Solved Cannot load Welcome screen. Someone messed with my registry.

[MC4444]

Hi. I have a problem. As the thread title indicates, my laptop cannot get to the Welcome Screen. Windows Repair loads fine, and I am able to do minor editing tasks there. I have had this as an issue for a while now, and I just figured out that the laptop in question, a Dell Latitude D531, has had the Registry tampered with. Firstly, the permissions on several Registry items were screwed up horribly. That has been fixed thanks to SubInACL and this guide here, but it still won't load the Welcome screen. My registry backup (HKLM/Software) is at my Skydrive here.

The backup was performed in Windows Repair mode (Press F8 at BIOS, Repair Windows, Command Prompt, regedit) after the permissions were fixed. Any help is appreciated.

 

[SandeepP]

Hi. I have a problem. As the thread title indicates, my laptop cannot get to the Welcome Screen. Windows Repair loads fine, and I am able to do minor editing tasks there. I have had this as an issue for a while now, and I just figured out that the laptop in question, a Dell Latitude D531, has had the Registry tampered with. Firstly, the permissions on several Registry items were screwed up horribly. That has been fixed thanks to SubInACL and this guide here, but it still won't load the Welcome screen. My registry backup (HKLM/Software) is at my Skydrive here.

The backup was performed in Windows Repair mode (Press F8 at BIOS, Repair Windows, Command Prompt, regedit) after the permissions were fixed. Any help is appreciated.

Hi MC4444,

Please check this link below which should help you resolve this issue:

http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/219533-troubleshooting-windows-7-failure-boot.html

Keep us posted with the results so we can advise you further.

 

[MC4444]

Obviously I did not explain my problem well enough. It isn't a Bootable Flag problem, nor do I have any System Restore points, because I had gotten the laptop on the day before the incident. This was a refurbished computer, so I have no System Repair DVD.

I have a setup on the laptop I'm currently using that lets me open a Command Prompt anywhere, and change the active directory to the one I selected the option from. When my newer laptop was gotten, it did not have this setup. So I asked a friend (who obviously had very little experience with Windows 7, only XP) to "tweak" it for me. It was working fine afterward, but the option, when selected, only opened a Command Prompt window in the %WINDIR% directory.

At first, I thought it was because I hadn't logged off since the "tweak" was finished that it wasn't working properly. I was wrong. He botched the job, and screwed my Registry up in the process. My laptop loads Windows, gets to a blue background screen with the mouse cursor in the center (which responds to mouse movement, oddly enough), then does nothing more. It just sits there. It never loads the actual Welcome screen.

I was hoping someone would look at the .reg file I linked to first, so they could see if anything was wrong with my registry. Instead, I'm being linked to tutorials. I already know it is a Registry-only issue. I deleted the "Open Command window here" option out of the Registry through Windows Repair, so that is why it isn't in the .reg file.

If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to ask.

P.S.: The System Repair option in the System Repair menu detects nothing wrong with my computer.

 

[Layback Bear]

You are probably correct MC4444.
This Forum probable doesn't have any Tutorials that correct the registry changes a XP expert has done to Windows 7 registry.
Well maybe one or two Tutorials.

http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/1649-clean-install-windows-7-a.html

http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/219487-clean-reinstall-factory-oem-windows-7-a.html

 

[bobafetthotmail]

I was hoping someone would look at the .reg file I linked to first, so they could see if anything was wrong with my registry.

afaik, this won't happen. Too much stuff that only MS knows what is in there (and does not bother telling nor troubleshooting), not even our MVP can do it.

Look in the \windows\system32\config\regback folder. It should contain automated registry backups that you can restore (copy to windows32/system/config), but given how new that installation is I don't know if there are any.

You can run sfc scannow, but I doubt it will fix registry.

Otherwise what Ladyback Bear posted is the only thing you can do to fix it. Besides, a clean install should get rid of crapware installed by the manufactuter and leave a more performing PC.



To keep your spirits up, I can tell you something you might like.
What you wanted to do with the friend's registry edit is mostly already there in windows 7 (and vista).
Shift+rightclick, select "open a command window here" from the menu and it opens a command prompt already located inside the folder. (so that you don't have to cd your way to it).
And with a tiny and easy registry hack you can do yourself without risk, you can have that always visible at rightclick (so you don't need to press Shift).
I have it that way on my PC too.

 

[SandeepP]

Obviously I did not explain my problem well enough. It isn't a Bootable Flag problem, nor do I have any System Restore points, because I had gotten the laptop on the day before the incident. This was a refurbished computer, so I have no System Repair DVD.

I have a setup on the laptop I'm currently using that lets me open a Command Prompt anywhere, and change the active directory to the one I selected the option from. When my newer laptop was gotten, it did not have this setup. So I asked a friend (who obviously had very little experience with Windows 7, only XP) to "tweak" it for me. It was working fine afterward, but the option, when selected, only opened a Command Prompt window in the %WINDIR% directory.

At first, I thought it was because I hadn't logged off since the "tweak" was finished that it wasn't working properly. I was wrong. He botched the job, and screwed my Registry up in the process. My laptop loads Windows, gets to a blue background screen with the mouse cursor in the center (which responds to mouse movement, oddly enough), then does nothing more. It just sits there. It never loads the actual Welcome screen.

I was hoping someone would look at the .reg file I linked to first, so they could see if anything was wrong with my registry. Instead, I'm being linked to tutorials. I already know it is a Registry-only issue. I deleted the "Open Command window here" option out of the Registry through Windows Repair, so that is why it isn't in the .reg file.

If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to ask.

P.S.: The System Repair option in the System Repair menu detects nothing wrong with my computer.

Hi MC4444,

Thanks for providing us this information. As correctly suggested by Layback Bear you should attempt clean installation on the system as you have recently got this system so you would not have alot of data on it.

I am assuming this system would have come with OEM product key sticker on it. You can download your version of Windows 7 from the link below:

Windows 7 Direct Download Links

And, create a bootable USB drive and install windows from the link below:

http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/31541-windows-7-usb-dvd-download-tool.html

Hope it helps.

 

[MC4444]

Bobafetthotmail, there is a regback directory with registry hive files in it. Will any updates still work after I import them?
SandeepP - It is refurbished, and I cannot find an X17-43423.iso file anywhere. I have the paperwork with my Product Key. Will any Win7 Professional 32-bit DVD image work? Also, Microsoft Office Basic 2007 is installed on it. Will I lose that?

 

[bobafetthotmail]

Will any updates still work after I import them?

Not the ones installed after the last backup. At most you will have to re-download or reinstall them as if it never happened.

Will any Windows 7 Professional 32-bit DVD image work

Yes. Just need the product key. Will activate a 64-bit version as well unless on the sticker it specifies that it is 32-bit only. Both SandeeP the Dell guy and Ladyback Bear posted links to the page where you can download clean and legal windows 7 ISO files you can burn to a DVD or whatever.

You need to look for X17-59183.iso for the Pro 32-bit and X17-59186.iso for the Pro 64-bit. Those iso files contain SP1 and all updates up to may 2011 (MS did that, it's not slipsteamed).

Microsoft Office Basic 2007 is installed on it. Will I lose that?

Yes. All programs will be lost if you reinstall. In case you don't have the license key written down (usually the case of OEM installs), you must extract the license key of it before reinstalling, connect the hard drive to a working PC and follow this tutorial. Then you need to get the install media for it, which is available here. (after you have the license key)

 

[SandeepP]

Bobafetthotmail, there is a regback directory with registry hive files in it. Will any updates still work after I import them?
SandeepP - It is refurbished, and I cannot find an X17-43423.iso file anywhere. I have the paperwork with my Product Key. Will any Win7 Professional 32-bit DVD image work? Also, Microsoft Office Basic 2007 is installed on it. Will I lose that?

Hi MC4444,

Yes you can download and install Windows 7 from .iso file and use the product key on the system to activate windows.

Also, for all the premium software that are been purchased along with the system you can check the link below for downloading the same:

http://dell.to/13Xh9yG

If you have any further queries, please feel free to contact us.

 

[Layback Bear]

This little program may help.
It will show all kinds of information of things on your computer before you do anything else.

Belarc Advisor - Free Personal PC Audit, for software, hardware and security configuration information on your computer. Software license management, IT asset management, cyber security audits, and more.

 

[MC4444]

Bobafetthotmail, there is a regback directory with registry hive files in it. Will any updates still work after I import them?
SandeepP - It is refurbished, and I cannot find an X17-43423.iso file anywhere. I have the paperwork with my Product Key. Will any Win7 Professional 32-bit DVD image work? Also, Microsoft Office Basic 2007 is installed on it. Will I lose that?

Hi MC4444,

Yes you can download and install Windows 7 from .iso file and use the product key on the system to activate windows.

Also, for all the premium software that are been purchased along with the system you can check the link below for downloading the same:

http://dell.to/13Xh9yG

If you have any further queries, please feel free to contact us.

Thanks. I have successfully reinstalled Windows 7. The old files on my laptop were placed in a different directory called Windows.old. Can I safely delete that folder if I change the permissions on it?

 

[Layback Bear]

If you have everything out of the old files you want or need you can delete them. I would suggest keeping the old files for a few days just in case something comes up.
When so inclined to remove the old files I do believe this will help. Tutorial by Brink. We use Tutorials a lot because they work and explain things for those that need the information.

http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/19151-windows-old-folder-delete.html

 

[SandeepP]

Bobafetthotmail, there is a regback directory with registry hive files in it. Will any updates still work after I import them?
SandeepP - It is refurbished, and I cannot find an X17-43423.iso file anywhere. I have the paperwork with my Product Key. Will any Win7 Professional 32-bit DVD image work? Also, Microsoft Office Basic 2007 is installed on it. Will I lose that?

Hi MC4444,

Yes you can download and install Windows 7 from .iso file and use the product key on the system to activate windows.

Also, for all the premium software that are been purchased along with the system you can check the link below for downloading the same:

http://dell.to/13Xh9yG

If you have any further queries, please feel free to contact us.

Thanks. I have successfully reinstalled Windows 7. The old files on my laptop were placed in a different directory called Windows.old. Can I safely delete that folder if I change the permissions on it?

Hi MC4444,

Its great to hear that you have re-installed windows successfully on the system. Your old documents would be saved in windows.old folder.

Its rightly suggested by Layback Bear you can keep the folder for sometime and if you don't require any files then you can easily delete it following the tutorial.

For downloading any Dell drivers/application you can check the link below:

http://dell.to/11iojrK

If you have any further queries, please feel free to contact us.