Yes, i think DAVEINCAPS is exactly right. I would repartition w/ the ME fdisk, and install the patch. That will make sure you have it solved (which i think will solve it). If God has to teach someone a lesson more than once to get them to learn it, it just goes to show how stubborn they are.

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ok, well i tried repartitioning and reformatting, but it's still freezing on me. i learned something new tho, that if i leave the computer frozen it eventually unfreezes itself, however just to freeze up again at a later time. i'm not sure how long it takes to unfreeze but it takes a while and i haven't found the patience to time it. i did use the windows ME fdisk as well and the patch, and partitioned the drive as follows: Primary: ~20 gig (25%); set active Extended: ~60 gig (75%) Logical: none i also ran a thorough scandisk which didn't find anything wrong. that's helpful information about WD's bundle for older BIOS. the drive happens to be a western digital (caviar) ATA-100, so i will look at their website.

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Yep, James, I would guess your Pentium II system does not support the higher Ultra DMA modes. You can though, for a nominal amount, get an add-on IDE controller card. Rule #1: Good Computers don't go down. Rule #2: There is no such thing as a good computer.

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do i need the IDE controller card to make it work or should adjusting the DMA mode support work fine alone? i guess i could try adjusting the DMA and if that doesn't work, spend the extra money for the controller card. how much does that cost?

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Just use the floppy or CD that came with the HDD...that's what it's for! ASUS A7N8X-X Athlon XP 1800+ 8.5 x 200MHz 1024MB PC3200 2.5-3-3-7 Asus A9550GE/TD 128MB WinME/WinXP Pro SP1

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There shouldn't be a problem in using an ATA 66 and higher drive on a system that doesn't support it. They're downward compatible and it should run OK at ATA 33 which is probably what your computer supports. I can't think of any reason the drive should be causing the computer to freeze. Just make sure the IDE cable is in good shape and is tightly connected. Try installing the chipset and/or IDE drivers. They should be available on the motherboard manufacturer's site.

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i think we're getting closer. i installed the chipset drivers again like you said and it's stopped freezing. my HD didn't come with driver disks so i looked on WD's website and couldn't locate the correct HD for some reason. however, now i have another problem. i'll get a random allocation error screen with a long string of numbers/letters and the whole blue screen thing again. i press "any key to continue" and i'll get my desktop back, but sometimes with problems. sometimes i'll get a partial desktop with maybe only the clock visible and other various desktop icons. other times i'll get the whole screen that comes back, but smaller problems like clicking on icons does nothing. still other times i'll get a fully functioning desktop. perhaps i should try to reinstall windows? i'll see if locating the HD drivers helps but if not i'll install windows again, plus reinstall chipset and HD drivers and see if i can get rid of the blue screen of death.

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Yeah, it'd probably be a good idea to reformat and reinstall windows. Then install the chipset drivers and the IDE patch immediately after the installation. 'Chipset' drivers is kind of a generic term. Sometimes it includes IDE drivers and sometimes it doesn't. With older systems the default 98 drivers are usually adequate. But if they're available on the motherboard site it shouldn't hurt to install them even if you don't need them.

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i know this post has been buried under the heap of newer posts, but i thought i'd update just in case ppl were wondering how this ended. so i managed to find a winXP upgrade disk at home (apparently by bro bought it just last week) and i used it on my comp. the disk said it couldn't upgrade from Win98 to XP! but there was an option to click "next" so i did and it commenced installation (what's up with that?). anyhow, the product key had been used on 2 comps at my parents place so it wouldn't work on mine. so i looked on the bottom of my laptop (which came w/ XP) and typed in that key and it worked! so now i have no problems at all. i used to think win98 was the most bug-free OS, but i guess i should tip my hat to newer technology and to the fact that mr. gates is doing something to make things better. thanks to everyone who helped me out in the thread.

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98 shouldn't have had any problems with your system but newer OS's are more at ease with newer hardware. At least you got it working again.

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