Help! My System Got Screwed

[Kaietnap]

Hey all! I really need assistance. My system got screwed up and I cannot boot window98 (SE) anymore. I have reasons to think that to fix it I would need to either
- run windows in safe mode (so i could access the registry or a specific windows option)
- find the way to modify the registry in DOS

problem is windows doesn't want to run in safe mode. When I try it, it prints something like (more or less) "windows98 copyright 1999-2000 etc", just like a normal boot, except it stops there and then return to the usual "c:\"
, waiting for me to type things...

im no good with DOS commands, but im sure if i could get into the registry to delete the key from where comes the whole problem, that would fix it. I tryed some things, but with no success. When I type regedit, it asks for the files "system.dat" and "user.dat", which i dont know where to find. Any help would be more than appreciated, i need my computer back!

[Doomsday_J]

system.dat and user.dat is your registry. Your user information is stored in user.dat and the system information is stored in system.dat.

User.dat is stored in the Windows\Profiles directories and system.dat is in the windows directory.

Can you please aloberate on how you "got your system screwed up?"

It sould like you deleted your registry.

[kaietnap]

strange... im ABSOLUTLY sure i didnt deleted my registry, but i couldnt find system.dat and user.dat anywhere on my computer...

if that can help, i screwed up everything by adding the key "MustBeValidated" in hkey_local_machine/network/logon (if i remember correctly)... now i just cant boot win98

i would just need to remove that key, how can i do that from DOS???

[dl65]

Kaietnap.....Perhaps you could tell us what was going on
that prompted you to edit the registry in the first place .....It usually helps to explain what you HAD been doing prior to the issue as opposed to the result .......

Let us know

dl65  

[kaietnap]

well, i added this key to prevent other people from using my comp (in particular my sister). i had heard it was the only way cause i have win98, which lacks a secure logon system.

since then, my computer asks me a user name, a password and a domain to log on when i boot it. but no matter what i write in the domain field, it wont let me log (not too sure but i think its because there is just no network where to verify the information). i dont know too well the way win98 login systems works, but i know (i have tested it), that theres an option in the settings panel that fixes it.

[gussery]

It has been a while since I used 98 but if memory serves, all you have to do when you get the logon screen is click the cancel button and you get in anyway, your just not allowed on the domain.

Gary

[kaietnap]

It has been a while since I used 98 but if memory serves, all you have to do when you get the logon screen is click the cancel button and you get in anyway, your just not allowed on the domain.

Gary

[kaietnap]

ok i got the problem solved.. thx anyway for your help