Icons at start-up load very slowly under WIN98

[Master]

It`s an ordinary problem I`ve had with every installation of my WIN98. But after less than two months after clean installation through formatting drive C, it started to do it again: Icons load approx.20 seconds. All of sudden. I just restarted it once (not after any installation, just restarted it after browsing) and it still keeps doing it (more than two months by now). It`s ridiculous, since Windows loads under 10 seconds, but icons load twice that long. I`m sure there must be something that can be done about it. I haven`t searched the web for that yet, but if anybody here knows I`d appreciate his solution (other than reformat and reinstall).

I tried X-Teq, but nothing related to desktop, or icons, or their cache or anything helped. Even "Save desktop Icons" utility couldn`t do anything about it, neither driver versions that let you save icon state at restart.

I`m sure everybody had this problem with WIN98, it`s repeating every time after some time it`s being used no matter what graphics card, CPU, board or drivers are present in my rig.
And no, I won`t upgrade to another system, although I might consider some service pack (I have none installed that I know of).

Thanks

[digitalwanderer]

Go to your "run" box and type in "msconfig" and hit enter. Go to the last tab on your right, the "start-up" tab and list what's there.

The only time I've ever had trouble like that was the first (and last ;) ) time that I got nailed by Gator.

I don't think it's a win98se problem per se, I think there's something that's been installed on your system behind your back. ;)

[styles-T]

I can also be a memory problem?

Try getting cacheman and upping your Icon cache..

[Master]

Regarding msconfig, I`ve got only scanregistry, systemtray, nwiz and nvcapldeamon there.
As for Icon caching, I tried changing this value in XTeq system setup, but nothing has changed.

And this is ordinary windows 98 problem. I`ve been having it for more than 5 years with every damn isntallation of windows.
The real problem might be, that this installation is old about 3 months, which is usually pretty much for a win98. But I`m not willing to reinstall everything from scratch currently. Although if it dies, I`ll have to. But not just now.

I think that there must be some stupid solution to this that everybody who knows it just thinks : " Damn, he doesn`t know that ?".
I`m refusing to think that nobody else has had this problem with his win98 with every installation after some time. It`s a pretty common issue that sucks, because win loads under 10 secs, and icons load about 25 (even if there are just about 10 of them on desktop).

Nevermind, i shall try to search the web for it, I just thought that if I post it here, there shall be many constructive replies, since win98 is prettty old and known system... Sigh

[digitalwanderer]

...fall back on the basics. When's the last time you de-fragged your harddrive?

[cricket]

did u try this? http://www.windows-help.net/windows98/troub-111.shtml

[Master]

digitialwanderer: Defrag didn`t help icons (not that I expected it, nor that I defragged because of icons - I defrag once a month and during last 4 weeks I haven`t installed a damn thing, I barely had the time to browse web and emails). But thanks for the tip.

cricket: Thanks ! Great link ! I`ll bookmark it. Unfortunately I shall have the opportunity to try only the next time when my icons mess because...

...because yesterday I reinstalled Detonators and it helped ! Although about 6 weeks ago I installed another detonators and they didn`t change anything with icons. But 42.01 did help.
Anybody knows about some internal connections between detonators and icons ?
Strange, isn`t it ? But hey, it`s win98 after all...

EDIT : I forgot for another major improvement : My WIN finally shuts down from Start menu again ! Before it used to freeze at screen " ... you can now switch off your computer..." Now it shuts down every time as it should ! Now who says installing detonators can`t help ? :-)

[cricket]

it may sound weird, but after i installed the 43.45 drivers, my (i only have about 5 icons on desktop) icons for shortcuts to 2 of my games were displaying the wrong icon that goes with them. like the vietcong demo icon was for some reason displaying the devastation demo icon in its place. so far ill i did was uninstalled 43.45 drivers and installed 30.82 drivers and all seems ok in the ast 24 hour's. seems weird as i said, but it is working good so faR. i never have much luck with any of the 4x.xx driver's(although the 4300.s were working good) on this system. ill stick with the 30.82's for now. not much gain in 3dmark test from going into the 4x.xx's drivers for me anyways.

[digitalwanderer]

Originally posted by Master
EDIT : I forgot for another major improvement : My WIN finally shuts down from Start menu again ! Before it used to freeze at screen " ... you can now switch off your computer..." Now it shuts down every time as it should ! Now who says installing detonators can`t help ? :-)

I'll betcha a dollar it was a .dll conflict somewhere with your last set of viddy drivers then. Not only would it explain your icon problem, but it's also one of the biggest instigators of that 98 shut-down bug around. :)

I can't tell you what KIND of .dll conflict, but I bet it was one. ;)

[Master]

I'll betcha a dollar it was a .dll conflict somewhere with your last set of viddy drivers then. So you`re telling me that shut-down bug might have been caused by VidCard drivers ? What is that supposed to have with shut-down ? I just thought that the drivers might have accidentally revived some system`s part and that`s why it works again.
Damn, this WIN98 doesn`t stop surprising me even after so many years (although one of my friend at one time was able to print only under specific vid-driver set (and what deos vid-driv.have to do with printing ???), new version didn`t allow him to use the printer, no matter how many clean installations has he done-later he bought new printer and all was fine, but anyways...).

[digitalwanderer]

Not necessarily your viddy card drivers, but SOME drivers on your PC are mucking it up and causing it to not shut down right...yup. :)