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HARDWARE, DRIVERS & RAM
Last updated February 4, 2004
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• 850 MHz or Faster Windows ME Computer May Hang During Boot {Q278844}
• Computer May Stop Responding (Hang) When Installing Updates or Adding New Hardware {Q281967} Win ME (with Norton System Works 2001)
• Computer Randomly Plays Classical Music {Q261186} Win95, Win98, Win98 SE, NT 4, Win 2000
• Computer Shuts Down or Stops Responding Due to Noise Produced in the Intel MTH Chip {Q262757} Win95, Win98, Win98 SE, NT 4, Win 2000
• How to Install New Hardware in Windows {Q142984} Win95, Win98, Win98 SE, Win ME
• IEEE 802.11b “High Rate” Wireless Local Area Networks (Not a KB or other Microsoft resource, but a valuable (and fairly technical) discussion of WiFi.)
• PnP Serial Device May Not Enumerate on a Windows ME Computer {Q297125}
• “Verifying DMI Pool Data” Error Message Occurs & the Computer Is Unavailable {Q287553} Win95, Win98, Win ME (Contact hardware vendor. See also this.)

BIOS

• List of BIOS Manufacturer Web Sites, Part 1 {Q243909} Win95/98/ME/NT/2000/XP
• List of BIOS Manufacturer Web Sites, Part 2 {Q243971} Win95/98/ME/NT/2000/XP

• General Computer Basic Input/Output System (BIOS) Overview {Q299697} Win98, Win98 SE, Win ME
• How to obtain BIOS information with the System Information Tool {Q245567} Win98, Win98 SE
• Setting the Plug and Play BIOS Option (PNP OS) in CMOS Setup {Q321779} Win98, Win98 SE, Win ME, Win NT 4, Win 2000, Win XP Pro, Server 2003

CD & DVD Drives

• CD-ROM, DVD, CDR, CD-RW Issues ― KB Articles Win98, Win98 SE
• CD-ROM, DVD, CDR, CD-RW Issues ― KB Articles Win ME

• How to Troubleshoot CD-ROM or DVD-ROM Read Issues {Q218617} Win95, Win98, Win ME (This is a major article covering a huge variety of error messages not necessarily seen, at the time, to be related to the drive.)
• Troubleshooting Compact Disc Recordable & Re-Writable Drives {Q237948} Win98 SE

• CD-ROM Doesn’t Run Automatically After You Insert It Into Your CD-ROM or DVD-ROM Drive {Q312475} Win98, Win98 SE, Win ME (After reading the article, click here to download a Registry patch to effect this repair.)
• Computer Hangs Copying Data from CD-ROM Drive {Q132882} Win95, Win98, Win98 SE, Win ME
• Disk Drive or CD-ROM Access Light Blinks Every Few Seconds {Q138598} Win95, Win98, Win98 SE, Win ME

Device Drivers

• Getting started with Win9x device drivers
• Description of Device Drivers {Q253671} Win95, Win98, Win98 SE, Win ME
• How to Troubleshoot Hardware Device Drivers {Q296060} Win95, Win98, Win ME
• Troubleshooting Device Driver Issues Using the Driver Information Database {Q275499} Win95, Win98, Win98 SE, Win ME

• ANSI.SYS Device Driver Cannot be Loaded in Windows ME {Q273780}
• Cannot Update Existing Drivers in OSR2 {Q170325} Win95 OSR2/2.1
• Driver Appears Twice in Device Manager if a Third-Party Driver Is Added During Setup {Q315509} Win98, Win98 SE

Device Manager

• Device Manager Error Codes (Not a KB article, but great information.)
• Device Manager only contains a computer entry {Q244166} Win95, Win98, Win ME
• Device Problems in Device Manager Due to ACPI Global Lock Problem {Q217392} Win98
• Explanation of Error Codes Generated by Device Manager Win95, Win98, Win98 SE, Win ME, Win 2000
• How to Use Registry Editor to Identify an Unknown PCI Device {Q298837} Win98, Win98 SE, Win ME (Identifying an “Unknown Device” in Device Manager)
• Troubleshoot Device Conflicts with Device Manager {Q133240} Win95, Win98, Win ME

Floppy Drives

• Troubleshooting Floppy Disk Drive Problems in Windows Win95, Win98, Win98 SE
  
• Floppy Disk Drive Controllers – KB Articles Win98
  
• Floppy Disk Drive Controllers – KB Articles Win ME
  
• Floppy Disk Drive Is Active When Opening or Saving Files Win95, Win98, Win ME
  
  

Hard Drives

General

• Hard Drive Issues – KB Articles Win98
• Hard Drive Issues – KB Articles Win ME
• Hard Disk Controllers – KB Articles Win98
• Hard Disk Controllers – KB Articles Win ME

Drive Letters

• Drive letter for removable cartridge drives changes {Q153602} Win95, Win98
• How to Prevent Drive Letters from Changing After You Add a Hard Disk or CD-ROM {Q282530} Win95, Win98, Win98 SE, Win ME
• Order in Which MS-DOS & Windows Assign Drive Letters {Q51978} DOS 3.x-6.22, Win95, Win98, Win ME

File Systems & Architecture

• How To Determine Your Hard Disk Cluster Size {Q245436} Win 95, Win98, Win98 SE, Win ME
• Cannot View NTFS Logical Drive After Using Fdisk {Q179144} Win95, Win98, Win ME, Win NT4

• Description of the FAT32 File System {Q154997} Win 95B (OSR2), Win98, Win98 SE, Win ME
• Common Questions About the FAT32 File System {Q253774} Win 95B (OSR2), Win98, Win98 SE, Win ME
• Default Cluster Sizes for FAT32 File System {Q192322} Win 95B (OSR2), Win98, Win ME

Other Hard Drive Articles

• Disk Drive or CD-ROM Access Light Blinks Every Few Seconds {Q138598} Win95, Win98, Win98 SE, Win ME
• Hard Disk Errors Caused by Damaged Data or Physical Damage {Q150532} Win 95, Win98, Win98 SE, Win ME
• How to Tell If Drive Overlay Program is Installed in Windows {Q186057} Win 95, Win98, Win98 SE, Win ME
• How to Use FDISK & FORMAT to Partition or Repartition a Hard Disk {Q255867} Win95, Win98, Win98 SE, Win ME, Win 2000 (A lengthy FAQ on hard drive preparation)
• Missing Drives in My Computer & Windows Explorer {Q191579} Win 95, Win98, Win ME, Win 2000
• Partitioning Summary {Q69912} MS-DOS, Win95
• Removing Non-DOS Partitions with Debug {KB 106419} MS-DOS 6.x (Also works on Win9x with DOS Debug utility.)
• Windows 95 Does Not Support Hard Disks Larger Than 32 GB {Q246818}

Keyboards

• The F Lock Key by MS-MVP Jason Tsang

• Keyboard Issues ― KB Articles Win98, Win98 SE
• Keyboard Issues ― KB Articles Win ME

• “Error Loading Keyboard.drv” Error Message When You Start Windows Win98, Win98 SE {Q305650}
• Error Message Using CTRL+ALT+DELETE to Shut Down with USB Keyboard {Q222518} Win98, Win98 SE, WinME
• Keyboard Layout May Be Incorrect After Installing USB Keyboard {Q304614} WinME
• On-Screen Keyboard Slash Key Mapping May Not Work {Q301977} Win ME

Memory (RAM)
I also recommend the following two articles on this site:
Windows 98 & Win ME Memory Management
System Resources FAQ

• Memory/RAM Issues ― KB Articles Win98, Win98 SE
• Memory/RAM Issues ― KB Articles Win ME
• Windows Memory Diagnostic Microsoft’s online RAM tester.

• Bad RAM Causes Fatal Exception Errors {Q138788} Win95, Win98, Win98 SE, Win ME
• Cannot Configure Expanded Memory Support for an MS-DOS-Based Program {Q275423} Win ME
• Computer May Not Hibernate with More Than 192 MB of Memory {Q296773} Win ME
• Computer May Reboot Continuously with More Than 1.5 GB of RAM {Q304943} Win98, Win98 SE, Win ME
• Definition of the “Typical Roll of This Machine” setting {Q140679} Win95, Win98, Win ME
• Defragmenting Swap File: MS Says You Can't Do It Safely! {Q240755} Win95, Win98, Win98 SE, Win ME
(NB: I take serious issue with this article, but provide it for information purposes.)
• EMM386 Troubleshooting & Technical Information {Q78557} Win95, Win98
• Error Message: Insufficient Memory to Initialize Windows {Q184447} Win95, Win98
• How to Increase Conventional Memory for MS-DOS-Based Programs {Q134399} Win95, Win98, Win98 SE
• How to Increase the Memory Capability of Your Computer {Q259184} Win95, Win98, Win98 SE, Win ME
• How to use a RAM drive to troubleshoot memory {Q142546} Win95, Win98, Win98 SE
• “Insufficient Memory” {Q218617} Win95, Win98, Win ME (while using CD or DVD)
• Negative Hard Disk Free Size Reported on Virtual Memory Tab in System Properties {Q272620} Win98, Win98 SE, Win ME
• “Not Enough Extended Memory Available to Run Windows” {Q311367} Win95, Win98, Win98 SE, Win ME
• “Not Enough Memory to Convert to FAT32. To Free Up...” {Q188561} Win98
• “Not enough memory to run this application” {Q218617} Win95, Win98, Win ME (while using CD or DVD)
• “Out of Memory” Error Messages with Large Amounts of RAM Installed {Q253912} Win95, Win98, Win98 SE, Win ME
• RAM reported by Windows does not match amount of installed RAM {Q146912} Win95, Win98
• Specifying Amount of RAM Available to Windows Using MaxPhysPage {Q181862} Win95, Win98, Win ME
• While Initializing Device NTKERN: Windows Protection... {Q192397} Win98, Win98 SE, Win ME
• Windows 95 can access up to 2 GB of RAM {Q181594}

MS-DOS Compatibility Mode Errors

• Troubleshooting MS-DOS compatibility mode on hard disks Win95, Win98, Win98 SE, Win ME
• MS-DOS compatibility mode problems with PCI-IDE controllers Win95, Win98, Win98 SE, Win ME
  Click here for the “Remove NOIDE Flag” Registry patch to apply this fix.
• FAT32 using compatibility mode with OnTrack Disk Manager Win95, Win98
• Large IDE drive may run in compatibility mode Win95, Win98

Modems

• Windows 98 & ME Modems Categories (Summarizes most of the modem-related Knowledge Base articles)
• How to Troubleshoot Modem Problems in Windows 98 & 98 SE
• How to Troubleshoot Modems Win ME
  
  
• “DPAL Error Abnormal Parameter Passed In...in File .\Hdlc.c at Line 550” Win98, Win98 SE, Win ME
• Modem stops working after upgrade to Windows 98 SE (Refers to the 3Com/U.S. Robotics 56K Voice Faxmodem Pro External V.90, x2)

Mouse

• Mouse Issues ― KB Articles Win98, Win98 SE
• Mouse Issues ― KB Articles Win ME
  
  
• Computer Hangs If USB Mouse Is Moved While Suspending {Q240021} Win98, Win98 SE
• Error Code 24 in Device Manager After Plugging in USB Mouse {Q257514} Win98, Win98 SE, Win ME
• Microsoft Plug-and-Play Pointing Device Not Detected {Q142405} Win95, Win98, Win98 SE, Win ME
• PS/2 Mouse Does Not Work After Upgrading to Windows 98 {Q206034} Win98
• PS/2 Mouse May Not Work After You Upgrade to Windows ME {Q290342} Win ME
• Unable to Change Settings for IntelliPoint Mouse Devices (Explorer, Optical, & Web) {Q257770} Win ME, IntelliMouse Explorer 1.0

Power Management

• ACPI vs. APM All (Not an MSKB article, but great information by Andy Hui)
• Computer Hangs When It Resumes from Hibernation {Q303368} Win ME (with CPU 1.3 GHz or faster)

Printers

• Windows 98 & ME Printer Categories (Summarizes most of the printer-related MSKB articles)
• Windows 98 Printing Error Messages (Catalogue of MSKB articles)
• Common Windows 95 or Windows 98 Printing Questions & Answers {Q133152}
• Troubleshooting Printing Problems {Q128345} Win95, Win98, Win98 SE
• Troubleshooting Printer Output Issues in Word 2000 {KB 304433} Word 2000

• Cannot Print to Printer on LPT1 When Mapped or Captured to a Network Shared Printer {Q246971} Win95, Win98, WIn98 SE, Win ME
• Cannot Print to USB Printer {Q268656} Win98
• Extended or Unintelligible Characters Printed When You Start Windows {Q157145} Win95, Win98, Win98 SE
• How to Add the Print Directory Feature to Windows Explorer {Q272623} Win98, Win98 SE, Win ME
• How to Troubleshoot Network Printing Problems {Q243075} Win95, Win98, Win98 SE, Win ME
• Unreliable Printing When Shared Printer Name Contains Spaces {Q130650} Win95, Win98, Win98 SE

Sound

• Troubleshooting Sound Card Issues Win98, Win ME

USB Devices

• USB Issues – KB Articles Win98
• USB Issues – KB Articles Win ME
• General USB Troubleshooting {Q263218} Win98, Win98 SE, Win ME
• Universal Serial Bus lets you simply plug in and play Article by Mark Reed aimed at beginners, explains the basics of USB devices. Originally written for Win98, but of generally applicable to later Windows versions also.

• How to Enable Universal Serial Bus Support {Q258773} Win95, Win98, Win98 SE, Win ME
• Cannot Print to USB Printer {Q268656} Win98
• Fatal Exception Error Message or USB Devices May Not Work After You Insert PC Card {Q263764} Win98, Win98 SE, WinME
• USB devices may not work in Safe Mode {Q195241} Win95, Win98, Win ME, Win 2000

Video (including Monitors)

• Troubleshooting Video Problems in Windows Win95, Win98, Win98 SE, WinME
• Windows 98 & ME Video Adapter Categories (Summarizes most MSKB articles on video adapters)
• Windows 98 Display Error Messages

VMM Issues

• VMM32.VXD — An InfiniSource TechFile (Not a KB article, but a reasonably good discussion of VMM32.VXD. A little heavy-handed on how to rebuild; the method need not be so extreme.)

• 0028:C0006EB2 in VXD VMM(01) Win 98
• Exception 0D at VXD VMM(0H)+00005B01 0028:C0006B01 Win98 SE (BSOD during startup with some AMD chips)
• Exception 0E at 0028:C00082CD in VXD VMM Win98, Win98 SE, Win ME (with some Matrox video drivers)
• Fatal Exception 06 at 0028:xxxxxxxx in VXD VMM (06) Win95 (problem in MSDLC32)
• Fatal Exception in VXD VMM Win95
• SFP Does Not Protect Files That Are Located in the \VMM32 Directory Win ME
• VMM32.VXD is Required to Run Windows... Win95, Win98, Win98 SE
• VMM32.VXD missing/unable to load Win95, Win98, Win98 SE, Win ME