Microsoft KB Archive/814545

= Registry Repair and Recovery May Inadvertently Delete a Subset of Keys =

Article ID: 814545

Article Last Modified on 8/29/2007

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APPLIES TO


 * Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition
 * Microsoft Windows XP Service Pack 1a
 * Microsoft Windows XP Professional
 * Microsoft Windows XP Service Pack 1a

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SYMPTOMS
After Windows starts, the registry may be missing a subset of keys under a subkey such as  or. Because many of these keys are required for Windows to work correctly, Explorer.exe may not start after you log on, Windows Management Instrumentation (WMI) may not work correctly, or a program may not work. If you view the registry closely (by comparing the registry with that from a working computer, or through troubleshooting), you may find many missing keys.



CAUSE
The registry resiliency code in Windows XP Service Pack 1 (SP1) removes corrupted registry keys when Windows starts, but may inadvertently delete a subset of keys.



Service pack information
To resolve this problem, obtain the latest service pack for Microsoft Windows XP. For additional information, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

322389 How to obtain the latest Windows XP service pack

Hotfix information
A supported hotfix is now available from Microsoft. However, this hotfix is intended to correct only the problem that is described in this article. Apply this hotfix only to systems that are experiencing this specific problem. This hotfix might receive additional testing. Therefore, if you are not severely affected by this problem, we recommend that you wait for the next service pack that contains this hotfix.

To resolve this problem, submit a request to Microsoft Online Customer Services to obtain the hotfix. To submit an online request to obtain the hotfix, visit the following Microsoft Web site:

http://go.microsoft.com/?linkid=6294451

Note If additional issues occur or any troubleshooting is required, you might have to create a separate service request. The usual support costs will apply to additional support questions and issues that do not qualify for this specific hotfix. To create a separate service request, visit the following Microsoft Web site:

http://support.microsoft.com/contactus/?ws=support

The English version of this fix has the file attributes (or later) that are listed in the following table. The dates and times for these files are listed in coordinated universal time (UTC). When you view the file information, it is converted to local time. To find the difference between UTC and local time, use the Time Zone tab in the Date and Time tool in Control Panel.

  Date         Time   Version        Size       File name --  18-Feb-2003  14:01  5.1.2600.1170  1,892,352  Ntkrnlmp.exe 18-Feb-2003 14:02  5.1.2600.1170  1,948,288  Ntkrnlpa.exe 18-Feb-2003 14:02  5.1.2600.1170  1,921,024  Ntkrpamp.exe 18-Feb-2003 14:01  5.1.2600.1170  1,924,480  Ntoskrnl.exe

To prevent this problem from occurring, install the hotfix that is described in this article. If the problem has already occurred, restore the missing registry keys from a backup.



STATUS
Microsoft has confirmed that this is a problem in the Microsoft products that are listed at the beginning of this article. This problem was first corrected in Microsoft Windows XP Service Pack 2.



MORE INFORMATION
For additional information about the registry resiliency feature, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

318159 Damaged Registry Repair and Recovery in Windows XP

Keywords: kbhotfixserver kbqfe kbwinxpsp2fix kbqfe kbwinxppresp2fix kbfix kbbug KB814545

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