Why did Norton SystemWorks not find my problem in Windows safe mode?

I have an old Pentium III running Windows 98SE that I use for just word processing. It recently crashed and restarted in Windows safe mode. I ran Norton SystemWorks in safe mode and found 1% frag, and no errors in either Disk Doctor or WinDoctor. I also ran Norton Anti-virus and found no viruses or spyware. This system is kept in regular maintenance by me.

As it still would not restart in normal mode, I started the system using my Norton Rescue set. When I reran SystemWorks, I was shocked to find 38% frag, 209 registry errors, and 2 missing .INI system files. I used the Repair Wizard to fix all the problems and the system is now running quite well.

My questions: what would cause such a severe system corruption (? hard drive going bad) and why didn't Norton SystemWorks find the problems while in Safe mode? Thanks.

Why did Norton SystemWorks not find my problem in Windows safe mode?anti virus scan

The 38% frag, an inordinant number of registry errors and some missing .ini files would lead me to think you had a big virus problem. But you said you only use this setup for word processing, so you're not getting on the internet with it, right? Therefore, it sounds much like you have a struggling hard drive, one I would think about replacing: i.e., put in a slave and move everything off the current HD. There are times when I would dearly love to have my old 98SE back again. Hang onto it while you can!

Why did Norton SystemWorks not find my problem in Windows safe mode?ariel

and your still using Norton because!!!!

microsoft no longer support W98 everytime you go online your open to every attack going

upgrade as soon as possible or stay ofline