Solved Cannot Start Applications

tmghendi · Oct 15, 2010

Hi everyone,

Forum newbie, but I hope to get some help.

For some reasons, I cannot run some applications that were previously working fine in my machine at work (running Vista Home Premium 32 Bit). I cannot launch firefox, thunderbird, open office, and adobe reader. I don't see any error message for firefox and thunderbird. Open Office fails with the message: "The application cannot be started. An internal error occurred". Adobe reader fails with the message: "Adobe Reader 8.2 has stopped working. A problem caused the program to stop working correctly..."

I have tried unistalling open office and installing it afresh, still not solved. I have been away from my machine for a week, so I thought a windows update could have caused the problem (some colleagues did use the machine in my absence). I restored the system to an earlier point, still problem persists. Worse still, after the system restore, it messed up my anti-virus (Kaspersky Internet Security 2010), which is now reporting the database as corrupted, blacklist corrupted, etc.

I'd appreciate any help in resolving the problem.

Lorien · Oct 15, 2010

Hi tmghendi,

Welcome to Vista Forums!

Don't be overwhelmed by the length of this post - it isn't as difficult as it seems and much is done in the background while you can do other things. And we may find and correct the problem early, so not all of it may be required - I've just included most of the options (though there may be others depending on how these turn out). Your problem is hard to identify given that system restore didn't work and there seems to be no common thread between the applications affected - I'm not yet even sure if it is a hardware or software issue.

Please start by following the instructions in the following post. Although you do not have a BSOD problem, the same information may help us to identify this problem and come up with a solution. http://www.vistax64.com/crashes-deb...th-bsod-posting-instructions.html#post1285630.

Then let's check some of your system files:

Try booting into safe mode with networkding and see if you have the same problems there. Either way, it will help us narrow down the possible causes.

Go to Start / All Programs / Accessories / Command prompt and right click on command prompt and click run as Administrator.

Type sfc /scannow and enter and let it run. It will scan and try to fix some of your system files. Hopefully it will complete with no corruption it could not repair (if there is such corruption post back here or try to analyze it to find the problem file(s) using http://support.microsoft.com/kb/928228. Try to attach the report (you may need to copy it to your desktop before it will permit you to attach it) here so we can see if they can be repaired with good copies from the installation disk (unless there are too many).

While in Command Prompt, type chkdsk /f /r and enter and let it run. It will want to schedule itself to run at the next restart. Answer yes and then reboot to run the program. It will scan and try to fix any corruption or bad sectors on your hard drive and mostly remove that as a potential cause.

If that doesn't work, then please post any error messages from the Event Viewer concerning the applications you are having trouble with (Start / Control Panel / Administrative Tools / Event Viewer). Here's how to use Event Viewer: http://www.petri.co.il/vista-event-viewer.htm. Look in the Application section.

You may be infected with malware. Try to run anti-malware programs (in safe mode with networking if necessary). To fix this problem (if it is a problem) download, install, and run the following two programs: http://www.malwarebytes.org/mbam.php and http://www.safer-networking.org/en/index.html. You may also want to try the new, free Microsoft Security Essentials http://www.softpedia.com/progDownload/Microsoft-Security-Essentials-Download-131683.html (with the caveat that only ONE AV program can be installed and running on your system at any one time). Use removal tools when appropriate http://www.raymond.cc/blog/archives/2009/05/05/comprehensive-list-of-uninstallers-or-removal-tools-for-antivirus-software/. You may also want to try the free Avira at: http://www.free-av.com/ and Avast at: http://www.avast.com/index. Reboot after completing all the scans. You may also want to try the free OneCare at http://onecare.live.com/site/en-us/center/whatsnew.htm and let it run all the options (except the registry cleaner) because that’s good maintenance (it will take some time to complete but can be done in the background).

If that doesn't work, try a clean boot http://support.microsoft.com/kb/929135. If the problem goes away then it's just a matter of tracking down the culprit causing the problem. Follow the procedures in the article. Once found, delete, remove, deactivate, or uninstall it. Once done be sure to reset Vista back to normal status as explained in the procedures. If the problem occurs in clean mode then just restore the system to normal status and reboot - this solution is not going to work.

If that doesn't work, we'll need to do a system repair/upgrade using the genuine Windows Vista Installation Disk (one you own or one you can borrow from ANYONE). To do this you have to also be able to boot normally. Here's the procedure: http://www.vistax64.com/tutorials/88236-repair-install-vista.html. Although this will not affect your data, settings, or programs, you should still backup your data before starting just to be on the safe side. You may have a lot of updates to re-install (including any service packs you had to remove). If the version on the system came with SP1 or SP2 pre-installed and the disk is an earlier version, then you'll need to make a slipstream disk as follows: http://www.vistax64.com/tutorials/151606-vista-sp1-slipstream-installation-dvd.html.

But please send me that file requested in the first paragraph ASAP so I can review it to see if we can eliminate some of these steps or need to add additional ones based on the results.

I hope this helps. Please include the results of everything you tired, all the scans and tests and reports (posted or attached), and anything else you learned along the way that you think might help us understand what is happening.

Good luck!

tmghendi · Oct 15, 2010

Hi Lorien,

Thanks for the quick response. I have attached the results of the BSOD problem steps. I'll forward the rest after completing the other tests.

Something else I have noticed, I cannot run applications from the search box at the start menu. (e.g System Health Report through Start-> perfmon /report). There's an error: "Search failed to initialize". Also, if I navigate to the actual programs exe files, and right click->run as administrator, the applications run just fine (except for thunderbird which does not display the already configured email accounts). I suspect permission issues, though I am logged in with an administrator account. Just adding this extra information in case it may be helpful.

Once again, thanks for your help.

tmghendi · Oct 15, 2010

I have performed the scannow, with the following results:

"Verification 100% complete.
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. For example
C:\Windows\Logs\CBS\CBS.log"

I think there's a problem with the registry, which I'd appreciate any help in fixing it. I see the following errors several times in the applications section of the event viewer:

Windows cannot load classes registry file.

DETAIL - The specified path is invalid.

Event Xml:
<Event xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/win/2004/08/events/event">
<System>
<Provider Name="Microsoft-Windows-User Profiles Service" Guid="{89B1E9F0-5AFF-44A6-9B44-0A07A7CE5845}" EventSourceName="profsvc" />
<EventID Qualifiers="49152">1542</EventID>
<Version>0</Version>
<Level>2</Level>
<Task>0</Task>
<Opcode>0</Opcode>
<Keywords>0x80000000000000</Keywords>
<TimeCreated SystemTime="2010-10-15T12:00:34.000Z" />
<EventRecordID>23251</EventRecordID>
<Correlation />
<Execution ProcessID="0" ThreadID="0" />
<Channel>Application</Channel>
<Computer>tom</Computer>
<Security UserID="S-1-5-18" />
</System>
<EventData Name="EVENT_FAIL_LOAD_CLASSES_HIVE">
<Data Name="Error">The specified path is invalid. </Data>
</EventData>
</Event>

Event filter with query "SELECT * FROM __InstanceModificationEvent WITHIN 60 WHERE TargetInstance ISA "Win32_Processor" AND TargetInstance.LoadPercentage > 99" could not be reactivated in namespace "//./root/CIMV2" because of error 0x80041003. Events cannot be delivered through this filter until the problem is corrected.

Event Xml:
<Event xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/win/2004/08/events/event">
<System>
<Provider Name="Microsoft-Windows-WMI" Guid="{1edeee53-0afe-4609-b846-d8c0b2075b1f}" EventSourceName="WinMgmt" />
<EventID Qualifiers="49152">10</EventID>
<Version>0</Version>
<Level>2</Level>
<Task>0</Task>
<Opcode>0</Opcode>
<Keywords>0x80000000000000</Keywords>
<TimeCreated SystemTime="2010-10-15T10:36:31.000Z" />
<EventRecordID>23219</EventRecordID>
<Correlation />
<Execution ProcessID="0" ThreadID="0" />
<Channel>Application</Channel>
<Computer>tom</Computer>
<Security />
</System>
<EventData>
<Data>//./root/CIMV2</Data>
<Data>SELECT * FROM __InstanceModificationEvent WITHIN 60 WHERE TargetInstance ISA "Win32_Processor" AND TargetInstance.LoadPercentage > 99</Data>
<Data>0x80041003</Data>
</EventData>
</Event>

All help highly appreciated.

Lorien · Oct 15, 2010

Please follow the instructions in the article to create the .txt file of the CBS.LOG created when you ran SFC /scannow and copy it to your desktop and attach it to your next reply. I need to see the corrupt files it could not repair. Then continue with the process.

Thanks for the update. I need time to try to see if I can make some sense out of what you sent above.

Good luck!

tmghendi · Oct 15, 2010

Hi Lorien,

Thanks once again. I have attached the CBS.LOG text file (zipped because it was too large - 45MB).

Sorry I didn't mention in my last post, but I also ran the chkdsk /f /r, but the problem is still there.

Thanks.

Lorien · Oct 15, 2010

WOW! You sent the whole log, not just the .txt file. This is going to take some time to go through - please continue on and be patient as that's a LOT of material to sift through (and then I need to research the errors). And I have a doctor's appointment in an hour and then need to go shopping, so it may be a while before I can get back to you.

Thanks for responding so quickly. I'm sorry that so far all we've found is some system file corruption (which I expected but don't yet know what it means since I haven't found them yet) and some event errors that I still need time to see if I can determine what they mean. I had hoped that something by this point would have resolved the issue, but sometimes it takes the whole 9 yards.

Good luck!

tmghendi · Oct 15, 2010

Sorry, I should have read the instructions more keenly. I have re-attached only the txt file.

No problem about how long it will take to have this fixed. You have been most helpful this far. I really appreciate. All the best with the doctor's appointment, and quick recovery if you are sick.

Lorien · Oct 18, 2010

I'm sorry it took so long to get back to you. Your were perfectly correct to PM me (though I hadn't forgotten) - and should do so in any forum you're in anytime this happens to you. Frankly, I was hoping someone would reply in the meantime, but that obviously didn't happen. BTW, the doctor was my annual checkup & Rx renewals (I have severe COPD to the point where I need to use an emergency inhaler just doing the stairs - if you smoke, take it from me, stop now).

First the good news. I've reviewed the SFC txt file and the "errors" there are normal and expected - so the system files appear clean. And your hard drive appears fine and clear of corruption.

Now the somewhat good news. The second event error you presented requires a fix that seems available. This article addresses the problem and provides the fix: Event ID 10 is logged in the Application log after you install Windows Vista Service Pack 1 or Windows Server 2008. Note the similarity between the error message in the article and the error message you posted - they're almost identical - so I believe this should work.

Now for the bad news. The first error event EVENT_FAIL_LOAD_CLASSES_HIVE Error 1542 had a fix in Windows XP: Download details: User Profile Hive Cleanup Service, but that fix doesn't apply to Vista (or W7) and I can find no fix for this error.

The only solution I can think of that may work (and this is merely a guess based on the fact that it is user-based) is to treat every user profile on you system as corrupt and change them. To fix this use http://windows.microsoft.com/en-AU/windows-vista/Fix-a-corrupted-user-profile on every user profile. Be sure to remove the obsolete profiles after you have transferred the information. I honestly don't know if this will help, but there is absolutely no other information available on fixing this error. Perhaps fixing the one error will solve the problem and this one will be of no consequence - but I doubt that sincerely.

If this doesn't resolve the problem, then we'll need to do a system repair/upgrade or maybe even a clean install, but let's hold off on those last resorts until we've exhausted all other possibilitites.

I hope this helps.

Good luck!

tmghendi · Oct 18, 2010

That did it! :D.

Creating the new user profile worked like a charm.

Thanks a lot Lorien. I'm most grateful.

Lorien · Oct 18, 2010

That's excellent news! I was desperately hoping that would work and, by golly, it did! I spent 3 hours working on this this morning and came up with nothing, but thought about the user profile change as I was posting and decided to add it just in case it would help - thank heavens I chose to include it. After so much effort by both of us, it's good to know that we did it and didn't need to re-install the system. It was my pleasure to be of assistance and I'm gratified to know that this problem is behind us because I was frankly running out of options. If that last post helped, please click on the middle button on the upper right of my post and add any comments you feel are appropriate.

Don't forget to close out the thread by clicking the far right triangular icon at the top of your post and typing "solved" in the box and submitting it. The moderators will notice and put a green check next to the thread title. That way others seeking answers by searching the forums will know that this thread contains a solution to the issue identified in the title - and people seeking to help will not waste time checking out this thread since it has been resolved.

And welcome to Vista Forums! Now that you know where we are, bookmark the site and post anytime you have further questions or problems or if you just want to browse and learn (especially the Tutorial section offers some excellent advice on a wide variety of topics) or even if you want to try to help answer a question if you happen to see one where you know the answer and it hasn't already been posted. While it most likely won't be me the next time (though it might), there are many very skilled, experienced, knowledgeable, and friendly people here who, like me, volunteer their time to help others and one or maybe even several will respond to your post to assist you. While there are other forums on the web that do this sort of thing, you've now found what I think is the best (and I've posted in and/or checked out quite a few) so don't lose this link - you never know when it might come in handy again. And while I have every expectation that we'll be able to answer your next question or solve your next problem, I sincerely hope it is much easier than this one was. LOL!

Good luck and best wishes.

Solved Cannot Start Applications

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