Deconstruction of RC bogus lines.

tullik

The bogus line bug was first detected in beta3 here: http://www.macecraft.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=804

It continued into beta4 and led to detection of some sort of backup bug (see http://www.macecraft.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=831).

Believe it or not, the deconstruction below provides insight into the bogus line bug. I am going to tell RC to remove the entries, check what was actually removed, and what was actually backed up.

Watch this space. ... space continues here: http://www.macecraft.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?p=3416#3416 and here: http://www.macecraft.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?p=3420#3420

Tullik

=============================

Situation: Registry Cleaner show 38 bogus lines. "bogus" = info shown by jv16pt line does not agree with regedit

There are 10 lines for the .Default user, and 10, 9, 9 for 3 other users.

Example of a bogus line for HKUS\.Def\:

Key: HKUS\.Def\Soft\MSoft\MediaPlayer\Preferences\

Entry's name: StretchToFit

Value: C:\Documents and Settings\Default User\Start Menu\Programs\Windows Media Player.lnk

Error desciption: the file in the value "does not exist" -- true, but the value under StretchToFit is 0x00000001 (per regedit)

Note: bogus lines only show if Hkey_users is checked. They show if no other and if any other option is checked.

The bogus line value exists per Registry Finder:

Key: HKUS\.Def\Soft\MSoft\MediaPlayer\Setup\CreatedLinks\

Entry's name: Shortcut1

Value: C:\Documents and Settings\Default User\Start Menu\Programs\Windows Media Player.lnk

This is probably what Registry Cleaner should show, if anything. :)

Observations:

HKUS\.Def\Soft\MSoft\MediaPlayer\Setup\ is the last key under MediaPlayer.

HKUS\.Def\Soft\MSoft\MediaPlayer\Preferences\ immediately precedes it.

HKUS\.Def\Soft\MSoft\MediaPlayer\Preferences\ has 9 named entries, plus the default entry.

Each of the named entries shows in a Registry Cleaner bogus line with the value C:\Documents and Settings\Default User\Start Menu\Programs\Windows Media Player.lnk

The 10th bogus line (10th of 10) is:

Key: HKUS\.Def\Soft\MSoft\MediaPlayer\Preferences\ProxySettings\HTTP\

Entry's name: ProxyStyle

Value: C:\Documents and Settings\Default User\Start Menu\Programs\Windows Media Player.lnk

HTTP is the first of 3 keys under ProxySettings. ProxyStyle is the 6th and last entry under HTTP.

One of the other users has the same key/entry structure as .Default. The other two have no keys under Preferences.

--- end ---

redseujac

What's your conclusion, Tullik?

If possible in one (short) sentence :

tullik

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redseujac

OK ...

Good night from Belgium ...

I'll keep watching :

tullik

tullik wrote
...

Watch this space.

...

in http://www.macecraft.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=834

This is that space ... Observations summary and conclusions are at the bottom.

Registry Cleaner Test Case

Told RC to remove 1 line for user S-1-5-18.

Result: line removed from list, nothing discernible removed, entry still shows upon RC rerun, nothing backed up (*).

(*) backup directory was created containing index.dat only.

Told RC to remove all 10 lines for user S-1-5-18.

Result: 10 lines removed from list, ProxyStyle entry removed from both S-1-5-18 and .Default user structures, 2 ProxyStyle bogus lines don't show in RC rerun (the other 36 bogus lines are still there), backup created (entries.reg has headers plus:

"ProxyStyle"=dword No backup for .Default!

Restored the above backup. ran RC.

Result: ProxyStyle entry are back in S-1-5-18 and .Default user structures, 2 ProxyStyle bogus lines don't show in RC rerun!!! (the other 36 bogus lines are still there).

Told RC to remove remaining 9 lines for user S-1-5-18.

Result: 9 lines removed from list, all 9 named entries removed from both S-1-5-18 and .Default user structures (per regedit), the 18 bogus lines for S-1-5-18 and .Default don't show in RC rerun (the other 18 bogus lines are still there), backup created (entries.reg has headers plus the 9 removed entries for user S-1-5-18 ). No backup for .Default!

Restored the above backup. Ran RC.

Result: the 9 entries are back in S-1-5-18 and .Default user structures, all 36 bogus lines are back.

Told RC to remove all 36 lines.

Result: all 36 lines removed from list, all 36 named entries still there for .Default & other three user structures, per regedit), all 36 bogus lines show in RC rerun, nothing backed up (*).

(*) backup directory was created containing index.dat only.

Told RC to remove all 9 lines for .Default user.

Result: 9 lines removed from list for .Default user, all 9 named entries removed from both S-1-5-18 and .Default user structures (per regedit), the 18 bogus lines for S-1-5-18 and .Default don't show in RC rerun (the other 18 bogus lines are still there), backup created (entries.reg has headers plus the 9 removed entries for user .Default). No backup for S-1-5-18!

Told RC to remove all 18 lines remaining.

Result: all 18 lines removed from list, all 18 named entries still there for the two user structures, per regedit), all 18 bogus lines show in RC rerun, nothing backed up (*).

(*) backup directory was created containing index.dat only.

Told RC to fix all 18 lines remaining.

Result: all 18 lines removed from list, all 18 named entries still there, unchanged, for the two user structures, per regedit), all 18 bogus lines show in RC rerun, backup created (entries.reg has headers plus the 9 removed entries for each of the two users).

Restored the backup from "Told RC to remove all 9 lines for .Default user" (above). Ran RC.

Result: the 9 entries are back in S-1-5-18 and .Default user structures, all 36 bogus lines are back.

Observations: some lines shown by RC are incorrect (value and error description are incorrect); "Remove" with backup when these lines are checked has unexpected results; lines are removed from list but one of the following occurs:

1. Nothing is removed. Backup directory is created containing only index.dat file. The lines still show next time RC runs.

2. The shown named entries and their values are removed. Backups are created, apparently OK. Corresponding incorrect lines do not show next time RC runs. Entries and values removed can be restored. If restored, the bogus lines do not show again in RC.

3. The shown named entries and their values are removed. Backups are created, apparently OK. Corresponding incorrect lines do not show next time RC runs. Entries and values removed can be restored. If restored, the bogus lines show again in RC.

When fix is used instead of remove, backup is created, apparently correct, even though nothing changed.

Conclusions: (for this test case only!)

1. Registry Cleaner has a bug where it uses the wrong value for an entry and makes an incorrect error decision. Actually the decision is probably correct, but is associated with the wrong key/entry name.

2. When told to remove resulting line(s), it either removes nothing, or removes innocent entry/value(s).

3. Registry Cleaner creates a backup directory and header file when nothing is removed. This is probably a bug (a fairly harmless artifact if not a bug).

4. Backup is created when removals are made. Restore is possible. However, in some cases, the backup does not catch all the entries removed!

5. Backup is created when fix is chosen even when fix changed nothing. A bug, or insurance? NB: only one "Fix" test was done here.

tullik

tullik wrote
...

Watch this space.

...

in http://www.macecraft.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=834 -- the space continued in http://www.macecraft.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?p=3416#3416 and right here.

Conclusions are at the bottom.

Registry Finder Test Case

Told RF to find C:\Documents and Settings\Default User\Start Menu\Programs\Windows Media Player.lnk

Note: this string is the one referenced in the bogus lines described in http://www.macecraft.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=834 --- aka "Deconstruction of RC bogus lines."

Result: found 4 lines, 1 for each of 4 users; checked them and told RF to remove them with backup.

Result: the four lines dropped from the list; the entry name and value for .Default and one other user were removed (per regedit), but remained for 2 users; backup occured, but only for the .Default user. Ran the same RF query again.

Result: found 2 lines, as expected (1 for each of the two user's entries not removed above); checked them and told RF to remove them with backup.

Result: the two lines dropped from the list; the entry name and value remained for the 2 users (per regedit); nothing backed up -- backup directory was created containing index.dat only.

Used jv16pt 2005 RF to find and remove the two entries.

Result: found the two lines, dropped them from the list; the entry name and value for each user were removed; correct looking backups created for both removed entries.

Ran beta4 RC: shows the same 36 bogus lines. This time, the incorrect value is:\Documents and Settings\Default User\Start Menu\Programs\Accessories\Entertainment\Windows Media Player.lnk -- The value actually exists as:

Key: HKUS\xxxxxx\Soft\MSoft\MediaPlayer\Setup\CreatedLinks\ -- xxxxxxx=user

Entry's name: Shortcut0

Value: C:\Documents and Settings\Default User\Start Menu\Programs\Accessories\Entertainment\Windows Media Player.lnk

The value previously removed (finally!) was:

Key: HKUS\xxxxxx\Soft\MSoft\MediaPlayer\Setup\CreatedLinks\

Entry's name: Shortcut1

Value: C:\Documents and Settings\Default User\Start Menu\Programs\Windows Media Player.lnk

Used jv16pt 2005 RF to find and remove the four entries. -- did not check the result.

Ran beta4 RC: shows 36 bogus lines; the bad value is the next one up in the HKUS\xxxxxx\Soft\MSoft\MediaPlayer\Setup\CreatedLinks\ key, Entry name=AppName, Value=C:\PROGRA~1\WINDOW~2\wmplayer.exe

Used jv16pt 2005 RF to find and remove the four real error entries. -- did not check the result.

Ran beta4 RC: list was clean (no error lines).

Conclusions: (for this test case only!)

1. Registry Finder sometimes actually removes only some of entries corresponding to the checked lines (a bug).

2. It creates a backup directory and header file when nothing is removed. This is probably a bug (a fairly harmless artifact if not a bug).

3. Backup is created when removals are made. Restore is possible. However, in some cases, the backup does not catch all the entries removed!

4. If the bad entries can be found with the 2005 jv16pt RF, they can be successfully removed (and completely backed up -- an assumption, not fully checked here).

tullik

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redseujac

Thanks a lot Tullik :

I also concluded already there's a weird bug in Registry Cleaner ...

Sent an email to Jouni with my findings and my hope he'll make a priority of fixing that, because Registry Cleaner is the "beating heart" of the PowerTools as to my opinion :

jv16

These bugs should now be fixed, thank you for reporting.