We formatted my daughters puter with win98 to freshen it up but now I cant get the motitor to work right. If I go to display properties I am only optioned with 2 settings. 2 color & 16 color. I went online & downloaded a new driver for the monitor but it just acts like its the same one. Any ideas what Im doing wrong? It looks like its in safe mode this way...Thanks

Stop downloading driver for the monitor. You need to download a driver for the video card (aka "display adapter"). Do you know what brand and model of video card is in the computer? Is it a name-brand computer? If so, what make and model?

Also, you know that Win98 is no longer supported by Microsoft, no longer getting updates from Microsoft, and is basically a veritable hack-fest right now, right? If the computer won't be online, it should be fine - if it will be online, I highly recommend installing the most strict software firewall you can find and locking the computer down...or just spending $100 and buying a copy of XP.

Well its the kids puter & will be a mess before long anyway. I do have a firewall for it too. Its an HP computer but dont know what the video card is. Will I have to tear it apart? ...

Its a HP pavilion 6343 & I cant find squat on the net. I wish it had a carburator or at least some sort of problem I could see...

Here is the driver download page for Win98:

http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/softwareList?os=20&lc=en&cc=us&dlc=en&product=61036&lang=en

I am downloading the documentation on your system from HP right now, I'll see what I can figure out.

When you go into the Device Manager, do you see any yellow circles with a (!) inside? If so, under which items?

(To get into the Device Manager, open the Control Panel, then double-click the System icon)

Ok, got a couple of suggestions.

Apparently the original computer came with a "recovery kit", which would have included a rescue and/or recovery CD. If you can find this CD and there is no personal data you want to keep on the computer (or any data that can't be backed up/easily reconfigured or replaced), I would use it to restore the computer back to the state it came from the factory with. This will literally reinstall Windows, all of the software the computer came with, etc.

Here is the driver for the chipset on your motherboard (SiS 5598). If you download, extract and install this on her computer, then reobot, it should allow you to show more colors *NOTE: you can only get more than 256 colors if the resolution is set to 1024x768 or lower. At the highest resolution (1280x???), it only supports 256 colors :)

Driver download: http://satellitehead.com/stuff/5598_113.zip
Instructions: Download. Extract the "Win98" folder inside. Run setup.exe. Reboot after installation is done. Report back.

If this is doesn't work, then I can tell you this:

It looks like the computer has on-board video. This means the video card is built-in to the motherboard and it doesn't seem to use an actual video card. I can have you confirm this for me rather easily. Look at this picture:

http://images.tigerdirect.ca/itemDetails/J/J156/J156-3024/J156-3024-KD-rear.jpg

If your monitor hooks up somehwere near where the "Serial COM ports" are shown in that picture, it uses on-board video.

If your monitor hooks up in one of the "Expansion slots" like the VGA card is shown, then it is using an actual video card (AGP or PCI).

If the computer uses an actual video card, if you can get access to look at the card, inspect the card, find the largest chip on it and write down the numbers on it. I can find you a driver based on those numbers.

This is about all I got for you. :)

I was thinking, Ill go the easy route. Ill find a different video card & go from there. Now after your above post I see it IS an integrated unit. Bummer, I can see if my MIL has any of the old discs that came with it but Im doubting it. The biggest reason Id like to make this old thing fly is I could keep her off my new computer...

try using belarc advisor
www.belarc.com might give you some more info on video card...worth a shot

According to HP your machine came with a SiS 5598 Onboard video. If you went with an an add on Video it would have to be a PCI video as it does not have AGP according to HP.

This should get yo to the SIS download for that driver

http://www.sis.com/download/

Pick Windows 98
Select IGP graphics
then Choose 5598


EDIT>>>>Oh crude I missed some entries...I am OLD...Shifty got you the driver. :crazy:

The biggest reason Id like to make this old thing fly is I could keep her off my new computer...

It will fly, use the driver I just posted above :) Should work like a champ.

BTW - here is a direct link to the driver from the SiS site: http://driver.sis.com/graphic/igp/5598/5598_113.zip

This is the same driver I posted above, but it has drivers for Win NT, Win95, Win98, Win2k and maybe others. The one I hosted at my site above only has the Win98 driver in it, so it's about 1/6th of the download size.

I downloaded the 5598 driver & installed it. When I try to reboot, it keeps locking up. I tried to load it in safe mode & got it to load but after I reboot I can change it to 256 or whatever but it wants to reboot again & gets all locked up again. I changed the adaptor back to what it origionally was & its back to normal. Not right but at least I can boot the puter. I may smash it but Ill probably just drive myself crazy trying to get it to work. Any other ideas? Just remember, Im computer retarded...

could I be doing something else wrong?

Hmmm...I am not sure why it would lock up on the reboot, but if I remember right Win98 has a feature to "enable boot logging" or "step by step confirmation" when you enter Safe Mode boot menu (pressing F8 while computer is booting)

Choosing Step by Step confirmation will allow you to see what driver it's hanging up on while booting. Can you try this and type in the name of the driver file on the last line printer before locking up?

I looked at the specs on your computer - they are here: http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/document?docname=bph04584&lc=en&cc=us&dlc=en&os=20&product=61036&lang=en

The specs clearly show what chipset you are using at the top - SiS 5598. The link to the drivers above should work, assuming you're using Win98.

I still say the Rescue discs that came with the computer are the best bet, but let me tool around on the web some more and try to find something in the meantime.

don't give up - and get the info above I requested if you can. Be patient. It's only a computer. No point in beating it up ;)

Try uninstalling the monitor driver you installed before. Then reboot, and reinstall the SiS driver above.

HP might sell the rescue disc for $29.95 - those things are golden, you should always safely store any discs that come with your computer. I can get you a PCI video card for less than $30 to slap in that computer, though...so I wouldn't pay for one - you'll probably need to disable the on-board video after installing, but you never know. trying to find a video card that works with Win98 might be a challenge also (I have one or two laying around that would probably work).

Here I was ready for the wireless network to be a nightmare & I havent even gotten to that point yet. Ill wait for your instructions thanks...

I posted some instructions on the post just before yours :)

Try uninstalling the monitor driver you installed, then reboot, then reinstall. From what I was reading online last night, that SiS driver has problems with some Plug n Play (PnP) monitors, and the driver you installed for the monitor may be causing a conflict.

If you still have problems after doing this (or can't figure out how to uninstall the monitor driver), let me know some details so I can help guide you.

Meanwhile....

Any luck finding the rescue/recovery/restore disks that came with the computer?

Any details on booting up and doing the Safe Mode "step by step confirmation" as described above?

Wireless will be a pain in the tail, no doubt. Mostly because you will need to use the very insecure "WEP" encryption because it's Win98, because Win98 does not support "WPA" encryption, the more secure method.