cd rom cause registry errors? 1

[domino1879]

has anyone ever heard of a faulty cd-rom causing registry errors on startup? it's a theory i have for why my system is caught in a "restore registry" loop..

 

[SoulAssassin]

No I have never heard of such a problem. However, I have personally experienced bad RAM causing registry error loops. Check that, too.

 

[gargouille]

When you say "caught in" can you actually okay out of the message and use the machine? Sometimes, in my experience, this is the case.

If so, did you try limiting the amount of memory Windows uses by going into msconfig/Advanced and adjusting/checking the memory used by Windows?
Also, if this is true, regclean might fix it.

You may be faced with exploring SA's tip...I'd weigh heavily in his opinion...memtest from

http://www.memtest86.com/

will help dispel the question.

Is Norton 2001 in the equation? Known issue, and here's a link to the fix:

http://makeashorterlink.com/?V2A516F61

Another possible fix:
The swap file is named win386.swp, and if you reboot to 'command prompt only', you can use the DOS DEL command to delete it....it is possible it is corrupt, and it will only delete from a DOS boot.
You may to apply switches to remove attributes like hidden or system or such to complete the deletion.
It's rebuilt on reboot.

IF you're intent on saving the install...there's an old 95 trick that I've used with some success with 98...(maybe not since you've tried invoking former registries) but the 2 files used to compile the registry at boot are system.dat and user.dat. These files are also on the computer, renamed to system.da0 (zero last digit) and user.da0
and there's a routine whereby you rename each of the current .dat files to something you can remember, like system.old or whatever, and then rename the current system.da0 and user file to .dat files and try the boot.
You'll have to dig for command line DOS syntax, but it just might get you there.(DOS command help in Windows help files will give valuable help)

 

[Accessdabbler]

Funny, I just had that problem today.

I had enabled the L2 external cache on an older AT motherboard in the CMOS and the computer kept doing a registry reboot just like you said. Disabling the cache fixed the problem.

 

[domino1879]

cool...i had suspected that the RAM wasn't seated properly when i took it all out. i didn't know if that might have caused it, but since you noted it i'm 99% sure that was the problem, i've tested the parts in another computer and since i've put the RAM back in (properly) i haven't had any problems. thanks a bunch assassin...