Thanks so far for the replies. However it did not work.

I was going to respond last evening but I was confronted by a party of
sorts, and just couldn't concentrate. Now I am in my own suite and all
is quiet. On the hope that it would work, I fed the beast a Linux disk
(MEPIS).

Now during bootup Linux tells you everything and I swear I saw
something aboout a failure to initialize the network or something like
that, and I thought I was sunk. I was starting to think that somehow
the ROM in the NIC got corrupted, well, not really ROM, but maybe
updateable firmware or something like that. This would not be the
first time.

I have seen it happen more than once on older motherboards, and I
think it happens when the filters start going. I know that is
happening, I can hear noises out of the soundcard, like during
harddrive activity.

So I was thinking I needed another NIC, but then here I am. I am on
Linux in Mozilla and it is working. So the plot thickens ? I mean the
fact that Linux can connect clears the hardware I would think, or does
Linux have such better drivers or something that it can do that ? Or
did it repair the problem on the fly ? I guess I'll find out when I
boot back to Windows. Hmmmmmm.........if I boot back to Windows
(lol).

No really, I want my Windows to work too, it has certain unusual
features. For example I can watch a video, but with any other audio I
choose. I can play as many songs I want at the same time. I can also
play multiple videos. This came in real handy when I was the download
monster of the town.

Anyway, I started a new thread because the other one was going down
the list fast due to the spamming, the nike crap and all that.

I don't want to stay on Linux forever, actually I would like to have
two PCs or a dual boot system. But I would still like the 98 to work
on the internet.

So the main question at the moment is; Could some hidden adapter
settings be screwed up but Linux is so much better it found it anyway,
or is the problem been proven to be Windows. We know the hardware
works, but what I am asking is it possible that the hardware will no
longer work with Windows 98SE ?

There is one other thing, "Bob" mentioned DHCP. I found no such
setting anywhere and I have been all over the place as far as I know.
Is it possible that after the crash there is a component of Windows
missing ?

Any file could be gone. The original error was "HIMEM.SYS" missing or
corrupted. Nothing should ever write to that file so barring a
harddrive failure which I doubt, it's those filters. I know I need
another PC, and am looking for the fastest newest thing I can run 98
on. I'm thinking like a regular Athlon around a gigahertz. But that
one is likely to have the exact same problem. If I have to go XP I'll
just get a new one, I just don't want to do that.

Thank you,, but unfortunately I am still a bit lost. We know a few
things that it isn't, just don't know what it is.

JURB