I have an IBM ThinkPad running Win98. Can't boot up - don't think any virus has attacked, but ???. I get message when trying to boot up the system after 'Win98' screen appears, 'General failure reading drive c'. Message 'Windows has detected a registry/configuration error'. Scandisk doesn't work - encounters errors while reading clusters - select 'fix it' and it may do a few times, then freezes - at 33% normally, though at other % at other times. HDD led flashes, then goes solid, then times out. Nothing happens. Scanreg won't work either. HELP!!! Booted using Win98 startup disk but same problem.

Thanks.

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FLoG

Try this; boot with your start up floppy-find these two files-system.dat and user.dat ( this are your registry files ), rename them to *.old { as in system.old, etc.. ) then find these two files; system.da0 & user.da0, and rename them as the *.dat files.

This is the same as using the scanreg /restore command, except you are doing it directly.

See if these helps and post back with your results.



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iisbob

Computer-Show me the Enterprise; no bloody A, no bloody B, and no bloody C-just the original...Mr Scott { from a STNG episode }

No can find these 'hidden' files.

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FLoG

LOLZ. i think ur harddisk is probably dead or ur ide cable is loose. Fail reading drive c. either ur harddisk not partition properly or not format after u partition. FDISK and check ur partition and then ACTIVATE it b4 format if u r planing to.. http://www.PCGuide.com/ubb/biggrin.gif http://www.PCGuide.com/ubb/biggrin.gif

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Resistant is Futile..
Aurora and time is the keyz to victory

Did your computer crash before all this happened? I have seen my FAT32 tables get messed up when my secondary HD refuses to power up causing a crash. Also, had that happen after one normal Win98 crash.

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The first time I installed Windows it took only one try. When I tried re-installing Windows at a later date it took 30+ tries before I got it right... go figure. =P

Hello FionaG

Are you saying that you cannot access the files on your hard drive using a Windows Startup Disk?

If you can, then navigate to the "c:\Windows\Command" folder and enter "scanreg /restore".
There's a subtle but important difference in this procedure.