Weird explorer issue

[intenso]

Hi

i bought a 400gb drive off here not long ago.

when i was installing it it was my 7th drive in my pc so i re-wired, changed some around and stuff. the pc wouldnt boot but i fixed it, i had a master/slave jumper set incorrectly on one of my existing drives.

now here is the problem: when i open my computer, it searches for devices for over 30 seconds. it used to take < 1 second on my system.

once this wait is over, all drives are accessible and work perfectly.

This also effects windows search function, and slightly more worrying, when i goto device manager, there is nothing on the list, however long i wait.

I have taken the power from all drives apart from the 2 WD raptors running on sata nvidia raid, yet it still does it.

really worrying me and wanna get it sorted out, especially as i'm having a driver issue with my sound card at the moment that i can't sort out and i need/want device manager to work.

Thanks in advance

Nick

[FragAlot]

I've had the blank device manager issue a few times at work. The below should do the trick....


The issue is security permissions in the registry. I cannot tell how they are lost
but I can tell you how to fix it short of having to re-install Windows!

You must use regedt32.exe in Windows 2000/XP (as I have not seen this problem posted
for any other operating system). Be very carefull making changes in the regisrty!

You must be logged on as a local administrator to perform this task:

1. Go to "Start", "Run", and enter "regedt32"
2. Maximize the "HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE" window.
3. Scroll down to "SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Enum"
4. With "Enum" selected click the "Security", "Permissions" menu.

Note: At this point you will probably notice there are no permissions on this key.

5. Click "Add".
6. Add the group "Everyone" and the user "SYSTEM".
7. Select "Everyone" and check "Read" ONLY!
8. Select "SYSTEM" and check "Full Control".
9. Click the "Advanced" button at the bottom of the window.
10. On the Advanced window check "Reset permissions on all child objects..."
11. Click "OK"
12. On the warning window click "Yes"
13. Close REGEDT32

You should now be able to see everything in Device Manager, Network Places Properties,
and Printers.

[intenso]

Unfortunately ran into complications with your method (see pic), at the last step (12. On the warning window click "Yes")

'4. With "Enum" selected click the "Security", "Permissions" menu.'

here, do u just mean right click and then goto permissions? what does "security", "Permissions" menu mean?

thanks for the help

nick

[FragAlot]

With "Enum" selected click the "Security", "Permissions" menu.'

here, do u just mean right click and then goto permissions? what does "security", "Permissions" menu mean?

Yeah, that's right - regedt32 in Windows 2000 uses menus, whereas XP doesn't.

Unfortunately ran into complications with your method (see pic), at the last step (12. On the warning window click "Yes")

Not sure why this would be…I assume you have local admin rights? You could try and make the changes in safe mode - just before the XP splash screen hit F8 and select safe mode. Login as admin and run through the steps again.

[intenso]

i definitely have admin rights but will try and go through safe mode + admin login and let u know :)

nick

[intenso]

still no luck... any1?

[Moira]

Phew, you must need to store a lot of data! :) When you say the hdds are not showing in device manager, but they *are* found, I'm a bit confused :confused: are you able to access the hard drives or not?

Do they show in the BIOS, is it just Device Manager they don't appear? Can you see them in Explorer? How does it affect Windows search function?

yeah, I was surprised to read those registry instructions. Obviously different to XP where setting permissions etc in the registry wouldn't be possible.

[intenso]

hi

please see the screenshots, and you will see that nothing at all shows in device manager.

also, as i stated before, i have full accessibility to the hard drives. i.e. if i went to start->run and typed G:, it would access the drive. if i went to my computer, the hard drives wouldnt show up for about 1 minute.

what is worrying me is that my sound still doesn't work and i wanna sort it out !

nick

[Moira]

Well, you might stand more chance if you treated people trying to help you with a little more courtesy and actually read what they're trying to tell you.

I don't dispute your screenshots. I never did. I asked whether the drives showed up in the BIOS and in Explorer. You answered the Explorer question I suppose, in that they show up after about a minute in My Computer. If the drives do work, then the advice regarding the registry seems more relevant as something is askew there and it obviously isn't anything physically wrong with the drives.

You haven't stated exactly what is wrong with your sound. What isn't working? The CD drive? Wav sounds? Both? Did you fit a sound card or are you using onboard sound? If you fitted a separate soundcard and your mobo has onboard sound, did you disable this in the BIOS? Have you installed the mobo drivers if you're trying to use onboard sound, have you checked you have up to date/correct drivers if you're using a pci soundcard?

A sound card "not working" is too vague to help anyone.

[intenso]

why is it so easy to offend on this site....

sorry moira, no offence meant at all

Phew, you must need to store a lot of data! When you say the hdds are not showing in device manager, but they *are* found, I'm a bit confused are you able to access the hard drives or not?

-yes

Do they show in the BIOS, is it just Device Manager they don't appear? Can you see them in Explorer? How does it affect Windows search function?

-they show up in the bios, i can see them in explorer. the windows search function works but takes 30 - 40 seconds before drive letters even appear in locations to search

You haven't stated exactly what is wrong with your sound. What isn't working? The CD drive? Wav sounds? Both? Did you fit a sound card or are you using onboard sound? If you fitted a separate soundcard and your mobo has onboard sound, did you disable this in the BIOS? Have you installed the mobo drivers if you're trying to use onboard sound, have you checked you have up to date/correct drivers if you're using a pci soundcard?

-i'm using soundblaster audigy platinum pci sound card. it has always worked until i reinstalled the drivers the other day (my 5.1 wasnt working and was only playing in 2 speakers), and even after reinstalling drivers there is no sound. i can't check for driver problems as device manager isn't working.


once again, really sorry if i offended. i guess i'm just used to posting on bodybuilding forums and dont 'get' the kustompcs board courtesy

Nick

[Kmc]

1.Click Start, click Run, type services.msc, and then click OK.
2. Double-click Plug and Play. If you receive a Configuration Manager message, click OK.
3. In the Startup Type list, click Automatic, and then click OK.
4. Close Services.
5. Restart the computer.

[intenso]

unfortunately hasn't made a difference :(

[intenso]

in safe mode my computer loads up instantly, and all related problems disappear.

however device manager still shows up nothing, and still doesn't give me the possibility of changing the registry keys.

this is with me logged in as administrator too.

:(

really ****ing me off now, considering (a) my graphics card seems to be blinking on and off again, which is so aggravating and (b) i just got my two 20.1 " dell tfts and i wanna play some games with sound and get everything working !

considering a winxp reinstall :( but with great inconvenience to me

[intenso]

did a windows install/repair and it has fixed the problem !

Nick

[Moira]

I'm pleased to hear it :) if it was fine in safe mode it could have been a problem with the drivers you recently installed, either way if it's not too much trouble a windows repair is often a good cure all.

Next time you update drivers, keep a backup copy of the ones that work - better still, take a snapshot of your system now, in full working order which you can restore to if a future change makes something unstable. Acronis is a good program for this. I take a monthly backup of both windows drives on my two desktops, since XP System Restore is so useless.

once again, really sorry if i offended. i guess i'm just used to posting on bodybuilding forums and dont 'get' the kustompcs board courtesy

I think I overreacted for some reason :( I think I must have had a bad day, there was nothing really offensive there. Sorry!