|
The bootlog can be
a valuable resource when attempting to troubleshoot problems associated
with hardware of software drivers.
Here's an example
of what a successful loading will look like:
[00151C1F] Loading
Device = C:\CDROM\OAKCDROM.SYS
[00151C5C] LoadSuccess = C:\CDROM\OAKCDROM.SYS
[00151C5C] Loading Device = C:\WINDOWS\HIMEM.SYS
[00151C56]
LoadSuccess = C:\WINDOWS\HIMEM.SYS
...and failure:
[00151E01] Dynamic
load failed crlds3d.vxd : [00151E01] File not found
[00151E01] Dynamic load device crlds3d.vxd
[00151E01] Dynamic load failed crlds3d.vxd : [00151E01] File not found
From the above you
can see why this device has failed, File Not Found.
I found this very
helpful utility to help analyze that bootlog for you:
Boot Log Analyzer for Windows 95/98 from
Gemini Affinitas Ltd (v1.22)
|
|
Insert a blank floppy
into the A: drive, and on your Desktop, double-click My Computer. Right-click
the A: drive, choose Format. On the pop-up window, choose Create an
MS_DOS Startup Disk, and that's it!
|
|
As you well know, the
more "junk" you have running in the background, the more resources are
consumed, sometimes unnecessarily. It appears that every software vendor
wants something of their own starting when your system does. Well, we
have a quick fix for that! It's easy, simple, and free.
Some things to keep in mind before
starting:
-
In addition to
what you see running in the tray, there may be "junk" starting
which is truly in the background, sometimes even a ctrl-alt-del
will not expose the culprits in the pop-up.
-
Be careful what
you disable. Although usually not catastrophic, some items you
may not recognize may have a necessary function on your system.
-
Avoid disabling
any antiviral software. A good rule of thumb is to avoid anything
beginning with "NAV" if you're running Norton AV.
-
I recommend using
a utility besides msconfig which allows for saving previous
settings. This way, you are only a keystroke away from restoring
your system to square one.
|
Click START, then RUN,
type msconfig
Then click the start-up tab, look for items that start with Windows.
You may be surprised at the amount of junk you have in there!
For each item you unselect, it won't take effect until you reboot. Go
through the list and see what you could live without. Click APPLY, OK
to exit. Then reboot.
To reverse this procedure, do as above but check the items to restore
them at start up.
For Windows 95 users,
download
Startup Cop from PC Magazine.
Or for all current
versions of Windows, try
Startup Control Panel from Mike Lin.
|
|
So you like that Classic
Windows look and could do away with XP's "cartoonish" appearance?
Just right-click an
empty space on your Desktop, and on the pop-up context menu, choose
"Properties". Click the "Appearance" tab and in the drop-down menu under
"Windows and buttons", choose "Windows Classic Style".
There you have it,
that gruesome Windows 95 look ! (well almost) ;)
|
|
This will create a connection to a printer
connected to your network. Just make sure the printer is on and you're
connected to the machine hosting it.
Click Start, then Printers and Faxes.
Double-click Add Printer. Click next.
On the next screen choose, Local Printer
and not
A network printer, or a printer attached to
another computer. Click next. On the next screen choose
Create a new port, and from the
drop-down, choose Standard TCP/IP port.
Enter the address of the printer.
|
