My computer crashed

Everything is totally gone. It is a good thing that I am not really attached to stuff,lol.
Anyway...I had been having problems with my Java. Then I started having trouble with my computer just randomly shutting down.
Then, windows crashed.
I couldn't get the computer to boot back up.
So...I decided that I should reformat it. I use XP Professional.
It took a long time, but then I got a window that said it was shutting down windows.
I have been trying to get this back online since Monday.
I tried wiping and reloading 3 times.
I then remember someone saying that Windows 98 was a good OS to use when your computer crashes, so, I dug it out.
My computer let me install 98-Second Edition and it is booted back up.
However, it doesn't recognize my ethernet card and it won't let me use the CD to load the drivers. It says I am missing some type of DLL file.
So...I can't get online with it.
Any suggestions? Please?

First you probably never had to wipe the thing. XP has something called the recovery console that just by getting into it reinstalls all of the files your OS needs and repairs what is necessary. If your computer can't boot you can still get to this from booting off of the XP CD.

You don't have drivers because you'd have to install them on 98 but they come automatically with XP.

Your computer just may have been getting too hot because of the spontaneous reboots and a cooling tray costs about 15$

Since you already formatted you can't get your data back but I would suggest re-installing Windows XP , get all of the updates from Microsoft, defrag your hard drive and keep your computer cool.

I know that is just what you want to hear at this point. I would repartition the drive and then reformat it. Reinstall the XP and go from there. 98 probably doesn't support the items you mention.

I was at Dell for many years before they went to the dark side.

it sounds to me like you have a virus of some kind. Have you been able to do a virus scan?

Hopefully someone with more knowledge will answer.

well before, won't work on your HD now. If I had to fix your puter, I'd install a new HD, something anyone can do. It involves unplugging, removing a few screws, sliding the old drive out, putting the new one in, plugging it up, attaching a couple of the screws, and then loading Windows XP. A new drive is a lot cheaper than a new puter.

I suspect the HD because you haven't been able to load Win98 fully and with uncorrupted files.

There are some nasty viruses out there, HDs can wear out, and other things can cause it to fail. The good news is that you may be able to piggyback your old HD in once you get the box up and running and retrieve some of your data. Just make sure you match the plugs, either ribbon cable or SATA.

Google will provide you with diagrams if you've never done this before.

though. Can anyone with a few extra thumbs do that, too? :)

so you might want to pick their brains at the puter store to get one that will fit. The spaces are tighter so you'll have to be a little more careful about zapping the motherboard with static electricity.

Desktops are easy, plenty of room to work.

HDD replacement is as easy or easier than desktop. Usually 1 screw for the cover then slide the drive out. Also some older laptops had a "special" partition that was used by the manufacturer <dell> that had to be reformatted or you would get dll errors. Also if you buy a new hard drive make sure you have NO BIOS security password set if it is a dell. dells hate to let you use "other" vendors for replacement.

:)

got hacked and someone embedded a "trojan" into the java. We all had to delete the temporary files in java. It was causing our computers to shut down. If you were running a firewall it should have alerted you. For some reason the firewall couldn't stop that particular trojan as it wasn't a true trojan. I can't remember all the details and I lost the post with the instructions on how to fix the problem because we upgraded the software.

I've done that twice. It's a pain but at least you have access while you figure out the other problem. :(

get an authorization number for your XP... Tell them why you reformatted and that should be that....

which has finally gone to its ultimate reward, being cannibalized. I'd have to reload XP every six months on that thing because the software would corrupt. I just reregistered it online as usual, never bothered with explanatory phone calls. Reloading usually came after I'd logged a bunch of error messages to them before the thing crumped out completely.

I had to keep two HDs in that thing, swap them back and forth to retrieve data from the old, crashed XP drive to the newly reinstalled drive.

I always suspected either a flaw in the power supply or a mobo problem.

Yes, you can register online, but the OP has no online capablities and cannot get his XP up and running on a formatted hard drive, but yet it will accept a version of win 98....

my laptop IS my life (repository of all my work, notes, hours I've not yet billed clients for, etc.). Had the same symptoms as you, and when I rebooted from what I thought was an emergency disk, it reinstalled XP. Good googa mooga! Fortunately I had been backing up my files weekly on a lovely Seagate 300GB external drive, so most things have come back (but not all of my Outlook Express files---if anyone has any bright ideas I'm happy to take suggestions as to where these files might be found!). Also, my wireless card refuses to work at all since then, which is a nuisance. Something about ethernet drivers, but my "drivers and utilities disk" has not been helpful thus far.

I wish I had been able to just restore things without evil XP reinstalling, but....(sigh)

Wonder if it's a virus that got us, tho.

Fedora release from Redhat
http://www.redhat.com/fedora/

I use mostly win2000/XP for clients, and Linux for server. Only reason I use win is compability for work, so I'd switched if I could.
If you're not too attached to the computer win-wise, you should contemplate wether Linux can do the job better :-)