PC start up weirdness

[The Destroyer]

Ok, since I'm too cheap to call my PC supplier's tech support line, though I'd check with some of the computing "gurus" here first for advice.

Basically, when my PC starts up and gets into Windows (98 SE, for those who care), it states that it's "detected an error in the system registry". It reboots, fixes it, and reboots again, then it works perfectly fine. I assume it restores a backup of the registry or something, since I lose all the shortcuts to like the last 10 files I opened, and none of my IE history is retained. It's not really stopping my PC from working, it's just annoying more than anything else.

Any ideas what could have caused it? First person to tell me to format gets a smack. :y:

[everyhourdylan]

format. end of discussion

[The Destroyer]

*smack*

I have better things to do than spend hours backing up stuff onto CD-Rs, until it starts impairing the operation of the PC, I will not format.

And I asked for a cause, not a solution. :rant:

[Ninti the Mad]

Dont back up stuff then. Format.

[YOUR Hero]

Whens the last time you ran a scan disk or defragmented your comp?

[road doggy dogg]

Yeah I used to have that problem too, annoyed the living piss out of me.

I honestly can't remember for the life of me how I fixed it, or if I even did. I think it just stopped happening after a while, I dunno. :o

[The Destroyer]

There's always been something wrong with this PC in the sense I can't defragment or use Scandisk, since something keeps interfering with them and making the defragment/scan skip back to the start. Last scan that would have been run would have been the last one run in DOS after an improper shutdown, which was probably a a week or so ago.

But meh, I can live with it, really.

[Bad Company]

If you want to get rid of it, download a registry cleaning tool. Or a Suite of tools that has a registry cleaner in it.
I swear by System mechanic (www.iolo.com) it's only a trial version but you can crack it with a crack from www.astalavista.com

[YOUR Hero]

do your scan disk and defrag in safe mode. That will stop it from starting over and over and over.

If you don't know how to get into safe mode, this is how you do it. Restart your comp. and while its booting up press the F8 key. That will give you options on how to start up your comp, one of which is safe mode.

Do your scan disk and defrag in this manner, then after your complete reboot your comp and let it start up as you normally do.

[The Destroyer]

Well, that seemed to work.

Scandisk picked up a few errors and that System Mechanic thingy cleared some junk out of the registry, and it hasn't given me the error the last few times I've switched the PC on. Didn't bother with the defragment though, I don't have time to spare. :(

Might leave it running overnight and let it get that done...

[YOUR Hero]

Yeah, do it before going to bed. If it's been a long time since you defrag'd it'll take a long time. I do it @ once a month.