Member Avatar for hetixo

Hi all.

A rather annoying problem has developed on bootup. Occasionally, the system freezes just before the AVG icon ususally appears in the system tray. I'm running Windows 98. Could anyone help with simple straightforward instructions?

ta

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Dani AI

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Good troubleshooting from and — an intermittent freeze that happens late in the boot sequence usually points to a resident program, startup driver, or resource conflict rather than a core Windows file. The fact it only happens sometimes and can be avoided by changing how something runs strongly suggests a startup-time component is involved.

A practical isolation workflow:

  • Boot to Safe Mode (press F8 while the machine starts). If the freeze disappears, focus on non-essential drivers and TSRs.
  • Do a selective startup with the System Configuration tool (msconfig) or by moving non-Microsoft entries out of the Startup folder, then re-enable items one at a time until the offender appears. This isolates which program or helper DLL causes the hang.
  • If the freeze still happens in Safe Mode, test hardware: run ScanDisk, test RAM (swap sticks or run a bootable memory tester), and check for bad sectors.

Checks to run next:

  • Use ScanReg (Win98 registry backup/repair) and run a full ScanDisk/defragment; corruption can stall boot.
  • Look in Control Panel -> System -> Device Manager for devices with errors or shared IRQs; update or remove suspect drivers.
  • If the suspect program integrates with mail or networking, try disabling the network card temporarily to see if the boot freezes are network-related.

Cautions and long‑term notes:

  • Back up the registry and create a boot/floppy recovery disk before making changes. Avoid uninstall/reinstall cycles without a restore point. Given Win98’s age and lack of updates, consider migrating to a supported OS for stability and security if practical. These steps will help move from the temporary workaround to a permanent fix.

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Member Avatar for caperjack

Hi all.

A rather annoying problem has developed on bootup. Occasionally, the system freezes just before the AVG icon ususally appears in the system tray. I'm running Windows 98. Could anyone help with simple straightforward instructions?

ta

try disabling avg auto protection and rebooting computer .

Member Avatar for hetixo

try disabling avg auto protection and rebooting computer .

thanks.

Can't seem to find where/how to do that.

Member Avatar for caperjack

don't use it ,not sure either ,but if you double click on it down by the clock .you should open a manager and it will be in there somewhere .

Member Avatar for hetixo

seems to have stopped doing it if i stop it from automatically scanning emails on boot-up. I just turn on the email scanner before i run outlook. ta.

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