Some programs won't start

[Guest]

Archived from groups: microsoft.public.windowsxp.help_and_support (More info?)

bxf Wrote:
> Did you perhaps run a REGISTRY cleaner recently? If so, that could
> explain things.

I run Ace Utilities about once a week.

bxf Wrote:
> Other than that, why not try to reinstall one/some of the failing
> programs and see if that solves the situation?

I too thought that might be the problem and have uninstalled and
reinstalled a number of the programs which behave this was at least two
or three times including a complete search of the registry for any
remnants of the programs, booting in Safe Mode to re-check
uninstallation, erasing TEMP directory and Recycle Bin - - in short,
all the things I've used in the past to expunge any troublesome remnant
of a program before reinstallation.

Because this is happening exclusively on one of my XP computers, I
assumed there was some setting that got messed up along the way.

Maybe it's time for that familiar Microsoft part-time job, reformatting
and starting from scratch.


--
howpix

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: microsoft.public.windowsxp.help_and_support (More info?)

howpix wrote:
> bxf Wrote:
> > Did you perhaps run a REGISTRY cleaner recently? If so, that could
> > explain things.
>
> I run Ace Utilities about once a week.

I don't know this one, but I have seen where letting cleaners run on
the loose yields these strange results that are hard to define, let
alone solve. Just like what you have now.

> bxf Wrote:
> > Other than that, why not try to reinstall one/some of the failing
> > programs and see if that solves the situation?
>
> I too thought that might be the problem and have uninstalled and
> reinstalled a number of the programs which behave this was at least two
> or three times including a complete search of the registry for any
> remnants of the programs, booting in Safe Mode to re-check
> uninstallation, erasing TEMP directory and Recycle Bin - - in short,
> all the things I've used in the past to expunge any troublesome remnant
> of a program before reinstallation.

Even this I've found to be risky, because sometimes the
INSTALL/UNINSTALL process uses Registry entries that are interdependent
but not always identifiable, so that deleting some but not all
components leaves you in no man's land, where you can neither run nor
uninstall/reinstall the application.

> Because this is happening exclusively on one of my XP computers, I
> assumed there was some setting that got messed up along the way.
>
> Maybe it's time for that familiar Microsoft part-time job, reformatting
> and starting from scratch.

Isn't this what weekends are for?

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It's easy to make a decision when there are no options.