Ongoing Computer Corruption issues

With the help of several people on this Forum I've been working on the
problem described below. I created a slipstreamed XP/SP2 Bootable CD and
tried to Repair Windows. The process of repair proceded as expected to normal
conclusion but did not correct the problem. Does anyone have a suggestion or
do I have to rebuild the computer (which in my opinion may not work either)?
By the way, what is the Indows Forms Parking Window? The last time I shut
down the computer I got a message that Windows Forms Parking Window was not
responding.

Thanks for your help.

Ted

Here's the original problem description:

The computer is running Windows XP Home Edition. The computer may have been
accidentally "rebooted" by turning the power off and back on. Since then the
operational environment has been corrupted as follows:

When booting up, the typical logon window no longer displays the icons and
names of the various users defined on the system. Instead, a small "Log On To
Windows" box appears with the name of one of the users. Once logged on, the
Task Bar is blank/white from left to right except the clock is showing. There
is no Start button. If a window is minimized it disappears behind the white
task bar area and is unretrievable. If I press the Windows key on the
keyboard, the Start Menu appears but all is blank except the All Programs
option and the options for Windows Update, Windows Catalog, etc. as well as
options to Log Off and Turn Off the Computer.

I can navigate the All Programs paths to get to the various programs on the
system.
Alt/Ctl/Del does not bring up Windows Task Manager. I can navigate the
internet but cannot download a file from the internet. The problem persists
when running in Safe Mode. And using System Restore to reset the system to an
earlier date when the problems were not occurring does not solve the problem.
On a separate computer I downloaded RegCure to try to work on the Registry. I
transferred RegCure to the Desktop of the ailing computer, but RegCure will
not execute.

When I right clicked My Computer on the Deskktop and selected Manage, I
received the following error message in a Window entitled Microsoft
Management Console: "MMC failed to initialize because it was installed
incorrectly or because a portion of the registry has been corrupted. Make
sure the file mmcndmgr.dll is registered by running
regsvr32%SystemRoot%\System32\mmcndmgr.dll." I have no idea how to run this
file. (The Run... option usually available in the Start Menu is not
accessible.)

See inline and bottom:

> With the help of several people on this Forum I've been working on the
> problem described below. I created a slipstreamed XP/SP2 Bootable CD
> and tried to Repair Windows. The process of repair proceded as
> expected to normal conclusion but did not correct the problem. Does
> anyone have a suggestion or do I have to rebuild the computer (which
> in my opinion may not work either)? By the way, what is the Indows
> Forms Parking Window? The last time I shut down the computer I got a
> message that Windows Forms Parking Window was not responding.

Have you tried past Restore Points? I suppose those are gone now since
you slipstreamed, assuming the slipstream wasn 't faulty, but how about
before that?

>
> Thanks for your help.
>
> Ted
>
> Here's the original problem description:
>
> The computer is running Windows XP Home Edition. The computer may
> have been accidentally "rebooted" by turning the power off and back
> on. Since then the operational environment has been corrupted as
> follows:

Accidentally? Are you sure it was an accident and that there wasn't a
reason someone killed/reapplied power? How much time passed between the
power down and power up? If it was nearly instantaneous, there could be
a LOT of corruption occurred.
>
> When booting up, the typical logon window no longer displays the
> icons and names of the various users defined on the system. Instead,
> a small "Log On To Windows" box appears with the name of one of the
> users.

Since the user names are still there, then whatever you "slipstreamed"
did NOT do a reinstall of Windows. They would need to be rebuilt if it
had been reinstalled. Therefore, nothing happened that would have fixed
the problem appears very likely.

Once logged on, the Task Bar is blank/white from left to right
> except the clock is showing. There is no Start button. If a window is
> minimized it disappears behind the white task bar area and is
> unretrievable. If I press the Windows key on the keyboard, the Start
> Menu appears but all is blank except the All Programs option and the
> options for Windows Update, Windows Catalog, etc. as well as options
> to Log Off and Turn Off the Computer.

Corrupted System file. Needs to be reinstalled IMO. At this point it's
serious corruption.
>
> I can navigate the All Programs paths to get to the various programs
> on the system.
> Alt/Ctl/Del does not bring up Windows Task Manager. I can navigate the
> internet but cannot download a file from the internet. The problem
> persists when running in Safe Mode. And using System Restore to reset
> the system to an earlier date when the problems were not occurring
> does not solve the problem.

Again, if there were Restore points available after the slipstream, the
OS has not been reinstalled.

On a separate computer I downloaded
> RegCure to try to work on the Registry. I transferred RegCure to the
> Desktop of the ailing computer, but RegCure will not execute.
>
> When I right clicked My Computer on the Deskktop and selected Manage,
> I received the following error message in a Window entitled Microsoft
> Management Console: "MMC failed to initialize because it was installed
> incorrectly or because a portion of the registry has been corrupted.

Plausible.


> Make sure the file mmcndmgr.dll is registered by running
> regsvr32%SystemRoot%\System32\mmcndmgr.dll." I have no idea how to
> run this file. (The Run... option usually available in the Start Menu
> is not accessible.)

Open a command prompt and type/paste the command in there. Press
Return, close the Command Prompt, and Restart.

I don't think that's going to help, but it's worth trying, i agree with
that. IMO, whatever you're calling "slipstream" isn't. It's either
borked or not a slipstreamed installer in the usual sense of the word.

At this point and because of all the apparent corruption I don't think
there is any sensible action but to do a Clean Install. Lots of sites
with Clean Install step by step solutions if you need them. If there is
ANY way you can get at your data, back it up so you have the most recent
stuff. But, be aware that this problem could be IN that backup, so when
you reinstall, keep a close eye on things.

I Basically, just:

Disconnect ALL peripherals from the computer. Don't just power them
down; disconnect their cables.
Disconnect from your modem.
Collect together your keycodes, etc.
Boot from the XP CD
Take note of the existing partitions
Delete all the partitions
Recreate all the extensions with their previous sizes etc.
Continue, following the onscreen instructions to install XP.
Install SP2.
Check that everything is working right so far.
Turn on the XP Firewall
Install your AV (it'll be out of date but still provides substantial
protection)
Power down for 30 seconds or more, then restart the computer.
Connect your modem and go online
Allow all the updates to auto update and install plus your AV to
update.
Power down for 30 seconds or more, then restart the computer.
All should still be fine operationally now.
Reconnect peripherals one at a time, updating and setting up as you go
along.
Restart
Install any spyware/malware software you wish to install; the rest of
your protection pkgs.
Restart after each one
Be sure they're all updated & working.
Restart

Now install the rest of the applications you need. Restart after each
one, and check each one. Use the original CDs, not copies; copies can
be corrupted. Be sure all is still working fine.

Assuming you have them: Start restoring your data from backups, DVDs,
images, whatever method you used to create them.

Caveat: Watch CLOSELY as you do each install and check thoroughly or
you might just reinstall the previous "problem", whatever it was. I
suspect the only problem really was likely the power-switching that
happened, but you never know. Malware can hide in many forms, so be on
the lookout.

This sounds like a lot of work, but it's a lot faster in the end than
troubleshooting and fixing fixes for two to seven days. The clean
install should only take about 4-6 hours max, most of it sitting and
waiting for the machine to do its work.

HTH

--
--
Regards,

Twayne

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