Paul said:
Very often when I boot (XP SP1) I get a Windows notice that says "One
of the files containing the system's Registry data had to be recovered
by use of a log or alternate copy. The recovery was successful"
I press OK and away we go. What is going on here??? Awhile back, I had
to run "sfc /scannow" to get it to boot because of some error...are
these things related
Yes, of course the errors are related. Unfortunately, with so little
information from you, it is impossible to give you an exact reason for
your problems, which could be caused by either hardware or software
failures. Here are generic troubleshooting steps:
A. For software issues - 1) scan with current antivirus ("current" means
a version not later than 2002 but using updated virus definitions); 2)
remove spyware with Spybot Search & Destroy (
www.security.kolla.de) and
Ad-aware (
www.lavasoftusa.com) - note that it is a good idea to do
virus/spyware scans in Safe Mode; 3) delete temporary and Temporary
Internet Files; 4) stop unnecessary services/programs from starting
with Windows - see
www.blackviper.com for services info and
www.pacs-portal.co.uk/startup_index.htm for programs info - 5) look in
Event Viewer for clues. B. For hardware issues - 1) open the computer
and run it open, cleaning out all dust bunnies and observing all fans
(overheating will cause system freezing); 2) test the RAM - I like
Memtest86 from
www.memtest86.com - let the test run for an extended
(like overnight) period of time - unless errors are seen immediately;
3) test the hard drive with a diagnostic utility from the mftr.; 4)
test the motherboard. If you can't do this testing yourself, take the
machine to a good local computer repair shop (not a CompUSA or Best Buy
type of store).
Malke
