A number of you here most noticibly,
Jim Holsonback, Matt McCarthy, Roy J. Tellason
and Charles Angelich, in no particular order,
were essential in helping me diagnose and 
repair a computer problem.
There were others as well but these four individuals
went out of their way with multiple efforts,
suggestions and utilities that assisted me
in finding the problem.
Thanks to all for sharing insider tips in diagnosing my
difficulties.
Charles Angelich serendipidously wins the prize
for helping me figure the problem out.
It wasn't what the utility Charles recommended, with link, 
told me but what it told me not. Noticed that none of my
ramdrive operations either Basic Linux 1.8 or the *nix 
based RAM testing utility were locking up the machine.
Previously I'd noted it seemed to lock on a write to drive
but that RAM test utility was so comprehensive and ran so long w/o
lockup it suggested the drive electronics to me.
This drive passed scandisk every time it ran.
Swapped drives, against the advise of some including myself
but at this point having no computer and only risking
a 325 Meg. Seagate...
Bingo! Problem solved.
So as I was planning on buying a new large drive anyway I
see this as a zero cost win - win and I've got a nice
little machine.
Thanks once again for the time and effort you all put into 
assisting me in staying online.
I look forward to accessing my CD-ROM and 50K
modem once I reload Windows 98 but am currently
running Win 3.1 on a Celeron 433 with 96 Meg RAM 
and 3,800 RPM 14.5 seek time 325 Meg. drive ;-)
--- Platinum Xpress/Win/WINServer v3.0pr5