Seeing Weird Program Behavior + Trouble Installing Some Programs

Recently I performed a ton of changes to my computer. Security permissions for all of my drives, cloning the OS to a bigger HD and expanding it to fill the new increased space. Uninstalling and installing a few key programs (changed firewall, started using a VPN service, uninstalled several programs I've had on the system for years but no longer use, etc...).

Now when I try to install certain programs I will encounter an error. This never happened to me and this installation of Win7 HP is almost 8 years old.

https://s19.postimg.org/o8d3qpplf/installer_error.png

I am also having another weird problem. I will go to run a program that has been installed for a very long time, never had any issues. But instead of the program this will appear.

https://s19.postimg.org/c08m7goyr/windows_installer_1.png

If I click on the cancel button, it says that it is canceling, but just sits there forever. It will never close on its own.

https://s19.postimg.org/ph5kqc703/windows_installer_2.png

In the taskmanager, the program exe file will be running. And if I kill that program process this box will disappear. Sometimes, after I close it, if I try to immediately launch the program again, it will actually launch the program this time successfully. However, sometimes, while the program is running, instead of performing the expected program action, this "Preparing to install..." box will appear instead.

For example, I have a duplicate file finder program. If I can get the program to start and then start a search, when the search completes, it will bring up this box, instead of showing me the results of what the search found. This is weird behavior that I have never encountered. I'm assuming that both of these problems are somehow related.

Does anybody know what might be causing the errors seen above? Any help would be greatly appreciated ^_^.

 

If it was my system I would run the System File Checker as a first trouble shooting step:
http://www.thewindowsclub.com/how-to-run-system-file-checker-analyze-its-logs-in-windows-7-vista

 

I have two computers that are having issues. The first image in my post is for one computer. The second two images or for the second. The first computer successfully ran SFC in Safe Mode and said it found corrupted files and fixed them. But the problem with installers still remains (first image). I have found a second program that causes this issue every time; HDD Regenerator. And this is an .exe file, so it definitely not .msi packages only.

The second PC ran a scan in both normal Windows and in Safe Mode, but both times it returned the test quoted below. I hopped into a Windows Repair Disc and tried to run an offline SFC scan, but it gave me an error saying that it couldn't do it. I quadruple checked the command and I have it correct:

sfc /scannow /offbootdir=c:\ /offwindir=c:\windows

I've tried a couple different repair CD's (one generated by Home Premium and the other by a Win7 Ultimate Installation CD (used Shift+F10 to bring up the command prompt). Both have the same issue. Any other ideas?

 

Windows All in One Repair Tool

https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/download/windows-repair-all-in-one/

Download either the portable or install program

1. Start computer in Safe Mode
2. Disable any Anti-Virus programs
3. Start the program
4. When program first starts it will run quick file check
5. Click on the X button after the scan shows Done!
6. Click on Settings tab and Select Check for Updates
7. Click on Pre-Repair Steps Tab and Run All 4 Steps
8. Select both Registry Backup and Create System Restore
9. Click Presets: All Repairs or Choose only the Repairs you want such as Permissions in your case
10. Click Start Repairs

 

It's probably the same program as above ... Tweaking.com - Windows Repair. You can get it at Tweaking.com or at majorgeeks.com. For Mulsiphix I suggest the Portable version as the .exe version may not install.

 

Alright, I ran the program just as you described. I ran through the four steps to check my system for errors. After step 3 (chkdsk of all drives) it booted into Windows 7, following the reboot of the final drive being treated by chkdsk. Windows worked fine. I rebooted, power cycled (properly), ran SFC and it said it found corrupted files but fixed them. I immediately went to the repairs area and applied all repairs, except the three options that were specific to Windows 8.1/10.

Upon rebooting I received an error telling me that there was a problem with the Windows files, specifically "\Windows\system32\drivers\acpi.sys". I figured, since I've seen this issue on another PC I have recently, that it was a MBR issue. So I booted up FalconFour's Ultimate Boot CD and used its Bootsect command to fix the Windows partition. This is when I discovered that my Windows drive, which previously only contained a single partition with Windows 7 on it, had a new, second partition. It is 95MB in size and is set to be the boot partition (according to GParted).

I used the bootsect tool to run the following command on the Windows partition: "bootsect /nt60 I: /mbr". The "I" drive contains the Windows installation. I rebooted and I was receiving the exact same error about the missing acpi.sys. I have had trouble with getting my Windows Repair CD to work for quite some time. So I've been using something called "WinPE Recovery Environment". It has an Automated Repair option and I have had great success with that in the past. When it ran it mentioned it was messing with the MBR boot partition.

After rebooting I see the normal Windows 7 boot screen for about 1 second and then the screen turns blue. This is not the traditional diagnostic message "Blue Screen" but a screen that is blank and the color blue. The color is near identical to the blue that you see when Windows starts up past the boot screen and says on it that Windows is preparing to start. Except that if I leave it there, nothing ever happens.

I'm at a loss on what to do to troubleshoot this. As I mentioned, I haven't been able to get the Windows Repair Disc to work normally for well over a year. When it starts up, it says that Windows is preparing to start, with one of those "loading" or "thinking" circles for a mouse cursor. But if left for hours, the repair disk never starts. Anybody have any ideas on what I might be able to do in order to restore Windows to normal working order?

 

My mistake. The name of the tool is not "WinPE Recovery Environment". It is "Easy Recovery Essentials for Windows" by NeoSmart Technologies (link). I originally found it when I was trying to get around the fact that I couldn't get the Windows Repair Disc to work.

 

Sorry for the multiple posts. I'd edit the above posts but it has a 10 minute edit window. So I went out and bought some CDR's. I have two PC's here at home. Both used the same Windows 7 installation media to install Windows. They were pre-SP1. I planned on using this PC to create a Windows Repair Disc within Windows (Control Panel). It said I didn't have the files on the OS and I needed to use the Windows Installation Media. But I no longer have that original disc.

I do have a Windows 7 Home Premium 32-bit SP1 disc though. So I used that as the Windows Install Disc requested by the Windows Repair Disc creation process. I made the disc, loaded it up on the broken PC, and it says that the repair disc is not compatible with my version of Windows. No idea why, but I feel like I am completely out of options in the Windows Repair Disc area. Any ideas?

 

I unplugged all the drives but the Windows drive. This got me around the error saying the repair disc wasn't compatible with this version of Windows. I ran Startup Repair on it and it says that it cannot fix the drive. I checked the details and among the information it lists "Corrupted Registry". Before making those Windows repairs with the Windows All-in-One Repair Tool, I did perform a registry backup. However, I can no longer boot into Safe Mode to run that software.

So restoring the previous Registry backup is no longer possible, at least from that software. This is the end of my technical expertise. I've never dealt with a corrupted registry and I am not familiar with the Windows AIO Repair Tool. I won't be messing with the computer any longer and will wait for feedback. I sincerely appreciate any help you might be able to offer. Thanks!

 

I lied, I kept fiddling. I found a RegBackup folder on my Windows drive. It contained the Windows Repair registry backup I created before applying all the repairs to Windows. It came with a file that would allow me to restore the previous registry from within Windows Repair Disc command prompt. I did that successfully and now I no longer experience the blank blue screen during boot, that I described previously. Instead, I'm back to it saying "Windows failed to load because a critical system driver is missing, or corrupt". The file in question is "\Windows\system32\drivers\acpi.sys".

I used the FalconFour Ultimate Boot CD to look at the file on my computer and I checked. That file does not exist in that location. However, it does exist in that location on my working Windows 7 PC. I have no idea why the Windows Repair program removed it. I tried running the Windows Repair Disc but it says that it cannot find anything wrong with the system. So I'm really confused on what step I could possibly take next. Sorry for all the posts =\

 

Ran the Repair Disc Again and it ran this time. But it is once again reporting a corrupted registry. I'm completely at a loss here. Waiting for feedback. I promise =|

 

If you have a backup of your files then why not reinstall or clean install Windows 7? Thst seems like the next logical step instead of chasing down these issues.

You can download a new .iso from Microsoft website as long as you have a valid license and know your exising key. If you need help making a backup prior let me know and i can offer some suggestions such as easeus backup etc.

https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/software-download/windows7

 

I really don't have time to do a fresh install. I use a lot of specialized software for work and a few of my hobbies. Last time I did a clean install, it took me a few months before I was back up and running like normal. Do you think it is possible to even fix this sort of problem? Perhaps extracting the missing files from the Windows CD and putting them into the directories where they belong?

I don't even understand how the registry can still be corrupted if I am restoring a backup I made right before this all started. As far as restore points and system images go, I've got nothing. Lesson learned, I need to change that immediately. But is it possible to salvage this without wiping the slate clean?

 

Okay. We can try a few more things then. Do you have a Windows 7 install disk and /or access to another computer with Windows 7? Let me know if either of these work or not

Option 1
Boot into safe mode and Try the following

Run these commands (press Enter after typing each of these lines):

bootrec /fixmbr
bootrec /fixboot
bootrec /rebuildbcd
exit

Have you tried running this command as well?

1. Dism /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth

Option 2
Copy the missing / corrupt file from a working Windows 7 computer

 

I do have a copy of Windows Repair Disc and I have a working Windows 7 PC (what I'm typing on).

I ran the bootrec commands. The first two completed successfully. The last command "bootrect /rebuildbcd" returned the following: "Scanning all disks for Windows installations. Please Wait. Successfully scanned Windows installations. Total identified installations: 0. The operation completed successfully."

Does that mean that it didn't rebuild the bcd because it found no copies of Windows? The Windows Repair Disc command prompt opens up at Drive X. I switched it to Drive D: where my Windows installation actually resides and then ran those commands. Not sure if it is relevant but I wanted to make sure I did this properly.

The Dism command returned the following: "Error 50. Dism does not support servicing Windows PE with the /online option." It points to a log file after that. I haven't had a chance to try copying the files yet. I'll let you know as soon as I do.

 

Yes and you have to run dism command either in safe mode with Networking or pointing it to your disk such as for example

DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth /Source:repairSource\install.wim

https://www.windowscentral.com/how-use-dism-command-line-utility-repair-windows-10-image

 

Repair Windows 7.
Your programs will not be affected.
http://www.pcworld.com/article/243190/how_to_repair_a_corrupt_windows_7_installation.html

 

I've been plugging away at this thing non-stop for four days. While I've seen the problem change from symptom to symptom, I don't feel like I'm making any progress. For Christmas my wife offered to finance me building me a new one, since I've had this install for about 8 years now. While it will take some time to get things back to normal, the hardship seems quite worth it. So it's time to start that project and abandon trying to fix this any further. I sincerely appreciate the advice and help offered. You rock!! Merry Christmas ^_^

 

That is one way to fix it. Enjoy your new computer.