Registry: cannot delete key

  • Thread starter Thread starter S.Sengupta
  • Start date Start date
Hi all!

I was doing some maintenance and I found that some registry keys cannot be
browsed and/or deleted.
If I try to delete them I get a message that says (I hope to translate the
message right)

"
Impossible to delete <key>. Error deleting the key.
"


I tryied to delete it invoking the RegDeleteKey API function but I get an
"Access denied" result.
I tryied also to add the privileges for the key to the user (I'm trying as
Administrator) but windows says that I cannot modify the persmissions :(


I cannot find a solution for this.
Is there a way to edit directly the registry bypassing the classic registry
API, or something for solve this?

Thanks!
 
Zanna said:
Hi all!

I was doing some maintenance and I found that some registry keys cannot be
browsed and/or deleted.
If I try to delete them I get a message that says (I hope to translate the
message right)

"
Impossible to delete <key>. Error deleting the key.

I tryied to delete it invoking the RegDeleteKey API function but I get an
"Access denied" result.
I tryied also to add the privileges for the key to the user (I'm trying as
Administrator) but windows says that I cannot modify the persmissions :(

I cannot find a solution for this.
Is there a way to edit directly the registry bypassing the classic
registry API, or something for solve this?
Click to expand...

What are the keys? You can boot with something like ERD Commander (might not
be available any more) or a Bart's PE, but it would be smart to post the
keys first.

Malke
 
S.Sengupta said:
Automatically Deleting a Registry Key
http://www.onecomputerguy.com/registry_tips.htm
Click to expand...

Nothing to do... if I try to export this key to a .reg file to modify as
specified in the article regedit tells me that the key does not exists.

If I do the reg file manually the key still not be deleted.

I think these keys are in some way hidden or have a "false" name because if
I try to remove it via CCleaner the keys are listed as "<keyname> -" and not
just as "<keyname>".

Is for this reason that I asked if there is something that can read directly
into the registry file and not via the registry API.
 
What are the keys?
Click to expand...

The most of these seems to be something related to yahoo messanger that I
disindtalled

for example

HKCR\.ymg
HKCR\.yps
HKCR\Yahoo.Messanger
....

these are about 80

but also a couple related to Borland products

HKCR\Borland.Dbk
HKCR\Borland.Dbk.1
HKCR\Borland.DbkAux
HKCR\Borland.DbkAux.1

You can boot with something like ERD Commander (might not
be available any more) or a Bart's PE, but it would be smart to post the
keys first.
Click to expand...

Ok, I'll wait for your reply :)

Thanks
 
Permission factor prevents a user from deleting the keys/subkeys.To
change, Right Click the key and take permissions, add yourself and then
provide full control.

regards,
S.Sengupta[MS-MVP]
 
Fabio said:
The most of these seems to be something related to yahoo messanger that I
disindtalled

for example

HKCR\.ymg
HKCR\.yps
HKCR\Yahoo.Messanger
...

these are about 80

but also a couple related to Borland products

HKCR\Borland.Dbk
HKCR\Borland.Dbk.1
HKCR\Borland.DbkAux
HKCR\Borland.DbkAux.1
Click to expand...

Things to try:

1. S. Sengupta's suggestion
2. In the permissions on the keys, add Everyone with full control
3. Ignore them because they are not from malware (which is why I asked you
what they are)

Frankly, I would just ignore them. Since they aren't malware, they aren't
hurting anything by remaining. They are not "bloating" your registry and
slowing down your machine. The registry doesn't behave the same way in XP
as it did in Win9x/ME.

Too many people feel they need to tinker with their registry, using registry
cleaners or just deleting stuff, and those are the people who wind up
hosing their systems. Just my two cents.

Malke
 
"Malke" <[email protected]> ha scritto nel messaggio


1. S. Sengupta's suggestion
2. In the permissions on the keys, add Everyone with full control
Click to expand...

Ok, these 2 does not work :)

3. Ignore them because they are not from malware (which is why I asked you
what they are)
Click to expand...

I'll think I'll do this.
The alternative is a format, but I won't do it :)
Too many people feel they need to tinker with their registry, using
registry
cleaners or just deleting stuff, and those are the people who wind up
hosing their systems. Just my two cents.
Click to expand...

You're right.
I just hate to have trash into the system.
But I'm really astonished that there is not a solution for this provided
directly by Microsoft.

Thanks
 
When you attempted to set Permissions, did you start at the deepest,
sub-nested key/value ?

Entry Point ( Top Level Key you're trying to remove)
- .... ( )
- .... ( )
- > Change Permissions here and work your way upward ^
Then perform the delete from the Entry Point level.
 
Start
run
cmd

AT HH:MM /interactive CMD /k
where HH:MM is two minutes in the future.

When the scheduled CMD prompt opens, it will be in the SYSTEM context.
Open regedt32 from the CMD prompt and delete the key.
 
Start
run
cmd

AT HH:MM /interactive CMD /k
where HH:MM is two minutes in the future.

When the scheduled CMD prompt opens, it will be in the SYSTEM context.
Open regedt32 from the CMD prompt and delete the key.
Click to expand...

This worked fine!!!

Really thank you!!!

:)

The thing that I don't understand now is that if I run in this way a
"registry cleaner" into the SYSTEM context it find some keys. If I run it in
"normal" way it find a different list of keys...

At worst I'll delete them manually one by one :)
 
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