Installing problem after experiments Installing, uninstalling & messing with program files. (Windows Essentials 2012)

[DocAElstein]

Installing problem after experiments in Installing, uninstalling and messing with program files. I may have accidentally dropped a Spanner in the registry or somewhere

Hi
I have a problem installing a software (Windows Essentials 2012). This has occurred after I was for a few days successfully installing/uninstalling different versions of the software and comparing their working and comparing their program files.
( I have only been interested in Movie Maker, so that means I have only concerned myself with the Photo Gallery part of Windows Essentials 2012, since you only need that for Movie Maker)
Possibly I may have accidently at some point Cut out a program file folder (Most likely Photo Gallery) when I had intended to Copy it.

I first noticed that something was possibly wrong when I tried to install a version of the software, (as I have been routinely doing over the last few days), and the installer unusually hung about a third of the way into the install. (I have experienced a lot of different things in my experimenting in the last few days, but that hanging was a first. – In the past it has either crashed, errored, given up, or was successful, but no version I tried ever hung before)
So I stopped the hanged install, tried again, and now at every attempt at an install, either
_ it hangs
or
_ right immediately in the first few seconds at the start of the install, a new pop up appears that says, Done, you haven the latest version. – ( https://i.postimg.cc/15GZH9nS/Done-Rubb ... -start.jpg )
That pop up is talking rubbish. – I say that is rubbish because:
_ these installs always take a few minutes if they are successful,
and currently
_ I have no program files associated with the software on the computer (By a successful Install of Windows Live Essentials 2011 or Windows Essentials 2012, a Folder, Windows Live is always created in Program Files (x86) and that folder gets filled )
, and the other reason I think its rubbish is that
_ nothing about Windows Live is showing in the Control Panel software list or the list that the third party software Revo Uninstaller shows me

I tried all the usual simple things, restarts, did a bleachbit, (I know how to use bleachbit, and have been routinely using it in the last few days – I am quite sure that is doing no damage in this particular case)
All to no avail.
_.______________

So I spent most of yesterday trying to sort the problem out.
So far I noticed just two few things
_1) The software is showing in Apps and Features: https://i.postimg.cc/bvdVbKvj/Windows-E ... atures.jpg

(But those two buttons are greyed out, so you can’t do anything with them)

_2) I found something related to Windows Live in the Registry https://i.postimg.cc/PfgL57nw/Windows-L ... gistry.jpg


_.____________

So, I went on another computer today to check a few things out
The general behaviour of installs and uninstalls of Windows Essentials 2012 on the new computer was as expected, and everything went very similar to what I had been experiencing before the problem
, and I took a look in the Register after installing and uninstalling.

Now here’s the thing: After the successful installsof Windows Essentials 2012, a Photo Gallery folder is there, (amongst other things): https://i.postimg.cc/65CLNDr6/reg-edit- ... nstall.png
After deinstalls, its gone https://i.postimg.cc/QdsgN0mQ/regedit-a ... nstall.png

So in Layman ignorance I thought I would next try to delete that Photo Gallery from the registry, (on the computer giving me the problem), as I thought it might be telling porky pies to things about the existence of a Photo Gallery. But smarter people here have often warned me about deleting registry stuff as being dangerous.

So I thought I would post this all first and ask if anyone has any comments / advice on deleting that registry thing or any other suggestions to try.

Thanks
Alan

[StuartR]

If I got into a state like this then I would restore the backup of my system image that I made last week

[DocAElstein]

Hi
I did no back up system image last week, ( or any last week ever, Lol .. :) )
But I suppose I could try a windows restore to an earlier start point thing, ( https://eileenslounge.com/viewtopic.php ... 33#p311833 ) That has often got me out of jams.
I am just wondering if, for the sake of scientific curiosity, I should first try to delete the registry thing. But I am not sure if that might do a lot of more serious damage, thus preventing me doing anything else such as a windows restore to an earlier start point thing??

[DocAElstein]

I thought I would take a look at what CCleaner had to say about the registry on the effected computer, because I have often heard that CCleaner looks at registry stuff.
It came up with about 630 problems, and about two thirds of those where to do with Windows Live in the Program Files (x86), and of those more than half where to do with Photo Gallery. The problems where things like
Installer reference error
ActiveX/COM error
Invalid default symbol
Opening with application error

I don’t really know what all that means, but it sounds not too dissimilar to the ideas I was having about something in the registry to do with Windows Live and Photo Gallery telling porky pies about something. I narrowed the search down to get a more manageable amount. I took a guess that Application and Instillation programs might be a good couple to try. Once again I ended up with a lot of Windows Live , including Photo Gallery things associated with Program Files (x86). It always suggests that the solution is to delete the thing. So that also sounds in the direction of things I was thinking of doing.

I will take a guess that it might be more sensible to start deleting things with CCleaner rather than me going through the registry deleting stuff?

Wot CCleaner has to say about my registry.JPG

Wot CCleaner says to do.JPG

Refs
https://www.askwoody.com/forums/topic/r ... st-2508570
https://www.ubackup.com/windows-10/turn ... re%20again
https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/win ... 8c00755290 .

[stuck]

I'm with Stuart, with a mess like this either go back to a last known good state or if you have no such back up, reset the PC / reinstall Windows from scratch.

Ken

[DocAElstein]

Thanks Ken,
I have the restore to an earlier start point option – I just checked and I can go back to a few days ago. I guess that should do it? -
I assume that will set the registry back as it was?

It’s not so urgent, and so for a day or two I am interested in seeing if I can pin point the problem first, (if I can find the time – I am trying to get my Xmas cards to distant lands out of the way, - pretty well the only writing thing left in life that I refuse to do electronically, and I think my wrist will fall off by the end of the day)
It might be useful to pin point the problem, for future things that I am playing with, and I personally seem to usually learn the most and best by fixing things I break, if I can find the time. - But I can’t wait too long – it seems I can only go back a few days ( https://i.postimg.cc/yx8db1KY/Available ... Points.jpg ) - Another thing I need to do is figure out how to get that list to maybe be for a longer period and maybe to stay there for a while – it seems currently to update automatically and trash them restore points after a few days)
It would also be useful to try out CCleaner again – I went over to bleachbit some years ago, as it seemed to clean away a lot more. But this registry thing in CCleaner I never tried before. Looks potentially interesting.
I am not sure yet where to start. Perhaps delete one thing at a time and see what happens, but that is a bit impractical with over 630 things, and also it might be a combination of a few perhaps.

I am thinking, perhaps naively in my Layman ignorance, that one or a few of those registry things is telling the porky pie about me already having something installed?

Alan

[DocAElstein]

Hi,
One very frustrating week later, I appear to have solved this. So here is a quick summary for
_ in case it might help anyone else ever with the problem,
and
_ if anyone got any comments, as I am still pretty confused and don’t really understand what’s going on.

So I spent ages looking at registry things, and program files, on the effected computer, and also tried on a few other computers to duplicate the problem. Also randomly in parallel trying to find a solution on the internet, and trying any suggestions out.

I did manage to get the same pop up on an install attempt on other computers. That did not help me though solve my problem. I got that on other computers if I installed normally the entire Windows Essentials 2012 stuff, and then after tried to install part or all of it again. That makes sense. But then I could de install all or part of Windows Essentials 2012 on those computers, and then by an install attempt after that all went well on those computers.
My problem remained on my effected computer, that being that I could not find anything whatsoever to do with Windows Essentials 2012 stuff anywhere, (apart from in some of those things CCleaner thought was an error in the registry), but never the less, attempting to install any part of it told me I already had it all, and that the version I allegedly had was the newest.

I painstakingly started taking the CCleaner suggested error correction of deleting the things it thought were bad, (after very carefully backing up**)
I even then got brave and started deleting anything myself in the registry or anywhere that I thought even smelt like it might one day have had something to do with Windows Essentials 2012 stuff, and a few other things I deleted as I was getting angry and wanted to break the effected computer to punish it.

At some point previously I came across a suggestion in a Microsoft forum post that some deinstall exe from Microsoft may have had a bug in it, but it referred to a possible solution at another Microsoft forum post that was not there anymore, (wasn't at web archive org either which strangely often is the case for anything useful at Microsoft) . The Microsoft forum post that tried to send me to the missing one and any others vaguely related were all locked. That was encouraging as it suggested there may have been good solutions related to my problem if Microsoft removed them. I found a few of the deinstalls exes on my computers, tried them. No joy. I did notice some seemed to run a bit different. Later I found some others around the internet. After trying one of them, my problem had gone. I won’t upload that deinstalls exe file yet, maybe I will do a lot later if I think it is OK. I had to turn off protection stuff to get the file downloaded, so I might be in for a nice surprise later..

So that’s it, for now. Incredible frustrating and annoying that something somewhere can tell a porky pie about having a software you ‘aint got, and no one knows where it is, and it might be a lucky coincidence that something you run removes that thing.

_.____________

Trying to look on the bright side I also learnt a few things not directly related but might help in the future. A few I can remember:
_ If you are going to make registry backups, it’s better to have a few smaller ones. Bigger ones reduce the chances of you being able to use it, - it won’t always let you use big ones – possibly something you are trying to change is in use?
_ A couple of things that can catch a new use of the CCleaner registry stuff:
___If you have a smaller resolution screen you might not get to see all stuff Cleaner is telling you. I have seen this sort of problem with other things. My guess is that developers have good resolution computers and don’t always check their window settings for lower resolution screens. Things can get lost and the scroll bar, if there is one, can’t always find hidden stuff – The screen shot from CCleaner I gave before was missing something to the right that I only found later on a higher resolution screen.
___ **If CCleaner asks you if want to make a registry back up and you say Yes, don’t think it does it. It then makes a .reg file, but there is almost nothing in it. CCleaner only then puts registry stuff in it if you use CCleaner to delete stuff. - It puts what you deleted in it, (or appends the file, if you pick an existing file). There seems also to be a bug in the .regfile making. Sometimes it put that .reg file somewhere else other than where you choose, ( I am not sure where yet). (The workaround to that is next time you are given the chance to make a .reg file, it will show you all the previous files it made, but might be lying about where they are. You can then right click on those previous files and copy them, then put them where you want them. For this workaround to work you better make sure you have at least one registry error for CCleaner to find, so that you can go to fix it , say yes to making a back up as you go to fix it, in order for CCleaner to show the other .reg files it made but might have put somewhere other than is telling you)
___ If you take the suggestion from CCleaner to delete some registry stuff, then repeat the analysis you just did again a few times as sometimes a few are still there, but go away on the second or third attempt.

_ If you are installing newer versions of anything to do with Windows Live Essentials or Windows Essentials and you hit errors towards the end of any install or de install attempts, then experiment with doing the install or deinstall with or without internet connected and with and without running the install or de install as Administrator. That makes a difference , but I am not yet sure what all that is about, - I might have that better figured out later, as now I am continuing to check out and compare different versions.

_ I found a way in gpedit.msc to freeze the previous restore points so I had more time to try other things. (Previous points get deleted automatically after a while and there ‘aint much else you can do about it. All previous ways don’t work anymore, and hopefully Microsoft won’t ever see this or they will probably stop that as well, Lol! (Most likely updates would also reset this gpedit.msc as well, so probably good to keep checking if you want to keep a previous point for a while

Alan

[stuck]

I admire you determination to fix your problem but I'm not sure I understand how you got into such a mess. Mind you , I don't think I want to understand either

In contrast, my experience with Windows Live Essentials 2012 on win 10 Pro has been pain free. A while ago, I needed a simple video editor on my Win 10 Pro machine so I ran the Windows Live Essentials 2012 installer and selected just Movie Maker for installation. It installed without error and Movie Maker worked without error.

Following a freak power surge that meant I had to reset my Win 10 Pro PC (keeping my data), a reset that went without error, I once again installed just Movie Maker and again it installed and runs without any problems.

Ken

[DocAElstein]

I spent almost a month on and off with different stuff all related to Movie Maker, as that is all I am interested in comparing just now, before I hit the problem. I am also not sure how I got into such a mess, ( assuming I did or am..**)
I started getting more problems as I passed the stuff from about 2008/ 2009 era which was when Movie Maker started getting wrapped in other stuff.
I did however, on other computers where I was experiencing no problems see CCleaner registry thing telling me I had 100+ problems, a few of which were related to Windows Live Essentials, or Windows Essentials or other Movie Maker related things. Opinions on the internet seem divided about CCleaner registry stuff. I don’t have enough experience to comment on CCleaner, but possibly the mess it was showing me was not related to my problem. At various stages in my attempts I had CCleaner registry stuff showing me no problems at all, but my problem remained**.

On the effected machine the problem occurred for only some versions of Windows Live Essentials 2012, in other words I only got the problem when trying some of the Windows Live Essentials 2012 install exes that I have collected. I guess this sort of thing has so many variables it’s highly unlikely to be sure what is/ was going on, even when you fix it. I would have given up in a day or two and tried the system restore instead. Mind you, next time if I get the same problem I might go straight to the system restore attempt. Who knows, maybe that won’t work even if everyone is sure it would – as they say, …. stranger things have happened at sea, if your ship was controlled by a newer Windows OS …

Alan

_.___________________

Edit not much later: As often, and increasingly with the flooded internet, once you know the answer, you can find the answer and a lot about the answer. The uninstall file associated with things Windows Live Essentials and Windows Essentials is wlarp.exe
Do internet searches on that and problems with it, and you get a lot of stuff