Need to disable trustedinstaller from command prompt

How can I defeat Trustedinstaller so I can run sfc/scannow? I get the "Windows Resource Protection could not start the repair service". I will probably also need it defeated while I replace corrupted/missing system files.
I have a crippled Vista machine and a running one with an older Vista installed that I intend to use as a donor for replacement files. When I first started poking around in the crippled one there were two or three restore points saved. I restored the oldest one which was about 7 months old. I was able to run sfc/scannow after that. (I didn't try before that.) After some more poking around I decided to restore to a later restore point, about 3 months old. Now scannow doesn't work.

Before the last system restore I saved a system32 directory list (just the root--no subdirectory breakout) to a text file. Comparing it to the directory now, I have exactly the same number of files and subdirectories and the same total size of files, but I now have about 5 Gb less free space on the C:\ drive. I can't account for the extra stuff. I'm not sure exactly how restore works, whether it can restore windows update files contained in the Softwaredistribution\downloads dir. There would be more stuff in there at a later date, but in order for the net change in hard drive space to occur the extra files would have had to have been compressed more than they were when downloaded. Seems far-fetched to me. I did load some files between restore events: a Toshiba value added package that is less than 50 Mb and tsetup.exe that is only 1 Kb. (The Tvap failed to install due to insufficient space on the X:\ drive.)
I've done very little registry editing before, but I'm guessing that is the way to do it when I have only the command prompt (Administrator) to work with.

Are there arguments that can be put after Trustedinstaller on the command line? When I just type "Trustedinstaller" at the C:\windows\servicing prompt and RETURN, I do not get an error, but I get no indication that anything happened. If I try it from another directory I get the "not recognized" error.

I haven't mentioned yet that the restore points are all gone and since I did them from safe mode I can't undo the last one--or so I'm told. Does "can't" mean "impossible" or just "very difficult"?

Take a look at this and see if it helps- Windows trusted installer denying access to files - Microsoft Answers

I saw that one before I posted. There are at least two reasons why I can't use that fix:

1) I have only the command prompt to work with (see title of my post).

2) That fix presumes that I would know which files I needed to work on in advance of the scan unless I changed the properties of all the system files, one by one, in advance. That would be very tedious--hundreds of files. (I'm not even allowed to do the verify only option which doesn't make changes to files so I think trustedinstaller would still be in the way even after unprotecting all the system files.)


Meanwhile I've still been pondering why I have 5 Gb less space after the last recovery. Five gig might be about right for a saved backup system. I have no idea what subdirectory would be used for that.

I see now what you said but got the feeling that you can get to safe mode. If so, you could also try the last good known configuration. Just a long shot.

The reference I made said you could apply it to the hard drive. I don't know if that would work.

What exactly does "crippled" mean?

"Crippled" refers to the crippled state of the operating system. It won't load completely so it leaves me with the recovery menu which includes the command prompt option.

Alternatetively, I can boot live Linux from either the USB or DVD.

I've read your posts several times. I still don't know if you can get into Safe Mode.

Microsoft sometimes calls the RAM disk X:\ drive recovery mode, "safe mode". I'm just using their terminology. Since I've blown all my options for System Restore, when I try to do it again I get the error/warning "cannot undo restore from safe mode" or something like that.

That's strange. I've been able to go back to a earlier restore point after I've done a restore.

I apologize because I didn't go back and look at this whole thread. If I remember, you said you could go back to a 7 month old restore point. I've never been able to go back more than a few weeks. If I do, it says it couldn't do it and that the system wasn't changed.

I think he means that a point was made in safe mode and he cannot go back. That is one shortcoming of System Restore.

Thanks RichC46.

When I had the older Norton Utilities, they had a Go Back feature that came up during the POST. It worked like a charm.