re: Blank or Empty Device Manager in Windows XP - A Compilation of Solutions
Sunday, December 18, 2005 at 4:12 pm
Windows XP Annoyances Discussion Forum
Posted by Greg Hendren
(3 messages posted)
http://swandog46.geekstogo.com/aproposfix.exe
This link is down, is fix available elsewhere?
Urgent.
On Thursday, December 8, 2005 at 6:23 pm, jcw wrote:
>
>The following has been distilled from various sources, notably messages posted in
>a lengthy thread in this forum spanning well over two years at:
>
» http://www.annoyances.org/exec/forum/winxp/1051715405
>
Credit is to be given to those who provided these solutions, and those who endured
>the trial and error in remedying a blank or empty Device Manager and took the time
>to post their results.
>
>Readers are encouraged to "book-mark" this web-page for future reference for
users
>experiencing a blank or empty Device Manager in Windows XP.
>
>
>Begin with the first potential solution below, and proceed with each subsequent
>solution, after each opening Device Manager to see if it properly displays devices.
>Some solutions may not apply to your situation, e.g. the first and second solutions
>that apply if you are getting the error messages there described.
> To undertake these procedures, be logged-in with full administrative powers.
>
>
1) If Device Manager is blank and there is an error message that the Device
>Manager Snap-in failed to initialize, re-register the devmgr.dll file as follows:
>
• Close all open programs.
>
• Start --> Run, and type: REGSVR32 DEVMGR.DLL and hit Enter or
>OK.
>
• You should get this message: "DllRegisterServer in devmgr.dll succeeded."
>Click OK.
>
>
2) If Device Manager is blank and there is an "Action Cancelled" message
>stating:
>
"Internet Explorer was unable to link to the Web page you requested. The page
>might be temporarily unavailable.", re-register the dmocx.dll file as follows:
>
• Close all open programs.
>
• Start --> Run, and type: REGSVR32 DMOCX.DLL and hit Enter or
>OK.
>
• You should get this message: "DllRegisterServer in dmocx.dll succeeded."
>Click OK.
>
>
3) A totally blank Device Manager (not showing even the computer icon and
>name) can occur if the Plug and Play service is not started. Open the Services
window
>and check the Status and Startup Type of that service. To open the Services window:
>
Start --> Run, type: SERVICES.MSC and hit Enter or OK.
>
If that service is not started or if its Startup Type is not set to automatic,
>follow the instructions in
>MS KB Art. 311504.
>
>
4) Review the Status and Startup Type of all of the Windows services in the
>Services window. You may find that many of the services that should be started,
>are not. If so, start those services and set their Startup Type to automatic or
>manual as appropriate. To open the Services window:
>
Start --> Run, type: SERVICES.MSC and hit Enter or OK.
>If you find a service that should be started, but is not:
>
• Double-click on the service to be started.
>
• On the General tab, in the Startup Type drop-down list, click on either Automatic
>or Manual as appropriate (if in doubt, click on Automatic).
>
• Click on the Start button.
>
• Click OK.
> When finished, close the Services window. You may need to restart the computer
>to effect the changes you have made to the services. Once it appears that the computer
>is operating properly, you may want to review the Windows services to see if there
>are any that do not need to be started or whose Startup Type can be set to Manual
>or Disabled without adversely affecting the computer's operation.
>
>
5) In Control Panel --> Add/Remove Programs, check if Microsoft Windows
Update
>905749 is installed, and if so, uninstall it. (That Security Update was released
>10-11-05 to resolve a vulnerability in Plug and Play for Windows XP and 2000.)
>Restart the computer.
>
>
6) If Device Manager shows the computer icon and name but no devices, check
>that the security permissions for this registry key:
>
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Enum
>
meet these requirements:
>
• the group "Everyone" should be listed and have only "Read" permissions.
>
• the user "SYSTEM" should be listed and have "Full Control" and "Read" permissions.
>To do this, open the registry editor (Start --> Run, type: REGEDIT
>and hit Enter or OK).
>
Go to the above registry key, and right-click on the Enum key, and in the context
>menu click on Permissions.
>
On the Security tab, review the listed group or user names and the permissions
>checked for each in the "Allow" column to determine if they comply with the above
>requirements. If not, use the following instructions, or such of them as needed,
>to have the listed names and their permissions meet those
>requirements.
> To add those names to the Security tab:
>
• Click on the Add button.
>
• Add the group "Everyone" and the user "SYSTEM."
> To set the required permissions for those names on the Security tab:
>
• Select "Everyone" and check "Read" (only) under "Allow."
>
• Select "SYSTEM" and check "Full Control" under "Allow" (which also should
>check "Read").
>
• Make sure there is nothing checked under "Deny" for either "SYSTEM" or "Everyone."
> Then:
>
• Click on the Advanced button, and on the Permissions tab in the Advanced
box
>check "Replace permission entries on all child objects with . . . ."
>
• Click OK, and on any warning box click "Yes".
> When finished, close the registry editor.
> Note: If at any time you get a message to the effect that the registry
>editor cannot set or change security permissions in the selected key or its sub-keys,
>go to the next step.
>
>
7) In Control Panel --> Add/Remove Programs, check if Context Plus
>or Ad Channel or POP or Apropos Client, or any combination
of
>those names, is installed. If so, uninstall it or them. (That item does not enjoy
>a good reputation.) Then review the discussion for possible additional removal
>procedures (including a downloadable removal tool) at:
>
http://www.norton.com/avcenter/venc/data/spyware.apropos.html
>
When done, restart the computer.
>
>
8) Apropos malware may be on the system, causing the blank or empty Device
>Manager. If so:
>
• Download and save to the desktop AproposFix.exe at:
>
http://swandog46.geekstogo.com/aproposfix.exe
>
• Reboot into safe mode (logging into the account in which you saved the downloaded
>file).
>
• Double or single click (whichever you use to open or run an item) on AproposFix.exe
>on the desktop, which will place on the desktop an AproposFix folder.
>
• Open the AproposFix folder, and double or single click on RunThis.bat
>to run it.
>
• Follow the on-screen prompts. When finished, reboot into normal mode.
>
• The AproposFix folder now will have a log.txt file showing the actions
>that AproposFix has taken, which should be reviewed, and saved until it is
>clear that the Apropos malware has been entirely removed.
>
>
You then should use proper procedures to scan for and remove any remaining elements
>of Apropos, which is discussed at various web-sites, such as:
>
http://securityresponse.symantec.com/avcenter/venc/data/spyware.apropos.c.html
>
>
9) One or more sub-keys under the Enum registry key may be corrupt, causing
>the blank or empty Device Manager. To check for and remedy corrupt sub-keys:
>
• Open the registry editor (Start --> Run, type: REGEDIT and hit
>Enter or OK) and go to:
>
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Enum
>
• Expand the Enum key, and examine each sub-key under it for a name that is
>a seemingly random, disorderly combination of characters and symbols, e.g.: $%^&*()24031
> (or longer), with little resemblance to the other sub-keys, and perhaps having
>no values in the right-hand pane. There may be under the Enum key consecutive sub-keys
>with such garbled names, each one being longer than the prior one. These corrupt
>sub-keys should be deleted.
>
>Note: before deleting any registry keys or sub-keys, first back-up the
>entire Enum key by right-clicking on it, then click on Export, select where to save
>it, and click on Save. In addition, similarly back-up each sub-key that you intend
>to delete.
>
> If upon trying to delete a corrupt sub-key, you get a message that the deletion
>cannot be accomplished for lack of permission, increase the permissions for the
corrupt
>sub-key before deleting it, as follows:
>
>
• Right-click on the corrupt sub-key and in the context menu click on Permissions.
>
• On the Security tab, select "Everyone" and check "Full Control" under "Allow."
>If "Everyone" is not there listed, click on the Add button and add the group "Everyone,"
>and then select it and check "Full Control" under "Allow." If "Everyone" cannot
>be added, add the group "Administrators" for whom check "Full Control" under "Allow."
>
• Make sure there is nothing checked under "Deny" for "Everyone" or "Administrators."
>
>
• Click on the Advanced button, and on the Permissions tab in the Advanced
box
>check "Replace permission entries on all child objects with . . . ."
>
• Click OK, and on any warning box click "Yes"
>
• Then delete the corrupt sub-key.
>
> When finished, close the registry editor.
>
> As corruption of the registry might have been caused by a virus or malware, you
>should use proper procedures to scan for and remove vires and malware from the system.
>
>
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