How to extract .dll & .ini from Windows 7 recovery media?

Hello all,

sfc /scannow reports I need two files from my Windows 7 Home Premium recovery media:

batmeter.dll
tcpmon.ini

How can I retrieve these two files specifically? A recovery partition file search yields no .dll. I assume they are in a container file.

What prompted the scan is greyed-out Notification Area system icons. Conventional advice is registry entry edits, but that didn't work. It might be these corrupted files.

There are many errors that look like this:

Code:

2024-03-06 08:02:06, Info                  CSI    000000de [SR] Cannot repair member file [l:24{12}]"batmeter.dll" of Microsoft-Windows-batmeter, Version = 6.1.7601.17514, pA = PROCESSOR_ARCHITECTURE_AMD64 (9), Culture neutral, VersionScope = 1 nonSxS, PublicKeyToken = {l:8 b:31bf3856ad364e35}, Type neutral, TypeName neutral, PublicKey neutral in the store, hash mismatch
2024-03-06 08:07:05, Info                  CSI    000001d9 [SR] Cannot repair member file [l:20{10}]"tcpmon.ini" of Microsoft-Windows-Printing-StandardPortMonitor-TCPMonINI, Version = 6.1.7600.16385, pA = PROCESSOR_ARCHITECTURE_AMD64 (9), Culture neutral, VersionScope = 1 nonSxS, PublicKeyToken = {l:8 b:31bf3856ad364e35}, Type neutral, TypeName neutral, PublicKey neutral in the store, hash mismatch

Search engines yield results for 10/11. This is Windows 7.

Advice appreciated

SIW2 said:

If it is an oem recovery partition there is probably an install.wim or several install*.swm files.
You could extract files from those using 7-zip.

I will look for those first.

Do you know the reason for two versions of batmeter.dll in two locations respectively?

The version in System32 is same as winsys\amd64* version, while the version in SysWOW64 is same as winsys\x86*. Not understanding the directory structure, I would think 32 would match 32 & vice-versa.

Pardon Linux formatting (eg, the file sizes are next to dates). I dual boot.

Code:

$ find . -iname "batmeter.dll" -ls -o -iname "tcpmon.ini" -ls
   206741    732 -rwxrwxrwx   2 root     root       749568 Nov 20  2010 ./System32/batmeter.dll
    65698     60 -rwxrwxrwx   2 root     root        60224 Nov 22  2009 ./System32/tcpmon.ini
   206340    724 -rwxrwxrwx   2 root     root       740864 Nov 20  2010 ./SysWOW64/batmeter.dll
    65698     60 -rwxrwxrwx   2 root     root        60224 Nov 22  2009 ./winsxs/amd64_microsoft-windows-p..rtmonitor-tcpmonini_31bf3856ad364e35_6.1.7600.16385_none_2e6dc451c0fa9db5/tcpmon.ini
   206340    724 -rwxrwxrwx   2 root     root       740864 Nov 20  2010 ./winsxs/x86_microsoft-windows-batmeter_31bf3856ad364e35_6.1.7601.17514_none_1873810826d94d55/batmeter.dll
   206741    732 -rwxrwxrwx   2 root     root       749568 Nov 20  2010 ./winsxs/amd64_microsoft-windows-batmeter_31bf3856ad364e35_6.1.7601.17514_none_74921c8bdf36be8b/batmeter.dll
$

tabbyweg said:

The version in System32 is same as winsys\amd64* version, while the version in SysWOW64 is same as winsys\x86*. Not understanding the directory structure, I would think 32 would match 32 & vice-versa.

On a 64-bit system, system32 means system64 and SYSWOW64 is the system32 folder.

"System32" has become a standardized name in programming to mean "the system folder" because it has been around for decades. The two numbers at the end don't mean anything anymore. MS could rename it but then compatibility for 90% of programs would go bye-bye.

BlueBonnett said:

On a 64-bit system, system32 means system64 and SYSWOW64 is the system32 folder.
"System32" has become a standardized name in programming to mean "the system folder" because it has been around for decades. The two numbers at the end don't mean anything anymore. MS could rename it but then compatibility for 90% of programs would go bye-bye.

That reads odd but hopeful that someone has insight. Linux is similar in that the mere name of a file/folder can determine if an app or setting works or not.

Summarily I am looking for 3 files in recovery media to be copied to 6 locations? Two versions of batmeter.dll & one tcpmon.ini?

Again the goal is just to restore system icons in the Notification Area. Conceptually I grasp the task if not the reasons, though admittedly I don't do this everyday.

tabbyweg said:

That reads odd but hopeful that someone has insight. Linux is similar in that the mere name of a file/folder can determine if an app or setting works or not.

It's precedence, basically. For the longest time 32-bit systems were ubiquitous so the folder "system32" became standard, they can't change it overnight or a million apps will break.

Summarily I am looking for 3 files in recovery media to be copied to 6 locations? Two versions of batmeter.dll & one tcpmon.ini?

The one in the x86 folder belongs in SYSWOW64 and the one in the x64 folder belongs in System32. I'd just give you my batmeter and tcpmon but I'm using Ultimate instead of home so not sure if they're the same.

SIW2 said:

batmeter-tcpmon-amd64-win7.zip
Another way is to extract them from installation media ( or from an oem wim image if you have it on a recovery partition )

Thanks for highlighting the process.

Someone else might look for this someday.

7-zip command line on recovery media worked flawlessly & was surprisingly easy. It is important to specify the files lest the whole archive extracted (too much data) & the output location with the -o switch.

From memory the archive was named "Factory.wim".

Unfortunately it did not work. I skipped the sxs directory which is supposed to be for preserving changes with system modifications (e.g., updates). Maybe those would have made a difference, but it does not seem likely.

Second thought, it is a Dell laptop with the battery removed. Could system Notification Area icons be unusable as a saveguard where Windows always expects a battery present?

Factory reset is always an option, but I'll regret losing apps for which I do not have re-installation media.

What it looks like is Clock works but all the other system Notification Area icons are greyed.