Hello --
I Plan to get a new Computer in April but really need to get by until then with this one. Any Help or information would be appreciated.
My Current Computer is PC - Intel 350 Mhz PII - 512 MB Ram - Win 98SE -

I Have recently begin having problems with my Machine operation - My System Resources deplete very quickly. I have 512 MB Ram - but often run at below 50% with AOL8 - 1 Excel Spreadsheet - 1 Word Document - open. Machine Operation has slowed noticible recently. AOL takes twice as long to load as it used to. I have been having connection problems - I recently ran AOL Autofix upon the AOL tech departments advice but see little difference.

The Longer I operate - the lower the system resources go -- First sign of Impending crash/freeze is when switching programs - part of the closed program resides over the other program onthe monitor - or Programs often wont respond or take 30 seconds to catch up. Minimizing and Re opening after a minute sometimes continues operation.
With the above programs open I sometines get message that I dont have enough memory to even open an IE Window without first closing something.

With these three open I often fall below 30% after working for an hour or so - Closing before Freeze - Rebooting starts the cycle over.
I sometimes boot fresh and my system will not open programs. Example - If I click on Excel - I will see the hourglass - then it dissappears screen stays at desktop. I repeat - same thing happens -- If I Control alt Delete -- it shows 2 excels running and a rundll32.

My Computer will often not complete its shutdown process.

Error messages sometimes include Kernel32 error

Scan Disc is Clean - Defrag has been run recently -- NAV has been updated and run -- I have never had a virus in my 2 year NAV History.



Mike

Is there anything else I can Provide ??

I am USA - West Coast - pacific Time -- So our work hours may be off a bit. Will continue to check in and Provide any other info or answers that you might request.

Thanks for everything -

MIke

Mike, I don't know whether your Pentium II PC was upgraded to 512Mb RAM by a shop (it is certainly very unlikely to have been built with that much originally) or whether you made the choice and fitted it yourself without any advice from others. Either way, the bottom line is that Windows 98 cannot handle that much memory properly. A Windows 98 PC that isn't running intensive applications (CAD, video editing, 3D games) should run perfectly with 128Mb RAM or less.

If you know about the insides of your PC, I would recommend that you open the case and see whether you have one RAM module fitted or whether there are several. If there are several, I would recommend that you actually take some memory out - try to get down to 256Mb or less.

It seems to have become an eperdemic recently - everyone's chucking loads and loads of memory into their PCs without realising that that's only any good on some Windows 2000 and XP PCs - Windows 98 can't deal with it all and many people see their PCs get slower rather than faster!

If reducing the memory doesn't help, there are some software diagnostic tools that we can get you to run. Even though you may not have a virus, there are lots of other nasty things that your PC can catch off of the Internet that can be just as harmful - we can help you to check that out.

By the way, if your PC is already slow with AOL 8.0, then do NOT "upgrade" to AOL 9.0 - it will drain every last ounce of energy out of your PC and probably kill it off permanently!

I have 256 + 128 + 128 -

It was installed by Conectivity Plus -- a Local Shop --
I Had 128 + 128 + 64 for a long while and it worked better than the 512.

Over the next couple days I should have the time to get my work done and uninstall half of the memory.

??? Does it Matter if I keep the 2 x 128s or the 1 X 256 ??? They are all PC133.

Yes - I was aware that 9.0 would overtax it.
I was happy with 7.0 and wound up with 8 Plus thru a bizarre series of events in a unrequested download from AOL when I got my DSL gateway.
I constantly get messages that there are new features to "Enhance my Online Experience with 8.0" - if I answer yes that I want them, it begins to download and install 9.0. Regardless of weather its good for my system or Not.


Let me know if keeping the 2 x 128s or the 1 x 256 would be better.
I will uninstall and report back in a day or few depending on time and Online Orders. ( You just never know what will come in between the sites I sell on)

Thank You For the Reply and sharing your knowledge
Mike

As your system is a Pentium II, I'm guessing that the 64Mb module that used to be fitted in the 128 + 128 + 64 configuration was the original memory. This means that both the 128Mb modules have been fitted by the shop. Then the original memory was later removed and replaced by a new 256Mb module in the 256 + 128 + 128 configuration.

As none of the memory is original, there's the chance that each module is a different brand and may be having occasional memory conflicts, resulting in errors. Therefore, to ensure maximum compatibility, I would probably leave the 256Mb module in the PC as it's one single module (and it also appears to be the newest).

I can't believe that the shop actually took your PC with 320Mb RAM (128 + 128 + 64) and fitted even more memory in it. No computer guy that has technical experience with Windows 98 would believe that going from 320Mb to 512Mb would actually be an improvement. If they only fitted it recently, then you might be better off going back to the shop, saying that you want to go back to 128Mb, keep the other 128Mb spare and get them to give you your money back for the 256Mb module that they fitted as it's not fit for the purpose that it was sold to you for - i.e. they sold it to you to make your PC faster and it doesn't do that.

Hi - Sorry to be so Slow in responding --

I removed the two 128 Mb Memory cards on New Years eve - I Dont Go Party so it was a good time since orders online took a little vacation -

The Computer immediatly ran fast (for what it is ) again -

After the install of the 512 from 320 -- Everything was so sweet - It was the computer of my dreams but within a week things begin to go amuck - what started as occasional errors - crashes etc became daily -- then twice daily - Hourly - then every 10-15 minutes ( Or as Described before - every few Orders Processed )

After Pulling the 2 128 Mb Cards on New Years, My New 256 MB Wonder Machine worked Great - until the 6th / 7th when AOL Screens begin Overlaying blocks of Screen area -- Memory Resorces continue to deplete now to 25 - 28 % with - AOL - Excel ( 2 sheets ) - an IE window - and Word - Open

Between the 7th and the 10th it has continued to degrade considerably --

it has Crashed AOL several times, bringing up a (Never seen before) white 2 X 4 inch window box that only says "CLOSE" in a Click Box. No Details - No Stack Dump Errors - No Information - No Other Functions work. Never seen that before -- It used to just freeze - Needed o Control - alt - Del to Close it. Everything thats taken place in the session is Gone - My History shows none of the pages Visited that session - Shows none of the Mails Opened in the "Old mail" Tab.

Programs are starting to NOT LOAD when Clicked on ( at times ) -- Hourglass shows - Programs do not start - returns to desktop - Attempt again -- Same -- Control - Alt - Delete shows the program Running twice - but screen Never appears -
Shut Down - Restart and all is Normal - All works again.

There have been No complete Crashes yet this week as there were previously -

Just ran Norton Anti Virus AND Trend Micro -- Both show a clean scan.

- Should I try to remove the Memory again ? ( Maybe Reinstall the 512? ) - Restart and Enjoy the Week of Good Operation ?? (LOL - Would Only Need to do that another 12 - 14 times before I can get another Computer )

I have not heard of anything like this before - I searched the board and find nothing Like it -

Thanks For your Help - Hope all was Happy over the Holiday for everyone -

Mike

Additional Info -- Each Time that AOL has Crashed as mentioned above -- A Hi Risk attempt window has popped through my Norton Internet Security -

It runs SLOW for the rest of the day --

The Message tells that a UDP packet was attempted to be delivered -

NIS gives no other Info but the IP address it comes from is ALMOST Always
198.81.28.xxx : Port 5190

xxx ranges from - 115 to 380

There have been other addresses coinsiding the Crash - but 9 of 10 are from the above address range -

I have tried Whois Info etc and the only hint is a message on a google site that hints that it is an AOL Network Address.

I have called AOL but there is NO ONE there that can tell me anything about AOL network addresses Etc or Confirm that it is an AOL address.

When I was on AOL 5 and 7 - I used to get updates ( AUF files ) regularly - I Currently recieve NO Updated since Updating to 8.0 - Could this be some kind of an Update Attempt? I used to Recieve the Updates when Logging off.


Mike

It's quite possible that AOL is trying to "hack in" to your PC to update the AOL software, which NIS is then trying to block.

This certainly is a weird problem and it doesn't surprise me that AOL is installed - I've seen numerous issues of PCs running dreadfully slow with no apparent cause, other than the fact that AOL is somehow killing them. Whenever someone talks to me about a PC problem and they say those dreaded words "when I log on to AOL", it sends shivers down my spine, lol !

If you could set up your Internet connection with another ISP (there are still quite a few free ones out there, which would be handy to use as a test) and remove AOL from your PC as best as you can, you might find the problems go away. I believe that AOL has a webmail option so you don't actually have to dial up with AOL in order to see your email messages.

Of course, I'm making suggestions, not guarantees. It could be that AOL has nothing to do with it at all. It still might be down to that RAM. It would be quicker and easier to take another look at that. I would suggest removing all the memory again and just fitting one 128Mb module. Try that out and see how you get on.

Over time, Windows 98 can deteriorate to a point where even a really thorough clean-up (there's about 20 different things that I could list as a "thorough" clean-up) doesn't even get it back to how it was when the PC was new. Sometimes, the best solution is to wipe the hard disk, re-install Windows and start over again. But that's a big job and not for the faint-hearted.

You do seem to be pretty PC-literate. I presume you've done a few basic things to try and clear out some of the build-up of junk that Windows leaves behind? ........

1. Delete all temporary files from C:\Windows\Temp (through Windows Explorer);
2. Delete temporary internet files (control panel option);
3. Empty the recycle bin (right-click the icon on your desktop).

Regarding the AOL IP addresses - it does sound like you're onto something there