Problems with 98SE...keeps rebooting.

[blabay]

I built a new PC but used my old HD with the operating system still on it becuase I was cheap and didn't want to buy Windows.
Well, for the most part it works great. It took me awhile to get everything working and I probably wont do it again...BUT.......Ever since day one with this new computer I've had a symptom I cannot figure out.
About every third time I fire it up, It reboots after POST and Scandisk runs just like when you crash and restart. It will reboot like this 3 times before it finally starts up.

Now, before you tell me "Reformat your hardrive and buy Windows you cheap SOB!", I'd like to find out if there is some way to fix this.
Any ideas?

[su root]

Does it reboot right after POST before windows, or half way done loading windows, or when?

If it's right after POST, but before windows starts, try updating your mobo's BIOS, and double check your settings in BIOS. (it could also be an intermittent hardware problem.

Halfway done windows (or at the start of loading windows) then try removing old devices it may be trying to initialize (boot into safe mode, and go into Control Panel/System, and delete any devices you don't have in your computer)

[Burning Phoenix]

Post all of your systems specs for people to help.
The only time this happens to me with win98 is when i overclock too high with my ASUS P4T board. It becomes unstable and reboots by itself.

[blabay]

It reboots right before windows builds the desktop. So I suppose thats halfway through Windows loading.
I've loaded optimized settings in the BIOS, but it was doing this before I changed the BIOS settings. It also did this before I installed my sound card and modem card. I'll check what you mentioned.
Any other ideas anyone?

Here's the system:

T-bird 1.33 @ 1.33 (10 x 133)
Epox 8k7a
15 Gig ? HD
Panasonic Cheapo sound card
Voodoo 3 3000 PCI
56k pci modem
? cdrw
Windows 98 SE

[turd]

try going to run and typing : "sysedit " check out your config | autoexec | win and system ini for artifacts from your old system

[su root]

Try running "msconfig" and disabling stuff one by one on startup... you'll eventually find something that's causing the problem, or you'll know it's windows.

[blabay]

Thanks alot. I never checked that.
The only thing I did to prepare the harddrive for the new motherboard was to delete all the entries under local machine/enum in the registry. It was a suggestion from one of the forum members here and it seemed like it worked, but I should have known it wouldn't be that easy.

[typhoonmike]

Well I'll go ahead and say reformat and go out and buy Windows you cheap S.O.B. Heh.

[Yodums]

Since you have a CDRW ... Burn Win 98 :)

heh ... its mostly any of your friends would have it or if you have MSDN stuff at work which you can borrow or something you can borrow MSDN Win 98 SE or 1st Edition and burn it :)