Get rid of startup error messages

Helpline Q&A Directory

When I boot up my Pentium III system everything goes okay until the desktop appears. A message then appears in the centre of the screen: 'Error starting program: A required DLL file, ebapi.dll, was not found'. If I click ok, the message disappears and the system seems to operate normally. What is happening and what do I need to do to prevent this message from appearing every time I boot up the system?

It would appear that a file belonging to one of the programs that is automatically launched at startup is missing. This could mean it was incorrectly uninstalled.

The filename gives no clue as to what the program is. However, as the system seems to work perfectly well without it, the solution is to identify the program and stop it from being loaded at startup.

The tool to use for this is the System Configuration Utility, which you launch by clicking Start, Run, and entering its name, msconfig. When it is running, switch to the Startup tab. You will see a list of all the programs that are launched at startup.

By clearing the checkbox next to an item, you will stop it from being run. By a process of elimination you can then find out which one causes the error message. Do remember that some of the programs listed here are part of Windows and, as such, should not be disabled. If a program name starts with C:\Windows or doesn't include a path at all, don't disable it.