Asa,

The fact that you can boot in to safe mode indicates that the problem
is with loading some drivers that Windows needs.  These are very
likely video drivers.  If you have a video card that's integrated in
to the motherboard, then you may be able to buy a PCI video card and
disable the onboard video through the bios.  If it is a separate
video card only, then you can replace that video card.  As for the
timing with your upgrade, it could be just a coincidence.

With all this said, I would like to suggest that what you are
experiencing could very well be age related.  There are systems
available from several vendors that are very inexpensive.  Instead of
using the money to replace worn components, it might be wise to
replace the machine with a low-cost system.  It will likely provide a
pleasant increase in speed and a newer version of the Windows OS
which is more reliable than ME.

Cheers!

Tony Mayer

PS:  You=Your Sister in the above :)





>>I've run out of ideas on this one. My sister has an IBM NetVista --
>>model 2251-TEU; Pentium III processor; 30Gig HD; 256MB RAM; Windows Me.
>>Of course her problems began almost immediately after the warranty
>>expired. She described her problems this way:
>>
>>". . .it started with the computer not shutting down completely. .
>>.just the wallpaper on the screen and I'd have to turn it off manually.
>>. .later I'd get the "improper shutdown detected" screen. I don't
>>remember if this started before or after I downloaded the Windows
>>update. I did the Windows update because I wanted to listen to the AOL
>>Radio while on-line and I couldn't do so until I got the Windows
>>(Media) update.
>>
>>Then sometimes I would get error messages like "the system is
>>dangerously low in resources", and others. . .one of them being an
>>error detected in "kernel" with some numbers following it.
>>
>>The real craziness started when I upgraded to the latest version of AOL
>>earlier this year--9.0 Security I think. . .after doing that, the
>>computer would freeze in the booting up phase. At first I thought it
>>had something to do with McAfee or something else that was installed
>>with the AOL upgrade, because prior to that, I could still use my
>>computer but it was just acting a little wacky with the error messages
>>and shuting down. After the AOL upgrade, I couldn't get past the boot
>>up to even use it.
>>
>>I then tried reformatting ("f-ing the disk") and that didn't help. I
>>took it to Cotton and it got worse. That's where you came in."
>>
>>I started looking at this computer in mid July, so this could be a
>>really LONG story. . .but I'll get to what I think are the key
>>observations.
>>
>>1) The main "symptom": The computer "stalls" at the same point after
>>the POST. The desktop would appear, but then the screen would go black
>>and the computer could only be shut down by pulling the power cord.
>>2) Swapping out harddrives and RAM sticks proved that they are OK. I
>>was able to boot up one of my computers using her harddrive.
>>3) Using an older "spare HD with Win95, or installing 98 onto her HD
>>gave the same results as Me. I can only fully boot while in safe mode.
>>With XP installed it behaved worse: it would stall immediatly after the
>>POST without ever showing the desktop, and I can't even boot in safe
>>mode with XP.
>>
>>The service technician (Cotton) told her that she had a problem with
>>her mobo. I was skeptical about that -- but I admit that I'm no expert.
>>He could be right, but I'm at a loss to understand how the mobo might
>>be affected by a Windows or AOL update. I was somewhat encouraged by
>>the fact that I was able to get "some" life from the thing while in
>>safe mode.
>>But I don't know where to go from here. Can't do much without all those
>>drivers activated.
>>
>>Basically, I don't know if this is a hardware (mobo) or software
>>(missing/conflicting? driver) problem. Or a mix of both.
>>HELP US PLEASE!!!! My sister has already resolved to just buy a new
>>computer. I'm trying to save her some money if at all possible. And I'm
>>not doing such a good job right now ;-)
>>
>>Thanks,
>>Asa Frye

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