Some Windows Services won't start

[leviww]

(Running Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 x64 on a Toshiba Satellite laptop, up-to-date)

I was browsing the internet a few days ago, on cracked.com and topdawgmusic.com (which I'm pretty sure are legitimate sites), no other programs open, when Windows froze, and I had to hold the power button to shut it off. When I turned it back on, it wanted to run a disk check, so I let it. It performed many operations (which I can retrieve the logs of, if needed), but when Windows started up, it only brought up a black screen with a movable cursor. If you just let it sit there for several hours, it presented a BSoD.

Windows worked fine in Safe Mode, so we ran several virus scans using McAfee (which we already had on the computer, the Security Suite), Spybot S&D, SUPERAntiSpyware, and whatever PCPitStop's virus scanner is. All scans were clean, except for several cookies. McAfee's scan never finished, and the scan stalled often, and it started locking up along with other issues (not totally sure what was wrong with it because my dad was trying to fix the computer at this point), so my dad uninstalled it. We then ran another disk check, and Windows started up normally afterwards.

(tl;dr: background of the problem, did several scans, no virus)

Despite fixing that problem, I'm now having issues with some of the Windows services. At first, when starting Windows, only the Audio Service didn't start automatically. If I ran the Audio diagnostic tool, it would start the Audio Service, but that causes the WLAN Auto-Config Service and the Desktop Window Manager Session Manager Service to stop immediately, causing my wi-fi and Aero to stop working. If I tried to start either of those services back up, the Audio Service would stop again.

I'm not sure what I did to cause this to change, but eventually the audio diagnostic tool couldn't start the Audio Service anymore. When I try to start it, my Aero and wi-fi stop working again, but the Audio Service still doesn't turn on. If I open services.msc and start WLAN Auto-Config (wi-fi) and Desktop Window Manager Session Manager (Aero) manually from there, they both turn back on easily, but if I do that with the Audio Service I get error 1068 ("The dependency service or group failed to start"), and wi-fi and Aero turn off again.

note: The faulty services are all set to Automatic, and have been this whole time.

Since I hadn't scanned since my computer only worked in safe mode, I decided to scan with SUPERAntiSpyware again, then Malwarebytes. Both scans were clean.

Because I get error 1068 when trying to start the Audio Service, I looked at the services it depends on, and checked them. All were in order except the Windows Audio Endpoint Builder, which was stopped, which explains the error 1068 I was getting earlier. When I try to start that service, I get error 1067: "The process terminated unexpectedly." Here's the log of that error:

- System 

  - Provider 

   [ Name]  Windows Error Reporting 
 
  - EventID 1001 

   [ Qualifiers]  0 
 
   Level 4 
 
   Task 0 
 
   Keywords 0x80000000000000 
 
  - TimeCreated 

   [ SystemTime]  2012-03-04T03:58:55.000000000Z 
 
   EventRecordID 12656 
 
   Channel Application 
 
   Computer -censored- 
 
   Security 
 

- EventData 

    
   0 
   APPCRASH 
   Not available 
   0 
   svchost.exe_AudioEndpointBuilder 
   6.1.7600.16385 
   4a5bc3c1 
   audiosrv.dll 
   6.1.7601.17514 
   4ce7c46e 
   c000001d 
   0000000000027a00 
    
    
    
   C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows\WER\ReportQueue\AppCrash_svchost.exe_Audi_4964ebc91b53776751a5dfcc1d1e8365742c2770_11e6c8ce 
    
   0 
   46346e58-65ae-11e1-aca3-00266cbb87c2 
   0

Also, COM+ System Application gives me error 1053: "The service did not respond to the start or control request in a timely fashion." I don't have a clue if this is related to the problem or not, or if it's even a problem, just a random process I tried. And that's where I am right now, out of ideas, google hasn't helped me much.. help please!

edit: My only System Restore point brings me back to the black screen problem.

 

[wanchoo]

I found this on Google and it may be of help.

How to Fix Windows 7 Error Code 1068

This isn’t a particularly serious or difficult problem to deal with.

1. Go into your antivirus program and set its protection to a lower level, and then attempt the action that brought about the error code in the first place. You can also go ahead and turn your antivirus off entirely, but this is only a good idea if you are going to turn it back on right afterwords, and if you run a full system scan to make sure nothing slipped through when your system was undefended.

2. Close out all unnecessary programs. Type msconfig into your start menu and click on the startup tab. Look through this list and un-check all the different programs and services that load on startup that you have no need for to minimize the possibility of conflicts.

First Things First

The very first thing you should do is get a registry cleaner and run it immediately. Registry problems are the most likely source of Windows 7 Error 1068, and if they are causing that error they are likely creating a whole other host of issues on your computer- some of which you might not even be aware of. Your Windows registry essentially controls every function that your computer undertakes, and it accumulates huge amounts of problematic files just from regular, normal daily use. If you’ve never run a registry cleaner before, it’s the most likely cause of this error.

Kindly note that one has to take extreme care when cleaning the Registry. CCleaner is a very popular App for this but personally I prefer cleaning the Registry with jv16 PowerTools which is a shareware App.

 

[leviww]

I found this on Google and it may be of help.

How to Fix Windows 7 Error Code 1068

This isn’t a particularly serious or difficult problem to deal with.

1. Go into your antivirus program and set its protection to a lower level, and then attempt the action that brought about the error code in the first place. You can also go ahead and turn your antivirus off entirely, but this is only a good idea if you are going to turn it back on right afterwords, and if you run a full system scan to make sure nothing slipped through when your system was undefended.

2. Close out all unnecessary programs. Type msconfig into your start menu and click on the startup tab. Look through this list and un-check all the different programs and services that load on startup that you have no need for to minimize the possibility of conflicts.

First Things First

The very first thing you should do is get a registry cleaner and run it immediately. Registry problems are the most likely source of Windows 7 Error 1068, and if they are causing that error they are likely creating a whole other host of issues on your computer- some of which you might not even be aware of. Your Windows registry essentially controls every function that your computer undertakes, and it accumulates huge amounts of problematic files just from regular, normal daily use. If you’ve never run a registry cleaner before, it’s the most likely cause of this error.

Kindly note that one has to take extreme care when cleaning the Registry. CCleaner is a very popular App for this but personally I prefer cleaning the Registry with jv16 PowerTools which is a shareware App.

The problem is the same whether my antivirus is on or off. I do run a registry cleaner regularly. I forgot to mention I had already tried cleaning my registry with CCleaner, and cleaning up my startup list, but the problem still persists. I ran CCleaner on my registry again just now, and no issues were found. I don't think the problem is the error 1068 I get with the Audio Service, but the error 1067 I get with the Windows Audio Endpoint Builder.

 

[Vertex]

I would try sfc /scannow if I were you if you havent tried that yet.

Type cmd on the Search bar at the Start Menu and this takes you to the Command Prompt and from there type sfc /scannow and press Enter.

 

[sreedhav]

I found this on Google and it may be of help.

How to Fix Windows 7 Error Code 1068

This isn’t a particularly serious or difficult problem to deal with.

1. Go into your antivirus program and set its protection to a lower level, and then attempt the action that brought about the error code in the first place. You can also go ahead and turn your antivirus off entirely, but this is only a good idea if you are going to turn it back on right afterwords, and if you run a full system scan to make sure nothing slipped through when your system was undefended.

2. Close out all unnecessary programs. Type msconfig into your start menu and click on the startup tab. Look through this list and un-check all the different programs and services that load on startup that you have no need for to minimize the possibility of conflicts.

First Things First

The very first thing you should do is get a registry cleaner and run it immediately. Registry problems are the most likely source of Windows 7 Error 1068, and if they are causing that error they are likely creating a whole other host of issues on your computer- some of which you might not even be aware of. Your Windows registry essentially controls every function that your computer undertakes, and it accumulates huge amounts of problematic files just from regular, normal daily use. If you’ve never run a registry cleaner before, it’s the most likely cause of this error.

Kindly note that one has to take extreme care when cleaning the Registry. CCleaner is a very popular App for this but personally I prefer cleaning the Registry with jv16 PowerTools which is a shareware App.

The problem is the same whether my antivirus is on or off. I do run a registry cleaner regularly. I forgot to mention I had already tried cleaning my registry with CCleaner, and cleaning up my startup list, but the problem still persists. I ran CCleaner on my registry again just now, and no issues were found. I don't think the problem is the error 1068 I get with the Audio Service, but the error 1067 I get with the Windows Audio Endpoint Builder.

Dear leviww,

I seriously differ with you on the use of registry cleaners in the first place. I guess your "regular" use of the registry cleaners(whatever they may be) has already done the damage. The peddlers of Reg.cleaner software are trying to sell you the White House! The concept of a "BLOATED" registry is simply crap with a capital "C"!
regards and best wishes,
sreedhav

 

[dreamer]

Usage of registry cleaners are the number one reason for the OS corruption.I would avoid using them altogether.

What i have learned from Gurus here is that windows 7 is very good at registry management and its better to leave it alone.

Just my 2 cents

 

[wanchoo]

It is my opinion that in the right hands, Registry cleaning is a powerful aid in keeping the computer working efficiently. Furthermore all the Registry Cleaners can undo whatever changes that they made.

And if one works with images if the worse comes to the worst, although it has done so to me, then one can always restore an immediately previous image.

 

[leviww]

Dear leviww,

I seriously differ with you on the use of registry cleaners in the first place. I guess your "regular" use of the registry cleaners(whatever they may be) has already done the damage. The peddlers of Reg.cleaner software are trying to sell you the White House! The concept of a "BLOATED" registry is simply crap with a capital "C"!
regards and best wishes,
sreedhav

By "regular," I mean probably every couple of months or so. How can I find out if this did corrupt my registry? and if so, how can I fix that?

I would try sfc /scannow if I were you if you havent tried that yet.

Type cmd on the Search bar at the Start Menu and this takes you to the Command Prompt and from there type sfc /scannow and press Enter.

Just tried that: "Windows Resource Protection found corrupt files but was unable to fix some of them. Details are included in the CBS.log windir\Logs\CBS\CBS.log. For example C:\Windows\Logs\CBS\CBS.log" When I open that CBS.log file, it denies me access and brings up a blank notepad document.

 

[wanchoo]

You can do that by simply restoring the changes that you have made, working backwards (latest first and the oldest last).

By "regular," I mean probably every couple of months or so. How can I find out if this did corrupt my registry? and if so, how can I fix that?

 

[sreedhav]

Dear leviww,
I read your thread-starter post again, and you mentioned using McAfee AV for scanning. Here and in other reputed forums, McAfee does not score high! So, kindly do a scan using housecall. Download site:HouseCall - Free Online Virus Scan - Trend Micro USA

Microsoft does not recommend Registry cleaners. In fact, Quote" In October 2008, Microsoft and the Washington attorney general filed a lawsuit against two Texas firms, Branch Software and Alpha Red, producers of the "Registry Cleaner XP" scareware." unquote (source:Wikipedia)

To answer your query as to what to do if the reg. is corrupted, here's my take on the issue: Wipe and Reload. That seems drastic but I can assure you that it is the only method to ensure that the problem is fixed and the PC is stable. Feel free to try a Registry Cleaner if you like but be prepared to reload the computer.

regards,
sreedhav

PS: cracked.com!WOW!

 

[leviww]

new info: Upon waking my computer from hibernation today, (the only time I've done so since I got this problem), it gave me a black screen that said something like:

Your computer can't come out of hibernation.
Status: 0xc0000242
Info: A fatal error occurred processing the restoration data.
File: \hiberfil.sys
Info that's not saved will be lost blah blah blah

and then it restarted.. Google says I should

Boot into safe mode by pressing f8 as you power up. Delete hiberfil.sys. It is corrupt. Windows will replace it with a fresh one when you reboot and you should be able to hibernate.

Do you agree with this?

You can do that by simply restoring the changes that you have made, working backwards (latest first and the oldest last).

Well, (and yes, I am facepalming at myself for this), but uh, well I didn't keep a backup. Luckily I still have access to all of my files, so it's not really a big deal if I have to wipe and reload.

Dear leviww,
I read your thread-starter post again, and you mentioned using McAfee AV for scanning. Here and in other reputed forums, McAfee does not score high! So, kindly do a scan using housecall. Download site:HouseCall - Free Online Virus Scan - Trend Micro USA

Well, McAfee was the only one I used regularly, but upon getting this problem I also scanned with Spybot S&D, SUPERAntiSpyware, PCPitStop Exterminate2, and Malwarebytes, and all of those scans were clean, excepting cookies. But I went ahead and did a Housecall scan just now, and it was completely clean...

To answer your query as to what to do if the reg. is corrupted, here's my take on the issue: Wipe and Reload. That seems drastic but I can assure you that it is the only method to ensure that the problem is fixed and the PC is stable. Feel free to try a Registry Cleaner if you like but be prepared to reload the computer.


regards,
sreedhav

I will probably backup my files, then wipe and reload, since I've hit a dead end.. I'd really like to be able to access the log (mentioned in my last post) of the sfc /scannow I ran, if anyone knows how I can do that.

PS: cracked.com!WOW!

I love cracked!!