can't open Microsoft programs after running CCleaner

[Novice55]

I cant open any of my Microsoft programs after using the CCleaner. I tried repairing Microsoft office but this did not work. I tried merging the registration entries  backup cc_20221231_222919.reg but kept getting cannot import C:|users......> Not all data was successfully written to the registry. Some keys are open by the system or other processes, or you insufficient privileges to perform this operation.

I am at loss here and have everything on this computer and will need access ASAP.

My OS is window 10.

 

please help and advise. I am a true Novice.

Thank you 

[nukecad]

We recommend that you don't regularly use the Registry Cleaner with Windows 10, only use it if you have a specific problem.
The Registry Cleaner is meant as a tool for fixing things if there is a problem, it is not meant for regular use.
Using a registry cleaner on a healthy machine can even 'break' it, as you have found.
Using any registry cleaner will not speed up your machine in any way, and only saves a few KB of disc space..

Windows 10 changes the registry often which can give false results.
For the official Piriform advice on using the CCleanerRegistry Cleaner see this: https://community.ccleaner.com/topic/59952-i-get-a-registry-error-on-ccleaner-on-windows-10-i-have-scanned-5-times/?tab=comments#comment-326804

Here is Microsofts' advice on using any Registry Cleaner:
https://support.microsoft.com/en-gb/help/2563254/microsoft-support-policy-for-the-use-of-registry-cleaning-utilities

 

If you have run a registry cleaner and lost your Office apps then you will need to repair/reinstall them.

This Microsoft article tells you how to repair or reinstall Office:
https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/repair-an-office-application-7821d4b6-7c1d-4205-aa0e-a6b40c5bb88b
 

[Novice55]

Many thanks for your response

I tried to repair or reinstall office but failed because I got Do you want to install this application( Microsoft support and recovery Assistant) and when I do so it takes me to various option not as described by microsoft in the link...

Sorry to be pain. Is there any chance I can go to the registry and edit it?

 

[nukecad]

I wouldn't try manually editing / messing with the registry. That's a recipie for disaster.

Quote

it takes me to various option not as described by microsoft in the link

What is your Office version and what is the MS assistant is showing you?

Is it like this (for Office 365):

 

Or like this (for Office 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016):

 

[Novice55]

Thank you for the advice.

I tried both options, the quick repair first and then the online repair with no luck.

I had to rush to the hospital and will reply back ASAP.

thank you 

[Novice55]

Sorry 

My Office is 2013 professional and I have it on a CD with product key. I tried installing it again from the CD and received this . Still nothing happened after and could not get anything on line.. I tried calling microsoft but there is no one to speak to and you are directed to their web base solutions and support.

 

Screenshot deleted at users request. - Nukecad.

[Novice55]

one more thing. I completely uninstalled Office and disconnected the internet and reinstalled it again from the CD but this did not solve the problem.

Any advice please

regards

 

[redwolfe_98]

i don't think the registry-cleaner was the cause of the problem. the person said that they got some kind of error-message when trying to restore some removed regkeys, but that doesn't mean the removing the regkeys caused the problem. and, even if some regkeys couldn't be restored, because they couldn't be overwritten, i don't think that is a problem.

i think the problem was caused by the ccleaner program's cleaning the "c:\windows\temp" folder, similar to what others have said, who use the avira antivirus program.

some people who use norton antivirus also have mentioned having problems. avira is owned by norton and i am thinking that in both cases it is the same problem where those av-programs are creating a folder within the "c:\windows\temp" folder which is removed by ccleaner's cleaning, resulting in problems.

i think it would be easy for ccleaner/piriform/avast to fix the conflict with the avira program, which i am thinking also applies to the norton program, by simply setting ccleaner to ignore the folder that is created by the avira program, which probably also is created by the norton av-program, within the "c:\windows\temp" folder.

[Novice55]

Hello 

I dont have avira program, my antivirus is Mcaffee. I also spend the whole of the night contacting microsoft and the problem is still there. 

Desperate for any help please

 

[nukecad]

I had discounted the Avira issue because it affects more than just Office, and it only seems to be office that is affected here.

That message during the re- install of Office is interesting.
It suggests that the key you have is a valid key, but is for a different version of Office 2013.
Did the key come with the CD or did you get it from elsewhere? (Where did the CD come from?).

That's probably a question that only Microsoft could solve.
Although you could try finding 'Office Professional Plus 2013' installer online and seeing if you can install/activate that with the key you have?

Just to note that I don't use MS office myself, (I haven't had MS office for 11 years). I use Softmaker Free Office which is fully compatible.
If it turns out that you can't get MS Office 2013 reinstalled for whatever reason then Softmaker (Free or paid for) is a very good alternative, you will hardly notice any difference to MS Office and it will work with your existing files.
I know you would probably prefer your MS Office back, but MS Office 2013 is 10 years old now and becomes End-of-Life in April 2023, which may be why MS support aren't being helpful?
https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/end-of-support-for-office-2013-90e4b0d1-098f-4656-b6e7-8b13b67ed62f
So I'm thinking that it may be time for you to consider an up to date alternative anyway?
https://www.freeoffice.com/en/
Of course other alternatives are available.

PS. I have blanked the key in your screenshot, it isn't a good idea to post things like that on a public forum where anybody could copy and then and use it.

[Novice55]

Thank you for your help 

Problems never ending. I contacted micorsoft and I have been pushed from right to left and with no joy. The service is so poor by the time you get to have a web chat they ask the same questions again and again and eventually after hours that requested to reinstall windows which took the whole night. I have not slept for 28 hours and I am really tired and exhausted. I manged to get to level 2 engineer who went and deleted a lot of the registry files and told me to reinstall office and this should work. By the time the chat was closed and I reinstalled it…surprise it did not work and I could not return to the chat again because it was closed. I tried to get to the chat again but it is some else and this time from Nigeria who wanted to start the same process of installing window again.,.I am really at the end of my tethers here. TO add to things I found that I cannot open adobe files as well… 

Thank you for blocking the serial number on my previous post. Would you be kind enough deleting the whole screen shot if you won’t mind. I would really appreciate it. If you any suggestions or if you can get in touch through my email, I would welcome that too. 

[APMichael]

@Novice55 Have you simply tried uninstalling CCleaner? This seems to have helped some users, for example:

On 17/11/2022 at 16:30, Peter N said:

... Reading on this Forum that uninstalling CCleaner solved the problem for someone else, this is what I did and this solved the problem with MS Office and Acrobat. ...

 

 

Possible cause, which Piriform should check: I suspect the now frequent problems with Office have more to do with the Performance Optimizer. In a thread (which I unfortunately could not find anymore) someone had reported that the Performance Optimizer adds Debugger entries in the registry for the .exe files of the Office applications. Deleting these Debugger entries should have solved the problem at that time as well.

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Image File Execution Options

[nukecad]

I don't know just what the issue is with MS Office.

But we are seeing a few reports of this now which shows that something is going wrong for a few CCleaner users who have MS Office.
As it does seem to be an 'edge case' with up to now only a handful of users affected it's going to be a question of finding out what those few users have in common on their setups and in their usage.

In this particular case though since the MS Office is 2013 which is coming to EoL in the next few months, then as I said above it's time to replace it anyway and so I'd be looking at the alternatives that you can get for free.
My own recommendation is above, I have been using it for years with no problems,  but there are others which are just as good.
https://www.techradar.com/news/best-microsoft-office-alternative

Of course not everyone will want to switch from MS Office and so whatever the issue is still needs to be tracked down.

@Novice55 Are you sure that it is Microsoft that you are contacting?
(There are a lot of Tech Support scams out there, often pretending to be MS and other big companies).

PS. I had a problem with Adobe Reader not launching about 6 months ago following a Windows Patch Tuesday update, it appears to be common following a Windows update and a quick reinstall of Adobe fixes it.

[login123]

My 2 cents, in addition to what was said above.

I use 2 office programs.
Both do everything microsoft does, as far as I can tell.
I don't use them in a work environment, but the files they create will open, modify, and save using microsoft software.
Both are free.
Both are well maintained.

One is Apache OpenOffice, I have it installed but there is a portable version. 
Installer: https://www.openoffice.org/ 
Portable: https://portableapps.com/apps/office/openoffice_portable

The other is LibreOffice, I use the portable version running in a non bootable partition.
Installer: https://www.libreoffice.org/
Portable: https://portableapps.com/apps/office/libreoffice_portable

Maybe other members will comment?

 

[Donna17]

Hi, Im a newbie too and a similar thing has happened to me. I deleted a MS 365 update through CCleaner as I have MS Office 2016 installed (from when I bought the laptop). But since then  an error code 0xc0000412 flags up when I try to start up any of the applications.

Can I undo a delete on CCleaner? Cant reinstall as I dont have the disc. :(

@Novice55 did you get it sorted? 

[Novice55]

Hello

after contacting microsoft and spending about 5 days with various team support and level 2 engineers and developers. I was told to do this by ccleaner support which helped but then I had to deal with the other issues generated by the new installation of windows and deletion of previous files. Hope this works for you.

As for your concern, may I ask if you used Performance Optimizer?   If so, you can 'Wake Up' app(s) in Performance Optimizer using these steps:   Open CCleaner > click Performance Optimizer Click on the "Sleeping Programs" tab Locate the affected programs > click Wake Up   (Or, click "Wake up all" to undo all of the changes made by Performance Optimizer)   Good luck

[lmacri]

Hi Novice55:

See Piriform employee Laurence CCleaner's 18-Jan-2023 post in Wisewiz's CCleaner Keeps Throwing "Debugger" Subkeys Into the Registry, which states:

Quote

"I have spoken to our development team and as has been previously suggested they tell me that these registry entries are connected to the Performance Optimizer tool and allow Performance Optimizer to wake up programs that have been slept.

Deleting these keys will prevent Performance Optimizer from working correctly, if you want these keys not to be present in the registry you can wake the affected programs up using Performance Optimizer."

That seems to confirm your 10-Jan-2021 suggestion <above> that the problem is likely caused by Performance Optimizer and that you might be able to wake affected programs on the "Sleeping Program" tab of Performance Optimizer .  However, the 12-May-2022 CCleaner blog entry Our CCleaner 6 app is out now with a new, patented Performance Optimizer and improved Software Updater states in part that:

Quote

"Performance Optimizer is a patented feature that’s an industry first, with tangible benefits for both old and new PCs. It detects and stops all inactive programs from draining your PC’s resources and puts them “to sleep” whenever you’re not using them — but is smart enough to enable them the moment they’re needed...".

This "smart sleeping" of applications by Performance Optimizer doesn't appear to be working as expected, and it would be helpful if someone from Piriform / Avast could confirm that they are aware of the problem and are working on a bug fix.  Performance Optimizer should not prevent apps like Microsoft Office / Microsoft 365 from launching when the are needed by the user, and expecting users to go the Sleeping Programs tab and manually waking up "sleeping" programs is not a permanent solution.
________________________________________________

I should also note that Win 10 / Win 11 is already smart enough to automatically suspend low-priority UWP (Universal Windows Platform) apps and free up CPU and RAM to improve system performance.  My CCleaner Free Portable app does not include Performance Optimizer, and my Win 10 Pro v22H2 Task Manager marks suspended processes with a green leaf icon.

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64-bit Win 10 Pro v22H2 build 19045.2486 * Firefox v109.0.0 * Microsoft Defender v4.18.2211.5-1.1.19900.2 * Malwarebytes Premium v4.5.20-230-1.0.1868 * Macrium Reflect Free v8.0.7279 * MS Office Home and Business 2019 Click-to-Run (Version 2212 / Build 15928.20216) * CCleaner Free Portable v6.07.10191
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