[Search for users] [Overall Top Noters] [List of all Conferences] [Download this site]

Conference noted::windows95

Title:Microsoft Windows 95 ("Chicago")
Notice:Please read topics 1 to 22 before writing anything
Moderator:EEMELI::BACKSTROM
Created:Mon Nov 14 1994
Last Modified:Fri Jun 06 1997
Last Successful Update:Fri Jun 06 1997
Number of topics:2958
Total number of notes:19968

2786.0. "Cannot boot in safe mode, normal boot is ok." by 28981::A_ANDERSON (CX03 2/H13 NSU/VAX MacGhille Aindrais) Fri Feb 07 1997 19:35

Hello all,

I got a wierd problem.

I needed to boot into safe mode to troubleshoot a problem with a Exabyte Tape
controller and Cheyenne Backup software.  Unfortunetly my system wont boot into
safe mode it fail with a "error initializig IOS windows protection error"

I removed the config.sys and the autoexec.bat no good.  Of course once you get
this message you cannot boot normally since the previous boot was not succesful.
So it forces you to boot into safe mode which fails, and around and around you
go.  The only way out is to boot into "safe mode command prompt".  Then I am
able to boot normally once again.

It does not appear to be creating a IOS.LOG file so anybody got any ideas on how
I find out what is causing this new feature.  Its not a big deal but I figure I
should attempt to solve it before I have to boot into safe mode for real some
day.  

The tape drive problem Cheyenne Backup does not like high speed mode selected
when using Exabytes High speed controller.  Which means Cheyenne Backup runs at
3.5 MB per minutes while Seagate backup runs at 10 MB per minutes.  

Cheyenne wanted me to try it in safe mode to eliminate and other driver
interaction issues.



Thanks in advance for any ideas
Alan Anderson
T.RTitleUserPersonal
Name
DateLines
2786.1COOKIE::FROEHLINLet's RAID the Internet!Fri Feb 07 1997 21:446
    Sounds like a bad protected mode driver. I would re-install the OS
    on top of what you have. Maybe it is only a corrupted driver image.
    
    Btw. did you try to press F8 when it says "Starting Windows"?
    
    Guenther
2786.2F8 was how I got there in the first place28981::A_ANDERSONCX03 2/H13 NSU/VAX MacGhille AindraisFri Feb 07 1997 22:3515
I was going to reinstall this weekend, to see if anything is corrupt, of course
with all the patches installed over the last year and a half 20 or so images
dont get replaced, by default.  Ive had to do the reinstall to verify images a
few time.  I have yet to find a corrupt image but strange and mysterious
problems just go away afterwards.

I had always thought safe mode was a subset of the protected mode drivers used
by the normal operating systems.  Thats what I get for thinking.  

I even upped my cache timing to 3-3-3 and added three wait states on memory
reads and writes.  Just in case I was pushing the envelope.


Alan

2786.3If it aint broke dont try to fix it.NOTAMI::A_ANDERSONCX03 2/H13 NSU/VAX MacGhille AindraisMon Feb 17 1997 16:2127
This weekend I thought I had the time to reinstall Win 95 on top of my existing
configuration.  In the hopes of finding a corrupt image. 

After the reinstall the system would not boot at all.  I got the same very
informative "Error initializing IOS Windows protection error", on both a normal
and a safe mode reboot.  No IOS.LOG file to give me a clue.  

There was now way out short a reformat reinstall and restore my backup.  

By the way Cheyenne single disk restore does not work to well, (thier tech
supprt says there is a update due out soon).  I eventually had to go back to a
Conner backup from last December.  After doing a minnimal install and a complete
restore from tape I was back a nonbooting system normal or safe mode.  So a
second reformat and rebuild, and I manmaged to resore my C drive from Cheyenne
(it gets a invalid page fault when it switches from the C drive session to the E
drive).  This time I told it only to replace newer files and Now I am back to a
bootable running system but safe mode still does not work.

I'll live with it.  

But I'll probably live to regret it.

Moral of the story! If it works dont touch it.  If you do you had better be sure
of your backups.


Alan
2786.4COOKIE::FROEHLINLet's RAID the Internet!Tue Feb 18 1997 18:205
    "rem" out everything in your AUTOEXEC.BAT and CONFIG.SYS and try again.
    
    Always another option ... install from scratch.
    
    Guenther
2786.5That was the first thing I triedNOTAMI::A_ANDERSONCX03 2/H13 NSU/VAX MacGhille AindraisFri Feb 21 1997 22:5415
I renamed the autoexec.bat and config.sys so it would boot without them. It
didnt help.  This was the first thing I tried.  

After the reinstall I was able to boot safe mode until I restored my backup.  So
Its a corrupt file or some sort of software conflict, that does not affect the
standard operating environment but only safe mode.  


Some day I'll have a three day weekend that I'll blow doing a complete
reinstall.  Or just chuck win95 and go to NT.

Alan