Computer has Pentium 4 CPU, 256 mb Ram, Win98 SE

It hangs up about 75% of the time when shut down from Windows. In troubleshooting the problem, I have eliminated the following as possible causes:

1.The "fast shutdown" option,
2.All the startup programs
3.Viruses
4.The autoexec.bat and config.sys files
5.Devices loaded by Win.ini and System.ini
6.A faulty windows exit sound file
7.EMM386 related memory conflicts
8.Auto virus scan of floppy drive at shutdown
9.Win98SE has been reinstalled over existing

When trying to rule out Windows file system settings, I found that disabling the "32-bit protected-mode disk drivers" DOES solve the problem. However, replacing protected-mode driver (Esdi_506.pdr) with a fresh copy then re-enabling the protected-mode did not fix it. Evidently the protected-mode driver was not corrupted.

So my dilemma is: if the shutdown problem is solved by disabling 32-bit protected-mode, will that cause worse problems? What are the disadvantages of disabling 32-bit protected-mode? The only thing I am aware of is the need to load real mode CD drivers at startup.

Any suggestions?

I am assuming that you have tried defragmenting the hard drive. My roomie often has the same problem until he uses a Registry cleaner with Vcom's Fix-it utilities and defrags his drive.

Do you have the newest version of esdi_506.pdr?

ESDI_506.PDR

Also make sure you've got the 98 chipset drivers installed.

The Mapped Drives Shutdown Update often cures the problem, even if you don't have any mapped drives.

HTH

Dave

Thanks for the suggestions.

Steven W:

Yes I did run scan disk and defrag before starting the troubleshooting steps

DAVINCAPS:

My version of ESDI_ 506.PDR is 4.10.2222. This is the version on my Win98 SE disk. According to the Microsoft article to which you referred me, the fix presented there is only for computers using a Phoenix BIOS using Phoenix BitShift rather than LBA on hard drives bigger than 32 GB. I have an Intel motherboard with Intel BIOS, so apparently it does not apply to me. Being of a conservative nature, I am reluctant to try it. Don’t want to risk creating a worse problem. I down loaded the file to look at it. Apparently the changes made are more extensive than simply replacing the pdr file since a warning states that once the file is run, Windows cannot be uninstalled.

I don’t know how to make sure that the 98 chipset drivers are installed.

Dave357:

I checked out the Mapped Drive Shutdown Update. It suggests checking the ShutDownWaitTime value in the registry and increasing the time from the default value of 1000 milliseconds. I followed the registry path and found that my computer did not have the ShutDownWaitTime value. So I added it and doubled the wait time 2000 milliseconds. No change. Then I doubled it again to 4000 milliseconds and that did not fix it either – so I gave up.

Yeah the update version specifically addresses problems with the Phoenix bios' but it has all the functions of the original version. But these functions will be updated also and may prevent unforeseen problems. Sometimes a large HD on an older system will force msdos compatibility mode. I've heard the newer esdi_506 prevents this. I've used the update on non-phoenix systems with no problems.

The chipset drivers should have been on the disk that accompanied the motherboard when it was new. Otherwise you can download them from intel's site. You'd need them because the motherboard is much newer than win98 and contains hardware that the 98 disk doesn't have proper drivers for.

As far as checking to see if they're already installed--sometimes you can check the file dates of some of the hardware in device manager. But even if they're already installed it doesn't hurt to reinstall them.

I've only had a shutdown problem on one Win98 SE PC, & it was a weird one...

From reading some of the MS Knowledge Base articles (after trying the usual patches), I decided to try disabling hardware in Device Manager. I went through the hardware, one item at a time, rebooting & then attempting to shutdown. When I got to the keyboard, it solved the problem, though (strangely) the keyboard still functioned just fine.

After a reinstall of Windows "Over the Top", the problem didn't reappear.

HTH

Dave

Another interesting fix! I'll have to keep that in mind.

I setup an old NEC P-II a few days ago with 98 SE and had the shutdown problem with no additional software installed. I installed all the patches and experimented with various power options in windows and cmos but nothing worked. I never tried disabling anything in device manager. I finally just put first edition on it.

Dave357:

I've fixed my shutdown problem with a fix you suggested. Nowhere in the Microsoft article to which you referred me did I find a link or reference to the update. So I assumed that none existed. They merely refer you to Technical Support. As mentioned previously, I manually made the registry changes mentioned in the article – but to no avail. Apparently, in addition to the registry changes, you also need the new versions of User32.dll and User.exe which the update provides - which makes sense. I was not bright enough however to do a search for a SHUTDOWN UPDATE.

For me it is as difficult to follow the organizational logic of Microsoft’s website as it is to use their products. I spend a lot of time just going around in a foggy circle.

I found a reference to the Update in a German website. The reference is:

Windows 98 Second Edition Mapped Drives Shutdown Update
http://www.microsoft.com/windows98/downloads/contents/WURecommended/q260067/Default.asp

Thanks for your help