You didn't have over 512MB memory in it I presume?

Edit:Could you please list all your hardware you've tried in that system?

Edit2:If that isn't the case, you might try and install XP on an extra harddrive to see if that installment freezes halfway also.
I have 1 board that runs an OS perfectly fine but it will not let you install ANY OS on it. Never figured out what the problem was with that board

I was going to put that info in but I was at work and they cut my meeting short.

Here is the exact specs:

MSI KT3 Ultra2 <-- Via Kt333a Bios 5.7 dated 2/24/03
512mb
Voodoo5 and TNT M64
WD 60GB HDD
Some random DVDROM
Windows 98se

I'm pretty sure you can have exactly 512 and it shouldn't be an issue. I thought I may have been the processor speed but I bumped it down quite a few notches with no change. When I tired turning off ACPI did a fresh setup/install.

I have installed XP and linux with the system's native components. and they work without a hitch. I have also tried formatting the drive with a part size above and below 32gb, each time using the tools in the windows 98 disk. The working system that was on the disk was setup for kt133a. While they are different, I have read that the OS should have been able to adjust itself on the first boot up. All it did was get to the splash screen and it froze.

This is a very interesting problem. I've got a vague piece of advice you may wish to try. How about going in to the BIOS set up area, and disabling any feature you see that looks as if it's set to "fast" and reduce it to "slow". Eg: set to "fail safe" rather than "optimised". You may strike lucky and whatever is causing this odd problem might get resolved.

My memory is vague about this, so I might get the following wrong : just as the OS is booting up, can you do CTRL F8 (is that correct?) to get to the boot up menu options, and then select "step by step mode"? Is that a valid option?. (Sorry, I'm out of town and no where near my retro equipment at the moment.) The thing is, when each item of the OS is being loaded, and being displayed as a "yes/no" option on the screen, it might show you what OS item is freezing. (I may be getting muddled up with Windows XP.)

Indeed. Usually it's the other way around (9x installs fine but XP won't).
I did some google searching but found nothing interesting.
Nothing which seems to indicate this motherboard may have a problem with Windows 9x.
From what I know about your problem is that 98 installs just fine but it won't load.

I'm a bit eh...uneasy to ask you this but you have tried booting into safe mode, right?

As for moving 9x installs around different chipsets, I've done this dozens of times and it always booted up to the desktop. Only thing is it may take a long time before it's found and installed the drivers.

I'd say either try booting into safemode and try to boot with just 256MB ram installed.

Edit: Another suggestion I could make is to try to install 9x onto a different harddrive, just to make sure nothing software-ish can mess with things

Yeah I have tried safe mode. It simply won't trigger. Both on the migrated install and later attempts. My casual observation is that as soon as the bit of code after the splash screen is ran it freezes. The only detail that seems to change is how I can have that very first splash screen "running for the first time...", with the following start ups having the more common one. My inference there is that something is being executed and changing a peice of info so that it knows it isn't the first time.

I did also load the bios defaults as one the first things to try, and only options changing after that would be the FSB and ACPI, and also disabling the integrated peripherals (USB, sound)

About the only things I haven't done is use a different hard drive, and use an amount of ram less than 512, and also a different motherboard. I have also thrown around the idea of trying a different BIOS. I have the means and hardware to do all that, I just have to dig them out my garage. I'm just hesitant to do so as the system is perfectly functional under any other condition. I have also tried a complete different peice of original install media. Both discs will give a me a perfectly operational installation under a virtual machine.

I think my next plan is to do a fresh install, and then after it fails to load I'll see if I can access the bootlog.

You moved a hard drive with a functioning Windows installation? Are you sure it wasn't an OEM version of Windows or a custom install to take advantage of features found in the computer that the hard drive came out of that aren't present on the new computer? I have had problems getting Windows to boot when swapping hard drives before and usually ended up having to do a reformat and reinstall and then everything worked fine.

I'm certain that what I'm using is the retail version. I just tried to get Windows ME installed. Same issue. I'm convinced this is a software issue. I'm going to try to flash the BIOS next.

9x and nt are vastly different when it comes to moving installs across systems. XP is usually a no-go while 9x usually will load after you put a working install into a totally different system, even though it may take ages for it to find and install the new drivers (along with a lot of yes-ing and ok-ing 😜 )

Other things you could try which are very simple:
Swap IDE cables
Try your 98 harddrive on the second IDE channel as master (you can never know...)

It seems to me to be hardware related somehow, as you put a working 98 install in that system and suddenly *crack*, no boot.
This may indicate the harddrive you're using 'may' be good.

If I were in your place, I'd swap out all hardware until I get it booting.
I doubt it's the BIOS but if it's easy for you to do, then I'd say give it a go 😉

And please do decrease the amount of RAM, 512 and up can cause all sorts of problems with 9x

Edit:

prophase_j wrote:

I'm certain that what I'm using is the retail version. I just tried to get Windows ME installed. Same issue. I'm convinced this is a software issue. I'm going to try to flash the BIOS next.

Good morning Tetrium!
I missed your post about this 🤣

So 98 and ME will not install, but XP will on the exact same hardware?
I'd still say decrease your ram

heres someone else with your problem
http://forum.msi.com.tw/index.php?topic=76548 … ;prev_next=next

ps: not a cpu overheat is it ?

I guess I'm off to the garage to find a 256 stick of DDR. It was the exact same hardware, currently it's the Voodoo in there. BIOS was again loaded to failsafe and then the only option I've change is ACPI off.

The processor I'm using is my trusty moblie Athlon XP 2500+, with a big power supply. The failsafe option set the FSB to 100 so the processor is being under bussed down from it's native 1.87ghz. I don't think the processor/cooling it suspect because I can run it up to 2.3ghz with an over bus off 166 in XP.

I wonder if it's worth trying a "simpler" CPU? Does your mobo support CPU types such as Duron, or perhaps a Palomino or T-Bred? I wonder if it's worth getting a very cheap Duron CPU from ebay? This experiment would just be to see if you can get past the freezing "starting Windows for the very first time" section of the reinstall. If it works, naturally the Duron CPU can be removed and replaced with your XP-M again.

Davros wrote:

heres someone else with your problem
http://forum.msi.com.tw/index.php?topic=76548 … ;prev_next=next

ps: not a cpu overheat is it ?

I read it but the mystery is that it works fine with XP but not with ME or 98

From what I read there the crux was a power supply issue. I'm all to familiar with the power requirements of these Athlons. I don't have any other Athlon chips lying around that I'm aware of. I'll look when I'm digging out that other memory. This same chip ran 98 fine my old 8KTA3.

Could you post the specs of your power supply? (make and model)
Also check in your BIOS what the voltages are, most importantly the +12V and +5V.

Crappy PSU's can result in all kinds of problems which seem to be erratic at first and similar to a board with bad caps, there isn't really a way around it except for replacement.

Mind you, even if you have a good build PSU, the unit itself may be defective (hence checking voltages may help identifying the culprit)
If you find leaking/bulging caps within your PSU (you can use a LED torch to view through openings in the PSU casing, it's what I do before I buy any PSU second hand)

prophase_j wrote:

I think my next plan is to do a fresh install, and then after it fails to load I'll see if I can access the bootlog.

I reckon that's your best option. I guess you could slave your current failed Win98 HDD on to a master OK WinXP HDD, and then use that OK WinXP operating system to examine this bootlog file on your slaved Win98 HDD. Or perhaps just boot up with a bootable CD-ROM which has a utility on it to examine your failed Win98 HDD, in order to read that bootlog file.

Went ahead and tried it with only 256 of ram. Freezes 🙁

I just use a copy of Konppix, a Linux livecd. My bootlog is only showing 3 things in it, the last one being IFSHLP.SYS. Anybody know if that could be the issue?

prophase_j wrote:

About the only things I haven't done is use a different hard drive ...

I reckon now's the time to try this. Whenever I set up a completely clean Win98 install, I boot up using a Win98 floppy diskette (bootdisk.com), FDISK the HDD, and then FORMAT it. That IFSHLP.SYS bootlog entry you see - it rings a vague bell in my memory. It's just possible it's something to do with how Win98 is attempting to access data from the HDD, and getting in to a complete muddle because of the way it has been formatted or partitioned or something like that.

retro games 100 wrote:

prophase_j wrote:

About the only things I haven't done is use a different hard drive ...

I reckon now's the time to try this. Whenever I set up a completely clean Win98 install, I boot up using a Win98 floppy diskette (bootdisk.com), FDISK the HDD, and then FORMAT it. That IFSHLP.SYS bootlog entry you see - it rings a vague bell in my memory. It's just possible it's something to do with how Win98 is attempting to access data from the HDD, and getting in to a complete muddle because of the way it has been formatted or partitioned or something like that.

I agree. The only other option you could try is burning a new 98SE copy from an ISO, if you have one.
I have a large database of a LOT of ISO's of Windows install media.
Another thing you could try (particularly if you want your 98SE disk to be in good shape, and who doesn't 😉 ) is to try another optical drive 😉