Author Topic: WR-AIO Problem  (Read 11133 times)

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Offline Digerati

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WR-AIO Problem
« on: October 23, 2012, 09:26:56 am »
I just ran WR-AIO on this system (W7 64-bit, i7) and have run into a problem with pinned items. It seems none work after running WR-AIO. None on my taskbar and none in the start menu. Normal shortcuts work - just not pinned items.

I take that back, Windows Update pinned to my Start menu works, the other items (to things installed on my D drive) have a blank default icon and when I click on them, an error reports the item I selected is unavailable, and may have been moved, deleted, etc.
 
Note I install Windows and hardware drivers ONLY on my boot disk. C drive. Everything else goes on another drive. I fear WR AIO resetting everything back to out-the-box defaults may not account for users having more than one drive. And the fact Windows Update, being my sole surviving pinned item, and the only pinned item that goes to C (my boot) drive seems to support that.

If the idea is to reset the Start Menu and the Taskbar by purging them of pinned items, then that didn't work either. The pinned items should have been completely removed, not replaced with Windows default icons that point to nothing.
Bill (AFE7Ret)
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Offline Shane

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Re: WR-AIO Problem
« Reply #1 on: October 23, 2012, 11:55:37 am »
Thats an odd error. I have seen it on any of the systems I have ran my tool on. But at the same time everything is on the C: drive.

So now lets see if we can find out what is changing, where it is changing and from which repair and then I can update the program to handle it. :wink:

Taking a look at this
http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/214711-taskbar-pinned-items-reset-clear-windows-7-a.html

Quote
DEL /F /S /Q /A "%AppData%\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Quick Launch\User Pinned\TaskBar\*"

REG DELETE HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Taskband /F

taskkill /f /im explorer.exe

start explorer.exe

I can see the pinned items are stored in %AppData%\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Quick Launch\User Pinned\TaskBar\
And in the reg here HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Taskband

The reset file permissions skips the users profile so I know it isnt that repair. And no other repair touches that folder location that I know of. As for the reg key location the only repair that touches it is the reset reg permissions.

So here is what I need you to do. Next time it happens, if you dont mind doing it again go to
%AppData%\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Quick Launch\User Pinned\TaskBar\

And check the files there and see if you can see where they are pointing to.
And perhaps here as well HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Taskband

Take a look at both sections before you do the repairs again and then again after and lets see if we can find anything that is different :wink:

Shane

Offline Digerati

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Re: WR-AIO Problem
« Reply #2 on: October 23, 2012, 12:42:04 pm »
Not sure what to tell you either. But those locations you talk about appear to be for the taskbar only and they currently look good (now that I have repaired them all - more on that in a sec). Those locations don't set the Start menu pinned tasks, however.

As for repairing the pinned items, that was odd too. For Word, for example, I had to go to the main "target" location, right click on Word where my only option was to unpin from Start Menu. This happened even if I deleted the blank icon. Once I unpinned, I could immediately pin again and all was good, and is still good after a reboot.

I also noticed CoreTemp system tray icon went away. I thought at first the program was no longer running but got yelled at for trying to start it again. I then realized it was running, but the default text color (black) came back and I just could not see it with my very dark blue taskbar background. I had changed it to white. I've been running CoreTemp for 3 years with no problems like that.

I wish some of the fixes were not set by default. For example, restoring the default Hosts file and restoring the default services settings. And I wish it reported its findings before actually fixing anything. And a log to go back and see what happened would be good too.

I think it is important to test these apps on all sorts of configurations. I know a lot of computer users that don't let Windows install everything on c. I don't know if that is the issue, and I know it is impossible to test anything close to all possible configurations, but multiple drives (and multiple monitors too) are pretty common.

If it happens again, I will let you know.
Bill (AFE7Ret)
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Offline Shane

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Re: WR-AIO Problem
« Reply #3 on: October 23, 2012, 12:55:12 pm »
Thats what is truly odd. They are simply shortcuts in that folder.

Here is an example. On my machine (Windows 7) I go to C:\Users\Shane\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Quick Launch\User Pinned\StartMenu

There I can see the shortcuts and the items that are pinned in my start menu. Now I simply add some other shortcuts. They dont show up, reboot, still not there. If I try to go to that shortcut on the desktop and tell it to pin it will show up now with a (2) on it. because the other shortcut is already there.

Removing them doesnt get rid of them from the start menu either. I have to go to each one and unpin it. But if I was to remove the shortcut and then try to click on it in the start menu it will come up and say it cant find it and ask to remove it.

This is the normal behavior in Windows. So this means that the data for the start menu and task bar are in the registry somewhere of what is suppose to be there and where they are stored. The start menu and task bar dont simply just show what ever is in the folders.

So here is the reg are that it is stored. You will see that the hex does point to the folder location.
http://www.winhelponline.com/blog/backup-pinned-start-menu-shortcuts-windows-7-vista-xp/

So next time it happens check both the shortcut properties of the shortcuts in the pinned folder and see if the reg key has changed or is pointing to a different location.

Your the first one to ever report this problem and out of the hundreds of machines I have ran it on I have never seen it. So I am really curious to what is going on :-)

Shane

Offline Digerati

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Re: WR-AIO Problem
« Reply #4 on: October 23, 2012, 01:08:32 pm »
Well, it is not the first time I am the only one. I am certainly not going to say my machine is typical, but it is not an uncommon setup either. At any rate, we'll keep an eye out for future problems.

Thanks.
Bill (AFE7Ret)
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Offline Shane

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Re: WR-AIO Problem
« Reply #5 on: October 23, 2012, 01:18:21 pm »
If your willing, make a backup of the system and check the locations and reg key before and then after. I would really like to find out what is triggering it :wink:

If not then I will wait till you do report back :-)

Shane

Offline Digerati

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Re: WR-AIO Problem
« Reply #6 on: October 24, 2012, 09:53:14 am »
I originally installed WR-AIO on one of my test systems and had no problems. I didn't see any improvements, but nothing broke. So I then installed it here on my main system where I encountered the problems. I don't normally run tests or experiments on this system. Had the problem occurred on my test machine, it would have been no problem trying to duplicate the problem for you.

The test system only has one drive/partition too - if that had anything to do with it. Hopefully, more folks who install their apps off the boot drive will give it a go and hopefully have no problems either.

This was a simple recovery process, I didn't bother to restore the Registry. It took literally a few seconds for each pinned item I wanted to keep and that ended up less than a dozen between both places. It actually forced - well, gave me the opportunity to reevaluate what pinned items I really wanted on my Taskbar and in my Start Menu. And once I determined CoreTemp's problem was just a simple default text color issue, that was a simple fix too. While it appears all else is good, nothing affecting system stability or security occurred, and total recovery was a snap, I am not willing tempt fate again on this machine.

In effect, WR AIO is (in part) an automated Registry cleaner, and a fairly aggressive one. I am NOT against Registry cleaners in general - I like and use, and frequently recommend CCleaner's because it is not overly aggressive. But I recommend and use it for "maintaining" a working system, not fixing a broken one and that's because Registry cleaners, "System Optimizers", and the like have a history of doing more harm than good - though I am certain the numbers have been greatly exaggerated by a few very loud complainers repeating the same stories over the years. But sadly, I have seen too many computers myself come across my bench that were made worse by someone dinking with the Registry trying to fix a problem (some with Regedit, some with "Tools" found on the Internet. So it is hard to defend something you know can be dangerous to some colleagues, forum regulars and site staff who also have seen problems made worse.

Of course, your judicious encouragement and provision to backup the Registry sets your program apart from others. But that's not to say users will follow that advice.

Understand, I gripe but I appreciate your desire and demonstrated dedication to "getting it right". :) I was one of a few hardware guys in a software company of 400 (very-sharp) programmers. One of my "other hats" was in-house alpha and beta tester for the software under development. I've made it a side career to avoid coding as much as possible but I understand and appreciate what it takes to "create" it. Anyway, since this appears to be a one-off problem for now, let's wait and see if it appears on another system.
Bill (AFE7Ret)
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Offline Shane

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Re: WR-AIO Problem
« Reply #7 on: October 24, 2012, 03:10:58 pm »
Quote
In effect, WR AIO is (in part) an automated Registry cleaner

Windows repair isnt even close or anything like a registry cleaner lol. Reg cleaners go through the registry and remove keys that it thinks are no longer in use. My program barley touches the registry and when it does it is putting back reg keys of services (Only a few of them and such. The ONLY thing the program removes from the registry is security policies put in place by viruses.

A lot of the repairs are more registering files (Which when you register a dll on the system that dll does write its info to the registry) About 80% of the repairs are registering files. The program doesnt scan the registry at all to look for keys to remove. So not a reg cleaner, at all.

The info file on each repair tells what it is going to do. :wink:

As for the rest, anytime a person finds or think there is a problem I like to do my best to find out what caused the problem, and if it was something in the program I get it fixed. That is the only way the program can get better.

Shane

Offline Digerati

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Re: WR-AIO Problem
« Reply #8 on: October 25, 2012, 09:47:49 am »
Yeah, my apologies. I should not have said "cleaner" which brings up images of 100s and 100s of orphaned entries and stuff like that and I know this program is not like that.
Quote
About 80% of the repairs are registering files.
Thanks for explaining that!

Quote
The info file...
I got to admit, I missed them. Might be because in a folder right off the root of c is not where I expect to find logs. I thought they would be with the program (on my D drive), perhaps in the folder called, repairs_info, or under Users somewhere.

I see several errors like these:
Quote
C:\Windows\SysWOW64\config\systemprofile\Documents\My Music - CreateFile Error : 2 The system cannot find the file specified.
C:\Windows\SysWOW64\config\systemprofile\Documents\My Pictures - CreateFile Error : 2 The system cannot find the file specified.
C:\Windows\SysWOW64\config\systemprofile\Documents\My Videos - CreateFile Error : 2 The system cannot find the file specified.
Windows lets users change those defaults to somewhere other than C. On this computer, Windows is on c but My Documents, downloads, temp files folder and the page file are not.
Quote
That is the only way the program can get better.
I agree and again, appreciate the open channel.
 
Bill (AFE7Ret)
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Offline Shane

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Re: WR-AIO Problem
« Reply #9 on: October 25, 2012, 11:08:34 am »
Quote
I got to admit, I missed them. Might be because in a folder right off the root of c is not where I expect to find logs. I thought they would be with the program (on my D drive), perhaps in the folder called, repairs_info, or under Users somewhere.

Not the logs files, the info on each reapir. In the program there is a tab when you select a repair and the txt files for that info is int he same folder as the program under "repairs_info" :wink:


Quote
I see several errors like these:
Quote

    C:\Windows\SysWOW64\config\systemprofile\Documents\My Music - CreateFile Error : 2 The system cannot find the file specified.
    C:\Windows\SysWOW64\config\systemprofile\Documents\My Pictures - CreateFile Error : 2 The system cannot find the file specified.
    C:\Windows\SysWOW64\config\systemprofile\Documents\My Videos - CreateFile Error : 2 The system cannot find the file specified.

Windows lets users change those defaults to somewhere other than C. On this computer, Windows is on c but My Documents, downloads, temp files folder and the page file are not.

That looks like just the file permissions repair. It does the whole drive except the normal user profile sections. Thats the only repair that touches everything on the drive since it is adding permissions. So with Windows virtual folder links (They did this to support old programs from xp) the program had seen there is a folder there but it was really just a link, so you get that error int he log. Nothing to worry about :-)

Shane