Thread: Windows cannot update registry

  1. #1

    Windows cannot update registry

    I'm having a rather obnoxious issue with Windows XP Home (No SP2). I've just moved and my new roommates wanted access to my computer. I didnt want to allow them rampant access to my system so I created a new Limited User Account. I passworded the admin account, passworded the Limited account then changed my mind and removed the Limited password. I logged into my Admin account once successfully, logged out, into the Limited, then attempted to re-enter the Admin account. No luck. It just acts like my password is incorrect. Now I know its not as its a) the same password I use for lots of pointless crap, and b) I've already used it to log into the account just 5 minutes previous.

    Not having much time on my hands to fiddle around, and seeing as it appeared to be an XP bug, I threw in my restore CD and did a non-destructive system restore.

    Everything goes just fine until it reboots. Just past the XP load screen, I recieve two popup windows in very rapid succession. I cant make out what the first one is titled (let alone the one line of content) but the second has a very large bold title of "Drivers and Application", though its very hard to make out as it flashes by so fast. It too holds a single short line of content which I cant at all discern. Then I recieve a rather long error window, the relevent part proclaiming "Windows cannot update the registry". Etc etc and upon clicking OK, I restart. Ad finatum.

    Has anyone ecountered either the odd account/password behavior before, or this error message? Any quick solutions? I have VERY limited access to the internet on a VERY crappy computer and a rather slow connection ATM, so please forgive if replies take up to a day. I cant search the net for info as I have only a short time on this computer a day, sorry. I also haven't had the time to experiment with my own system, and wont have any time for at least a week. I'm hoping somebody here can help me out. (And to add insult to injury I'm forced to use IE to post this... *grumble*)

    This is like my message in a bottle from a little desert island of no-internet.

    Thanks for your understanding guys.
    "There's always another way"
    -lightatdawn (lightatdawn.cprogramming.com)

  2. #2
    Registered User Bajanine's Avatar
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    I had a very similar situation with my laptop (WinXP Pro). I tried all kinds of stuff. After and hour on the phone with tech support they said I needed to do a reformat and reinstall! which is what I ended up doing! This is why I now run Win2k Pro.

    I hope someone else has a better suggestion for you, I'll certainly keep an eye on this thread to see if there is a better solution.
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  3. #3
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    I can't think of anything beyond what Bajanine said, but I would recommend not letting your roommates near your computer if this is the kind of trouble you have to go through to let them.

  4. #4
    Reformat is definatly not an option. I have been slacker with my backups lately and have over a months worth of project code thats not backed up as well as various other moderatly important documents. I can obviously still use a bootdisk but that doesnt help me save the 100's of Megs of Media I've created for the project... Unless someone knows of a DOS based CD Burning App?



    What about the possibility of me installing Win98 (I have a CD available) along side XP then going to town? Having never done a dual-boot I'm not sure how things would go, or even if the Win98 Install has the capability to do it without any interfacing with XP.

    I should have some time available again on-line later today so I'll check back.



    Peace
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    -lightatdawn (lightatdawn.cprogramming.com)

  5. #5
    & the hat of GPL slaying Thantos's Avatar
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    If you are using NTFS on the primary drive then installing 98 won't work.

  6. #6
    PC Fixer-Upper Waldo2k2's Avatar
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    do a google search for offline nt password registry edit , those terms should bring you to a site that has a linux bootdisk designed to be used to edit passwords and the registry without using windows. It works and it's 99% safe (you were considering formatting anyway so what do you have to lose). That should do the trick.
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  7. #7
    Registered User Bajanine's Avatar
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    When this problem happened to me I tried the Offline NT PW editor and NTFSDos to no avail I can't even remember what happened but I do know it failed to write a new password to the HD. This is a good suggestion however maybe you'll have better luck than me .

    Another Idea:
    If you have a Knoppix cd and a spare HD you could grant yourself write access to the hd and copy the neccessary files you need to save before doing anything.

    Windows has a nasty ability to determine if your backups are old and if they are it automagically self destructs!
    Favorite Quote:

    >For that reason someone invented C++.
    BLASPHEMY! Begone from my C board, you foul lover of objects, before the gods of C cast you into the void as punishment for your weakness! There is no penance for saying such things in my presence. You are henceforth excommunicated. Never return to this house, filthy heretic!



  8. #8
    I am he who is the man! Stan100's Avatar
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    to all who are having problems- do you all have SP2? does it suck this much?
    Stan The Man. Beatles fan

    When I was a child,
    I spoke as a child,
    I thought as a child,
    I reasoned as a child.
    When I became a man,
    I put childish ways behind me"
    (the holy bible, Paul, in his first letter to the Cor. 13:11)

  9. #9
    Thanks for the ideas guys. I'll try to do some research, but as I said, I have very limited internet access without my own comp, and I need to wait a couple days to get the rest of my disks and equiment etc from my old place so this is a terrible time for all this to be happening. Otherwise a full reading-up on this problem would have happened a long time before I pestered you great folks here for knowledge. I'll keep everyone updated as I find out things, though it'll likely happen rather slowly.

    Any new thoughts/previous experiences are still appreciated.
    "There's always another way"
    -lightatdawn (lightatdawn.cprogramming.com)

  10. #10
    PC Fixer-Upper Waldo2k2's Avatar
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    to stan:
    I have sp2 and no problems, just had to update nero, that's it. It actually works better for me than sp1 did because of the enhanced firewall (I do a lot of Lan'ing and I used to end up with a virus once and a while because some of the people I played with were into the whole script kiddie thing).
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  11. #11
    Well I'm back. Apparently the factory defaults used FAT32 not NTFS, so I was all set. Install Win98, backed up, reformat. It wasn't exactly a solution per se, as I still dont know how to solve the problem, but I didnt lose any data. I'm still in the process of restoring a few apps, but thats about it.

    I guess now that I'm back up and running I can do a little research on the problem. Just for my own information. Too bad I'm still on this same shoddy internet connection. At least I'm not stuck with the landlords massively POS computer anymore.

    I also took the opportunity to install SP2. We'll see how that goes. No problems so far.
    "There's always another way"
    -lightatdawn (lightatdawn.cprogramming.com)

  12. #12
    ¡Amo fútbol!
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    Just disable the XP firewall and use a real one.

  13. #13
    Useless Apprentice ryan_germain's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Waldo2k2
    do a google search for offline nt password registry edit , those terms should bring you to a site that has a linux bootdisk designed to be used to edit passwords and the registry without using windows. It works and it's 99% safe (you were considering formatting anyway so what do you have to lose). That should do the trick.

    i would recomend austrumi...somebody posted something about it in this board. do a search. i used it and it works great if you blank the password
    There is not the slightest indication that [nuclear energy] will ever be obtainable. It would mean that the atom would have to be shattered at will.

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