HELP, Please!!!!!!!!

I am at my wit's end with a problem that I am having. I recently had to replace a hard drive and of course as a result did a format/ reload. Everything was ok for a while, then Windows [98SE] just totally freaked out. Programs would not run, illegal op errors, fatal exception errors, you name it. Second format/reload. Everything works fine for a while, now similar problems, except programs do at least run for a while before everything starts crapping out, AND system now mysteriously reboots. I had an older version of Norton System Works and recently upgraded to System Works 2005. I don't particularly trust speed disk or optimization wizard, but I have used them out of desperation. I use Win Doctor a lot--it is not finding any problems, scan disk has not found any problems. HDD was low level formatted and burn in and testing was done at least twice before Windows installation using max blast. There are no drive overlays, since that is not needed and a total waste of system resources. I downloaded a shareware program called BurnIn Test and ran it, thinking maybe i had a flaky processor or memory issues--no hardware problems found. I downloaded and installed a shareware program called Registry Repair Pro for the heck of it--126 problems found and I do not trust that diagnosis when WinDoctor is not finding any issues, especially when I cannot stop that program from running at startup, even though i have unchecked it in msconfig--that is cause for concern about the trustworthiness of that program. Symptoms have not changed since installation of that program, so I don't think it has created new problems or complicated existing problems. No conflicts found in system properties. No known malware/adware/spyware problems. I don't yet have XP reloaded b/c I need to get this issue resolved first and I don't particularly like the idea of a 3rd format/reload. All hardware and software t'shooting results are ok, but it has to be a software conflict. I am stumped.

"except programs do at least run for a while before everything starts crapping out"

Is this over a period of days or hours?

Three things come to mind-> Over heating, faulty ram, psu is dying slowly.

Actually minutes. I don't think it is as bad as it was a while, but still occuring enough to be a major irritation. New RAM. A shareware version of CheckIt diagnostics indicated no major hardware issues. It did indicate only 29 MB of RAM for a 32MB card, but since I am not a gamer and the video does not freak out, I'm fine with that. ASUS Probe has never indicated an overheating issue. One thing I neglected to mention previously, is that I frequently have to end programs using program manager so that the system will shut down properly, HDD recently defragged, so this indicates a software or resource conflict. Further testing using CPU Stability Test 5.0, which includes whetstone tests, indicated no errors. So FPU caused illegal op errors due to divide by zero miscalculations can safely be ruled out. I have the Windows Security Updates CD and the system locked up when I was installing updates. I rebooted and re-ran it. Could this be causing the issue?

UPDATE: I have formatted and reloaded windows with only the bare essentials--modem, sound and video drivers, with Partition Magic 6.0 being the only non-essential item loaded. I have reinstalled Firefox. I have not installed motherboard drivers from the CD, or (GASP!) antivirus or firewall software--Nothing but the the absolute essentials to rule out software conflicts. Nothing has changed. I downloaded Hot CPU Tester Pro 4.0 freeware version from the internet. Firefox still getting illegal op errors. Still getting the occasional fatal exception errors and the resulting BSD requiring a reboot. Win Doctor ran from the CD indicates no problems found. I was running CPU Tester before the last BSD and an error found, though test not complete was, if I remember correctly, CPU:Error 0:Checksums do not match...[there may have been more details, but the window was minimized and i could not enlarge it. I have googled this w/ no luck. I have searched the AMD website with no luck. All symptoms seem to point to a flaky processor--I have had to replace a hard drive, memory, and my video card only has 29 MB out of 32 MB of memory, so it all fits. Motherboard SEEMS TO BE OK, but I can't be sure. Any further documentation or troubleshooting advice that any members could point me to would be greatly appreciated.

In order for video and other drivers to be properly recognized,the motherboard chipset driver should be installed first off...

I suppose that makes sense, I shoulda thought of that. :rolleyes: I am going to check the asus website for newer drivers, and install those if available. I have had Hot CPU Tester Pro 4.0 going since 10:00AM this morning, less than a hour to go on a 6 hour test. So far it hasn't returned any checksum errors. I may find something free to help me resolve the issue HERE. If CPU is dying, I am going to have a hard time finding one like I have from a reputable online merchant without having to go with a newer processor and the major hardware upgrades/replacements that go with it. I recently repaired/upgraded a system belonging to a friend of mine. It started out as a format/reload, but I ended up replacing a DOA 466 MHz Celeron CPU w/ an Athlon XP 2000+ and an ASUS A7V600X MoBo, 512MB PC400 memory and AGP 8x video card, along with a newer, bigger Maxtor 6E040L0 40GB hard drive--almost $400 to replace a dead processor. Oh, well, she ended up with a system that should see her daughter through high school and beyond for about half what a comparable off the shelf system would have cost. I guess the point I'm trying to make is that, although I can afford it, I hadn't yet planned on making those upgrades just yet.

UPDATE: I have not yet installed the MoBo drivers as suggested, but I do have a bit of new info. Tough Test Lite, a DOS based diagnostic only found errors pertaining to read only seek of my floppy drive. Hot CPU Tester did not return CPU ckecksum error 0 after a 6 hour test. My gut says (hopes?!?!) it is not a dying CPU. I am going to start saving the illegal op and fatal exception errors and use that to try to trace the error down.

I noticed you have two hard drives on your system. Are they installed with the jumpers set for Master and Slave? Or are you using the cable select settings? If you are the primary drive should be on the end of the cable and the secondary drive should be put on the middle connector. I hope this helps and good luck.

Master and slave. I suppose I could try cable select, but I have not played with that, so I am not familiar with how it works. Right, if there is only one HDD, it should be on the end of the cable so that read/write errors are not caused by unterminated connections and the master should be connected to the end of the cable, even if 2 drives are installed. The only thing about my slave drive worth mentioning is, that although it has 2 NTFS partitions, I only have a 2 gig FAT32 backup and swapfile partitionon it that I'm currently using. XP has not yet been reloaded b/c it's a waste of time to load XP until I know that I won't have to reload 98SE. As far as that goes, my current hardware config has been used since system was built in summer '01 w/ no problems until now. Man, I am totally stumped, that i know for sure. It kinda acts like a resource conflict, yet none of the utilities I have used found any problems, either hardware or software. But in light of recently replaced hardware, it seems to be a flaky processor caused from a surge even though I have a surge protector with protection indicator LED still lit. Such quality from our local power utility, but that's a bone of contention not relevant to this forum, though I'm sure the state PSC would love to know about it. Another thing related to freeze-up on shut down, which I had neglected to mention: During POST, the BIOS setup comes up, w/ processor speed setting on 900 MHz default. I have been resetting to 1200 MHz, but I am now running at 900 MHz to see what happens. If it is a dying processor, the next question is can I find a trustworthy, honest online merchant that has one, so that I don't have to replace a (presumably!) good motherboard incompatible with say an XP 2000+ or 2200+ CPU, which seems to be the best price points right now . If I tried to buy a 1.2GHz CPU released approximately 4 years ago from a brick and mortar merchant, they would probably laugh me outta the building. I won't even consider a merchant that has a lot of bad reviews HERE. Like I said, I am stumped, and I don't want to start throwing money at it w/o first being as sure as I can be that it is a hardware issue--I have learned my lesson there very well. Again, I am stumped, any input is GREATLY appreciated. Whoever helps me solve this problem, I will dance at your wedding or at the hearing when your divorce is final, whichever you prefer.