I do to fix this? What might be the problem? Thanks so much in advance...

-saintli1
Palo Alto


----------



## Rollin' Rog (Dec 9, 2000)

Well there are different possibilities here. First determine if you can restart in Safe Mode without the error. If you can't, Norton probably isn't involved. If you can, it's easy to remove Norton through the Control Panel.

If you can't start in Safe Mode, but CAN start to the Winfile.exe shell -- it's still probably an issue with IE/Explorer shell files. That's why I recommend this procedure before the reinstall:

Open an command prompt and enter:

*ren c:\windows\system\iemigrat.dll iemigrat.old*

This forces the reinstall to install the original version of IE that came with the operating system and not try to keep the newer, and possibly damaged or mismatched, IE files.


----------



## saint0 (Nov 8, 2004)

I can't get to the Windows desktop at all... So, will this command work from the pseudo DOS prompt? That is, when I use the Win98 boot disk, I'm starting up from the floppy drive. I can abort that sequence and get an A:/ prompt. I then could change directories to wherever, and then type in the command you supplied above, Rollin Rog...

BTW, Thanks!

-saintli1


----------



## Rollin' Rog (Dec 9, 2000)

You don't need to do it that way. Remember if you've tried Safe Mode, you've booted to a "startup menu". When you first start booting, just hold the ctrl key until you get the startup menu with numbered options. Instead of choosing Safe Mode, choose the command prompt option. That will put you at a c:\> prompt. That's where you can enter any command line necessary. However you can do it from an a:\> prompt just as well, as long as you include the full path in the command -- which is the way I've given it.

If you are trying to edit system.ini and you are not at the c: prompt, you must first enter

c:


----------



## saint0 (Nov 8, 2004)

I tried that approach and it won't work for me, RR. Meaning, the numeric choices for the variety of Win98 boot options do not respond to a keystroke. It defaults no matter which option I choose to plain safe mode. Unfortunately, safe mode hangs up in exactly the same way that Win98 does in normal mode: Explorer crashes and then some Norton Antivirus component apps crash in sequence. I use CTL-ALT-DEL to kill each instance. Then, after they're all gone, Win98 just stops and hangs with an unpopulated wallpaper background. Win98 does respond to a final CTL-ALT-DEL to shut itself down properly - NICE...

So that's why I inquired about the pseudo DOS command line through the A:/ prompt method of using your system restore command, RR. Will that work? I have no way to select the numerical Win98 alternate boot choices when I first call it up with an F5 or F8 when the Win98 startup screen comes up... I tried using the arrow keys and then both the keyboard numbers and then the number pad. None of them work. All of them make the default safe mode engage, RR. I cant access the command line option except through stopping the option screen from coming up by repeatedly tapping F5 and F8. Tapping them both once successfully brings up the boot option screen


----------



## Rollin' Rog (Dec 9, 2000)

an "a:" prompt is a "true" DOS prompt, you are just in the directory of the floppy disk, not the c: drive. "pseudo" DOS if you want to refer to it as that, is the DOS "window" you get from within Windows.

If you get to an a: prompt and at that prompt you enter:

c:

you should then be at a c:\>prompt

If you haven't tried a scanreg /restore do this:

from the c:\ prompt enter:

scanreg /restore

and use the arrow keys to select a prior started registry from one of the first 4

If that doesn't help any, go back to a command prompt, any one, and try entering this:

*del c:\windows\Wnbootng.sts*

Likely the file will not be found and deleted. But if it is there, that is what is defaulting you to Safe Mode.

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/q143283/

Also from the c: prompt you can follow my other suggestion to see if winfile.exe will load.

At the c:> prompt enter each line:

cd windows
edit system.ini

Look for the shell=explorer.exe line under the [Boot] header and modify it to read: shell=winfile.exe or shell=progman.exe

>> press Alt+F, then x to access the File Save and Exit menu. Save the file and exit.

Ctrl-Alt-Del to reboot.

Now you should be in a Windows 3.1 environment.


----------



## BondoFox (Jan 22, 2005)

_Almost_ sounds like what happened to me. The ScanReg /Restore worked great; spin the date to one before the date it crashed. Although I wonder if it'd work since Win98 was reinstalled.

Of course, there's always Linux 

BondoFox


----------



## saint0 (Nov 8, 2004)

RR, I've tried everything you suggested to no avail so far... My Win98 boot disk would not allow me to get to the C:/ prompt. It couldn't find the local C:/ disk. So, I used my Partition Magic floppies with DR-DOS. That was successful. I then tried the scanreg /restore. That instruction failed.

I then tried the del c:\windows/Winbootng.sts. That failed.

Edit system.ini also failed. The edit app was inaccessible - not found.

What can I do now?

I am still hopeful but a little frustrated, RR.

Thanks in advance,

-phillip
Palo Alto


----------

