windows ME trouble...registry configuration errors

the computer in need of help is an older HP (fall of 2000) is when we got it that has been acting funny. it was not mine but im trying to help the situation... i guess the problem started when the computer started acting funny...slowing down unable to connect to the internet and other problems, i am not 100% sure of what exactly was going on but thats what im told. so they started to uninstall programs and delete things..that to i am not 100% sure of... when they tried to use the recovery disks that came with the computer, i believe 3 all together they got an error and could not proceed with the recovery, and thats where i became involved. i am not too computer savy but i know enough to get by but am totally lost on this one and have tried researching things on the internet, microsoft support page etc. since i have been toying with this, this is the problems that i have encountered
1. you cannot boot the computer into windows only "dos mode" (black screen with command prompts)-if i boot the computer up with no boot disk or with the recovery disks out i get this screen : windows me
1.normal
2.logged (bootlog.txt)
3.safemode
4.step-by-step confirmation
5.command prompt only
6. safe mode command prompt only

below that i get an error that reads WARNING: windows has detected a registry/configuration error. Use SCANREG to correct this error.

this driver is provided by oak technology, cd-rom device driver etc....
below all that it says "the following file is missing or corrupted: C:\windows\ifshlp.sys
bad command or file name
bad command or file name
C:\>

n thats it.. now if i use a boot disk i'll get a help screen that i can go into and an A: prompt or C: prompt depending on waht i do..
i dont have the original startup or boot disk..unless there different in themselves, i had to get one from bootdisk.com er something..i've tried locating to see if the file was in win19_cab and it is present and tried overwriting the file but even after that i still get errors like WIN.COM missing/corrupted DBLBUFF.sys i think it is to that will come up missing or corrupted. when i do C: dir /p there is no win.com file or anything that looks like it has been renamed from that..im not sure if this helps or i am at a total lost....all i want to do is get this pc up and running dont care about lost files programs etc..just want to get this going as it is used for the grandkids to play with and get used to computers at a very young age.. trust me it takes a weight off ur shoulder having something like that to amuse them with.. any help suggestions is def. needed ..im lost

also another thing i forgot was when i try to use the restore system recovery disks ..supplied by HP, when i load disk one i get the prompt screen to format and recory, recover only or exit, i believe those are the options...regardless of the options if i do format or recover only, it will start executing the restore but after awhile it will get to a part where it says something about a bad table and cannot continue do i want to abort,retry,fail n thats where it leaves off at....also another note, SCANREG /restore or scanreg /fix er scanreg \restore however the / goes (doesnt matter) cuz either way i get a file not found or bad command prompt when trying to do that ....thought maybe that info might help...