Registry help please

AlexUK_3

Hello

I have made a real mess of my PC after installing some reg cleaners (now I realise I shouldn't have!!) Now lots of parts of my Windows Service pack 3 are missing and various packages are not working. For a start I cannot get on the Windows update site becuase it says I need to install Active x, but when I right click I only get option to run and even running this nothing happens. IE8 crashes all the time due to various mising parts, but will not unistall or install.

Is the answer to unistall Windows pack 3? As I am trying this but says cannto unistall. Is there any way of fixing this?

Thanks for any help/advice

buglawton

Without an original install disk you may well be scuppered, it already sounds as if the quickest solution is to save your important docs pics & music then reinstall Windows.

cmatt360

i would try a system restore to before you installed the reg cleaners...

buglawton

With no install disk, you just might be able to reinstall using this advice - if you have the proper i386 folder present on your machine:
http://easydesksoftware.net/I386.htm

aliEnRIK

What are the reg cleaners you used? Assuming youve NOT uninstalled them they may have created a backup which you can revert to?

Strider590

I keep telling people that the like's of ccleaner and other "fix everything" solutions that are often thrown around these forums, can be dangerous in the wrong hands

buglawton

I've used ccleaner a couple of times on different machines. Each time it found a lot to fix so after having made a backup of the Registry I told it to 'fix everything'. No adverse side effects so far.

aliEnRIK

Its a little unfair pointing the finger at CCLEANER. CCleaner is the safest 'reg cleaner' I know of and although it can remove items it shouldnt at times its never to my knowledge removed anything major.
Now all the others are fair game as they seem to remove items willy nilly from what ive seen

AlexUK_3

Thanks for all the advice, It was ccleaner!

Also I do have the disc with XP1 on, but when I try to install it says do not install 2 operating systems becuase I can't uninstall XP3.

Is the only answer to format the disc and then install WP1? The restore didn't work it only went back to when I used it. The CCleaner failed to restore it too!

Any other suggestions to fix?

Thanks

aliEnRIK

AlexUK wrote: »

Thanks for all the advice, It was ccleaner!

Also I do have the disc with XP1 on, but when I try to install it says do not install 2 operating systems becuase I can't uninstall XP3.

Is the only answer to format the disc and then install WP1? The restore didn't work it only went back to when I used it. The CCleaner failed to restore it too!

Any other suggestions to fix?

Thanks

Thats a first. You did say 'cleaners' though. What were the others and how do you know it was ccleaner?
Did you not 'backup' the registry when you ran it?

Also ~ your confusing me. Xp1 and Xp3? Theres XP Home and XP Pro. Do you mean with service pack 1 included?
And whats WP1??

andy2004

CCleaner always asks you to BACK UP the registry before it scans the registry.
it also always creates a backup of the stuff it removes.
so you should be able to reinstall what it removed, then reboot the computer.