Baffling DDHelp error!

During the last couple of day's I've been getting this error box popping up whenever I try to open certain programs. One confusing problem is that I also get the exact same error when I right-click on my desktop!

DDHELP caused an exception c0000006H in module KERNEL32.DLL at 0167:bff86eac.

It isn't limited to just any program either, sometimes a program works and then the next time I get the error. Normally, it freezes the system and requires a hard re-boot, but occasionaly I can just close the error box and continue.

As you can imagine, this is totally frustrating.

Windows 98SE
PIII~700MHz
448MB PC133
GeForce4 Ti4400 128DDR (40.72 WHQL)

Thanks in advance for any help tendered.

 

Sounds like a video driver and/or DirectX problem. I would try updating the vid drivers 1st. What vers of DirectX are you using?

 

At the moment I'm running DirectX 9.0c! Also, I'm running the older 40.72 drivers because, for some reason this older system likes them to run Flight Simulator 2004. I've used later drivers but experienced a 'choppyness' and degradation in graphics performance. So I was forced to re-install these older ones. I did it by the book too, uninstall drivers > Run detonator destroyer > boot to safe mode > install new drivers and reboot! Everythings been running just fine for over 6 months, and then out of the blue, this happens!

The strange thing is that this problem just happened overnight. I shut down the PC one night and when I rebooted the next day this problem started to occur! Nothing's being installed, added, updated or messed around with at all, apart from my anti-virus software's definitions, but that happens daily anyway and without any problems before.

 

Have you tried re-installing those (40.72) drivers since the problems began?

 

Yeah, I've tried it twice tonight. Both times the error still occurs when I attempt to open random programs. For instance, I tried Winamp and got an error, I tried it 5 minutes later and it worked fine! Although some programs just plain refuse to open and continualy throw up the error.

I guess that if I can't find the source of the error it looks like I'll be re-installing 98SE! I just hope it doesn't mess anything up as I can't use my Nero software to burn my files to disc because of this problem.

Don't you just love computers?