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chic - 08 Mar 2004 16:03 GMT

My computer defaults to safe mode because of failure to
close normally last time. I checked the instructions
under KB# 136337 "Troubleshooting Win95 startup Problems
and Error Message" and found that if I step through the
startup process, my computer skips the "Process the
system registry?" step. Will troubleshooting be useful
in this case? Maybe I have a registry problem. Any
suggestions?

Reply to this Message

glee - 08 Mar 2004 18:22 GMT

Using Step by Step as described in that article,
http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=136337 ,
you do not get prompted to process the Registry at any point, no matter which of the 4 boot options (boot A, B, C, or D) you try?

I would check for faulty physical memory (RAM), either by using one of these floppy-based memory testers:

DocMemory
http://www.simmtester.com/page/products/doc/download.asp

MemTest86:
http://www.memtest86.com/

Windows Memory Tester
http://oca.microsoft.com/en/windiag.asp

or by swapping out the RAM with known-good modules.

Also, have a look here:

Windows 98 or Windows 95 Defaults to Safe Mode
http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid3283

The Computer Always Starts in Safe Mode
http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid06615

Signature

Glen Ventura, MS MVP W95/98 Systems
http://dts-l.org/goodpost.htm

> My computer defaults to safe mode because of failure to
> close normally last time. I checked the instructions
[quoted text clipped - 4 lines]
> in this case? Maybe I have a registry problem. Any
> suggestions?

Reply to this Message

chic - 08 Mar 2004 23:19 GMT

Yes Glen, when I use stepwise boot option, I don't get a
prompt to process the registry. I checked for faulty
memory using MemTest86 and found nothing. KB article
#143283 asks to check for a Wnbootng.sts which I don't
have. However KB# asks to check the msdos.sys file for
bootsafe=1. Well that line wasn't in the file, in fact
the file was empty, except for a semicolon. Should
msdos.sys have other lines in the file?

>-----Original Message-----
>Using Step by Step as described in that article,
>http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=136337 ,
>you do not get prompted to process the Registry at any point, no matter which of the 4 boot options (boot A, B,

C, or D) you try?

>I would check for faulty physical memory (RAM), either by using one of these floppy-based memory testers:
>
[quoted text clipped - 26 lines]
>
>.

Reply to this Message

glee - 09 Mar 2004 03:06 GMT

Yikes! Yes.
msdos.sys is a read-only file, so you must remove the read-only attribute in order to edit it, and then re-set the attribute when editing is complete and the changes have been saved.

The contents of a typical Win95 msdos.sys file look like this, assuming Windows is installed in the default location....if your windows folder has a different name or path, you will have to modify accordingly:

---------file starts below---------
[Paths]
WinDir=C:\WINDOWS
WinBootDir=C:\WINDOWS
HostWinBootDrv=C

[Options]
BootMulti=0
BootGUI=1
Network=1
;
;The following lines are required for compatibility with other programs.
;Do not remove them (MSDOS.SYS needs to be >1024 bytes).
;xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxa
;xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxb
;xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxc
;xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxd
;xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxe
;xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxf
;xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxg
;xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxh
;xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxi
;xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxj
;xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxk
;xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxl
;xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxm
;xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxn
;xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxo
;xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxp
;xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxq
;xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxr
;xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxs

----------end of file above here---------

Signature

Glen Ventura, MS MVP W95/98 Systems
http://dts-l.org/goodpost.htm

> Yes Glen, when I use stepwise boot option, I don't get a
> prompt to process the registry. I checked for faulty
[quoted text clipped - 45 lines]
> >
> >.

Reply to this Message

anonymous@discussions.microsoft.com - 09 Mar 2004 14:25 GMT

Wow this is getting complicated. Could there be a backup
msdos.sys file? Would reverting to a previous
configuration restore the file? What about restoring the
registry or io.sys file?

I should have stated at the outset that the problem first
occurred after my son played a brand new Lord of the
Rings demo disk. Obviously it must not have been
compatible with Win95.

>-----Original Message-----
>Yikes! Yes.
>msdos.sys is a read-only file, so you must remove the read-only attribute in order to edit it, and then re-set

the attribute when editing is complete and the changes
have been saved.

>The contents of a typical Win95 msdos.sys file look like this, assuming Windows is installed in the default

location....if your windows folder has a different name
or path, you will have to modify accordingly:

>---------file starts below---------
>[Paths]
[quoted text clipped - 11 lines]
>;xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxa
>;xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

xxxxxxxxxxxxxb