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Creating an emergency boot-able diskette (bootdisk) is probably one of the most important tool you can have for use if things go wrong with your PC. You can use it to start your computer, run diagnostic programs and fix errors contained in those annoying "gray error boxes". In Windows 95 & 98, you can create a bootdisk by going to Start> Control Panel> Add/Remove Programs and then select the Start-Up Disk tab. Insert a new, formatted 1.44MB floppy disk and click Create Disk button. This is an automatic process that will result in a diskette that will start the PC. Hope you never need it but it can be invaluable in case of an emergency. If you don't have one...please make one today.
While your computer is booting up, hold down the CTRL key and wait for the MicroSoft Windows98 Startup Menu to appear. Select Step-By-Step Confirmation or just press the F8 key when the Startup Menu appears. This will continue the start-up process on a step-by-step basis, giving you the option to skip or accept each step. These steps are usually command lines that set up the parts of your computer that Windows needs to operate.
If Windows98 won't start and then it won't restart...try it a few more times. The reason being is that every time Windows starts, it examines the hardware and reads the Registry. It also makes adjustments to the System Configuration in the Registry as it finds conflicts and other problems it thinks it may be able to fix. Sometimes, however, Windows may need several passes in order to get everything resolved. It's not usual to boot, find yourself in Safe Mode, restart and find yourself back in the Windows environment as if nothing happened.Multiple restarts won't harm anything.
It's pretty much widely known that CTRL-ALT-DEL keys (pressed simultaneously) does not just re-boot your system. It also brings up the Close Program dialogue box. It lists all the programs shown on your taskbar as well as any programs that are running in the background...and also the programs that make up Windows itself. This is useful to see where your System Resources are being used as well as a way to terminate unwanted programs. Select the program in the list, then click the End Task button. You can also start a Shut Down process here or simply force the PC to re-boot by pressing CTRL-ALT-DEL again. Do Not end the Windows Explorer task...if it is not responding then you need to force a re-boot after ending all other tasks
This final tip kind of goes hand-in-hand with the previous. A common method for recovering when a program is "hung" (and/or stops responding) is to re-boot the PC. In Win98, it's usually possible to close the troublesome program and afterward the system will continue to operate normally. After pressing the CTRL-ALT-DEL, use the Close Program dialogue box and shut down the program that isn't responding. Although Win98 is often more stable than it's earlier versions, it's wise to restart after ending a task. But...this method will allow you to save any unsaved work you may have going at the time (unless it was the offending program). Thank you and come again...Spider!
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