FIXED: "System information" no longer works on XP SP2, instead it opens the M$ "Help and Support Center"!!

[computer]

I've never seen this before! I posted this at a PC list and I got no replies.

I just clicked to open my "System information" area, and
M$ "Help and Support Center" opens up!! This is....WAS under
"Accessories", "System Tools", then "System Information". What
the heck could have happened to it, and how now do I get to
this area? I think the file was MSinfo32.exe, and when I
manually click it, the Help and Support Center still opens up!
I tried a command line of "systeminfo", "systeminfo /s Computer"
and "systeminfo /s [my computername]" and that did
nothing, it opened up a blank command "DOS" type window for
a few seconds then closed!

Regardless of where MSinfo32.exe is located on my HD, it
still opens up the "Help and Support Center"!! Apparently
it's being opened by the WRONG app or program, as in
whatever was originally associated with it is no longer
"being called".

Like I said, I clicked it every place I found it on my HD, that
included the DLL cache and other folders so it's not anything
having to do with the file being corrupted. So if I deleted it
from its original folder or protected folder, what would be
restored would do the same thing, it still opens up the Help
and Support Center. That's why I think something is wrong with
the association. Instead of that MSinfo "System Information"
being called, the Help and Support Center is being called to
open.
Thanks.

 

[MadRat]

http://www.kellys-korner-xp.com/xp_sys_info.htm

 

[computer]

Originally posted by: MadRat
The link to it in the menu is controlled in the registry. Your registry is probably either tampered or corrupted if its doing this. Better backup your information asap.

Thanks for the reply. I've still been searching and I just found this quote:
-----------
"A index.dat file has been deleted, and that's why when some
run msinfo32 they get the help center instead of system
information.

I had this problem, and just now got it figured out, I restored
a new image and system information was working great, I then
ran Spider which cleans temp files, I saved the report rebooted
and system information was not working.

I looked at what spider deleted and I found it deleted a
index.dat here
E:\\WINDOWS\\PCHEALTH\\HELPCTR\\OfflineCache\\index.dat
I opened and image and restored just this dat, and now my
system information is working, so this dat file is the cause
for the problem."
----------

So, apparently I'll never be able to fix this on this
particular install. I did however find a way to get it working
manually, and that's by typing msinfo32 /categories +all in
the Run command. I'm trying to create a batch file right now
for that, but so far have been unsuccessful. The d'load link
for the batch file on this page is bad of course!
http://www.kellys-korner-xp.com/xp_m.htm , you can get to the
area by searching for MSinfo and you'll find the text in that
area. Also, the directions for creating the batch file is also
bad! It doesn't work. So I'm working on that.

I've seen several references now to a deleted index.dat file being the cause of this.

 

[computer]

Originally posted by: MadRat
http://www.kellys-korner-xp.com/xp_sys_info.htm

Geeze, what happened to your other post?? :Q I thought I was losing my mind until I saw I quoted it! LOL.

I'm not sure why you posted that link, unless it's because it mentions how to get to "System info" via Help and Support Center. I tried that, that's the same method as clicking the msinfo32.exe file. When you click the link in Help and Support Center, it calls to msinfo32.exe, and it just reopens the Center again.

 

[MadRat]

LOL, I must of overwrit it on edit

 

[computer]

I found the fix for this. After going to "Run" and typing cmd, put each line at the cmd prompt and [enter].

net stop helpsvc
cd /d %windir%\pchealth\helpctr
rd packagestore /s /q
rd installedskus /s /q
cd binaries
start /w helpsvc /svchost netsvcs /regserver /install
start /w helpsvc /register

The index.dat file I mentioned above WAS indeed deleted, and doing this above re-creates the index.dat file, and now System Info is working again.

 

[MadRat]

It sounds like you had to stop the help service then to restore it. Interesting. Sounds like a MS patch broke it. Maybe this is a widespread issue? I just tested msinfo32 on mine and it won't launch either.

 

[computer]

Originally posted by: MadRat
It sounds like you had to stop the help service then to restore it. Interesting. Sounds like a MS patch broke it. Maybe this is a widespread issue? I just tested msinfo32 on mine and it won't launch either.

YEP! Wouldn't surprise me one bit. M$ Patches are always screwing up things. :disgust: And I did install some recently. I believe on SP2, they FORCE YOU to have the Help Service running when opening System Info, it was not like that on SP1. I never use mine so I always had it disabled on SP1. On SP2 you have to set to Manual so System Info can call it. Mine WAS and is set to Manual so every time I need to look at System Info, I have to cont-alt-del out the friggin' Help Service. (I need to create a batch file for this like I did with the Window Update site, Image acquisition, Print Spooler, et al so the Help Service is shut off when System Info is closed).

 

[computer]

MadRat, which updates have you installed recently? I installed: 916281, 916595, 911562, 914388. Hopefully you installed only ONE of those and that's probably the culprit.

 

[MadRat]

I've got mine set to automatically patch. All four have already applied themselves. But what is often the case is that MS breaks things nobody uses and the problem goes unseen for weeks or months.

 

[MadRat]

Curious, what specifically are you doing with a batch file? Addressing mmc's and cpl's from batch files was never my talent.

 

[computer]

Originally posted by: MadRat
I've got mine set to automatically patch. All four have already applied themselves. But what is often the case is that MS breaks things nobody uses and the problem goes unseen for weeks or months.

Oh my. :Q Big mistake IMO, the problems with the patches support that. Most of the M$ updates are NOT needed when a good firewall is used (many are not needed just with XP's Native firewall enabled). Most of the remaining updates that are still needed, are NOT needed when certain Services are disabled*. So that only leaves a few updates we really need. What I do: I subscribe to Secunia alerts that tells me when new updates are out. I also visit the Windows Update site once in a while. I click all of the "Details" links on the Update page and read all about the updates/patches to determine if they are really needed. Somewhere on the pages you'll see "Vulnerability details" and you click that, then look at "Mitigating factors" and that will tell you if you really need the patch.

I know of people and customers that have been screwed by M$ Updates and this can prevent a lot of the problems. M$ is stupid. They toss their patches out there obviously without EVER testing them and finding out the damage they can do, then they have to release a patch FOR a patch....for ANOTHER patch, etc., etc.

*XP's Services is another thing. The majority of them can be disabled or at least set to "Manual". So they are not only not sucking up resources and RAM, but any security issues associated with them are no longer an issue.

 

[computer]

Originally posted by: MadRat
Curious, what specifically are you doing with a batch file? Addressing mmc's and cpl's from batch files was never my talent.

It's a fast, convenient and simple one-click way of doing things. For example, I use this one for the Windows Update site.

CreateObject("Wscript.Shell").Run """" & WScript.Arguments(0) & """", 0, False

Put that in Notepad, then change the .txt extension to .vbs, and call it invis .

wscript.exe "E:\My Documents\Batch Files\Windows Update\invis.vbs" "E:\My Documents\Batch Files\Windows Update\WindowsUpdate.bat"

Do the same with that, except change its extension to .bat and call it Start .

This one below is what actually does the work, and do it like the .bat file above.

@title WU v.5 Manager
@echo Running Windows Update v.5... Wait until it's done.
@net start wuauserv
@sc config wuauserv start= auto
@"C:\Program Files\Internet Explorer\IEXPLORE.EXE" http://windowsupdate.microsoft.com/
@sc config wuauserv start= demand
@echo Stopping unnecessary service...
@net stop wuauserv

If you want to use this, you of course have to change any paths in the files to match where they are on your HD. Put the 3 files in folder somewhere for keeping, and create a shortcut to the Start.bat file. Put the Auto Windows Updates and BITS Services on MANUAL under "Services", and click the Start.bat file shortcut where you put it. This will start the Services, launch IE and go to the Update site, and when you close the IE at the Update site, it will also automatically STOP the Services!

That's more than just a batch (.bat) file, but basically it's the same thing. The other bat file and vbs file just add more functionality to it. I created similar files for the Diskeeper Defrag program, and the Print spooler so before I print anything I just click that shortcut I put on my Toolbar, then I can print, then after printing I click another shortcut to another batch file I made to stop the Spools Service. This is faster than having to manually open up XP's Services area and finding the Service, and clicking it to start and stop, or having to cont-alt-del out of a Service.

 

[MadRat]

Does killing the services when not in use really make much difference?

 

[computer]

Originally posted by: MadRat
Does killing the services when not in use really make much difference?

It depends on the Service. M$ Auto Updates, YES. I never trusted them (M$ nor the updates), and if you allow that those a-holes will place on your PC every conceivable thing from the Update Site.

Like I said, all those unnecessary Services add up and will suck up a lot of RAM and CPU resources slowing down a PC, then there's also the issue of security issues and vulnerabilities you're exposed to if they are running. The less you have running, the better. Even the Spools service had patches issued for it, so none of them are really safe. That "Windows Genuine Advantage Notification (KB905474)" BS screwed up a lot of people. M$ was lying to people about it feeding them BS saying "you must have it installed" to get to the update site, they didn't tell you want it was, and it ended up keeping people OUT of the update site even with LEGITIMATE XP CD's, and that started another C-A Lawsuit with them! So they removed their lies, the automatic mandatory install of it when you visited the page and now have it as a regular update d'load. Now who would WANT install it, it's beyond me.

http://blackviper.com/ has disappeared for years, I don't know what the hell happened to him. He had the best site on XP Services and which were needed, details on what each was for, etc. I found some mirror pages so you better save this to your HD while you still can.
http://forum.tweaks.com/forum/Topic188962-7-1.aspx
Of course none of the links on the page that go to blackviper.com work, but it looks like the info for the links is in the guy's second post. Maybe some place like "webarchive" or wayback" will have all of the webpages.

 

[corkyg]

I've gotten SP2 and every XP update that has ever been released. I still have SystemInformation - in fact - have a shortcut icon for it on my desktop.

Properties are thus:

"C:\Program Files\Common Files\Microsoft Shared\MSInfo\msinfo32.exe"

The filename is changed but it opens up good old SysInfo.

 

[computer]

Originally posted by: corkyg
I've gotten SP2 and every XP update that has ever been released. I still have SystemInformation - in fact - have a shortcut icon for it on my desktop.

Properties are thus:

"C:\Program Files\Common Files\Microsoft Shared\MSInfo\msinfo32.exe"

The filename is changed but it opens up good old SysInfo.

The filename hasn't changed, it's still MSinfo32.exe .

Well that is interesting. I guess I could spend time investigating what actually caused it, but I have more important things to do now. As long as my fix worked, that's what's important now. I don't know what else could have caused it other than a patch that both I and "Angry Rodent" installed. (Hee hee). :laugh: The only programs I installed since it last worked was two "Scroogle" Sitemap generator programs. Of course if he by some chance installed one of them, then we probably have the cause.

 

[computer]

Hey......"pissed-off rodentia" (I just kill me) :laugh: , do you have SpyBot installed, and did you recently check a red box to remove/fix something having to do with the "M$ Security Center"? That's the only thing I can think of we both may have done that did this, since that had something to do with part of XP. (It's a bogus tag anyway and SpyBot is notorious for them, it told me mine was set to "disabled" (and apparently thought done by something malicious since it was red), and it is not disabled, mine is set to "manual". I let SB fix it anyway to see what would happen, and it screwed up the Security Center!) Since that too is a Service, it could have caused this problem. This was the red tag:

Microsoft.WindowsSecurityCenter_disabled: Settings (Registry change, nothing done)
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\wscsvc\Start!=W=2

 

[computer]

To those reading these posts via email notification, my last post had an error in and it fixed it. "True Sword" was something else I got it mixed up with. The post now has the registry tag in it.

 

[MadRat]

I am running Spybot 1.4, but don't remember being told about anything by it.

 

[funkbass81]

the level of FUD in this thread is amazing

 

[computer]

Originally posted by: funkbass81
the level of FUD in this thread is amazing

I see no "Fear"in this thread. If you want to call being careful about M$ f**kups "Fear", then your term needs a more accurate description.

The problem has been fixed. The only "Uncertainty" and "Doubt" lie with the CAUSE of the original problem.

 

[funkbass81]

right, my machine is fully patched and i didnt have this issue. M$(thanks for taking us back to '99, when M$ was cool) breaks everything! :roll:


Aren't you the same guy who encrypted all his files, lost the decryption key(and his files) then went on a rant against M$ :roll:, yet didn't bother to READup on EFS first? Na, why read, that would be too much trouble, right? Much easier to blame M$(from my mothers basement i stab at thee!) because its the cool thing to do. you probably had this problem befor, and just happened to notice it after the latest patches. oh well, another fine example of PEBKAC

 

[computer]

Originally posted by: funkbass81
right, my machine is fully patched and i didnt have this issue. M$(thanks for taking us back to '99, when M$ was cool) breaks everything! :roll:

Aren't you the same guy who encrypted all his files, lost the decryption key(and his files) then went on a rant against M$ :roll:, yet didn't bother to READup on EFS first? Na, why read, that would be too much trouble, right? Much easier to blame M$(from my mothers basement i stab at thee!) because its the cool thing to do. you probably had this problem befor, and just happened to notice it after the latest patches. oh well, another fine example of PEBKAC

Who the f**k called your ass over on this thread to hear your bullsh!t, go*damn chicken sh!t remarks and condescending "holier-than-thou-attitude?????

Who said that a "fully patched" PC would have this problem?? I don't see it. Who the f**k is blaming M$ for this??????????? I don't see that either. In fact, I seem to remember ME stating that SpyBot and maybe an XML sitemap generator may have been what caused it!!!! I also guess you think it's impossible, unfathomable, and unheard of that any M$ patch ever caused any problems!

No one went on any "rant" against M$ because of file encryption!!!! Who the f**k is blaming M$ for that??????????? The only problem I had with them is THERE WAS NO WARNING!! Which was FULLY EXPLAINED in the thread!! (i.e. "Those bastards drive you INSANE with "are you sure.......", "are you sure.......", "are you sure.......", "are you sure......." blah blah for every friggin' thing you try to do on a Windows OS of which none of IT is even necessary!!!!! Something as serious as this, and these ass-wipes don't give one comment about it when encrypting a folder!!! THAT is just TOTALLY SENSELESS!!!!!!") Comprehend? (No, I suppose not....perhaps I should explain: Every time you even delete something, you get "are you sure you want to delete [whatever]" and you're not even deleting it, it's going to the recycle bin. Every time you just COPY a read-only file you get ANOTHER prompt and of course the original file remains untouched. Every time you rename an extension you get ANOTHER prompt. And, countless more examples! Yet you get NOTHING with something far more important like file encryption!) What the F**K does file encryption have to do with this anyway?????????

Now F**K-OFF A$$HOLE. Go play somewhere else.

 

[funkbass81]

whatever tough guy. :roll: