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seasideC
regular
Reg'd: Mon
Posts: 550
Loc: East Yorkshire
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Hi, I've lost some programs in the add/remove programs screen of control panel, and they are not in the corresponding section of CCleaner either. This includes all the XP updates (box ticked). Is there somwhere to check in the registry to see if they are there, and if so re-introduce them to their placings? All programs work OK, and a check on Windows Update doesn't tell me any updates are missing. Thanks.
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BurrWalnut
Chippendaler
Reg'd: Tue
Posts: 3347
Loc: London, England
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If you have a large blank space in Add/Remove Programs, it is usually due to the DisplayIcon registry value for an item having a negative number. Go to Start > Run, type regedit, press Enter and navigate to
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall. Scroll down the sub-keys in the left pane and, if present, look at the corresponding value of DisplayIcon in the right pane. If the end of any of the lines has a negative number, say -1, right-click and Modify it to 1 (one).
Alternatively, if Add/Remove is never populated (it can take some time):
1. Go to Start > Run > type REGSVR32 APPWIZ.CPL (capitals for clarity only, also note the space) and press Enter. Then again Start > Run > type REGSVR32 MSHTML.DLL and press Enter.
2. If 1) is not successful, try this but create a system restore point first just in case anything goes wrong.
Go to Start > Run, type regedit, press Enter and navigate to registry key HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\App Management
In the left pane, right-click ARPCache and delete it. Reboot the computer.
NOTE: The ARPCache key is where Add/Remove stores the details of programs that show in the list but it doesn't remove the details when you uninstall a program. If you look down the list (before deleting it, of course) you will see all the Windows updates as well as old programs. After deletion, the key will be recreated by Windows.
3. If 2) is not successful or you can’t access regedit I suspect that you have caught something nasty.
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Fine English furniture is the new rock 'n' roll
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seasideC
regular
Reg'd: Mon
Posts: 550
Loc: East Yorkshire
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Thanks Burr Walnut - I'll give it a go and report back!
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seasideC
regular
Reg'd: Mon
Posts: 550
Loc: East Yorkshire
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Hi again, done those instructions with no success.
1st one brings up the line: mshtml.dll was loaded but the dllRegisterServer entry point was not found. This file can not be registered.
The 2nd instruction did as you said it would but only contains about 20 entries, when before there were at least 55-60 KB updates, aside from my programs. I wonder where they have gone?!
The only new software I've added is the new version of CCleaner. The machine will not let me restore to an earlier point. NOD32 finds nothing!
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BurrWalnut
Chippendaler
Reg'd: Tue
Posts: 3347
Loc: London, England
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When a Microsoft ‘Hotfix’ is installed, 2 hidden folders and up to 7 registry keys are created.
The two hidden folders are $NtUninstallKBnnnnnn$ in \WINDOWS and KBnnnnnn in \WINDOWS\$hf_mig$. The registry keys vary slightly and are located in the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE hive.
If a $NtUninstall folder is deleted, the fix cannot be uninstalled but the entry still appears in Add/Remove Programs because those entries are created via a registry key. Obviously, if the registry key is removed that entry won’t appear in Add/Remove.
I suspect you or a clean up program have deleted either the $NtUninstall folders and/or the registry keys. What you can do is check for the folders in the \WINDOWS directory and check their corresponding registry keys. If the folders have been deleted it means you will not be able to uninstall the ‘fix’, which is of little importance if your machine is behaving itself.
Lastly, what applications don't appear in Add/Remove and why did system restore not work?
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Fine English furniture is the new rock 'n' roll
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seasideC
regular
Reg'd: Mon
Posts: 550
Loc: East Yorkshire
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Various programs that were there but now are not include:
Audacity
Nero
CCleaner
Firefox
Internet Explorer
Windows Media Player
Media Monkey
Some have returned after being updated:
Spywareblaster v4
MP3Tag
The system restore just said that the machine could not be restored to an earlier time and no changes had been made.
If I reveal hidden folders and look in my C/Windows folder there are lots (60+) of $NtUninstal....folders, some with black text, some with blue.
As you say the good thing is that my PC is running fine, and it does seem to link back to the latest CCleaner 2.05.555, although I just ran as I have before!
Thanks for your help.
Clive.
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BurrWalnut
Chippendaler
Reg'd: Tue
Posts: 3347
Loc: London, England
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To confirm that ‘something’ has been deleted, have a look in \WINDOWS\$hf_mig$. Are there many more than the 60 + you have in the \WINDOWS folder?
I don't know what to suggest other than if the PC starts to behave differently, go to the HiJackThis section, read the posting rules and post a log.
The blue text indicates folders/files that have been compressed and FYI, green represents those that have been encrypted and those in red can only be accessed by Windows.
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Fine English furniture is the new rock 'n' roll
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