[SpeedBump07]

Wow - where to start?

I've just done some cleansing of my son's computer ( a laptop running Vista) - firstly by uninstalling a lot of programs he no longer uses (I unistalled 'em using Revo uninstaller - and when I got rid of SweetIM, it also cleaned up over 15,000 registry entries!), I then cleaned the registry using Eusing and Cleanup!

But now I've got a few problems.

I can't open Outlook - I get an error message saying I need Internet Explorer 4.01 or later to use this feature. IE 7 is installed (we tend to use Firefox though).

When I try to open IE, I get an error message "ieuser.exe Entry Point Not Found. The procedure point GetProcessImageFileNameW could not be located in the dynamic link library PSAPI.DLL." I also get a similar message when I try to open the Control Panel (though the first words are control.exe). Control Panel does open when I click OK on the error message.

I've done a search on here for that particular error message, and it turns up a lot - I've tried most of the advice but nothing seems to work.

When I try to open Device Manager, I get the message "MMC will not run with a version of Internet Explorer earlier than IE5.5" and then Device Manager closes.

I tried restoring to an earlier time within Eusing, but that didn't work, and I tried using Vista's System Restore, but each time I got the message 'System Restore did not complete successfully. An unspecified error occured during System Restore"

I've also tried downloading a new copy of psapi.dll and replacing the old one. No luck.

I'm at my wits end now, and my son is really mad at me for 'fixing' his computer!!

[hrlow2]

Now you know why people advise AGAINST using registry cleaners.They almost always create more problems than they help.
If you have the disk(It did come with one, didn't it?) you could try doing a repair install of the OS.

[SpeedBump07]

Well, I've certainly learnt my lesson now! I hadn't actually heard that registry cleaners were a bad idea.

Not sure if I've got the OS disk or not - it certainly doesn't look like a Vista disk - it's labelled 'Recovery DVD ASUSTeK Computer Inc. But that's all it came with.

The computer's in my son's room and he's asleep at the moment, so I'll have to wait 'til tomorrow to try this. Hope this is it, but I don't like my chances.

I've always wondered what you do if you need to repair your OS on a computer where they haven't supplied the disk...

[hrlow2]

The Recovery CD may help(couldn't hurt). Just remember. NO registry cleaning.

[SpeedBump07]

No luck with the Rescue Disk. Looks like it might work, but I'm not quite game to use it.

First let me back up a bit. Numerous issues have been fixed - the only problem now is the one where I can't open various programs (Outlook, Device Manager, Administrative Tools etc) because I get an error message saying that I need Internet Explorer 4.01 or later to use this feature (Outlook), or "MMC will not run with a version of Internet Explorer earlier than IE5.5"

Problem is I have IE 7 installed.

So - back to the Rescue Disk. When I boot from it, it DOES give me the option of reinstalling Vista, but warns that everything in that partition will be erased.

Now I'm not sure if Vista is in its own partition or not, and I can't check because I can't open Administrative Tools (is there another way of finding out?). If it DOES have its own partition, I'll go ahead and do that, but if not, there's way too much stuff on my son's computer that isn't backed up that he can't afford to lose. (I know - a proper backup system for his laptop is on my 'to do' list)

I've done a search on that error message, and it seems it's not all that rare, but I haven't found a suitable solution yet.

[DoubleHelix]

No, Vista is not on its own partition, and EVERYTHING on the drive would likely be wiped out. You need to move "backup data" to the top of the To Do list before doing anything else.

[SpeedBump07]

Very happy to say the problem is all solved - thanks to my 14-year-old son!

The only problem remaining was that I couldn't open various programs (Outlook, Device Manager, Administrative Tools etc) because I got an error message saying that I need Internet Explorer 4.01 or later to use this feature (Outlook), or "MMC will not run with a version of Internet Explorer earlier than IE5.5". Despite the fact I had IE 7 installed.

I tried to download IE from the Microsoft, but it wouldn't let me - saying I already had the latest version installed.

So, I got home from work today all ready to back up all the data and reinstall Windows - at the expense of everything on the HDD,

But, my darling son had somehow managed to reinstall IE, and it's totally fixed all the problems!

So, he's now officially allowed to shake his head in disgust at my technical abilities, and he's made me promise to never use a registry cleaner again!

One last question, though. Is it safe to use Revo Uninstaller, which uninstalls the program along with any leftover bits, including entries in the registry? Or should I just stick to the stock standard uninstaller that comes with Vista?

[1002richards]

Hi,
I've happily used Revo for some time now.
This independent review from http://www.techsupportalert.com/
"Revo, an uninstaller that works rather differently. It can uninstall a program without the need to monitor its installation. It works by automatically doing what an experienced user would do manually. It removes all the program's files, autostart entries and removes all obvious registry entries. This process can never be better than an inspired guess, but it's sure better than nothing.
I ran some tests by getting Revo to uninstall a product whose installation I had monitored using ZSoft Uninstaller, a before and after uninstaller. Revo did a fine job, though not quite as good as a skilled user would do manually. There were still some remains left over, notably files stored in the user/local settings folder. That said, the leftover files did no harm other than take up disk space, and they certainly would not interfere with the normal operation of the PC.
When you ask Revo to uninstall a program, it first looks for the product's uninstall program and will run that program if it is found. Only if the search fails will it try to remove files and registry entries itself. Revo can also act as a before and after uninstaller, but frankly this is not its forte. The freeware utility ZSoft Uninstaller is a better choice for this. I was very impressed by Revo. It is the only freeware product I know of that will make a decent job of cleaning up a failed install. It's not perfect in its un-installation, but it does a fine job in the circumstances and offers a lifeline to average users. Next time you encounter a failed uninstall, remember Revo."

Hope that's of interest?

[hrlow2]

Another good one that I favor is the Absolute Uninstaller.
Behaves in the same manner as RevoUninstaller.
Bravo for your son.