Registry repair at EVERY startup?????????????????????????????????????????????????????

[ewa]

Recently my organization has tried to implement Internet Explorer's system
policy (size of the temp folder, empty temp files at the exit, so forth) and
ever since, several XP workstations (Professional edition, SP1) have the
"Windows - Registry Recovery". "One of the files containing the system's
registry data had to be recovered by use of a log or alternate copy. The
recovery was successful." error message. We have removed the policy ever
since, but the registry recovery message still does come up at every boot.
Any ideas how to fix it???

Thanks!


Ewa

 

[Malke]

Recently my organization has tried to implement Internet Explorer's
system policy (size of the temp folder, empty temp files at the exit,
so forth) and ever since, several XP workstations (Professional
edition, SP1) have the "Windows - Registry Recovery". "One of the
files containing the system's registry data had to be recovered by use
of a log or alternate copy. The recovery was successful." error
message. We have removed the policy ever since, but the registry
recovery message still does come up at every boot. Any ideas how to
fix it???

It's probably caused by the same thing that has made all those extra
question marks in your subject line. ;-)

Actually, you haven't told us how your organization has implemented the
system maintenance policy. Are you have users delete files or do you
have a script that runs? You haven't told us anything about the
computers that are having the problem. Are they old? Are they all from
the same OEM?

Obviously some repair needs to be done, but we can't guess at what
without more information from you. Where is your IT Dept.? They should
be troubleshooting the machines with the failures.

Malke

 

[Ewa Wdzieczak-Smering]

ewa wrote:




It's probably caused by the same thing that has made all those extra
question marks in your subject line. ;-)

Actually, you haven't told us how your organization has implemented the
system maintenance policy. Are you have users delete files or do you
have a script that runs? You haven't told us anything about the
computers that are having the problem. Are they old? Are they all from
the same OEM?

Obviously some repair needs to be done, but we can't guess at what
without more information from you. Where is your IT Dept.? They should
be troubleshooting the machines with the failures.

Malke

Ah yes it MUST have been those question marks...lol

Thanks for the reply - I am a part of the IT department, the group
policy was administered and implemented by our network admin. Since
everyone is busy before the Holiday I volunteered to look into this
myself. Microsoft's only mentioning of this issue is related to the
win2k installation and we're told to ignore it (more or less).

http://msdn.microsoft.com/library/default.asp?url=/library/en-us/w2kmsgs/779.asp

The size of the temporary Internet files was set at 50MB, the homepage
was set to out main intranet URL, and the check box in "empty temporary
files at the exit" in the advanced tab was clicked. Those settings have
then been implemented throughout the company.

All the workstations are Optiplex GX60, which doesn't make them THAT
old. All the OS's have been installed by the vendor (Dell). Some repair
needs to be done... sure, but of what kind?


Thanks!


Ewa

 

[Malke]

Ah yes it MUST have been those question marks...lol

Thanks for the reply - I am a part of the IT department, the group
policy was administered and implemented by our network admin. Since
everyone is busy before the Holiday I volunteered to look into this
myself. Microsoft's only mentioning of this issue is related to the
win2k installation and we're told to ignore it (more or less).

http://msdn.microsoft.com/library/default.asp?url=/library/en-us/w2kmsgs/779.asp

The size of the temporary Internet files was set at 50MB, the homepage
was set to out main intranet URL, and the check box in "empty
temporary
files at the exit" in the advanced tab was clicked. Those settings
have then been implemented throughout the company.

All the workstations are Optiplex GX60, which doesn't make them THAT
old. All the OS's have been installed by the vendor (Dell). Some
repair needs to be done... sure, but of what kind?

It certainly doesn't sound like those policies are the cause of the
problem. They sound pretty standard. Since all the failing workstations
are Dell Optiplexes, I think I'd do some RAM and hard drive diagnosis
on the troubled boxen. I use Memtest86 from www.memtest86.com to test
RAM (unless your IT Dept. is rich and has a real hardware RAM tester!).

Malke

 

[Ewa Wdzieczak-Smering]

Ewa Wdzieczak-Smering wrote:



It certainly doesn't sound like those policies are the cause of the
problem. They sound pretty standard. Since all the failing workstations
are Dell Optiplexes, I think I'd do some RAM and hard drive diagnosis
on the troubled boxen. I use Memtest86 from www.memtest86.com to test
RAM (unless your IT Dept. is rich and has a real hardware RAM tester!).

Malke

Malke,

The systems were perfectly fine before the group policy was
administered, then ALL of them (5 workstations total) experienced the
same problem after users did reboot their workstations... that's what's
puzzling me. Everything worked fine until then... (Oh BTW not all of
them are GX60, I have one Lattitude 600 and one GX260... yeah "dude
you've got Dell" indeed...lol) I really don't think that the memory
(256MB pr each workstation) is the issue here, but I will check into it
at the first available chance. What makes you think it's a memory problem?


Ewa

 

[Ewa Wdzieczak-Smering]

Ewa Wdzieczak-Smering wrote:



It certainly doesn't sound like those policies are the cause of the
problem. They sound pretty standard. Since all the failing workstations
are Dell Optiplexes, I think I'd do some RAM and hard drive diagnosis
on the troubled boxen. I use Memtest86 from www.memtest86.com to test
RAM (unless your IT Dept. is rich and has a real hardware RAM tester!).

Malke

Malke,


could we talk at some other time - you are the only who has really
responded, so far, to my desperate email...

thx


E

 

[Ewa Wdzieczak-Smering]

Ewa Wdzieczak-Smering wrote:



It certainly doesn't sound like those policies are the cause of the
problem. They sound pretty standard. Since all the failing workstations
are Dell Optiplexes, I think I'd do some RAM and hard drive diagnosis
on the troubled boxen. I use Memtest86 from www.memtest86.com to test
RAM (unless your IT Dept. is rich and has a real hardware RAM tester!).

Malke

Malke,


could we talk at some other time - you are the only who has really
responded, so far, to my desperate email...

thx


E

 

[Malke]

Malke,

The systems were perfectly fine before the group policy was
administered, then ALL of them (5 workstations total) experienced the
same problem after users did reboot their workstations... that's
what's puzzling me. Everything worked fine until then... (Oh BTW not
all of them are GX60, I have one Lattitude 600 and one GX260... yeah
"dude you've got Dell" indeed...lol) I really don't think that the
memory (256MB pr each workstation) is the issue here, but I will check
into it at the first available chance. What makes you think it's a
memory problem?

I thought it might be the memory because I interpreted your previous
post to mean that all troubled boxen were the same model. Since what
you said was being done for maintenance seemed pretty routine to me
(and you're not relying on users to do any of the work), I naturally
turned to the possibility that there was faulty hardware. RAM is the
first thing to check. There wasn't any other magic reason behind my
suggestion.

Without being able to actually see the machines, I can't really help
much. Undo the group policy. Break it down into its parts. Manually
enable one thing at a time, testing after each. Check to make sure each
machine is 100% spyware and virus-free. Check to see if there is
anything legitimate but possibly invasive starting with Windows. Try
and figure out what makes those boxen different from the ones that work
well. User permissions? Special hardware (not likely, since they are
all different), running some third-party application that the other
machines aren't?

In other words, the only way to troubleshoot is to take a machine down
to basics - insuring it has no malware, doing a clean boot, looking at
each machine carefully with an eye to figuring out what is different
from the successful boxen and also what the 5 workstations have in
common with each other. Since they are not all the same model, what is
the same on all 5 workstations?

I'm sorry that I can't give you a more specific answer. If you can't
figure this out, have another IT friend come over to put a fresh pair
of eyes on the problem. There's no shame in doing this - my friends and
I help each other out like this all the time.

Good luck,

Malke

 

[Torgeir Bakken \(MVP\)]

Recently my organization has tried to implement Internet Explorer's system
policy (size of the temp folder, empty temp files at the exit, so forth) and
ever since, several XP workstations (Professional edition, SP1) have the
"Windows - Registry Recovery". "One of the files containing the system's
registry data had to be recovered by use of a log or alternate copy. The
recovery was successful." error message. We have removed the policy ever
since, but the registry recovery message still does come up at every boot.
Any ideas how to fix it???

Hi

Did you deploy the security update MS04-032/KB840987 at the same time?

Security Update for Microsoft Windows (840987)
http://www.microsoft.com/technet/security/bulletin/ms04-032.mspx

It can cause this error sometimes. Either upgrade to WinXP SP2, or call
for the hotfix mentioned in the link below (disregard the NT 4.0 domain
reference).

You receive a "One of the files in the registry database had to
be recovered" message when you connect a Windows XP-based client
computer to a Windows NT 4.0 domain
http://support.microsoft.com/?id=843426

As the article states, you need to call Microsoft Product Support Services to
obtain it (outside the US, customers should contact their local Microsoft
subsidiary.). The support call will be be free as long as you refer to the
Knowledge Base Article number (843426) and ask for nothing more.

You will need to find the phone number from here:
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=fh;[LN];CNTACTMS

In the wizard, Select WinXP, and Basic, and then "It was purchased separately"

For USA, you end up here
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=fh;en-us;Prodoffer31

Use phone number 425-635-3311

 

[Guest]

Torgeir you definitely deserver your MVP. After many hours searching you
finally gave me the exact solution to the problem.
Many thanks.

Recently my organization has tried to implement Internet Explorer's system
policy (size of the temp folder, empty temp files at the exit, so forth) and
ever since, several XP workstations (Professional edition, SP1) have the
"Windows - Registry Recovery". "One of the files containing the system's
registry data had to be recovered by use of a log or alternate copy. The
recovery was successful." error message. We have removed the policy ever
since, but the registry recovery message still does come up at every boot.
Any ideas how to fix it???

Hi

Did you deploy the security update MS04-032/KB840987 at the same time?

Security Update for Microsoft Windows (840987)
http://www.microsoft.com/technet/security/bulletin/ms04-032.mspx

It can cause this error sometimes. Either upgrade to WinXP SP2, or call
for the hotfix mentioned in the link below (disregard the NT 4.0 domain
reference).

You receive a "One of the files in the registry database had to
be recovered" message when you connect a Windows XP-based client
computer to a Windows NT 4.0 domain
http://support.microsoft.com/?id=843426

As the article states, you need to call Microsoft Product Support Services to
obtain it (outside the US, customers should contact their local Microsoft
subsidiary.). The support call will be be free as long as you refer to the
Knowledge Base Article number (843426) and ask for nothing more.

You will need to find the phone number from here:
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=fh;[LN];CNTACTMS

In the wizard, Select WinXP, and Basic, and then "It was purchased separately"

For USA, you end up here
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=fh;en-us;Prodoffer31

Use phone number 425-635-3311



--
torgeir, Microsoft MVP Scripting and WMI, Porsgrunn Norway
Administration scripting examples and an ONLINE version of
the 1328 page Scripting Guide:
http://www.microsoft.com/technet/scriptcenter/default.mspx