XP Pro SP2 registry tweek advice sought

Computer Help and Discussions Software
1

I have two identical Dell Dimension 9100 machines both running XP Pro SP2. I have two problems to solve on one of them.

1. Recently, probably due to some tinkering (manually deleting all the registry tracks left over from dumping LavaSoft Ad-Aware), that machine briefly flashes the message: "autochk.exe not found--skipping autocheck" when booting. Then it proceeds to boot normally.

I looked at the windows\system32 folder and autochk.exe is there. On the chance that it was corrupted, I extracted a new copy from the original i386 directory on the install disk. Still no luck; same message on rebooting.

So I did a search for "autochk" in the registries of both machines. Aha! I found that on the affected one, under HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Control\SessionManager, that the following value was missing on the victim: [ab] BootExecute----REG_MULTI_SZ----Autocheck autochk *

Using regedit, I was able to create the subkey in the correct branch in the path cited above: [ab]BootExecute----REG_ SZ(wrong!)----autocheck autochk *

The problem is that I can't change the Dword Type from the default ----REG_SZ to the correct ----REG_MULTI_SZ in order for it to correctly process the data field which is not a hex number, but readable words. Right clicking on the Dword simply brings up a "New" key, and whatever I enter defaults to ----REG_SZ. I need to enter ----REG_MULTI_SZ in this instance but can't figure out how.

How in the dickens does one change the Dword Type? As I said, right clicking does not give that option although everything else can be edited.

I gave everything and everyone listed under Advanced full permission for read and write. Still can't change it.

2. Question number two: On that same machine, quite awhile back I had a USB Zip Drive that I removed without using the Safely Remove Hardware tool. As a result the "Removable Disk (K)" icon shows in My Computer, even though I deleted all the software and went through the registry deleting everything I could find that referenced K: I no longer have that drive, so reinstalling it and then removing it the proper way is not an option. Any suggestions on how to make the "Removable Disk (K)" icon go away? Minor nuisance, but I figure the less clutter in the registry the better.

Computers can be such time wasting fun. :unsure:

2

As regards your zip drive have you tried

Right-click My Computer.

Choose Properties.

Find Device Manager on the Hardware tab.

Find the relevent entry for the 'drive' under 'Disk drives'

Right-click that entry and choose Uninstall

Make sure it's the right one you uninstall!!

3

Export that registry key from the working machine, and import it onto the broken one. Should solve the DWORD issue. Or browse Microsoft's Fix It Solution Center support pages in an attempt to find an official automated fix.

4

Thanks, but how does one export a single key from one machine to another, or even import/export from the same machine. I can't seem to drill down farther than the selected branch for doing this, not an individual key. When importing an entire branch from one machine to another, there is probably conflicting stuff that will be overwritten. Still scratching my head. The MUST be a more direct way of changing the flavor of the Dword type on a particular key. I thought rebooting might automatically fix it since the data is an alphanumeric and not a binary string, but no luck.

5

It's not a "permissions" issue is it?

When you right click "Session Manager" and select "permissions", do you have "full control" checked?

6

If you know what you are doing you might be able to just save the reg file, then edit it in notepad to remove un-needed entries.

and make a backup of how the current registry location looks now before you import, so you can compare or restore if necessary.

7

Exactly, just edit the exported .reg file to remove the entries not needed, or create a new empty Boot Execute key and manually input the autochk value.

8
If you know what you are doing you might be able to just save the reg file, then edit it in notepad to remove un-needed entries.

and make a backup of how the current registry location looks now before you import, so you can compare or restore if necessary.

I did that but then chickened out when exporting the branch containing the offending Dword as a txt file, then giving it a reg extension and importing it back in. I've run into too many lengthy reinstalls to feel comfortale using anything but straight regedit where wysiwyg.

9
Exactly, just edit the exported .reg file to remove the entries not needed, or create a new empty Boot Execute key and manually input the autochk value.

I did exactly that with no problem. The BootExecute and autochk value was simple. Changing the Dword apparently is not. :)

10
Exactly, just edit the exported .reg file to remove the entries not needed, or create a new empty Boot Execute key and manually input the autochk value.

See below answers for reluctance to do that. Another thing I considered was booting from the XP CD, opening the recovery console, and typing chkntfs /x c: but I've used the RC before both successfully and not--and I wouldn't want this to be one of the latter. <_<

Thanks for all the inputs. I feel I'm inching closer to what should be a simple solution if Regit wasn't so inflexible. (I given multiple permissions for everything and everyone and have dupes of dupes so that isn't the prob.)