Critical registry entries deleted

sybrandus

Hello,

First of all I need to say that I love this program so far.

Was cleaning my registry on the following settings after cleaning up old programs and files:

Engine settings: 2nd from the top (second safest), List MRU and other history data checked

Advanced engine settings: Normal

Scanning mode: Normal

Results format: Structured list, Use deep analysis checked

Advanced options: Automatically select all found items checked, Automatically expand the main result categories checked

Search words: none

Ignore words: none

Some time ago I ran the registry cleaner and then some time later noticed that I was having trouble with memory write issues and with opening folders and shortcuts (especially to CPL files). Tried to fix after spending the better part of 2 days researching the specific problems I was having to no avail, including trying to restore all file associations as that was one of the error messages I was receiving when using a shortcut to open CPL folders. Finally ended up doing 5 restores (first 4 didn't correct the problem) and thank goodness the earliest one I had worked and the issue disappeared. At that time, because this happened so long after I had done a registry cleaning I did not connect the issue with cleaning my registry but with deleting programs.

Now, a couple of weeks later I have been doing some more cleaning up and the problem re-appeared. This time it happenned right after a registry clean done after cleaning up old files and program traces so I made the connection and restored everything and then started fixing entries category by category and then one by one to see which entry was causing the problem.

As it turned out, under the heading of "Leftover traces of software photoshop" the following 3 entries were included and "fixed" (not deleted).

@="%SystemRoot%\\Explorer.exe /idlist,%I,%L"

@="%SystemRoot%\\Explorer.exe /e,/idlist,%I,%L"

@="%SystemRoot%\\Explorer.exe"

Needless to say, these deletions (deletion confirmed in regedit) were the cause of my problems and likely some problems I hadn't encountered yet. These or similar keys were likely also the cause of my previous problems.

Incidentally I am also having problems with installing windows updates for outlook 2003 and also with fixing my 2003 install (the re-install hits a critical error and stops every time) After spending many hours again with this (and hiding the update so it doesn't try and fail to install over and over), I discovered that all the "fixes" suggested don't work and that the common denominator between people having this same problem and the same error message was that they all used a registry cleaner. Clearly some other critical registry entry is missing in my registry from a registry cleaning I did long ago and is only showing up now that I have tried to install a microsoft update.

It surprises me that this could happen on the second safest setting. What could happen on the 2 settings that are "less safe"

I will post another topic later regarding the specifics of the windows update in the hopes that someone may know more about this than seems to be available on the web.

I don't mean this to be critical as I really do love this program (and the learning curve that goes with using it and other similar programs). Just wanted to post this in case others run across the same problems and in the hopes that this kind of feedback can make the program a little "safer" to use.

Thank you

tullik

At least some of the problems you describe are discussed in this thread: http://www.macecraft.com/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?p=21248#p21248

As you will read, the developer acknowledges the issue and will fix it in jv16 PowerTools 2010.

sybrandus

Yes, I read that thread and even posted in it. The thread did not contain a specific solution and the "fix" using doug knoxes programs did not work for me. I posted this because there was a specific solution to "my version" of the problem ... and perhaps others as well.

I'm glad to see the response and the correction to this and probably other issues in the next version. You guys are doing a great job.

jv16

Sybrandus wrote
Yes, I read that thread and even posted in it. The thread did not contain a specific solution and the "fix" using doug knoxes programs did not work for me. I posted this because there was a specific solution to "my version" of the problem ... and perhaps others as well.

What version of Windows you are using?

Please try the following fix:

fix.zip

The file contains four files. Please merge the first file, reboot and see if the fix works. If it doesn't, proceed to the next step. Please let me know if this works, if it doesn't, I'll have to try to create fix files specific to your version of Windows.

sybrandus

Thanks so much for replying so quickly

I had already fixed today's problems by restoring the 3 registry entries mentioned earlier however in looking at the 4 files you posted for download, I see several other entries that were removed. File 4 in particular has several entries in the HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\* KEYS which were listed as errors and were removed. I merged all 4 files with my directory in numerical order under the assumption that they all contain registry entries that I should have in my registry and re-booted. Is this correct.

I haven't seen any change in my computer in the hour or two since I've done this but again I had already seemingly solved my immediate problem with the 3 other registry keys.

I am still having the issue with yesterday's outlook update and it still won't install (tried through microsoft update and by actually downloading the file manually). It seems that there are quite a few others with the same issue in doing preliminary research on the web but I need to spend some more time to see what could be wrong. I also can't re-install office 2003 as it hits a critical error in the reinstall/fix installation and then just stops. This was suggested as a possible correction to install the update but it wasn't successful for me. Have no idea if this is connected to registry issues however this was suggested in one of the sites I visited and the people with the problems seemed to all have used a registry cleaner. RegCure was specifically mentioned on several occasions which I also used (very carefully I thought) until I found you guys. More work to do here.

Before I started all this I took a registry backup with Erundt (just to play it safe) so if I shouldn't have merged all 4 files you posted with my registry please let me know as it will be easy to undo.

My OS is XP home SP3 with all updates (except yesterdays).

Thanks again for your prompt reply and help and let me know if you have any quick ideas about the update installation issue (even though it may have nothing to do with JV16 Power Tools).

roberta

Good Day Sybrandus,

If u are having problems with windows updates, then check the Windows Update log file: WindowsUpdate.log

It is located at: C:\WINDOWS\

I suggest u copy it to another location to be able to analyse it at your leisure (without interfering with its use by Windows Update itself)....

Regards,

Roberta

sybrandus

Hi Roberta,

Thanks for your suggestion. The log file contained a fatal error however none of the suggestions which came from my searches on the web or on the microsoft knowledge base articles have helped (have tried at least 4 suggestions that seemed related including correcting a missing registry entry for the install source for office 2003 which I thought for sure would correct it since it seemed to fit my symptoms but nothing has worked). I have created a verbose log file of the process and have contacted microsoft support with the information and should hear from them within a day or so. It will be interesting to see what the cause of this turns out to be.

Sybrandus

sybrandus

Well my problem is fixed and what a journey.

First I ended up renaming the Software/Microsoft/Office'11.0 keys in both HKLM and HKCU hives to Old11

Went to do a repair/re-install from Add or Remove programs and it ended up wanting a complete re-install with my keys ... which I no longer had from several years ago.

Quit the re-install and emailed microsoft for help (it's free for update problems)

They replied and I went through all their steps including

1. Downloading Fixit and running it on both normal and aggressive mode (which I had already done)

2. Making sure that all 5 necessary services for updates were running (which I had already done)

3. Disabled all non microsoft services using msconfig

4. Downloaded the Windows installer cleanup utility and used it to uninstall Office 2003

5. Tried to re-install Office 2003 and was now getting a new error: "This patch package could not be opened. Verify that the patch package exists and that you can access it, or contact the application vendor to verify that this is a valid Windows Installer patch package."

6. Restored my computer to a state before #1

7. Emailed Microsoft support to tell them that I was now getting a brand new error and he sent me a little app to recover my keys and also a link to re-install Office.

8. Recovered my keys and thought that I was home free

9. Tried to re-install/repair again and was still getting the new error in spite of the restore

10. Uninstalled Office 2003 again and then tried to install both from the SOCache and from the link I was given and the same error appeared. I thought this was really strange and emailed him to tell him that either the Windows install cleanup program or the install link he had given me had created a new error and I could no longer re-install even though I now had the keys (I at least got as far as the re-install asking for the key before he helped me)

11. Did another restore to go back to the beginning

12. After waiting for a reply for a long time, I decided to do some more research and based on http://support.microsoft.com/kb/295823 I decided to uninstall the installer (using the Microsoft install cleanup utility) in the hopes that there were other installers still present which were causing the problem. I also uninstalled Office connector and Office live add in thinking that these also could be causing problems.

13. Went to re-install the uninstall/cleanup utility and to my surprise it began an uninstall process. This told me that what it had uninstalled in #12 was not the utility itself.

14. Re-installed the uninstall/cleanup utility and used it to uninstall Office 2003 once again.

15. Tried to re-install from the MSO cache and this time I could enter my keys but it failed about half way through the install with the error: "Installation ended prematurely because of an error."

16. Went here http://support.microsoft.com/kb/292238 and even though this didn't mention Office 2003, it seemed to fit and I also remembered running a registry clean with JV16 which "fixed" some permission errors.

17. My Office/11.0 keys were completely missing a SYSTEM set of permissions and the Owner didn't have full control

18. Created a SYSTEM entry and gave it and OWNER full permission and inherited all the way down.

19. Finally success. Could re-install and also download all the updates which I have now done.

I am mentioning all of this because even though I went through many steps, it seems that the final error was that permissions were somehow changed. I have no idea where this came from but I do know that JV 16 was the only place I remember "fixing" any permissions.

I went to the backup entry from the registry cleaner which was titled "Registry keys with incorrect permissions or owner" but it only showed 4 keys that were deleted, not the keys with incorrect permissions.

I have no way of knowing if this is where the issue started or if some other program changed the permissions but it may be a good idea to be VERY careful if anyone finds themselves in a position of changing permissions to be very careful. I would also suggest that the registry cleaner updates you are mentioning have some safeguard to make sure that any changed permissions are recorded in the backup as I don't believe they were. I say this because I did a restore of this backup and then re-ran the cleaner and it did not pick up any permission errors.

Having said all of that ... this was quite a wonderful learning experience with all the research I ended up doing to fix this problem ... and I am still convinced that used carefully, JV16 power tools are the best that I have used.

Sybrandus