Registry gone bad?

[jtruemper]

I like to keep my computer as tidy as possible, and as such I typically do a virus scan and registry scan on every startup (or every other startup as has become the case lately)....... Anyway, suddenly every time I perform a registry scan it freezes up my computer. This happens in Registry Mechanic and Ad-Aware, as well as a program that I installed when I started noticing troubles called JV16......... ALL freeze up my computer when they get into scanning the registry.

Other problems have started occuring at the same time. One is that when I shut down, XP doesn't actually shut down all the way, and I have to manually turn it off. Another is freezing on startup, though that problem had been occuring a while before these latest ones showed up.

Any help you can offer would be great.

Thanks,
-Jake

 

[linney]

Try Safe Mode, also try another user in Normal Mode, see if you have the same problems?

System Restore might be worth a try too?

Otherwise you may be up for a repair of Windows.

Try running ChkDsk to check your drive for errors. Right click your Drive icon/ Properties/ Tools/ Error Checking.

Run the System File Checker program from the Run Box by typing.....Sfc /Scannow in it and have your XP CD handy.

HOW TO: Verify Unsigned Device Drivers in Windows XP

http://support.microsoft.com/support/kb/articles/q308/5/14.asp

If they don't work you could try repairing windows by running it over itself. You will lose all your windows updates but your files will be untouched.

How to Perform an In-Place Upgrade (Reinstallation) of Windows XP (Q315341)

http://support.microsoft.com/support/kb/articles/q315/3/41.asp

There is also this procedure if your Registry is corrupted.

An easy to follow recovery console description when unable to start computer due to corrupt registry.

http://www.digitalwebcast.com/2002/03_mar/tutorials/cw_boot_toot.htm

This is a layman's version of Q307545 in simple language.

 

[jtruemper]

I don't know why I didn't think to use Safe Mode before. I tried it though, and Safe Mode would fail to load every time, freezing up at agp440.sys...... So I looked that up on Google and found that it might have something to do with my display drivers, so I updated those and Safe Mode works again. I was able to scan my computer with Ad-Aware and Registry Mechanic in Safe Mode, but when going back to regular mode they both still freeze up my computer. Oddly enough though Registry Mechanic freezes my computer near the end of the scan now though, where before it froze me up at the very beginning.

Trying another user oddly does not give me the same problems... I never would have expected that. As another user the scans work perfectly, without any trouble at all. Why would that be?

Unfortunately System Restore isn't worth anything in this case. My earliest restore point is from just two weeks ago, and I have restored it to there and everywhere inbetween, still with the same problems.

I ran ChkDsk as you suggested, but that didn't seem to solve anything either.

As for verifying unsigned devices, I found 22 unsigned devices, but there are only four that I'm certain shouldn't be there. I'll see if I can't get rid of those and get back to you.

I would really rather not write Windows over itself, because it would be a bad thing to lose my settings... but I'll keep that as a last resort.

Other information that may or may not mean anything, Adaware freezes up every time at this point:

CLSID\{07167665-5011-11CF-BF33-00AA0055595A}

Thanks again,
-Jake

 

[linney]

Sounds a bit like the profile has become corrupted?

811151 - How to Copy User Data to a New User Profile

http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=811151

Error Message: Windows Cannot Load Your Profile Because It May Be Corrupted (Q318011)

http://support.microsoft.com/support/kb/articles/q318/0/11.asp

For what it is worth that registry key {07167665-5011-11CF-BF33-00AA0055595A} has something to do with "Full Screen Renderer" and Quartz.dll, on my machine. Sounds a bit like Video problems to me?

 

[wolluf]

the repair reinstall linney linked keeps your settings, data and apps - that's the point of it.

I'll just throw in my view on 'over-scanning'. It causes problems. If you have a good AV app with realtime protection, and you've cleaned your machine, why scan it at all? (the AV should keep it clean - so unless you have an indication that there is a virus..) And why scan the registry on a regular basis? (do you install loads of software every time you log on? Because if not, what are you scanning for? And however good registry cleaners are, they can always clean something they're not supposed to). All you're doing is putting extra strain on your o/s and system components. Just my 2p.

btw - do you have spyware protection (eg, Microsoft Antispyware is currently free and gives realtime protection), and spy/malware is probably more of a problem than viruses now.