I need Windows 7 help

[TwoTankAmin]

I have a problem I cannot fix. I do not want to have to reinstall windows 7.

Apparently the system file. trustedinstaller.exe is corrupted. SFC /scannow tells me that it cannot be fixed. So I need to find out how to repair or replace it. it is integral to updating and a bunch of other stuff. I think it may affect system restore which wont do restores for me. This all involved one of the modules Microsoft wont let users near.

i cannot find any Help on Google that isn't so complex it would be dangerous for me to even try. I have tried all the simpler things including chkdsk /f /r which takes almost 5 hours to run.

Any help at all is greatly appreciated. this problem also appears to be messing up my ability to sync to the proton email to download it into Outlook 2010 vie their app, The Bridge.

I really do hate Microsoft *aigh*

I am not sure that one of the recent security only updates for windows 7 did not cause this problem, but that is a wild guess. the other more likely problem would be related to the registry. this is a place I never go.

[Nigaikaze]

Do you have any backups you can restore other than via the Windows system restore function? Like from some sort of third-party backup software, perhaps? There are backup programs out there for Windows that will let you restore just specific file(s) from a backup.

[satrow]

Sounds pretty tricky, esp. without knowing either the cause, or why SFC can't expand a stored version to overwrite the corrupt one. In your position, I'd start by getting the folks at Sysnative to diagnose and work through potential fixes for you: https://www.sysnative.com/forums/window ... tions.html (the Windows Update section there is where the SFC troubleshooters are based).

[billmcct]

You don't have restore points going back before this? As far as I know Satrow would be the guy to help since he was a global moderator with way over 5000 posts on Tech Support Forums. I do know you can download the file but I don't think you can replace it with windows running. I have all security updates for Win 7 and just ran SFC with no problems.

EDIT: Ah Satrow you beat me to it.

[satrow]

... Satrow would be the guy to help since he was a global moderator with way over 5000 posts on Tech Support Forums..

Was... ? LOL, still am but mostly posting in the Mod zone/stamping out spammers, nothing that 'ordinary' members would notice, unless they stalk my Post count Thanks for the vote of confidence, appreciated.

[TwoTankAmin]

I did more reading and saw some threads on a Microsoft site where the person had a similar problem. The suggestion seemed to be he might have malware. So, I figured i would download the MSRT and run it. I ran the full scan. Shortly after it started I saw it said 1 infected file. However, when it finished running it said No infected files were found and listed all the files it checked in system 32 among other places. I saw nothing about trustedinstaller.exe. Out of curiosity I am about to rerun sfs /scannow and will report back.

Hopefully I will have info back in the cbs/cbs log. What does confuse me is Microsoft states this as one potential result of sfc:

Windows Resource Protection found corrupt files but was unable to fix some of them. Details are included in the CBS.Log %WinDir%\Logs\CBS\CBS.log.

When I have run sfc /scannow the last two times, I got pointed to the following location for the log: C:\Windows\Logs\CBS there is normally another level so the info is in C:\Windows\Logs\CBS\CBS. Next, if I do a search on my PC for %WinDir%\Logs\CBS, if shows the results being in C:\Windows\Logs\CBS. So I am assuming the two file neames lead to the same file???

[Nigaikaze]

So I am assuming the two file neames lead to the same file???

Yes. %WinDir% is a kind of shorthand that Windows uses for the directory that Windows has been installed in, which on your system is C:\Windows. Therefore %WinDir%\Logs\CBS and C:\Windows\Logs\CBS are the same thing.

[TwoTankAmin]

Here is the result of the sfc /scannow:

I have the log file but it is too long to post as it exceeds the max. characters allowed on the forum. I can probably zip it and email it but it looks insane to me. My other choice is to chop it in half and put it into two posts. But 65,000+ characters seems like too much to ask anybody to look at

The thing is, the solution is likely some form of reinstalling Windows 7 again. I lack the skills to save what I need so that i can restore my files and programs. I have read about doing a form of repair/install that allows one to save that stuff. i could not make sense out of the directions. i am not willing to try things that will completely take down my box because of my ignorance. Is there any decent repair software I can download or buy to deal with this?

I really do hate the digital age. If I were born about 10 - 15 years earlier i would likely be dead instead of trying to deal with this stuff.

[Nigaikaze]

Here is the result of the sfc /scannow:

I see that you ran that as Administrator. For any of the times that you ran that, were you in Windows Safe Mode? If not, could you reboot into Safe Mode and try running it again (as Administrator, just like you did before)? Sometimes sfc can't fix things unless Windows has booted into Safe Mode.

[TwoTankAmin]

I am not certain because i have run it a bunch of times in different ways and then I ran other stuff. I just tried start-up repair and it said something wrong it did not fix. I missed the start-up twice ti get it to go from the disc but did start up in safe mode and rant it there. I was about to try again to get into the BIOS to change the boot order which ia how I get into the load the disc.

I can run the scan again in safe mode to be sure, But I am the only user on my box so I am both the admin and the a user with admin access. I run the scan from the cmd prompt in windows. the first step is to right click on it in and select run as admin. in safe mode i would still be an admin I think. But I will do it.

[Nigaikaze]

Yes, in safe mode, go ahead and do the same thing - right click on the cmd prompt, select run as admin, and then run the command sfc /scannow.

[TwoTankAmin]

Now I am screwed.

I reran in safe mode and got the same result. When I restarted my computer and opened Pale moon the staus bar was missing. I restored it but the twoextension icon normally on the left end were missing. One was ABL and I added it back, The other was a version of Ghostery I ran through the Pale Moon tool to make it work with ver 27. The ghostery bade was not in the customize box like the ABL one was. So I tried to open the option for ghostery and it said a link to mozilla was no longer valid. The safe mode run wiped out the stored on my PC HD version.

But, my strange ways means i have another copy of pale moon portable on a USB which I had unplugged before the safe mode scan. it is still intact. I still have the API I downloaded for Ghostery on the stick with portable PM. I tried to reinstall Ghostery on my HD P M using the Moon Tester Tool. No good.

Is there any way I can move a copy of whatever is missing from the hard drive ghostery from the USB to wherever the Ghostery add on is? I am lost I really need this extension

This is turning into a bad dream.

Edit: Holy Cow- I actually figured out how to fix Ghostery. Finally, something went my way. However, I still have the original problem.

[Moonchild]

I'd start by getting the folks at Sysnative to diagnose and work through potential fixes for you

This was good, solid advice -- a "sick" windows usually gets worse if you rummage around trying this or that. It usually needs the right medication or surgery.

[billmcct]

I have the log file but it is too long to post as it exceeds the max. characters allowed on the forum. I can probably zip it and email it but it looks insane to me.

Run this command and it will output a text file on the desktop with only the relevant information from the cbs.log file.

findstr /c:"[SR]" %windir%\logs\cbs\cbs.log >%userprofile%\Desktop\sfcdetails.txt

[TwoTankAmin]

I went to the Sysnative site and registered. I ran all the stuff they wanted and posted it all in a thread. Now I wait to see what they say. I have the zipped CBS file. They have a way to post it there. I cannot do that here. But they should know what is wrong as this is part of what their software found:

AutoAnalysis::
WARNING: Failed to get store name from identity name with return code 2 for component prnhp002.inf and file Amd64\HPZLAwn7.DLL. File is reported as corrupt by SFC.
CORRUPT: Amd64\HPZLAwn7.DLL of component prnhp002.inf.

[satrow]

The logged driver is a default W7x64 .dll for certain HP printers, that's about all I can easily tell.

Wait for the follow up and they'll start to walk you through the steps to fix that error then move on to diagnose/weigh up the options for any further stages (iirc SFC, System File Checker, doesn't check all Windows files, only the files required for 'normal' Windows usage). Be patient, esp. as it's probably the beginning of the holiday season for some of the qualified helpers there.

[Trippynet]

Repair installs aren't too difficult, there's a decent guide here: https://www.pcworld.com/article/243190/ ... ation.html

The first bit is just cleaning stuff up, you can probably skip that. In short, it involves booting into Windows (just as normal), popping your Windows 7 CD in, launching setup and selecting "Upgrade". This will essentially re-install Windows, but should keep all data and applications. Of course, backing up your important data first is a wise idea. Once done, run Windows Update to re-install any updates, and you should be good to go.

[TwoTankAmin]

Part of my problem is the inability to back-up to the extent that no backup/restore point can be recovered. When I run restore from any restore point it fails and the error massage then says that it has been destroyed. So i am not sure how i would back stuff up.

I have concerns on two fronts. the first are my data files- emails, word files, pictures, pdfs etc. I have years worth of stuff I do not want to lose. then there is all the configuration information. That is almost impossible to replicate if it is lost. My windows stuff goes back through many upgrades. It took me month to get windows as I have it. it took almost that much to get pale moon to do the same. People who configure this sort of thing on a regular basis are very familiar with what does what and where to find it. I have little clue. It takes a lot of effort to figure out the proper settings etc. I am not sure if I had to put together a new box with windows 7 that I could actually do it. it has been a very long time since I hade to deal with setting up windows from scratch- its all been upgrades until I stopped with 7.

A lot of what I end up doing with software is turn stuff off stop it from phoning home etc. Over the decades I have owned PCs, this is the worst issue I have ever had. I have had almost no hardware failures (a power supply failed, and many years back when it was a dial-up world I got hit by lightning and fried a modem and another time an i/o card (phone lines were then grounded better and had a large capacitor put into the system), I have not had many issues relating to software. in 30 years I have removed almost nothing malicious. I did have my antimalware scan picked up on roboot64.exe. it was removed, it returned and removed again. it has not reappeared. I run regular malwares scans and every few I do the full scan. I use Iobit Advanced System care and i also have the widows security essentials and their scan runs and the Iobit one are both run every week.

While I am having issues with this problem and with my new email set-up, I am not down or offline in most ways except for the corrupt file and not being able to do a restore and the email issues. But I have a workaround on the email, so I am still able to send and receive emails, just not as I would like to have them work.

Thanks to all those on this site who have been trying to help, I really appreciate it. If I get this thing fixed with help from here and from Sysnative, I will most certainly make donations to both sites.

[Moonchild]

Part of my problem is the inability to back-up to the extent that no backup/restore point can be recovered. When I run restore from any restore point it fails and the error massage then says that it has been destroyed. So i am not sure how i would back stuff up.

Copy your files and documents and everything else you don't want to lose to e.g. an external HD or memory stick or at least off of your Windows partition.
You can't trust restore points to be reliable backups of anything.

[CraigPD]

TTA,
Based on some of our recent off-line discussions I think this is the time to use one of your weekly backups to circumvent the corrupt system file problem that is beyond the acumen of even the most savvy forum participants at this point. It's not something you'll want to engage in regularly so the value of any learning experience it provides will be minimal and despite the sense of accomplishment you may feel if/when it is resolved, I don't think it's worth all the protracted research and exerted effort.

System Restore is often prone to failure just as you are experiencing now. That's the reason you make external back-ups. The best solution in the end is the one that puts you back in business with the least disruption and from my perspective the best option to proceed seems clear.