Member Avatar for LarryC

I accidently ( means I didn't know what I was doing) deleted stuff yesterday, and now am unable to boot up system.Whenever I try, it goes to safemode, which then tells me" registration/configuration error- Run SCANREG to correct". But then nothing happens and all I have is a gray screen with nothing on it and no way to run anything.I tried to use safemode and find other way in, and remember finding one message saying XMS cache problem.
As you can tell, I'm very computer illiterate, and need step by step instructions on how to resolve this problem.
The computer I'm having a problem with is a desktop Dell Dimension and I'm running on ME. Or I was prior to this, not running anything now. I'm sending this on my laptop.

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  • Latest Post Latest Post by javanoob101

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The error message about "registration/configuration" almost always means the Windows ME registry is damaged or missing and Windows is halting before the normal desktop loads. The usual, supported path is to run the Windows Registry Checker (SCANREG) from a command prompt (Safe‑Mode Command Prompt or a Windows ME startup disk) so the registry can be restored from an automatic backup. (support.microsoft.com)

Recommended recovery sequence (non-destructive, in order):

  1. Create a Windows ME Startup Disk on a second Windows ME/98 machine (Control Panel -> Add/Remove Programs -> Startup Disk). Boot the problem PC from that floppy. (ftp.zx.net.nz)

  2. At the DOS prompt switch to the hard drive and the Windows command folder, then run the registry restore utility. Example commands (enter each line and press Enter):

C:
cd \windows\command
scanreg /restore

Follow the list and pick the most recent backup that was created before the accidental deletion. If there are no usable backups, try scanreg /fix. The available scanreg switches and behavior are documented in Microsoft support. (techwalla.com)

If SCANREG cannot recover (no backups, damaged files), the documented fallback is to look for registry backup files (SYSTEM.000 / USER.000) in C:\Windows, remove hidden/readonly attributes, and replace the current SYSTEM.DAT / USER.DAT with those backups. Preserve copies of every file before deleting or renaming, since this is risky and may break installed software and drivers — they may need to be reinstalled afterward. If these steps fail, a repair/reinstall of Windows ME will be required. (dell.com)

Notes tied to earlier replies: and were correct to steer toward a registry restore; third‑party undelete tools mentioned by can recover user files but will not repair a corrupt boot registry by themselves. If unfamiliar with floppy boot media or the commands above, professional local support is safer than guessing at file replacements.

Recommended Answers

All 11 Replies

Member Avatar for The Dude

I was just gonna suggest what was suggested above :)


Welcome to the site!!

Good luck!

Member Avatar for tracer357

why dont you just do a restore

Member Avatar for caperjack

why dont you just do a restore

if you read the link i posted you would see that its about doing a restore

Member Avatar for The Dude

Welcome to Daniweb :)

Member Avatar for sanju121

very good info

Member Avatar for antonyrat

Hy. I runned into that damn problem too. And after days of searching I finally

found this software: Long Path Tool.

It's GREAT. You can find it here: http://www.deletelongfile.com

Member Avatar for zslwork

There are several third party restoration software available in internet ,
just download is and try restoring your deleted files

Member Avatar for zylog

yes download any one of the third party software to restore any type of file easily

Member Avatar for javanoob101

If you are looking to restore files, I use Undelete-which is part of Glary Utilities
(which is free) try that out. If you are looking to restore the registry, use the Windows 98 built in tool 'Scanreg' to try and fix the registry.

Edited by javanoob101 because: n/a
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