This isn't the first time I've posted a message on here, but the goalposts seem to have been moved since the last time.

In a nutshell, I'm trying to install Win98SE to a new PC I've assembled myself. It's a T'bird 900 on an Abit KT7-RAID mobo, with an IBM 30 Gb ATA-100 HDD (not yet connected to the RAID port, obviously), 128 Mb RAM, with a 3D Prophet 2 MX. Scandisk runs okay, reporting no problems. Once Setup began, and I selected my optional components, I received a GPF :

"Application Error - W98SETUP caused a GPF in module USER.EXE at 0000:0093".

I then got dumped back into DOS, which helpfully reported :

"Standard Mode : Bad Fault in MS-DOS Extender
Fault : 000D Stack Dump : 0000 0000 0070
Raw Fault Frame : EC=0000 IP=5EF7 CS=037F FL=3087 SP=FFEE SS=02DF

Fine - perhaps the memory's bad. But it doesn't appear to be - I've swapped memory from my current PC, and tried SIMM different slots, and the suspect RAM works fine in my machine. Stubbornly, I decided to try again. Brilliant, another GPF creating the startup disk...reboot, and try again - the much lauded Safe Recovery should kick in.

Well, it doesn't. The last occasion I tried Setup (a mere few minutes ago), I was greeted with this beauty of a message on creation of the 98 Boot disk :

"Error Message

Setup cannot open C:\WININST0.400\icshare.inf. The file may be missing or damaged, or there may not be enough memory to continue. Free some memory or increase your swap file size, and try running setup again.

Message SU0410"

Having been dumped back into DOS, and my curiousity aroused by the "memory" issue, I ran fdisk /status, which duly informed that I only have 8Mb of free space ! On a 30 Gb drive !!!

I also noticed, on the second and third attempts, that the default directory for Windows installation was listed as C:\Windows.002 and C:\Windows.003 - this is a new one on me !

Just what the hell can be going on?

I had originally suspected that it was a bad hard drive, but I've performed a full surface scan both from DOS in the new machine, and in this, my own machine. Several hours of my life later, I was greeted with a clean bill of health (although initially, the drive CHS was being mis-reported - that old 8.4 Gb chestnut - but I've since resolved that...I think).

I'm approaching my wit's end - I've been trying to get the cursed thing going for the best part of a week !
Any help or suggestions, as ever, is greatly appreciated...

I know people HATE to hear this, but there comes a time and place where it would BEHOOVE you to take the thing in to a competent shop and have a professional diagnose/repair your system. My personal opinion is that it's great to self-install/upgrade stuff WHEN IT WORKS THE WAY IT SHOULD. After that, there's no law that says that one should continue to beat his head against the wall trying to diagnose everything under the sun to get it to work. You're obviously not poor (judging by your specs), so give yourself a break--spend the $50.00 to $100.00 a tech would charge and get the thing running. Just my op....

http://www.ehelpfree.com/nathan/#ima6

this site will give solutions

I've seen computers do some really amazing things if the Windows CD or CD rom are faulty. Think thats a possibility?

Try a different boot disk... I've seen corrupted boot disks load fine, but give problems when trying to run setup for the O/S. I'm a PC tech and have built MANY Athlon PC's, and have had this problem before. Nine times out of ten, replace the boot disk with a known good one and you'll be set.

Charlie

I agree with Vod, if none of the suggestions help above take it to a shop to find out the problem. Unless you have diagnostic utilities that they have in computer repair shops you will not find out where the problem lies.