Baslinux mailing list

[sindi keesan <keesan AT sdf.lonestar.org>]

A web search suggested many causes of a divide overflow error, the most 
plausible of which seem to be:

RAM error - reseat the chip (it must have been updated since this is a 
133MHz computer with 96MB RAM) and run a memory tester

BIOS error - related to having lost the time and date.  None of my guesses 
at how to get into CMOS setup worked (F1, F2, del) but someone else 
suggested F10 for Compaq.

Does Win98 setup perform a more thorough memory test than the boot 
sequence?  Other people had the error message trying to boot DOS.
Does linux check RAM at all when booting?

I don't want BL3 to run into the same problems when it tries to use more 
than the first few MB RAM.


The less plausible explanations of this error message included clock 
speeds over 233MHz, TSRs started from autoexec.bat and config.sys which we 
do not have either of, and memory conflict if using the wrong version of 
DOS, also corrupt program - which is possible, I guess.  For older DOS 
programs, they suggested slowing down the cpu speed with mo'slo.

On Tue, 16 Aug 2005, sindi keesan wrote:

> A friend brought over a laptop 133MHz Compaq with 92MB RAM that was given
> to him by someone because someone else 'did not like it' in their office.
>
> He said it would not boot.  It would not boot from hard drive (got to
> that point and got stuck).  It booted from floppy disk and we put on MS
> DOS 7.1 from a Win98 boot disk.  It had been reformatted and no OS put on.
> We put on some DOS utils.  Syschk worked fine.
>
> He forgot to bring the CD-ROM drive and the ethernet dongle, so we tried
> to copy via llpro from a CD-ROM drive in a desktop computer, which kept
> hanging so we copied the files to the hard drive, and then via parallel
> cable, for an hour or two.  About 200MB of installation files.  WORD 97
> would be in addition to this.
>
> I tried to install Win98.
>
> cd win98
> setup
> Enter (to continue):
>
> 'Your program caused a divide overflow.'
>
> Lots of little green squares with 7 in them, blue squares followed by :,
> and one case of a blue followed by a green with Q in it.
>
> What might be causing this problem when Windows starts to check the system
> hardware and/or software?
>
> So I booted 2-floppy BL3 which works fine even in X, and then showed him
> Abiword in BL3 on my computer and he saved the same file as .doc and .rtf
> (they both came out as rtf format - has anyone else tried to save as WORD
> .doc?) and said he would be happy with this setup.
>
> I am going to attempt to transfer my setup via parallel port zip drive, as
> a 50MB fs.img file, to run from a DOS partition, since he has no other
> planned use for this computer besides wordprocessing.  He is used to
> moving files between WORD for PC and WORD for Mac as rtf (since the
> conversion program for WORD to WORD won't work right).
>
> Why would linux work perfectly on a computer where Win98 crashes while
> checking the hardware?  It would not even warm reboot.  We tried numerous
> times, powering off, waiting, powering on.....  On several other computers
> Windows works okay but linux has assorted problems.
>
> Might it be a corrupt setup.exe?  He went home, but I want to be prepared
> for the next time.
>
> The computer we copied via also crashed with color squares when I tried to
> exit llpro, which it has never done before.  Error messages listed various
> registers.  This is the one where I tried to use pcmcia ethernet on a
> desktop in ISA-controller slot.  I can't imagine it is a related problem.
>
> keesan AT sdf.lonestar.org
> SDF Public Access UNIX System - http://sdf.lonestar.org
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keesan AT sdf.lonestar.org
SDF Public Access UNIX System - http://sdf.lonestar.org