Cannot change/remove software with the add remove software control

[Ken Springer]

I've been uninstalling a lot of unused software, running spam/spyware,
installing all the updates, etc., all the usual stuff, I hope, on a friend's
computer. It was a mess, she sometimes had to manually shut down and restart
the computer when coldbooting.

After this last go around in doing all of this, something affected the
administrator's rights. I can no longer add or removed software using the
add removed software control panel. The guest account has been disabled, so
her administrator's account was the only active account.

The option to change/remove a program is not longer available for any
installed software when you open the add/remove control panel.

I thought I'd simply create a new administrator's account. In creating the
2nd admin account, I got a message that an administrator's account needed to
be created. I took this message to mean the system did not recognize the
original administrator's account to have administrator rights. Even though I
set the new account to be an administrator, the system did not recognize the
2nd account as having administrator authority either.

In researchin this issue here in newsgroups, I ran into a post that said to
run \scannow, but the system reports it cannot find scannow.

The computer is a Gateway, but at the moment I don't have any details as to
model, RAM, etc.

The computer runs fine, far, far, far, far better than it has in months,
apparently. If I don't get it fixed in the next couple of days, it shouldn't
be a problem.

Any ideas out there?


Ken

 

[Nightowl]

Hi Ken

Please see my comments inline.

I've been uninstalling a lot of unused software, running spam/spyware,
installing all the updates, etc., all the usual stuff, I hope, on a friend's
computer. It was a mess, she sometimes had to manually shut down and restart
the computer when coldbooting.

After this last go around in doing all of this, something affected the
administrator's rights. I can no longer add or removed software using the
add removed software control panel. The guest account has been disabled, so
her administrator's account was the only active account.

The option to change/remove a program is not longer available for any
installed software when you open the add/remove control panel.

When you say that something affected the administrator's rights, is this
because you can't add/remove programs? Because that in itself doesn't
mean there's any problem with an admin account.

I thought I'd simply create a new administrator's account. In creating the
2nd admin account, I got a message that an administrator's account needed to
be created. I took this message to mean the system did not recognize the
original administrator's account to have administrator rights. Even though I
set the new account to be an administrator, the system did not recognize the
2nd account as having administrator authority either.

Again, I'm not sure what you mean by "The system did not recognise the
second account as having administrator authority either." If the account
you were using didn't have admin rights, you wouldn't have been able to
create a second account at all. Here's a quick and easy way to check:
while you're in the account that you think *should* have admin rights,
right-click the Start button. If on the menu you have "Open All Users",
your account is an admin

In researchin this issue here in newsgroups, I ran into a post that said to
run \scannow, but the system reports it cannot find scannow.

The command you're thinking of is:

sfc /scannow

but try this first: go to MVP Kelly Theriot's site here:
http://www.kellys-korner-xp.com/xp_tweaks.htm

Scroll down to line 337, right-hand column for Restore Change or Remove
Programs. There are instructions at the top of the page on how to use
the file.

Good luck! Let us know how you get on

 

[Ken Springer]

Hi, Nightowl,

I wrote a reply this morning, and then when I posted it, the message came
back that the post couldn't be displayed because the server was busy.

Maybe I should have just reloaded that page, but I hit the back button
instead, and of course everything I'd just written was gone.

So I just walked away in disgust.

Please see my replies inline below.

Hi Ken

Please see my comments inline.



When you say that something affected the administrator's rights, is this
because you can't add/remove programs? Because that in itself doesn't
mean there's any problem with an admin account.

100% correct, I assumed, which a person should never do, that somehow the
administrator's rights had been compromised in some way.

Again, I'm not sure what you mean by "The system did not recognise the
second account as having administrator authority either." If the account
you were using didn't have admin rights, you wouldn't have been able to
create a second account at all. Here's a quick and easy way to check:
while you're in the account that you think *should* have admin rights,
right-click the Start button. If on the menu you have "Open All Users",
your account is an admin

During the creation of the 2nd administrator account, I got a pop up
dialogue that sounded like the system did not recognize the orginal
administrator's account as having administration rights.

Thanks for the tidbit about "Open All Users", that's something I did not
know. I'm not an IT professional, just the most knowledgeable of my group of
friends and relatives so I get elected to solve problems! LOL

The command you're thinking of is:

sfc /scannow

I did eventually try this, but the command wanted to see the CD with XP
Professional on it with SP #3. The command does not let you browse your hard
drive for anything, it insists on the CD, bypass the operation, of skip this
step. It came up 3 times, as I chose to skip, and then I aborted the process.

I downloaded SP 3, but for some reason the computer would not burn the SP to
a CD-R. I don't have a clue why, as a visual look at the CD shows the burner
tried to write things. I don't know if it makes any difference, but it's an
old CD-R, just a 74 minute CD. I didn't check any burner settings in XP to
see if that may be the problem.

but try this first: go to MVP Kelly Theriot's site here:
http://www.kellys-korner-xp.com/xp_tweaks.htm

Scroll down to line 337, right-hand column for Restore Change or Remove
Programs. There are instructions at the top of the page on how to use
the file.

I downloaded the file, and the owner and I were dismayed to find it deleted
the original administrators account. She wasn't happy with that at all, she
thought she'd lost everything. But I showed her how to get everything
copied to the new admin account, and she's happy.

I sure wish we could attach files

I'll be leaving for home tomorrow afternoon via Amtak, but if we don't
resolve the issue, it won't be a major issue. With all the stuff I have
removed, and nearly 700 spyware and spamware issues now gone, the computer is
about 10X faster!! She's going to be investing in some spyware/software now,
she didn't think she needed any.


Ken

 

[Nightowl]

I wrote a reply this morning, and then when I posted it, the message came
back that the post couldn't be displayed because the server was busy.

Maybe I should have just reloaded that page, but I hit the back button
instead, and of course everything I'd just written was gone.

So I just walked away in disgust.

Please see my replies inline below.

Hi Ken

The web interface is buggy and difficult to use :-( Most of us regular
readers use a newsreader instead -- makes things a lot easier!

100% correct, I assumed, which a person should never do, that somehow the
administrator's rights had been compromised in some way.


During the creation of the 2nd administrator account, I got a pop up
dialogue that sounded like the system did not recognize the orginal
administrator's account as having administration rights.

Thanks for the tidbit about "Open All Users", that's something I did not
know. I'm not an IT professional, just the most knowledgeable of my group of
friends and relatives so I get elected to solve problems! LOL

Heh, I know what you mean. Exactly the same thing happens to me.

I did eventually try this, but the command wanted to see the CD with XP
Professional on it with SP #3. The command does not let you browse your hard
drive for anything, it insists on the CD, bypass the operation, of skip this
step. It came up 3 times, as I chose to skip, and then I aborted the process.

I downloaded SP 3, but for some reason the computer would not burn the SP to
a CD-R. I don't have a clue why, as a visual look at the CD shows the burner
tried to write things. I don't know if it makes any difference, but it's an
old CD-R, just a 74 minute CD. I didn't check any burner settings in XP to
see if that may be the problem.


I downloaded the file, and the owner and I were dismayed to find it deleted
the original administrators account. She wasn't happy with that at all, she
thought she'd lost everything. But I showed her how to get everything
copied to the new admin account, and she's happy.

I sure wish we could attach files

Ken, Kelly's files are totally safe and this one *could not* delete your
administrator's account, or have any effect on it at all. All it does it
remove a policy setting which hides the change/remove options. If you
open the .reg file with Notepad you can see this for yourself.

But do you really mean it was deleted (I'm not sure, because you go on
to talk about copying settings and files to the new admin account)? Or
do you just mean you could no longer see it as an option on the Welcome
screen? If so, that's by design; once a second account with admin rights
is created, the built-in Administrator account is hidden (but still
there). In XP Pro you can access it by pressing Ctrl-Alt-Delete twice at
the Welcome screen and typing Administrator for username and the
password, if any, in the login box that pops up. In XP Home, you need to
boot to Safe Mode and you'll again see Administrator on the Welcome
screen.

I'll be leaving for home tomorrow afternoon via Amtak, but if we don't
resolve the issue, it won't be a major issue. With all the stuff I have
removed, and nearly 700 spyware and spamware issues now gone, the computer is
about 10X faster!! She's going to be investing in some spyware/software now,
she didn't think she needed any.

Sounds like you have done a good job for your friend, but if it was in
that bad a state I wouldn't be totally sure that her machine is clean.
Do din into her head the need to run protective software and regular
checks. She doesn't need to invest, there are lots of good free programs
out there, such as Ad-Aware, Spybot, Super AntiSpyware and MalwareBytes'
AntiMalware.

All the best,

 

[Ken Springer]

Good Morning, Nightowl,

My comments are inline once again.

Hi Ken

The web interface is buggy and difficult to use :-( Most of us regular
readers use a newsreader instead -- makes things a lot easier!

I would too!!!! I've been trying out Forte's Agent at home, but it's got a
couple of quirks I don't particularly care for. Plus I don't need the email
ability, as I use Outlook for that so I can easily sync with my cell phone.
I don't really like Outlook either, but it's the syncing there. Got a good
newsreader to suggest?

On my Windows 98 machine, I used to use Opera for my browser, which has a
built in mail and newsgroup clients. I need to reinstall XP Home on my
personal machine, and when I get that done, I'm going to give Opera another
try. I've been using Firefox, but it seems to have issues for me.

But one thing I do know, unless I need a Windows computer for my next job, I
just became semi-retired, it will be a Mac, unless I can see a Linux equipped
machine and like what I see. One thing about a Mac, you can run a Windows OS
side by side with OS X.

Heh, I know what you mean. Exactly the same thing happens to me.

I guess we're both gluttons for punishment!!!!!! At least for one of my
sisters, my nephew gets the nod when he's home. He just built himself a
whale of a unit.

Ken, Kelly's files are totally safe and this one *could not* delete your
administrator's account, or have any effect on it at all. All it does it
remove a policy setting which hides the change/remove options. If you
open the .reg file with Notepad you can see this for yourself.

But do you really mean it was deleted (I'm not sure, because you go on
to talk about copying settings and files to the new admin account)? Or
do you just mean you could no longer see it as an option on the Welcome
screen? If so, that's by design; once a second account with admin rights
is created, the built-in Administrator account is hidden (but still
there). In XP Pro you can access it by pressing Ctrl-Alt-Delete twice at
the Welcome screen and typing Administrator for username and the
password, if any, in the login box that pops up. In XP Home, you need to
boot to Safe Mode and you'll again see Administrator on the Welcome
screen.

Another little tidbit of new knowledge. It's just hidden, and doesn't show
up at the welcome screen. I'd copied everything from the original install
using Windows Explorer. I'm not going to worry about it now.

But I just created a System Restore point, so if anything goes too bad, she
can restore to this date.

System Restore is another litte thing I hadn't previously known about.

Sounds like you have done a good job for your friend, but if it was in
that bad a state I wouldn't be totally sure that her machine is clean.
Do din into her head the need to run protective software and regular
checks. She doesn't need to invest, there are lots of good free programs
out there, such as Ad-Aware, Spybot, Super AntiSpyware and MalwareBytes'
AntiMalware.

I installed Ad-Aware here, and am trying to talk her into doing paying for
it so it can run in the background. She leaves her computer on 24/7, so we
can eventually configure it and everything to scan while she's at work. I've
scheduled her Symantec Anti-Virus so it won't interfere with her using the
computer when at home.

I also run Spyware Doctor from PC Tools at home and Spybot. I didn't know
about the other two. My nephew used to use WebRoot's product, but it never
seemed to do the job. I don't think you can have too many of these
utilities, none of them seem to find everything.

Gonna have another great train ride today!!!


Have a great Sunday.

Ken