control panel applets access denied

[marcelo]

Win2k Pro SP4, with all reccomended hotfixes applied.
Under Control Panel, some options show a message "Access to specified
device, path, or file is denied."
The command line equivalents ( control xxxx.cpl ) show same thing.
All the required exes, dlls and cpls are there, and I think they are
not hacked.
No virus ( AVG ), no spyware ( spybot + spywareblaster + kerio ).
The machine is networked and there is a SBS 2003 domain controller in
the LAN.
Same results happens for any user: the local Administrator, and two
other with administration privileges.
I think it's consequence of some registry values lost/modified.
But no idea of which and the values.
Any help is welcome.

 

[Guest]

Have you checked this MS KB ?

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/221153/EN-US/

 

[marcelo]

Have you checked this MS KB ?

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/221153/EN-US/

thank you.
but please note that my applets 'show'. What happens is that I cannot
execute some of them

 

[Guest]

Marcelo
I havent come across this before but here are some suggestions:
1. Check the ntfs permissions on one if the *.cpl files. Assign Everyone
Full Control.
2. Check if you have local GPO settings enabled.
3. Check if you get the same behaviour if you log in as a different user or
log in locally.
4. Try running from commandline:
http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=192806&sd=RMVP

Do you have TweakIU installed?

 

[marcelo]

Hello Tony
Excuse me. I was very busy.
1. I checked in the first place the permissions on the files. They are
'reasonable' with read/execute for every group. Also, they are the
same as another w2k pro machine.
2. That's the point: I don't know so much about GPO, and which could
cause this behaviour
3. The machine has 3 users: the local Admin, a local user, and a
domain user. All of them pertains to local administrators group. The
bahaviour don't change for every of the users, also, the domain user
logged in locally or in the domain.

I'm near crazy, because the most important cpls are easily replaced
with MMC.
But some things have no counterpart. And some software use exclusively
cpls to config.

TIA
Marcelo

 

[marcelo]

Hi Tony
I need to add to my previous posting ( this same day ).

I tried the command line mode. Both using the full sintax ( rundll32
shell32,... etc ) and the abbreviated one ( control .... ).

The result is the same, even if the message is only 'Access denied'.

But an important thing to note is there is an exception:

The appwiz.cpl is working ok !!!

TIA again, and for your patience


Marcelo

 

[Guest]

Marcelo

Isolate a control applet thats not loading, if you have another machine that
doesnt display the same error, try exporting the registry key and import it.
Then run regedt32 and check the permissions on the registry key that stores
values for the control applet and ensure everyone full control.
It could be a combination of registry corruption and permissions to the reg
key.

Let me know if that helps.
ps. If you dont have another machine, let me have your email and I will send
it to you.