Combofix breaking Vista wallpaper backgrounds and thumbnails

I need to start this post with a disclaimer so that I don't get a bunch of replies that I can't use. Please read the entire post before you recommend something I have tried. I am also not asking in any way how Combofix works. I am all for letting the developer keep his secrets so that this wonderful tool will continue to be effective. PLEASE DON'T CLOSE THIS TOPIC WITH THAT EXCUSE.

The object of this question is to find a solution that does not involve doing a reinstall of Windows or a reformat - I know how to do that.

2 out of the last 2 times I have run Combofix on a Vista machine it has caused the wallpaper to stop working. I know the warnings about running Combofix on a Vista machine so don't reply scolding me - just stick to the problem at hand.

After running Combofix an error comes up about Prep.com or something similar. Then the wallpaper turns black. I can change the background color, but I cannot put a picture up as wallpaper.

Associated problem - when you go into large icons view (remember this is Vista not XP) the icons do not show up - only the names show up.

I have run all of the standard registry edits for fixing wallpaper that you find documented on every other site - there is no entry for wallpaper for me to delete.
I have gone into the Windows Accessibility settings and unchecked (or checked) the box - another recommendation that is well documented on lots of other sites.
I have run the wallpaper_enable.reg tool - that doesn't fix it either - if you can even find the tool to download.
I have pictures enabled for the wallpaper settings.

I am a roving computer guy that works on 30+ computers a week all in different locations, running different software. I am familiar with HJT, Combofix, AntiMalwarebytes, etc and none of them fix this problem.

If you know the answer, please reply with a fix that does not consist of running sfc, running windows recovery, or doing a scan/repair of some sort. Those things don't work either.

This is something that breaks in Windows Vista. It will likely be a registry tweak or a broken system file of some sort. It is not a Windows setting so please don't recommend that I check a box somewhere or enable a group policy of some sort - I tried that too.

Sorry to come off as such a know-it-all, but I just don't want people wasting their time and mine recommending the usual fixes here. This is a well documented problem and I have spent hours searching Google for an answer. If you don't know the answer but would like to see the problem I am talking about it is an easy problem to duplicate.

1. Get a Vista machine (32 or 64 bit)
2. Do all of the updates
3. Download the latest Combofix
4. Run Combofix

I have seen that there are some new procedures for running Combofix on a Vista machine and I will apply those rules from now on, but I need this problem fixed as my time machine is not working at the moment and there is no way for me to apply the new procedures on the already broken machines.

Thank you in advance. I am not the jerk that I come off as in this post, I am just tired of reading page after page of the same suggestions and no solutions. Most of you have probably been there.

 

Phew! They opened the thread back up. http://www.bleepingcomputer.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=200510&mode=linearplus

Please go there if you are having the same issue. I am hoping that someone will have it fixed soon. When the answer comes, I will post it everywhere so that it is easy to find.

 

Ya. I still haven't made it back to the systems that are having the problem. I have run Combofix on several machines since, but they were all XP. I will post an update as soon as I know for sure whether it fixes the broken machines. I apologize for the delay, but I stay pretty busy.