MS Visual C++ Runtime Libary Error

Whenever I try to connect various programs to the Internet, I get the title note, plus:

Runtime Error

[Name of the program]

Abnormal program termination
or
this application has requested to terminate it in an unusual way. Please contact the application support team for more information.

I get this error message with any program I attempt to connect to the Internet: McAfee, IE, whatever. This occured after I problem solved a
frozen 98SE and deleted the startup folder contents.