VKD error / stack overflow error / boot-up problems

HPMan

My laptop, a Toshiba 2180, is having problems completing boot-up. The hard disk is working and familar screens appear, but the Windows 98 logo screen never appears and so the log on screen also never appears.

I'm sometimes automatically presented the Safe Mode - pick an option screen and sometimes I have force this via CTRL button. Each time I boot-up, I am given different info. After a few goes, the following is what I have managed to see and write down:

computer mentions a VKD error - Microsoft website says this is a keyboard error; it's a laptop, so think my keyboard may be knackered, but even on a PS/2 external k/board, the VKD error appears.

another item the computer mentions is a stack overflow - the value needs changing in CONFIG.SYS, how do I know what value it needs to be? I have used DOS edit command to see CONFIG.SYS, but cannot see any mention of STACKS. I have also looked at my working PC's CONFIG.SYS and cannot see STACKS mentioned there either.

computer says that the Registry File could not be found

computer mentioned a Windows Protection Error Y, but I cannot find anything on this error letter on Microsoft's website, what is it?


The laptop battery is old - about 4 years old - and seems to run down quickly when un-plugged overnight. The laptop is always ran by the mains, but a 100% charged battery at 5pm can show a very low charge come 9am next morning. The errors started on the 17th March as far as we can tell - laptop had not been used for a number of days before the 17th March - and are evident when the battery is charging. We have not allowed the battery to charge fully, but we have removed the battery altogether to see if it's a low charged battery which is the problem, but even on mains power, the problems remain.

We can manage to get to the C:\ prompt and have typed Dir/p/w and can see that all the data or at least all as it seems is still there, but it seems as if the floppy drive is not working. We may have taken the wrong C:\ prompt option in Safe Mode options screen? If the floppy disk is not working, how can we use DOS to taken the data off?

Any help would be gratefully accepted.

Regards,

HPMan.

PS, if the floppy drive was faulty, could this show up as a VKD - ie keyboard error - because Windows doesn't have it own floppy drive error code and so shares the VKD error code?

jessy

HPM wrote:

ananother item the computer mentions is a stack overflow - the value needs changing in CONFIG.SYS, how do I know what value it needs to be? I have used DOS edit command to see CONFIG.SYS, but cannot see any mention of STACKS. I have also looked at my working PC's CONFIG.SYS and cannot see STACKS mentioned there either.

A stack is a memory structure, overflow just means that there was an error, This has to be one of the worst error MSG Microsoft can display, its meaningless to most people.

try to post the text in your boot.ini file, TBH it looks like a reinstall job.

Capt'n Midnight

jessy wrote:

try to post the text in your boot.ini file, TBH it looks like a reinstall job.

Boot.ini in windows 98 :rolleyes:

Win 98 deteriates over time, nothing short of a redesign would solve that.
If you had used the cfgback or erd utilites hidden on the CD you could use these to repair. If had a backup that included C:\windows\*.da? (system.dat and user.dat) you could copy those back and try again.

if you haven't compressed the drive try this (windows protection fix sometimes)
deltree c:\d*.bin
if you have - all bets are off

Reinstalling probably won't sort this one out - by if you have an evening to spare you could try - copy the win98 folder form the cd to c:\win98 , run setup from there

not looking good TBH

must stick something on the Wiki for 98 tips

osmethod

Before following Capt'n's advice it might be worth while doing a virus scan.

If you have the space you could try a complete reinstall. If you rename the followong:

c:\windows to e.g. c:\_win98
c:\program files to e.g c:\_program
c:\my documents to e.g. c:\_mydocs

The new install then will not interfere with any of your existing programs installed.

osmethod

jessy

Depending on how important your data is. You could buy a 2.5" hard drive and a 2.5" Enclosure. Take out your old hard drive in your laptop and install the new one, do a clean install of win98, put your old hard drive into the 2.5" enclosure connect to computer through USB and you should be able to access your data from there. This can be done for about €100. (And afterwards you will have an external hard drive)

Capt'n Midnight

osmethod wrote:

Before following Capt'n's advice it might be worth while doing a virus scan.

You're not wrong there