[Ham-Computers] Win98...not convinced this is a virus

[refmon]

Hi,

Happy New Year, all.  I've been having a problem here that on the =
surface behaves like a virus, but the more I wrestle with it, I wonder =
if I don't have a plain old obscure tech problem.  Here's the tale o' =
woe:

This is a Radisys EMI-shielded server and is basically electrically =
bulletproof.  I'm running a Lanner single board computer board with =
512MB memory and 750MHz PIII.  It's got the usual audio & video boards, =
an extra SIO board, a GPIB board, and SCSI Adaptec 3940 AUWD dual =
channel.  Disk is 18GB 10K RPM IBM OEM, CD is 40 x Plextor, and DVD is a =
Creative unit.

This thing has been rock solid...gets all the updates from Microsoft, =
Norton, etc.  Also runs Trojan killers, spybot killers, and I manually =
back up my registry files daily...both sys.dat and user.dat (that =
actually helps this problem a lot).

Here's the problem, which happens repeatedly, although not very often:  =
cruising along just fine and then it's like a truck hit the PC...a burst =
of seemingly meaningless disk activity and blue screen with one of a =
variety of "fatal error messages"...it is never possible to continue to =
an orderly shut down even though it says to try.

Finally, I shut down the PC for a hard reset...opening boot is fine, but =
as soon as the boot sequence gets to reaching for the C drive, I get a =
corrupted disk error and that scandisk must be run (even though I've =
replaced scan disk with Norton Disk Doctor.  So I say ok, and it tells =
me Scandisk can't be found, even though it's in the path that just got =
booted in.  I've discovered that if you push enter enough, the PC will =
eventually bypass this stage and continue loading windows...at this =
point, one of two things happens:

1)  Windows "discovers" a problem with my registry and fixes it for me, =
then reboots...if that happens, you're in =
perma-loop...reeboot/fix/reboot/fix, etc etc.  A hard power down =
generally breaks that cycle.

2)  Windows actually boots through sign on screen and runs, although =
some drivers may be corrupted.  Usually either the NIC driver is blown =
or one or more network services are gone.  They reinstall in the routine =
manner.  Of course, you must reboot...that's when the scandisk stuff =
comes up again.  I have completely diagnosed this disk with scandisk =
manually, Norton Disk Doctor, and taken the SCSI drive to another =
Radisys server here (after virus scan, trojan kill, etc) and diagnosed =
it both ways there...no problems at all...not even a bad =
sector...nothing.

I now have the PC running apparantly normally except for this scandisk =
BS, which, I have determined requires 38 pushes of the enter button...I =
got PO'd and bored.

Anyone have any ideas?  First, why won't scandisk step aside when I =
select "replace scandisk with Norton Disk Doctor" (done in Norton)?  =
2nd...where did the bit or byte get stuck that keeps insisting on =
running scandisk?  In that it insists on running scandisk, why can't it =
find it?


any ideas or direct solutions greatly appreciated

best regards

John Collins
_________________________________________

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