However, this article presents a list of possible cures. More importantly, it gives you a place to start looking and how to resolve problems.
The Problem
You switch your PC on waiting for Windows to load-only to find that a fatal exception has occurred and Windows won't load. Now what?
Facing with this problem can be daunting but here is a checklist of things you can do. The trick is to try one thing at a time in a process of elimination. Often this method will tell you what it is NOT wrong and more often will provide the solution to the problem.
Checklist
Here is the checklist:
· Check Disk integrity (are there errors on the hard disk?)
· Check what error messages are displayed?
· Check Windows 95 boot up menu
· Run the Windows set up program
· Run the Windows 95 recovery disk
Disk Integrity
I tend to do this before anything else simply because if the disk does have errors then all my efforts are likely to be in vain.
To check disk integrity, run SCANDISK. This will check the file and directory structure of your system and will fix any problems. SCANDISK can be run from DOS as well as Windows. Therefore, the fact that you cannot load Windows does not prevent you checking the hard disk.
Ensure that you run SCANDISK for all the hard disk drives on the system (not just the C: drive).
Error Messages
Error messages are often cryptic, but can point you towards the problem area (drivers, programs, DLL's, etc). The commonest problem is that vital files have been deleted. If you know which file(s) have gone you can restore these from the original CD's or disks.
It is important to write down the names of any files that are mentioned. Even if you can't fix your PC, it will help those that can. As well as the name of the file, make a note of the path of the file. This is the directory and drive that precedes the file name. For example,
C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM\VBA232.DLL
The file name is VBA232.DLL whilst the path is C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM\
It is best to write these down rather than trying to remember as there are so many files contained on a computer - some of which have very similar sounding names!
