Problem With Internet On 98se


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I'm fixing up my old eMachine to give to a friend of mine but everytime I try to access the internet on the dern thing, the whole system freezes up. I never had Problems with internet on this system before. here's the circumstances. Fresh install of 98se other than internet it works fine. Different video card than it has been usin. ever since i've had it (on the internet that is) it's always had nVidia video cards, well the only extra I have is an Old ATI Rage Pro Turbo. Well I've used this card in it before but never used the internet with it. It's also a different network card too. I've just about always used this 3com or a an HP card with and intel chip or a Diamond card with an AMD chip but the one I'm using this time is just some card with a realtek chip. I've also never used the onboard audio either. I can't even make it to one website before it freezes. I'm install some different drivers for the Video card off a cd-rw and i'll also install Firefox.

The specs are as such:

Factory mobo with some Intel chipset

Intel Pentium III 600MHz Slot1 100MHz FSB

128MB PC133 RAM

ATI Rage Pro Turbo 12MB ???? (From a Compaq but I not one or my friend has ever known)

Integrated Crystal Audio

Samsung DVD-ROM 8x

Some CD-ROM from his old compaq. (lost cover for open slots so I just put it in to cover up)

Seagate 4GB Hard drive

Windows 98SE Fresh Install

Also I've never hooked this system up through a router before too.

* it's not the video card at all. I've tried a 3DFX VooDoo3 and got the same results. I'm startin to think that i'll just have to reinstall windows.

Edited by Honda_Boy
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I have doubts that it's Windows itself locking up (that is, as far as the Windows installation goes). Are you using specific software to access the web? THAT, is what I'd reinstall.

What video settings have you chosen? If you've forgotten what '9x is like, the lower your color depth and resolution are the more memory you'll have available for Windows to run smoothly. It's not common to run out of resource memory with a new install, but I suppose if you have it tweaked up (and are having other video problems), it's possible you're hitting that wall. Fewer icons, fewer everything.

Another thing I've run into is I wasn't waiting long enough for whatever's happening to finish up and return control to Windows. Wait at least a full minute (without banging on keys or clicking away) before you assume the machine's locked up.

If it still appears locked up do the Ctrl+Alt+Del thing and close whatever's sensible to close. Again, you may have to wait while *whatever* finishes up before you start banging away. :)

If it's REALLY locked up ... Yeah, start all over again. :(

Edited by JDoors
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I'd check Windows Updates - I reloaded Win98SE on a computer and MSN.com - the default homepage - would freeze up Windows EVERYTIME i loaded it. I just went through the programs list and pulled up the link straight to Windows Update, loaded about 40-50 things (I'm sure one fixed some IE problem) - and that solved the problem.

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it was the network card. I installed the old HP network card with an Intel chip and voila I'm typing this now. I went through a reinstal and losing all my friends stuff for nothing. No biggy though. All it was was music and other random crap he got off the internet. he can recover his 100 MB of stuff pretty quick. Who woulda know the network card was freezin the whole system.

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for some reason windows update messed up the drivers for the HP card and I couldn't figure out how to fix but I put the Diamond with the AMD chip and it's working perfectly too. I can't believe that realtek card was freezin the system, even on 2 fresh installs of 98se freaky.

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it was the network card. I installed the old HP network card with an Intel chip and voila I'm typing this now. I went through a reinstal and losing all my friends stuff for nothing. No biggy though. All it was was music and other random crap he got off the internet. he can recover his 100 MB of stuff pretty quick. Who woulda know the network card was freezin the whole system.

I knew it from basically reading the title of your thread, and I can't believe it wasn't suggested to you right away.

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