Problems with the clock and more

Hi,

I will get another battery to see if that solves the problem and remove some of the items from startup which I know are not necessary.  Also, I just noticed that while running the scandisk which at I am doing in safe mode (as it seems to work better there) the clock is still keeping time.  It has been on for a couple of hours now.

Also, could items running in the background be the cause of any of this and if so, how can I stop them from running in the background.  I know I have done this before, but I cannot remember.

Thanks for the info.

Kelly

Time loss when the system is powered on points to a software cause - the battery is used only when the power is off.

Try disabling things one at a time until you find the parasitic program that's stealing the clock cycles.

When was last time you replaced the battery on the motherboard in this PC? Sounds like it's dying/dead. Look in your user's manual for instructions on replacing the battery. You can purchase the correct battery at most PC stores, Radio Shack etc for just a couple of dollars.

And if that doesn't fix the problem, you may be looking for a new PC sooner than you expected...

As for things running at startup, you can stop everything except your antiviral software and firewall. If you have them, you should also keep video card software and keyboard and mouse software.

Ron

Windows 9x doesn't keep true time. It doesn't even poll the system time too often.

To top things off, it uses reall memory mode instead of protected mode. What you have mentioned is a rare but known problem with Win 9x. This happens on a lot of Win9x computers.

Win 2000/XP cure the problem.

-Justin

You asked:

Q: Is it possible?
A: Yes, it is possible and it will run.

Q: Is it advisable?
A: No, it is not advisable to run XP on your computer because you do not have much memory at all!

If you want to install XP, you should upgrade to at least 256 MB of ram and also upgrade your BIOS to ensure maximum ACPI support. Yes, worst case scenario XP detects the Standard PC HAL. It will run.


Widnows 2000 is much more advisable than XP for your computer, FYI and they are essentially the same. First, check the BIOS dates and look up the drivers at support.dell.com.

-Justin

Hi Everyone,

Thanks for the input.  I didn't think I could install WIN XP on a computer as old as my desktop or with as little memory as my computer.  I have XP on my laptop and haven't had any problems with it.

Is it possible or even advisable to install XP on my desktop?

Thanks

Kelly

Hi Justin,

Since I already have Windows XP, would it be best to order a another 128 MB RAM and install it in my computer?  Since at this point that is the cheapest way to go.  I looked to see where I could purchase Windows 2000, but it is either no longer available or is currently unavailable.  At least if I installed more memory, then I could installed XP, which is a much better operating system compared to WIN 98.

Plus Dell could ship me the memory stick within 24 hours.  Is there anything special I should know prior to installing XP?  Do I need to reformat or do I just uninstall WIN 98?

Thanks

Kelly

Yes, it is best to have a minimum of 256 mb for XP to boot up and be happy with itself. If you have 512, it will be happy with itself and all of the programs.

Both Windows 2000 and Windows XP are very much nearly identical, with XP being a bit more user friendly, XP being a tiny bit more compatible, XP being better supported, and XP requring a better computer.

Overall, at the core of the OS, Widnows 2000 and Widnows XP are put together almost identically. 2000/XP both have nearly the same kernel, same core components, same design structure... XP was actually built from 2000 technology. In the development process, XP developed from 2000 meaning it slowly evolved and got more refined. XP essentially is an improved Windows 2000.

Either XP or 2000 is acceptable with XP requring 256 mb ram to run fast.

There is really no major differences in the processes XP and 2000 run except XP runs more services and uses more memory. All the processes and services together use less than 1% CPU on most systems regardless whether 2000 or XP, so there is not going to be any noticable performance difference between XP and 2000 unless you use XP without enough RAM in which case it will spend most of its time fighting your computer to page data (swap) from the Hard Drive and RAM and back. The system will be less responsive and the hard drive will be busy continuously if you do not have enough memory. To make it worse, if the hard drive is always busy moving data too and from ram via the Page File aka Swapfile, the hard disk will also be slow to perform when you ask it to open applications because it will be already busy doing other stuff.

Overall, 2000 and XP perform the same in general provided there is enough memory for each. With 2000, 64 MB ram boots up and runs sluggishly, 128 MB is okay, but 256 is much better. With XP, 64 MB would be beyond bad even though it might run, 128 mb ram runs poorly, 256 runs okay, 512 runs great. Obviously, I am referring to Office Applications, Email, Word Processing... Office work. If you want to do serrious gamming, you should consider 1 GB maybe more.

When it comes to CPU power, your system should idle! When I hit Control Alt Delete on my XP system I am on right now and look at things, I am using 2% CPU and 776 M Commit Charge. However, I also have 74 processes running. That is a lot of stuff running. However, I know what each and every program I am running does and can guarantee I DO NOT have malware. For instance, I am running some java programs, a webserver for my LAN, some databases, some office applications, GAIM for chat, the Acronis True Image stuff, Firefox, Tunderbird, Doing a Windows Update, Downloading a Torrent, and doing a Voice over IP chat via Google Talk with a friend in Utah. My computer is still very responsive i.e. my applications pop open without delay, my hard drive is not busy... The reason is that the 74 loaded programs together total only 3% cpu meaning in general they idle. They are not taxing the CPU! Next, I know 776 M memory is a lot to have in use, so I upgraded memory twice on this computer. I am actually up to 2 GB ram and have 1 GB physical memory free and virtually no swap file at all becasue I set it to the minimum.

Let me just say that if I had 512 MB ram my computer would be very slow right now. If I had 256 MB ram, I probably couldn't do what I am doing now.

______________________________


You asked if you should upgrade your ram. To answer the question, yes I think you should upgrade to 256 MB before switching to XP, which is just fine. You don't need 2000 as XP will be okay with memory.


Q: Do I need to format or do I just uninstall Win 98
A: There is no uninstalling Win98 because it is not a program but an OS. You will need to format or upgrade. (format recomended)

Q: Is ther anything special I should know prior to installing XP?
A: The process of reformating erases all data or at least makes it inaccessable by ordinary means (i.e. no longer in scope of filesystem), so you should back up all important data prior to switching to XP. You should also get all of the drivers you will need from http://support.dell.com

The drivers you should get are the drivers for the OS you will be installing. You may wish to get chipset drivers, sound/audio, possibly video, NIC, MOdem...

You should go to your Widnows 98 Devince Manager and write down all of the Devices you have and Get the XP Driver for each one before proceeding. You should also get any XP Print Drivers you will need, get the XP Service Pack for network install 266MB, so you can install it immediatly or slipstream it to the CD.

You will also want to make yourself a list of all programs you currently have and find all the install media, product keys, and anything you downloaded that you want to install. You should also ensure all the data for all of these programs is backed up too.

If you do all of this first i.e. with Widnows 98 working, you will have already planned for the worst and averted 99% of the problems you may be faced with installing XP.

_________________________

You should backup all of yoru improtant stuff then put the XP disc in the drive and boot to it. Next, you should select the partition containing Windows 98 and just tell XP to do a complete NTFS format removing all info.

XP will then do the following:

1. It will destroy the Windows 98 partition format and create a newly formated file system of a different type referred to as NTFS.

2. XP will change the partition table to reflect the type is NTFS hex 07 (don't worry about it)

3. XP will copy all needed files to the new partition and creat such things as boot.ini...

4. XP will write a new or update the MBR and boot sector, so the computer will be able to boot the XP partition.



______

Recap:

1. Backup everything
2. Upgrade memory
3. Get all programs and drivers ready to be installed after install of new OS to prevent the urgent need to fix things of fiddle with them to get them to work.
4. Finally, do the deed.


Good Luck it should be easy.

-Justin

Hi Justin,

Thanks for all the information.  Since we don't keep any important information on the desktop, because of the problems we have been having, there isn't anything on there that is needed.  Everything else we have on CDs.

I must also thank you for giving the instructions in a easy way to understand as well to complete.

I only have 512 MB RAM on my laptop with XP and previously I had 256 MB RAM.  I wish when purchasing the laptop, that I knew how important the amount of memory was to run some programs, I would have gotten 1GB.

When we purchased the new desktop, we will be making a list of the programs as well as what we will be using the computer for most of the time.  Very little on the gaming end, mostly photoshop programs and digitizing.

Yes, it was a program or process that was messing with the clock.

I know that for a fact that you are right.


The problem is that Widnows 98 has real mode for the most part. This means that each program in the Pseudo-multi-tasking environment is given a turn and the OS says, do what you need to do and then release the processor to me. The program should take the correct amount of processor time it is alloted, do what it is supposed to do and then return control to Windows, which wil then give the processor to the next program...

That is mutli tasking in a nutshel. Essentially, each program gets processor time and they take turns.

The problem with this is that the program must give up its turn or it takes too much processor time slowing down everything else even the system or crashing the system. Have you ever seen a mouse get slow on Widnows 98? How about a crash? The big problem is that Windows 98 requires the applications all play fairly and do what they are supposed to do. It trusts applications essentially. Overall, this is not a terrible thing becuase the programming language used to make the program handles the multitasking automatically for the most part. I.e. if someone makes a program it plays fair for the most part.

Some programs, don't play fair due to bugs...


On 2000/XP and Vista as well as Server 2003 all use Pre-Emtpive multitasking meaning all programs are run in true 32-Bit memory set asside by the Kernel and all programs have an enforced processor clock cycle quota. This method for the Operating System is entirely different. Each program is essentially put into a sandbox like environmnet and should not be alble to access any memory from another application... If there is a fault, the processor will detect it and report it as an error to the Operating System. You may see something like protection fault or possibly even a blue screen depending on how bad it is. Regardless, when the processor tells Windows an application isn't playing fairly Windows 2000/xp essentially burrys it alive and stomps it out. It says something like a program did something it wansn't supposed too... and it was closed! Widnows agressively denies it processor time and scrubs its used memory clean to free resources. This is why 2000/XP are superior to Windows 9x i.e. 98.

With processor time partially enforced and memory protected, applications are safe from other applications and any failure typically only results in an application crash unstead of an entire system creash requring the user hit reset.


_________________________________

Yes, I belive a program wasn't playing fairly on Widnows 98 and resulted in a problem with another entirely differnt program... the clock. On 2000/XP programs are forced to play more fairly and to make thigns even better the time is considered important on the NT Kernel Based OS such as 2000/XP. For instance, both 2000/XP periodically poll the system to check the time. In addition they on occasion check the Internet time to update the clock via a service called w32time. It syncs XP or 2000 to the NIST Atomic Clock via the Internet.


______________________________


As for having a bunch of ram, it depends on what you are going to do with it.

In My Opinion, the best thing to do is to open the Widnows Task Manger on 2000/XP and go to Performance. It will show your Commit Charge (k). Look for your Peak after running your computer for a long time i.e. just before you shutdown... You want to see the maximum amount of memory you actually use on your system.

My peak is 1215004 K about 1.16 GB memory is the most I use at any given time. Right now I am actually useing only 0.8 GB memory. Essentially, you can find out how much you peak out at and then add 20% to 50% more. The more physical memory the less likely it goes to swap. Widnows does use physical memory first typically but not all of the time. It does go to swap for no reason sometimes. However, let's say my peak was 1.16 GB and I had only 512 mb memory. I would be constantly more than 150% overloaded and very often over 200% overloaded. Sure my system would run, but it would use the hard disk to page memory back and forth. Essentially, to use more memory than the system has, it goes to hard disk.

If you use way too much, you may get virtual memory low. The easy fix is to add more memory or make a bigger page file.



I am always recomending Widnows 2000/ XP over Win9x

Essentially, there are so many benefits. For instnace, I haven't even rebooted in over a week. With Widnows 98, I couldn't even make it 1 day without needing to reboot.


-Justin