Windows XP  Dell Dimension 4700  1.5 GB memory  2.8 MB P4

I have uninstalled System Mechanic 6 and removed all references to it from the registry, yet at almost every reboot System Mechanic 6 registry compactor (clearly identified in the popup display) runs.

This behavior is the main reason I uninstalled version 6 (though I still have System Mechanic 4 installed). Compacting takes time and requires two additional restarts. Restarting is slow enough without adding unnecessary oerations. Compacting the registry is not something that needs to be done on every restart.

Where can the remnants of System Mechanic 6 be hiding that it pops up on reboot?

   Try typing msconfig in Run and see if it is listed in the startup items.  If not, our Speed Startup program should show it (if it is running at startup).  For more information on Speed Startup go to http://superwin.com/speedstartup.htm.

You will probably have to uninstall all versions of System Mechanic, edit the registry for all references to the program and then reboot.
Then you should be able to install version 4 without the problem showing up again.
Files installed by version 6 are most likely still in the Windows folder and since a version of the program is still installed, Windows will use the newest file versions whenever version 4 attempts to run.

Hello,
I use System Mechanic Ver. 5.5, in the main menu under ( fix registry problems ) then under ( compact and defrag the system registry ) there is a check box reading, ( enable registry compacting and defragmenting ) After running this once I  uncheck the box and this will not run again until you check the box again.
I do not know though if ver.6, has the same menu format, but surely it does have a option somewhere.

Thank you everyone for the suggestions about uninstalling and for pointing out the *compact and defrag* checkbox. The Ver. 6 interface is very confusing and Isolo's tech support did not respond at all to my request for help.

I uninstalled both ver. 4 and ver. 6 twice, then ran regedit to remove all references to System Mechanic yet another time, and I think the automatic compaction has stopped (though too soon to be sure).

I have reinstalled ver. 6 with the checkbox unchecked, but discovered an update is pending which I am now downloading, albeit very slowly.

Maybe the the update will improve operation. The original ver. 6 program reports several problems which it then fails to find or correct, but continues to complain about.

I felt much more in control when using Ver. 4. It would display details of what it considered errors, let me choose which to fix and which to leave alone (those not really errors), and then shut up.

Well, that wasn't a fix after all. Later I found the *Compact and Defrag* box checked again. But it turns out not to  matter--the compacting occurs even with the box unchecked. Much as I hate to discard something I've paid for, System Mechanic 6 had to go.