Err Msg: Windows Encountered an Error Accessing the System Registry

When you start your Windows 98-based computer, you may receive the following error message:


If you then click OK, you may receive the following error message:


Also, if you then click Details, you may receive one of the following error messages:
Note that this behavior may not occur in Safe Mode.

This behavior can occur if the disk that contains the Windows swap file does not have sufficient free disk space.

To resolve this behavior, determine which disk contains the swap file, and then increase the free disk space on the swap file disk. To do so, follow these steps:

1. Restart your computer, press and hold the CTRL key, and then choose Command Prompt Only from the Startup menu.
2. At the command prompt, type "dir /s *.swp" (without quotation marks), and then press ENTER. Note the swap file name, disk letter, folder name (directory name), and date. This is usually a single file named Win386.swp located in the root folder ("Directory of C:\"), or the Windows folder ("Directory of C:\Windows").
3. If your computer has a single hard disk, then drive C is the swap file disk, and you should skip to step 4. If your computer has multiple hard disks, search the remaining hard disks for swap files to locate the swap file disk. To do so, use the following steps:
   
   a. At the command prompt, type "<letter>:" (without quotation marks), where <letter> is the next hard disk letter, and then press ENTER.
   
   b. Type "dir /s *.swp" (without quotation marks), and then press ENTER. Note the swap file name, disk letter, folder name (directory name), and date.
   
   c. If you have more hard disks to search, repeat steps a-c. If you have no more hard disks to search, continue to step d.
   
   d. If you find one (or more) swap files on only one hard disk, this disk is the swap file disk, and you should continue to step e. If you find swap files on multiple hard disks, compare the date of each swap file. The hard disk that contains the swap file with the most recent date is the swap file disk.
   
   e. At the command prompt, type "<letter>:" (without quotation marks), where <letter> is the swap file disk letter, and then press ENTER.
4. Delete each swap file on the swap file disk. To do so, use the following steps:
   
   a. At the command prompt, type
   
   del <path>\<file name>
   
   where <path> is the swap file folder and <file name> is the swap file name, and then press ENTER. For example type "del windows\win386.swp" (without quotation marks).
   
   b. If you have more swap files to delete on the swap file disk, repeat steps a-b. If you have no more swap files on the swap file disk to delete, continue to step 5.
5. Increase free disk space on the swap file disk.
   
   WARNING: If you are uncertain whether a file contains critical information, copy the file to a floppy disk before you delete it.
   
   To increase free disk space on the swap file disk, delete non-essential files. To do so, type the following commands at the command prompt, pressing ENTER after each command:
   
   dir /w /p /s *.<extension>
   del <path>\*.<extension>
   
   where <extension> is the file extension of the files you want to delete and <path> is the folder name containing the files you want to delete.
   
   For example, the following list names extensions that may be non-essential files:
   
   

         .chk      .tmp      .txt
         .bak      .old      .bmp
   
         .jpg      .gif      .hlp
   						

6. Test to determine that your computer has sufficient free disk space to start normally. If you cannot start your computer normally, repeat step 5.

For additional information about how to determine which folder Windows is installed in, click the article number below to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base: