Software Forum

I wrote a couple of days ago and never heard back so I thought I'd try this route. Recently my XP SP2 computer began acting strange. Programs long ago uninstalled began showing up at startup time. MSConfig starts everytime I boot regardless of what I check to keep it from happening. I went to Auto-Start Manger and eliminated the offending programs from the start menu, including MSConfig. When I reboot they're all back and checked as viewed with AU. In MSConfig, I unchecked all System (except Microsoft) programs and all Startup programs. When I reboot, the System files are still unchecked but all the Startup programs are there and checked along with all the unchecked versions. I went to regedit and eliminated all the offending programs from the Run folder. Closed regedit and simply restarted it (regedit) and they were all back. I booted in safe mode, eliminated them all and rebooted . . . all back. I went to Restore and there is no record of the computer prior to about two weeks ago although it has been in operation for well over two years. I exported the registry, edited it with a programmer's editor and tried to read it back in and it wouldn't read the file. I've run AdAware Pro, SpyBot, HiJackThis (and found nothing out of line). I'm really at a loss. Several programs won't start or hang all the time including Windows Explorer. I have not installed anything recently and have been using the computer regularly up until this began. I rarely visit the Internet with this computer.

This issue does not seem to be related to Ace Utilities, I suppose, because you said you were unable to fix it using other methods too. If you've exhausted all other options, then you *may* have to perform a fresh Windows install.

Hmmmm. Encouraging . . . and helpful. So if I discover a problem using Ace Utilities, can't fix it using Ace Utilities, try other methods in my toolbox which don't work, write to the company I purchased software from designed to fix such problems and with which I discovered the problem in the first place, it has nothing to do with Ace Utilities? That's a creative perspective.

Good luck with your career in tech support. You're off to a wonderful start.

Notwithstanding Ace Utilities non-involvement with this problem, I'll bet the programmer's would love to hear a report from a customer who can't change the Auto-start menu using Ace Utilities. Sounds like something which might effect future sales if it get's out into the public.

You said that you were unable to permanently modify the auto-start entries using Ace Utilities as well as MSConfig; not even by directly manipulating the Registry. So I was merely suggesting that the problem at hand could very well be due to some issue with your Windows installation itself (prob'ly a spyware/virus), and if that is indeed the case, you won't be able to fix it unless you find the root cause.

Bearing in mind that Ace Utilities is designed to modify the registry via the Clean-Up facility as well as the Auto-start routines, which I do regularly as recommended and that recently I was automatically upgraded to version 3.2.0 just prior to this current mess and that I run resident versions of Ewido, AdAware, Zone Alarm, and Avast, the coincidence is . . . to state the obvious . . . stunning.

Ho**x
On My version of WinXP Pro Coprperate Ed;
I can boot to the CD(on startup)OK the EULA/ENTER to install/Then Use the Repair windows(R)funtion to repair the setup without losing data..
jazz...........