system sometimes hangs up at startup after using crapcleaner

[chunkstyle]

Hi guys --

I just learned about & tried Crapcleaner to clean up my registry (Win xp pro system), with an eye toward later uninstalling my current Norton Internet Security 2005 & replacing it with AVG Free & ZoneAlarm (haven't uninstalled it yet -- I only got Crapcleaner & tried it out).

Since then, my computer has had 2 occasions where it doesn't start up right, out of maybe the last 10 startups. Naturally, it's only done this when I start it up & leave the room while it's booting. I come back to the room 5 or 10 minutes later & there's just a dark screen, like Windows shows just before that "bar graph"-type row of little rectangles proceeds across the bottom of the screen during a typical startup. Both times, I've waited to see if maybe that "progress bar" or whatever it is is just coming up slower than usual, but nothing ever happens, and the HD light stays off. The case fans are running, though, so I know it's "on" in some sense. Since I've been out of the room while this occurs, I've no idea if the BIOS has run already or if it's hanging up before that point.

So I kill the power at the power strip (holding the software-controlled power button on the tower in doesn't work during these episodes) & start it up again. Both times, after the BIOS runs, I get this screen about how Windows wasn't shut down properly, with options regarding how to start it up (normal, safe mode, etc.). In this screen, the default is to start normally, and my arrow keys don't work at this point, so I just let it do the default (have no other choice). After that, it starts fine & is OK. I'm running on such an after-hangup session now as I type this.

Any idea what's up? Did i screw up something with Crapcleaner? I did save the registry backup each time I ran it (made several passes, per some advice I saw from GLC on here). Don't really know what to do with the backup, though.

How do I figure out what got changed that shouldn't have? Or am I stuck & can't run Crapcleaner on this PC anymore for fear of deleting something necessary that I'm unfamiliar with?

Thanks for any advice you can offer.

Drew J.

Registry cleaners can do a world a good for your system but sometimes they clean entries that are needed for day to day operation. I'm not sure if this is the case with you, did Crapcleaner offer to back-up the registry before you cleaned it? If so, use the back-up to fix the registry and see if the problem goes away. You might also be able to use system restore to fix the problem.

[glc]

If it won't shut down with the power button, you have a hardware problem - coincidental. I don't think crap cleaner did you in.