Deleted Registry HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software

Don't Panic, follow instructions.

logicearth said:

1. Create a new user account,
2. log into it,
3. Backup up any important data from old account
4. right-click > Computer
5. select Properties
6. click Advance system settings
7. click Settings button for User Profiles
8. Select (highlight) the problematic user account
9. Delete the profile of the problem account
10. Log out, log back into the problematic user account.
    Windows will rebuild the registry.

This method deletes the user's profile data not the user itself.

Injust said:

Oh, just saying, even with a BRAND NEW user account, the explorer.exe settings REFUSE to budge :P
Need somebody to help me plz, it's really annoying and I can NOT use my computer like this for long. Steam's coming outta my ears nau

Only explorer.exe settings? You can change them but they are reset afterwards? Or just imposiibel to change (greyed out). No problem to change setting in internet explorer, word, excel etc?

Kaktus: I'm not certain there is a brand new working account:

Injust said:

After a lot of hassle, I managed to copy my corrupted profile to a new account.
However, I encounter the SAME explorer.exe problems there. It won't save or apply ANY of my chances, whether it's to folder options, taskbar settings, notification area, ANYTHING.
I can't use it like that :P
And I noticed that when you right-click on the blank area of a folder/desktop, and go to the "New" context menu, it's BLANK. No more new FOLDER, or SHORTCUT, it's all gone

Yeah...

I think Injust has two corrupted accounts due to the above error - copying the corrupted profile to a new account.

Kaktussoft said:

Injust said:

Oh, just saying, even with a BRAND NEW user account, the explorer.exe settings REFUSE to budge :P
Need somebody to help me plz, it's really annoying and I can NOT use my computer like this for long. Steam's coming outta my ears nau

Only explorer.exe settings? You can change them but they are reset afterwards? Or just imposiibel to change (greyed out). No problem to change setting in internet explorer, word, excel etc?

Injust please elaborate: did you create a 2nd new account without copying the corrupt profile from either of the other accounts? There were no instructions to copy a profile, you did that on your own.

Please remain calm and coherent, if you're jumping around to other forums in panic mode, it will take longer or your system will just get messed up. Follow one path to resolution. Follow only that path.

See, now we have to start over, 1 day lost.

Take it slow and easy, this isn't that difficult.

in a fresh new account browse in registry to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Advanced
what is the value of AlwaysShowMenus? You can change it from 0 to 1 or vice versa. 0 means NO and 1 means YES.
if you change settings to 1...does it show the menu on top if you startup windows explorer (not internet explorer!)
change it back in windows explorer ->folder settings->display. Is it changed in registry (press f5 to refresh registry)?

Maybe I missed something. Why do you keep mentioning "copying / copied the profile"?

So you created a 3rd account because
your original was affected when the HKCU registry entries were deleted, and
the 2nd account was corrupted by copying the 1st account's profile.

Is this correct?

This 3rd account has it's profile as created by User Accounts, no copying has been done.

Is this correct?


And lastly, so I'm clear of the current state: this 3rd user exhibits the same behavior as the 1st account.


Symptoms:

• CANNOT get the Taskbar and Start Menu settings to change! I am an administrator user account, and the settings JUST WON'T CHANGE!
• apply a setting, and nothing will happen, and when I open the settings dialog again, it's like I didn't make any changes
• noticed that when you right-click on the blank area of a folder/desktop, and go to the "New" context menu, it's BLANK. No more new FOLDER, or SHORTCUT
• even with a BRAND NEW user account, the explorer.exe settings REFUSE to budge
• change the System Propertites (right-click on Computer, click propertities, and on left-hand side, the advanced system settings), NOTHING can change.
• explorer.exe problem has been going back for a while... It started when sometimes, some *.exe files won't delete, even after using Unlocker and restarting
• Some of my other program's settings are also messed up, but I can change them properly

Is that a fair recap of the issues. Do the same issues occur with the 3rd account?
Export your registry and check the HKCU entries - do they exist for the 3rd account (they should unless there was more damage to the registry than you reported)?

Thanks for setting the record straight re: staying focused on 7forums.

Some of your apps will work, some will need to be reinstalled. If the issue is more than HKCU, then a Repair install might get you back to a stable registry (if in fact it is FUBAR). A repair install will do nothing for your user account or applications, but it will help Windows.

You might consider a Clean Install. I'm not sure I can add much more on this. Other members know the tutorials and tools far better than I do.

I'll step back for now. Best of luck.

Injust said:

I just made a BRAND NEW user account, same problems Cannot change ANY explorer.exe settings, but can change other program's settings...

Even BEFORE I copy the user profile, it's still messed up.
Explorer.exe settings work FINE when I'm setting them, the radio buttons can be selected properly. HOWEVER, when I apply them, nothing happens :P Then when I re-open the settings window, everything's back to before I applied the settings!

It isn't just user account profiles now, I think :P