Member Avatar for RJT4054

MY Windows 98SE w/FireFox w/ AMD 32BIt cpu w/ Linksys Router and other stuff was completely falling apart. Everything was going wrong and every site I turned to on the WWW promised instant help and cures. I lost track of them! Not one of these sites to which I went using the key word "Windows 98SE" gave me any help. They either said "Upgrade your Windows" or gave me the "BSOD". After 2 1/2 days of searching I finally discovered my "System.Ini" file somehow was changed. I found an old copy, renamed it and Shazzam my problems went away, (I hope). I have pages and pages of notes, "solutions" from "Tech Sites". I don't know how the "System.Ini" file got changed. I suspect some type of MalWare but I won't know for sure until I can get some Virus detector/Cleaner to work on a Windows 98 System. Any ideas would be greatly appreciated!

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Good call by to pull an older copy of SYSTEM.INI — Windows 98 SE keeps daily registry/INI backups (System.dat, User.dat, System.ini, Win.ini) in C:\Windows\Sysbckup and those can be restored from DOS with the Registry Checker (ScanReg). The built‑in restore is the safest first step (scanreg /restore from the MS‑DOS prompt). See Microsoft’s ScanReg documentation and a practical how‑to for Win98’s Sysbckup process. (support.microsoft.com)

Because some older malware used INI edits for persistence (examples and analysis show threats touching SYSTEM.INI/WIN.INI), the change to SYSTEM.INI could be malicious rather than accidental. Isolate the PC (unplug network), then make a full copy of personal files by removing the drive or using a USB‑to‑IDE/USB‑to‑PATA adapter and scanning that drive from another, up‑to‑date machine before attempting removals on the 98 box. (hybrid-analysis.com)

Cleaning options that still work in practice:

  • Offline rescue ISO: boot from a current rescue image (for example, Kaspersky Rescue Disk), update signatures and run a full scan against the disk (these tools scan FAT32/Win9x filesystems without booting Win98).
  • On‑system scanner for legacy OS: ClamWin still advertises Win98 compatibility but provides only on‑demand scans (no real‑time protection), so it’s a stopgap.
    Note: modern Malwarebytes desktop products no longer list Windows 98 as supported, so ’s 2010 tip may only apply to ancient MBAM builds. (support.kaspersky.com)

If instability continues, ’s advice to back up and reinstall is valid. Windows 98 also includes a System Recovery route (CD:\tools\sysrec\pcrestor) that can restore core files without a full wipe if backups exist. Finally, because Win98 is long out of support (no security updates since 2006), running it online is risky — consider upgrading or keeping that machine permanently air‑gapped after recovery. (experts-exchange.com)

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Member Avatar for sparkax

Save data to disk.
Format and re-install Windows.

Member Avatar for mjdodd

one of yout problems , which is why they say move up the windows chain, is that many modern software programs do not run successfully in older versions. To do so they rely on using the system>.ini file to get the resources they need.... and 98 & ME particulary wasa bad version with a lot of hidden problems in it.
M

need I say more

Member Avatar for Biker920

Try this Malwarebytes' Anti-Malware - Download top malware scanner blurb at site claims 98SE compatibility I use it regularly works & is simple. Later---

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