System Restore Blank Page. Tried several fixes, none of them worked!
Hi All, After a lengthy serach on google, and NTCompatible, I was unable to find a fix that worked for me. First things first, here's a screen shot of what is going on: Please note: I am NOT having the blank Calendar problem.
Hi All,
After a lengthy serach on google, and NTCompatible, I was unable to find a fix that worked for me. First things first, here's a screen shot of what is going on:
Please note: I am NOT having the "blank Calendar" problem. See the screen shot!
That being said, here is a list of things i HAVE tried, none of which have fixed my problem (NOTE: I AM logged in as an administrator (of course).)
1.) Restore Registry keys accordingn to Microsoft Knowledge Base articles dealing with "Blank" Calendars. NOTE: I am NOT having a Blank Calendar problem. System Resotre doesn't even GET as far as showing me a calendar
2.) Tried regsvr32 for jscript.dll, vbscript.dll, and mshtml by running the following batch file:
<Some .BAT File>
@Echo Off
regsvr32 jscript
regsvr32 vbscript
regsvr32 /i mshtml
</Some .BAT File>
On All 3 of them, I got a message that says registered succesfully. I RESTARTED, but still not fixed!!!!
3.) Tried Restarting into Safe Mode and trying System Restore
4.) Tried Last Known Good Configuration, and trying System Restore
5.) Tried to manually check registry keys suggested by Microsoft that have to do with System Restore / Help / Search not working. After a painful set of browsing the registry, all the keys are in place with the right values!
6.) NET START (it shows the System Restore Service As Running)
7.) Disable / Enable / Restart System Restore Service (through Services under Administrative Tools)
8.) Disable System Restore on All Drives. Restart. Enable System Restore on Drives
9.) Ran System File Checker as such:
Start -> Run ->
sfc /scannow
It ran through, checked everything, and then it did not ask me to repair anything (so I assume everything is OK)
10.) SP2: Service Pack 2 comes pre-packaged with my Win XP CD, so I did not install it manually. I have seen various mentions of people trying to un-install SP2 to see if it helps. I am not at all convinced SP2 has anything to do with it, but I just thought I'd mention it.
11.) chkdsk /F C:\
C:\ is where Windows resides (my System partition). This of course asks to restart to gain exclusive access to the drive. I restarted, ran CHKDSK, everything is in order
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The only thing i have NOT tried is to do a full-fledged repair. I am reluctant to do this because:
a.) It takes too long. The only thing that does NOT work on my machine is system restore
b.) Since ONLY System Restore is not working, I do NOT wish to re-install updates. Its far too much trouble to do that just for something as small as system restore
Just to be Clear:
OS: Microsoft Windows XP Professional w / SP2
ALL the latest critical updates from Microsoft
This has me baffled. I seem to have tried everything short of of a format/repair, but cannot get this to work. Can Anyone help?
PS: Sorry if this is in the wrong section, but I could not find a section more suited for this.
[Edited by shassouneh on 2005-12-30 11:50:49]
[Edited by shassouneh on 2005-12-30 11:52:03]
[Edited by shassouneh on 2005-12-30 11:54:12]
[Edited by shassouneh on 2005-12-30 12:29:26]
After a lengthy serach on google, and NTCompatible, I was unable to find a fix that worked for me. First things first, here's a screen shot of what is going on:
Please note: I am NOT having the "blank Calendar" problem. See the screen shot!
That being said, here is a list of things i HAVE tried, none of which have fixed my problem (NOTE: I AM logged in as an administrator (of course).)
1.) Restore Registry keys accordingn to Microsoft Knowledge Base articles dealing with "Blank" Calendars. NOTE: I am NOT having a Blank Calendar problem. System Resotre doesn't even GET as far as showing me a calendar
2.) Tried regsvr32 for jscript.dll, vbscript.dll, and mshtml by running the following batch file:
<Some .BAT File>
@Echo Off
regsvr32 jscript
regsvr32 vbscript
regsvr32 /i mshtml
</Some .BAT File>
On All 3 of them, I got a message that says registered succesfully. I RESTARTED, but still not fixed!!!!
3.) Tried Restarting into Safe Mode and trying System Restore
4.) Tried Last Known Good Configuration, and trying System Restore
5.) Tried to manually check registry keys suggested by Microsoft that have to do with System Restore / Help / Search not working. After a painful set of browsing the registry, all the keys are in place with the right values!
6.) NET START (it shows the System Restore Service As Running)
7.) Disable / Enable / Restart System Restore Service (through Services under Administrative Tools)
8.) Disable System Restore on All Drives. Restart. Enable System Restore on Drives
9.) Ran System File Checker as such:
Start -> Run ->
sfc /scannow
It ran through, checked everything, and then it did not ask me to repair anything (so I assume everything is OK)
10.) SP2: Service Pack 2 comes pre-packaged with my Win XP CD, so I did not install it manually. I have seen various mentions of people trying to un-install SP2 to see if it helps. I am not at all convinced SP2 has anything to do with it, but I just thought I'd mention it.
11.) chkdsk /F C:\
C:\ is where Windows resides (my System partition). This of course asks to restart to gain exclusive access to the drive. I restarted, ran CHKDSK, everything is in order
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The only thing i have NOT tried is to do a full-fledged repair. I am reluctant to do this because:
a.) It takes too long. The only thing that does NOT work on my machine is system restore
b.) Since ONLY System Restore is not working, I do NOT wish to re-install updates. Its far too much trouble to do that just for something as small as system restore
Just to be Clear:
OS: Microsoft Windows XP Professional w / SP2
ALL the latest critical updates from Microsoft
This has me baffled. I seem to have tried everything short of of a format/repair, but cannot get this to work. Can Anyone help?
PS: Sorry if this is in the wrong section, but I could not find a section more suited for this.
[Edited by shassouneh on 2005-12-30 11:50:49]
[Edited by shassouneh on 2005-12-30 11:52:03]
[Edited by shassouneh on 2005-12-30 11:54:12]
[Edited by shassouneh on 2005-12-30 12:29:26]
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Responses to this topic
Shassouneh,
I agree the instructions are pretty sloppy - especially as it thinks it's being helpful telling you to basically reinstall Windows! Incidentally I think a 'repair' clears all your restore points anyway...
To be a bit clearer (and to not let my first post be my last!) I only followed steps 3, 4 and 5 from the MS support page. I then restarted XP and it worked fine.
Does that make any difference? If not then I guess your problem is a little more complicated than mine...
I agree the instructions are pretty sloppy - especially as it thinks it's being helpful telling you to basically reinstall Windows! Incidentally I think a 'repair' clears all your restore points anyway...
To be a bit clearer (and to not let my first post be my last!) I only followed steps 3, 4 and 5 from the MS support page. I then restarted XP and it worked fine.
Does that make any difference? If not then I guess your problem is a little more complicated than mine...
Originally posted by mosesix:
Quote:Shassouneh,
I agree the instructions are pretty sloppy - especially as it thinks it's being helpful telling you to basically reinstall Windows! Incidentally I think a 'repair' clears all your restore points anyway...
To be a bit clearer (and to not let my first post be my last!) I only followed steps 3, 4 and 5 from the MS support page. I then restarted XP and it worked fine.
Does that make any difference? If not then I guess your problem is a little more complicated than mine...
For the sake of having tried EVERYTHING short of a repair or re-install of windows/IE, I decided to follow steps 3, 4 and 5 (as you suggested). I performed steps 3, 4 and 5 in that order. Restarted. STILL a blank screen.
Does anyone else think XP is too flaky and seems prone to things just stopping to work? I'm even thinking of formatting and going back to Win2k!!!!!
Quote:Shassouneh,
I agree the instructions are pretty sloppy - especially as it thinks it's being helpful telling you to basically reinstall Windows! Incidentally I think a 'repair' clears all your restore points anyway...
To be a bit clearer (and to not let my first post be my last!) I only followed steps 3, 4 and 5 from the MS support page. I then restarted XP and it worked fine.
Does that make any difference? If not then I guess your problem is a little more complicated than mine...
For the sake of having tried EVERYTHING short of a repair or re-install of windows/IE, I decided to follow steps 3, 4 and 5 (as you suggested). I performed steps 3, 4 and 5 in that order. Restarted. STILL a blank screen.
Does anyone else think XP is too flaky and seems prone to things just stopping to work? I'm even thinking of formatting and going back to Win2k!!!!!
ok Guys. I did some digging around. I found that In IE's "Manage Add-Ons thingy", there's something called the System Restore Wrapper (see screenshot)
I have also noticed the following: With this wrapper DISABLED, I can ONLY restore to an earlier point (using the indirect way to access system restore). If this wrapper is enabled, then both restore and create are enabled (again, using the indirect way of running system restore by launching IE and typing res://C:\WINDOWS\system32\Restore\rstrui.exe/SRUI-Main.htm into the address bar).
I have also noticed the following: With this wrapper DISABLED, I can ONLY restore to an earlier point (using the indirect way to access system restore). If this wrapper is enabled, then both restore and create are enabled (again, using the indirect way of running system restore by launching IE and typing res://C:\WINDOWS\system32\Restore\rstrui.exe/SRUI-Main.htm into the address bar).
I do not have that control and never have.
Hmm. Are your machines patched up with the latest updates? I'm thinking maybe a Windows XP and/or IE update added that add-on thingy. Also, do any of you have problems with System Restore?
OK Yet another update. Just to be 100% the problem is not from rstrui.exe, I copied the "Restore" folder in its entirety from another machine (on which System Restore works fine, and is NOT running SP2). I tried to run the copied .exe, and I got the same blank Windows. So its obvious its NOT the system restore files that are messed up, but something else must be limiting or interfering with system restore.
Originally posted by Relic:
Quote:I quoted myself there, should have gone to bed early, heh.
That was in answer to this post: Posted on 2006-01-03 08:09:50 by shassouneh
hehe its OK. I got it.
I repeat my sentiment about XP being flaky. This is just ridiculous that I have to REPAIR windows XP to get this problem fixed (note: I say REPAIR even though i really mean RE INSTALL WINBLOZE XP).
I loved the fact that in 2000 you could repair without having to re-install the OS.
Thanx for the input everyone. I think I am left with no choice but to repair. I am CONVINCED however that a repair might not fix the problem, so I'll keep you posted.
Quote:I quoted myself there, should have gone to bed early, heh.
That was in answer to this post: Posted on 2006-01-03 08:09:50 by shassouneh
hehe its OK. I got it.
I repeat my sentiment about XP being flaky. This is just ridiculous that I have to REPAIR windows XP to get this problem fixed (note: I say REPAIR even though i really mean RE INSTALL WINBLOZE XP).
I loved the fact that in 2000 you could repair without having to re-install the OS.
Thanx for the input everyone. I think I am left with no choice but to repair. I am CONVINCED however that a repair might not fix the problem, so I'll keep you posted.
OK Folks. This is messed up. Even Windows repair does not work! It hangs at "34 minutes remaining - Installing Devices". Luckily I made a Ghost Image before doing any of this so I can always go back to that.
Can someone please help me fix this System Restore nonsense so i can put my mind at ease?
Can someone please help me fix this System Restore nonsense so i can put my mind at ease?
You may already have tried this. Seems like we are scraping the bottom of the barrel:
Go to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\SystemRestore.
If a "DisableSR" value doesn't exist, go to the Edit menu, select New, DWORD value, and create the value.
Set the value to 1 to disable System Restore or 0 to enable System Restore.
Go to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\sr to prevent the System Restore service from starting.
Double-click Start, and set the value to 4 to stop the service from starting or to 0 for normal startup. Close the registry editor.
After making SR disabled in services, try to open SR (no reboot) in CP/Services if it says "SR is off, would you like to turn on", say yes and and see if it will run.
Go to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\SystemRestore.
If a "DisableSR" value doesn't exist, go to the Edit menu, select New, DWORD value, and create the value.
Set the value to 1 to disable System Restore or 0 to enable System Restore.
Go to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\sr to prevent the System Restore service from starting.
Double-click Start, and set the value to 4 to stop the service from starting or to 0 for normal startup. Close the registry editor.
After making SR disabled in services, try to open SR (no reboot) in CP/Services if it says "SR is off, would you like to turn on", say yes and and see if it will run.
Originally posted by Sampson:
Quote:You may already have tried this. Seems like we are scraping the bottom of the barrel:
Go to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\SystemRestore.
If a "DisableSR" value doesn't exist, go to the Edit menu, select New, DWORD value, and create the value.
Set the value to 1 to disable System Restore or 0 to enable System Restore.
Go to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\sr to prevent the System Restore service from starting.
Double-click Start, and set the value to 4 to stop the service from starting or to 0 for normal startup. Close the registry editor.
After making SR disabled in services, try to open SR (no reboot) in CP/Services if it says "SR is off, would you like to turn on", say yes and and see if it will run.
Yup tried that too. Didn't work. I even tried that and restarted, and still no go.
As for srdiag.exe, I did run it. It did absolutely nothing though! I even tried srdiag.txt > log.txt at the command line, and it just stood there doing nothing. CTRL-C and checked the size of log.txt. 0 bytes!
Quote:You may already have tried this. Seems like we are scraping the bottom of the barrel:
Go to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\SystemRestore.
If a "DisableSR" value doesn't exist, go to the Edit menu, select New, DWORD value, and create the value.
Set the value to 1 to disable System Restore or 0 to enable System Restore.
Go to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\sr to prevent the System Restore service from starting.
Double-click Start, and set the value to 4 to stop the service from starting or to 0 for normal startup. Close the registry editor.
After making SR disabled in services, try to open SR (no reboot) in CP/Services if it says "SR is off, would you like to turn on", say yes and and see if it will run.
Yup tried that too. Didn't work. I even tried that and restarted, and still no go.
As for srdiag.exe, I did run it. It did absolutely nothing though! I even tried srdiag.txt > log.txt at the command line, and it just stood there doing nothing. CTRL-C and checked the size of log.txt. 0 bytes!
Ok I have just manually pulled KB896688 from Microsoft's Download site (NOT Windows Update) and installed it.
I know what you're thinking: WHY? WHY do this when various reports hint to KB896688 being a probable cause? Well I did it in the spirit of trying EVERYTHING, even if it means getting the update manually and installing it manually rather than going through windows update in any way. So what happened after I installed this and rebooted? Now System Restore will not work AT ALL (not even via the indirect method described earlier).
Seeing as this did not acheive what I had wished for, I have now un-installed KB896688 and rebooted. Now I can still use System Restore using the indirect method, but still get a blank screen If i try running System Restore the normal Way.
So what did we learn from this little experiment?
1.) The problem ONLY occurs in System Restore. This is both good and bad news. Good news because nothing else seems to be affected, and bad because it bugs me A LOT (more than you can imagine). I am trying to prep my machine to be "As perfect as it gets" so I can ghost it. I hate to be forced to accept that system restore would have to be manipulated manually to make any use of it, and I do NOT wish to format and redo all that work I did to get my machine into a "ghostable" state.
2.) The problem is most probably NOT related to KB896688. Proof: Installing it only proved to disable System Restore completely, whereas with it not installed the problem still exists!
I am still open to any and ALL suggestions, and I greatly appreciate all previous input. Please keep it coming folks.
I know what you're thinking: WHY? WHY do this when various reports hint to KB896688 being a probable cause? Well I did it in the spirit of trying EVERYTHING, even if it means getting the update manually and installing it manually rather than going through windows update in any way. So what happened after I installed this and rebooted? Now System Restore will not work AT ALL (not even via the indirect method described earlier).
Seeing as this did not acheive what I had wished for, I have now un-installed KB896688 and rebooted. Now I can still use System Restore using the indirect method, but still get a blank screen If i try running System Restore the normal Way.
So what did we learn from this little experiment?
1.) The problem ONLY occurs in System Restore. This is both good and bad news. Good news because nothing else seems to be affected, and bad because it bugs me A LOT (more than you can imagine). I am trying to prep my machine to be "As perfect as it gets" so I can ghost it. I hate to be forced to accept that system restore would have to be manipulated manually to make any use of it, and I do NOT wish to format and redo all that work I did to get my machine into a "ghostable" state.
2.) The problem is most probably NOT related to KB896688. Proof: Installing it only proved to disable System Restore completely, whereas with it not installed the problem still exists!
I am still open to any and ALL suggestions, and I greatly appreciate all previous input. Please keep it coming folks.
I think the problem is due to a registry key permission in the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software area. Unfortunately I don't know which one, but I had this experience.
I had the same System Restore blank screen after editing the permissions for HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software. In my case I think it was due to checking the 'Replace permission entries on all child objects with entries shown here that apply to child objects' box under Advanced settings.
I fixed it by setting up this key to just have an 'Everyone' group name with Full Control, then again checking the 'Replace permission entries on all child objects with entries shown here that apply to child objects' box.
I was able then to access System Restore and use it to restore to a point before I started to mess with the registry.
As you can probably tell, I'm no expert on registry editing, so you can try this at your own risk - good luck!
I had the same System Restore blank screen after editing the permissions for HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software. In my case I think it was due to checking the 'Replace permission entries on all child objects with entries shown here that apply to child objects' box under Advanced settings.
I fixed it by setting up this key to just have an 'Everyone' group name with Full Control, then again checking the 'Replace permission entries on all child objects with entries shown here that apply to child objects' box.
I was able then to access System Restore and use it to restore to a point before I started to mess with the registry.
As you can probably tell, I'm no expert on registry editing, so you can try this at your own risk - good luck!
Originally posted by jmw07:
Quote:I think the problem is due to a registry key permission in the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software area. Unfortunately I don't know which one, but I had this experience.
I had the same System Restore blank screen after editing the permissions for HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software. In my case I think it was due to checking the 'Replace permission entries on all child objects with entries shown here that apply to child objects' box under Advanced settings.
I fixed it by setting up this key to just have an 'Everyone' group name with Full Control, then again checking the 'Replace permission entries on all child objects with entries shown here that apply to child objects' box.
I was able then to access System Restore and use it to restore to a point before I started to mess with the registry.
As you can probably tell, I'm no expert on registry editing, so you can try this at your own risk - good luck!
Thanx for your input. I figured I'd try what you mentioned, as I'm out of ideas. I can't even get that far. I get an ugly error message which basically means I cannot do it. (See below). Please do note that i have full administrative privelages!
PS: NO, even the registry keys whos permissions HAVE been set did NOT help me get rid of thios problem!
Quote:I think the problem is due to a registry key permission in the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software area. Unfortunately I don't know which one, but I had this experience.
I had the same System Restore blank screen after editing the permissions for HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software. In my case I think it was due to checking the 'Replace permission entries on all child objects with entries shown here that apply to child objects' box under Advanced settings.
I fixed it by setting up this key to just have an 'Everyone' group name with Full Control, then again checking the 'Replace permission entries on all child objects with entries shown here that apply to child objects' box.
I was able then to access System Restore and use it to restore to a point before I started to mess with the registry.
As you can probably tell, I'm no expert on registry editing, so you can try this at your own risk - good luck!
Thanx for your input. I figured I'd try what you mentioned, as I'm out of ideas. I can't even get that far. I get an ugly error message which basically means I cannot do it. (See below). Please do note that i have full administrative privelages!
PS: NO, even the registry keys whos permissions HAVE been set did NOT help me get rid of thios problem!
I'm reluctant to repeat my episode mentioned before to confirm the facts, but as I recall that when it came to the 'fix', I only had one entry in the 'Group or user names' on the Permissions for Software - that was Everyone.
Also on Advanced Security Settings for Software there was either no entry, or just the one: Everyone - Full Control.
Finally I think the 'Inherit from parent ...' checkbox was unchecked, while the 'Replace permission entries ...' checkbox was checked.
You could try again with these settings - but as I said before I'm no expert and can only say what worked for me.
Also on Advanced Security Settings for Software there was either no entry, or just the one: Everyone - Full Control.
Finally I think the 'Inherit from parent ...' checkbox was unchecked, while the 'Replace permission entries ...' checkbox was checked.
You could try again with these settings - but as I said before I'm no expert and can only say what worked for me.
Originally posted by jmw07:
Quote:I'm reluctant to repeat my episode mentioned before to confirm the facts, but as I recall that when it came to the 'fix', I only had one entry in the 'Group or user names' on the Permissions for Software - that was Everyone.
Also on Advanced Security Settings for Software there was either no entry, or just the one: Everyone - Full Control.
Finally I think the 'Inherit from parent ...' checkbox was unchecked, while the 'Replace permission entries ...' checkbox was checked.
You could try again with these settings - but as I said before I'm no expert and can only say what worked for me.
Once again, thanx for your input. I would try forcing just the everyone group, but as you can imagine this poses a security issue. Furthermore, I don't beleive HKLM\Software was designed so that anyone and everyone has full access to it. That being said, if indeed the issue CAN be resolved by this, then i will leave it to micro$oft to fix their mistake.
Messing with the registry is both undelightful and "dangerous" at best. So if there is no other option but to edit the registry, perhaps Micro$oft can fix their buggy software. SP3 anyone? hehe
Quote:I'm reluctant to repeat my episode mentioned before to confirm the facts, but as I recall that when it came to the 'fix', I only had one entry in the 'Group or user names' on the Permissions for Software - that was Everyone.
Also on Advanced Security Settings for Software there was either no entry, or just the one: Everyone - Full Control.
Finally I think the 'Inherit from parent ...' checkbox was unchecked, while the 'Replace permission entries ...' checkbox was checked.
You could try again with these settings - but as I said before I'm no expert and can only say what worked for me.
Once again, thanx for your input. I would try forcing just the everyone group, but as you can imagine this poses a security issue. Furthermore, I don't beleive HKLM\Software was designed so that anyone and everyone has full access to it. That being said, if indeed the issue CAN be resolved by this, then i will leave it to micro$oft to fix their mistake.
Messing with the registry is both undelightful and "dangerous" at best. So if there is no other option but to edit the registry, perhaps Micro$oft can fix their buggy software. SP3 anyone? hehe
