I hope you can help me. I have a system with win 98se on it. When I turn it on it starts to boot up ok at first going to the win98 microsoft blue screen. Then it runs scandisk because I had to shut it down hard. Scan disk runs ok 100%. Then the blue screen win98 microsoft comes on again and stays on a few min. Then it goes blank with a flashing small line at the top left. Then it goes to a screen with a picture I have saved. On this screen I get an error message MPREXE This program has performed an illegal operation and will be shut down. When I click on details the box goes to the top of the screen were I can't read it. Then I have to shut it down hard.
Can you help me? I have info. on this computer I haven't backed up.

I've searched the Microsoft support site for this error in Windows 98 but I couldn't find anything about it. However, it did sound familiar so I searched my archives of files that I've downloaded from the Microsoft site in the past. I found a download that I named "Mprexe fix Win95-98". Sounds like it could be just what you need.

I can't find it on Microsoft's site any more so I've uploaded it to my web site for you. You can get it HERE.

Save it onto a disk on the PC that you are viewing this site on. Then reboot your faulty PC whilst pressing the F5 key repeatedly until it starts up. That might help avoid the error. If it doesn't, reboot again, pressing F8 repeatedly while it starts up. It'll give you a Startup Menu - select the Safe Mode option and continue. Once it's booted, run the fix from the disk.

Let us know how you get on.

Like modifying the registry, altering Windows system files can be risky and D-A-L.com and its members cannot accept liability for any adverse effects caused by following advice freely given on this site.

Thanks a lot. I will try it and let you know.

When I press f5 it still shows the error but this time it has safe mode on the screen and it locks up with the hour glass staying on. F8 does nothing.

Oh dear - if you can't boot properly into Safe Mode, then you could be stuck

Without knowing whether the error message actually means "MPREXE" or "MPREXE.EXE" (which are two different files), it sounds like it might possibly be related to the OPASERV.T virus.

I've also heard that some people have reported having this file in their Startup directory although Windows doesn't need it to run each time you boot up. Maybe that's your problem.

Do you have a Windows 98 startup disk / boot disk? If you do, put it into your floppy disk drive and boot the PC with it in. It should take you to a DOS prompt.

At the A:> prompt, type c: and press Enter.

At the C:> prompt, type cd windows and press Enter.

At the C:\Windows> prompt, type dir star*.* and press Enter.

Do you have an entry listed that refers to your 'Start Menu' directory? It will be listed as something like StartM~1. Assming that's what it is, follow these instructions. If it's listed as something similar, edit the following instructions as appropriate.

At the C:\Windows> prompt, type cd StartM~1 and press Enter.

At the C:\Windows\StartM~1> prompt, type cd startup and press Enter.

At the C:\Windows\StartM~1>Startup> prompt, type DIR and press Enter.

Does it list an entry for MPREXE or MPREXE.EXE? If so, type Del MPREX*.* and press Enter.

Let us know how you get on.

Incidentally, if you don't have a Windows 98 startup disk, you can get one from http://www.bootdisk.com

I will try that when I get time. Again thanks for your time and help.

The boot disk for win 98se did not work, so I went to dootdisk.com and made one. When I start up the computer with it in the floppy drive I get---This is not a bootable floppy replace and press any key when ready. What should I do?

Did you just copy the image file onto the disk or did you download and run a little utility to extract the contents of the image file into all the separate files that a boot disk needs?

In fact, I've seen that some of the files on bootdisk.com are EXE files that you have to run and it will ask you to insert a blank floppy disk to create the files on.