Author Topic: Windows Repair (All In One) (Read 28834 times)

Boggin · « **on:** July 05, 2014, 05:12:16 pm »

I'm new to this forum and not sure how to see if anyone else has had this or other problems after running the program in the thread title, but I've run this program with default settings on two Win 7 SP1 x64 bit laptops and on one it froze the system after the reboot and had great difficulty in establishing a Wireless connection.

I was eventually able to get into the Reliability history where it had a Critical Error of Windows Media Center Host Module Stopped and no answer as to why when checking for solutions.

The laptop has managed to repair itself and is now running okay as far as I can tell.

I'm not sure why in the forum rules it says that posts are not actively monitored when the program says to come to this forum for Feedback, but I'd appreciate it if someone did have an explanation for the Critical Error.

Shane · « **Reply #1 on:** July 07, 2014, 09:44:22 am »

Never had any of those problems on any Windows 7 system i have ran my Windows Repair on.

The only time I have found really odd side effects after running the repairs was normally when the hard drive had bad sectors and the user didnt know it. So when the repairs ran some of the system files or settings got on a bad sector and everything went bonkers from there.

Have you do a bad sector check yet on the drive? It is a long scan that can take a hour or more depending on the size of the drive.

Open a cmd.exe as administrator. Then put in
chkdsk c: /f /r

Hit enter, it will come up and say the drive is in use would you like to schedule it, hit Y and hit enter.

Now reboot, before windows boots it should start the scan, if it doesnt, try again.

Then go have some coffee because it will take a while. Once it is done it will put a entry in the event viewer of the reaults and we can see if it found any bad sectors. (We want to see 0 KB in bad sectors) in the log.

Shane

Boggin · « **Reply #2 on:** July 07, 2014, 02:41:09 pm »

Thanks for the reply Shane but that's not it.

To save time I just run chkdsk in read-only mode and that comes up clean both on the volume and bad sectors although I haven't run a Seagate test on it.

When running chkdsk from within Windows there's no need to add c: and /r has the attributes of /f so you only need to enter chkdsk /r for the combined hard disk and file check, but it's best to run the read-only first as data can be lost if it finds bad sectors and moves what data it can to the good areas of the disk.

Shane · « **Reply #3 on:** July 07, 2014, 02:50:01 pm »

The read only test doesnt test for bad sectors on the drive though, the scan would take a long longer if it did, please do the test that I asked, the read only check in windows chdsk is different then the program that windows uses at boot up to scan the drive.

Even if it only checked the sectors the data was on the scan would still take a while as it would be testing 30+ GB of data depending what you have on the system.

Shane

Boggin · « **Reply #4 on:** July 07, 2014, 05:56:10 pm »

I've seen a read-only report 4KB in Bad Sectors before now but I've run the chkdsk /r and other than cleaning up some unused index and security descriptors, it came back clean for the volume and bad sectors.

Shane · « **Reply #5 on:** July 07, 2014, 06:26:39 pm »

OK so you do have bad sectors on the drive, Windows marked it and does store files on that those bad sectors.

It is a good idea to get your self a new drive when you can. Other than that how is the system doing right now? Still getting any errors or problems?

Shane

Boggin · « **Reply #6 on:** July 08, 2014, 01:05:19 am »

A little bit of confusion here - the bad sectors I'd seen following a read-only were on someone else's computer.

The chkdsk /r on mine didn't report any bad sectors.

Shane · « **Reply #7 on:** July 08, 2014, 09:16:17 am »

Opps, sorry I miss read what you typed then lol

When you said it I thought you where talking about your drive.

Ok how has the system been today, any errors or problems?

Shane

Boggin · « **Reply #8 on:** July 08, 2014, 11:02:40 am »

I wasn't running the program for any particular problems but to see if anything improved.

After the system seemed to repair itself from the stopped module, the mouse seemed to be a bit jerky so I used the restore point I'd created prior to downloading Windows Repair and it's now back to the way it was.

I was just after an answer as to why running the default settings caused this.

Shane · « **Reply #9 on:** July 08, 2014, 01:38:53 pm »

I havent had those problems happen on any of the systems after running the repairs. But every system is different, and if something didnt go right during the repairs, such as an AV or something getting in the way, or a command not running properly then odd things will happen.

Thats why in the new version 2.8.0 I put out yesterday I now have it auto create a registry backup because I had users not doing that. So if your up to it give the new version a try, make sure to do a registry backup, and if the problems come back dont do a system restore but instead only do a registry restore with my program. If the problems come back and putting only the registry back fixes it then that will point me in the right direction to look

If you are not up for that then no worries, just when someone reports a problem I dont like to give up till I find the cause

Shane

Boggin · « **Reply #10 on:** July 08, 2014, 02:52:49 pm »

Yes, I'll give that a go but it won't be until tomorrow sometime - getting on in the day now here in the UK.

I'd created my own restore point as well as using the program to back up as well and had disabled the AV until the next reboot and while I have the same programs on here as I do with the other laptop, there were no after effects with that one - so thought there must have been a glitch.

Shane · « **Reply #11 on:** July 08, 2014, 02:56:03 pm »

Cool beans, let me know how it turns out

Shane

Boggin · « **Reply #12 on:** July 09, 2014, 04:53:25 pm »

I'm a lot later running this than I intended but it froze the laptop again and with the same error.

The chkdsk check reported errors so ran the repair option which it whipped through the three stages but as I'd done a chkdsk /r yesterday which found nothing wrong, I checked Event Viewer which gave the same but the Logs that the program produced warned about false error reporting and the program chkdsk log reported a corrupt Bitmap.

This could be an error of the program.

I think the freeze occurs because Windows is repairing the registry during the boot process because the WMI repair deleted a number of keys.

The laptop seems to have recovered itself but I had some problems getting Norton 360 to work again

I had zipped the WMI log but am unable to find how to attach it to the post after placing it in the Attach: box.

Rather than copying & pasting such a large file, would you please advise on that and I can stick it in my next post.

Shane · « **Reply #13 on:** July 09, 2014, 05:01:19 pm »

When posting you will see an attch option at the bottom, I think the max size of a file is 5 or 10 MB I cant remember.

The chkdsk reporting that the file system needs fixed isnt an error of my program but actually an error in Windows.

I searched and found that chkdsk is a different tool that the one used at boot which is autochk.exe. When I researched why chkdsk was reporting errors and autochk wasn't finding any it turns out that they are different programs, and chkdsk will sometimes report errors because the file or section it is scanning is in the middle of being written to, and so it thinks it is corrupt.

This is why chkdsk doesn't allow you to try to repair anything without dismounting the drive first, so that nothing is accessing it while it is running.

I am online right now and I would love to take look at the system while it is working like it is, if your up for it send me an email to shane at tweaking and we will use teamviewer and I will login and work with you and see if I can find what is going on

Shane

Boggin · « **Reply #14 on:** July 09, 2014, 05:41:34 pm »

I've seen the Attach/Browse box at the bottom but having placed it in there by using the Browse to point to it, it doesn't show up when I preview the post - do I need to do anything else ?

The .zip is just 7KB

I have no objections to you having a look around with Teamviewer but it's after 01:30 here in the UK and I have to be up and about and out in the morning.

I think if you have a look at the WMI repair report you will probably see what is causing the problem when it is deleting registry keys that perhaps it shouldn't.

Shane · « **Reply #15 on:** July 09, 2014, 05:47:04 pm »

I would like to see the report because the wmi repair doesnt remove any keys, at least there are no commands for it to. It is all registering files and rebuilding the wmi database. The only part of it that would be messing with the registry would be when the files are registered since they write themselves to the registry at that point.

Try attaching the file and then just post and dont preview and see if it works.

Shane

Boggin · « **Reply #16 on:** July 09, 2014, 05:50:12 pm »

Trying it again - that's worked !

Boggin · « **Reply #17 on:** July 09, 2014, 05:52:40 pm »

Will check back tomorrow for your views as I'm off to bed now.

Shane · « **Reply #18 on:** July 09, 2014, 06:05:50 pm »

That is all normal. Those are not reg keys that it deleted those are the autorecover files in the wmi folder.

Part of the repair is to rebuild WMI (In case it is corrupt) so it removes the wmi database, has windows rebuild it and then scans the drive for wof files which are WMI files added by 3rd party programs and it imports them back into WMI.

I am going to be up late tonight programming so if you happen to get back on before I head to bed I would like to connect to you so I can see what you are seeing.

I am in Oregon so I am on West coast time

Shane

Boggin · « **Reply #19 on:** July 10, 2014, 12:51:16 am »

You would only be able to see what I'm experiencing by running the program again for the freeze but the laptop appears to be functioning now as it should after it got over the freeze.

I'm in the n.e of the UK so I don't know what the time difference is, but I think it could be in the region of ~8hrs.

I'm going to be out most of today (UK time) but when I'm able to I'll bump the thread to see if you are online then perhaps we could arrange something.

I was a bit concerned that log was saying that if parts of WMI were rebuilt in future, certain aspects wouldn't be included ??

Boggin · « **Reply #20 on:** July 10, 2014, 09:13:33 am »

When I was using the affected laptop this afternoon, decided to have a look in the reliability history and saw reports of the Media Host Module being stopped long after I last run Windows Repair and after the laptop had unfroze and appeared to be running okay.

The Event Viewer has some errors that I would like you to look at when we can arrange a hook up, but one of them suggested it could be because of a HDD problem so that laptop is currently undergoing a HDDScan3 surface read test - although the S.M.A.R.T. came back with all green "lights".

The surface read test has been running for about an hour and a half so far, so not sure when that will complete - using other laptop at present and its Reliability history has no reported faults after running WR, so whatever is going wrong is laptop specific.

There must be something different between the two as Old Timers TFC will crash this laptop but run okay on the other one.

It's looking like there is an 8hr time difference as it's 5.15pm here when the time stamp of this post is showing as 09.13am.

Boggin · « **Reply #21 on:** July 10, 2014, 02:54:03 pm »

It's looking like the Media Center Module is stopping or not starting on any boot, so WR must have done something.

Shane · « **Reply #22 on:** July 10, 2014, 03:17:51 pm »

Sorry for the late replay, I pulled a all nighter writing a new program, it is a envelope printer, done my style. I needed it for myself but I decided to put it out on tweaking.com as another free tool when I am done

The hardest part about Windows Repair is that there is always unknown variables on peoples machines. I do my best to cover them and as I find more odd variables that cause trouble I dig in and find a way to keep that variable from happening.

I had one user who ran all the repairs on 10 machines all worked perfectly, then on one of them, a older one, crap hit the fan. Outlook pst files missing and all kinds of very very odd behavior. So i connected to him because that was very odd and it turned out that the hard drive had a butt load of bad sectors and when all the repairs ran files where moved and such on the hard drive by windows and his outlook pst file landed on one, and so in that case it was bad hardware that was the killer variable.

But then there have been other times, especially with Windows 8, where the repairs worked great on so many other windows 8 systems and yet was killing others. i dug in and found the variables about the marsh handlers and a odd bug in Win 8 where it deleted them if the permissions where changed, and then once I thought I had the permissions working another update from MS for 8 then broke that and threw a fit about permissions. So I dug in and found a fix for that variable as well, thus v2.8.0

So thats why I want to look at your system and look over any errors that are happening. If the cause is not hardware then I want to find out what was different on your machine, what unknown variable there was that caused the side effect, then I can put in a fix for the sucker and make my program better

How the hell can I type so much when I have been up for 36 hours? Oh well, hope you dont mind listening to a tired talkative geek

Shane

Boggin · « **Reply #23 on:** July 10, 2014, 03:32:11 pm »

I used to pull all nighters when I was working on a BASIC program and eventually made myself ill - so don't over do it.

If you're fit then you can hook up now if you want.

Shane · « **Reply #24 on:** July 10, 2014, 04:05:02 pm »

I use to pull late nights all the time, and i paid for it. I turned 35 a few weeks back. And yes ever since I started sleeping properly I have been much stronger for it. Man I am getting old lol

If you dont mind I would like to do this tomorrow around this time, as long as I dont get stuck on a customer job.

My brain is a little worn out and I am trying my hardest to get this program done. Making a whole program in one run isnt too shabby

Shane