Windows Management Instrumentation... Missing or Moved

This last raised its head in these forums in 2004. I can't run System Information. Possibly linked to this, I can't run Microsoft (or Windows) Update (except through Windiz in Firefox). Sometimes System Information eventually does come up - but then with the message that Windows Management Instrumentation etc etc... To fix, I've stopped the Win Mgmt service. I've deleted the files in the folder C:\Windows\System32\Wbem\Repository and rebooted - no use. I've unregistered and reregistered WinMgmnt as suggested in Kellys Korner and these forums. No use.

This is really the continuation of the saga under http://www.windowsbbs.com/showthread.php?t=65299

But we've moved on a bit - to here. Laptop is almost working normally with Shell Hardware Detection Disabled. I suspect if I can just fix this, it may be a complete fix...
David

 

I have downloaded and run WMIDiag.vbs

Unfortunately I have absolutely no idea how to interpret the 137kb text file it produced. Any volunteers for interpreting the diagnostics log file, and, if so - how do I post it? Or where do I send it? (Don't all rush!)
David

 

Thanks Pete. I did see it - but in my rush to download the diagnostic tool I didn't scroll down to the end. The diagnostic tool does show some missing files. So I shall attempt the 'comprehensive' repair method, with my slipstreamed SP2 CD - here's hoping it works! I'll report back...
David

 

Still no luck. Tried all the methods for XP SP2 at http://windowsxp.mvps.org/repairwmi.htm

I wonder if there is an error in the third line to be entered in 'Re-registering the WMI components'. It reads

'for %i in (*.exe) do %i /RegServer'

I'm wondering if /RegServer should read /RegSvr32

Strange behaviour when run... reports Regserver.exe cannot be found.

Also throws up dialogs, one of which requires requires log-in. But I've never set a password for my Windows login.. I wonder if selecting 'treat as blank' would be better than selecting 'treat as null', the default?

 

Yes - comprehensive rebuild did not do the trick...

Re your latest reference... Mmmm - lot of stuff there - much disjointed and incomprehensible. I'll keep fiddling... Thanks anyway.

Will report back if I succeed, with how - otherwise I will stop taxing you.

Seems we might as well have been communicating via private messages, Pete. Have all the other gurus given up, moved on to gardening as a more fulfilling hobby?

You don't have to answer that!
David

 

LOL Hi David,

Don't know about the other "gurus ", gardening is fun - but so is this, so I keep plugging away at the BBS

Keep in mind that a lot of the senior people around here use drive imaging among other techniques and wouldn't let the situation deteriorate to the point that your OS apparently has gotton to.

"Other techniques" for one thing means OS only partitions, so re installing usually isn't the trauma that it is for so many others, and we tend to pay attention to the system more and spot any anomalies more quickly, and likely as not, know why.

Regards - Charles

 

LOL to you too, Charles!

On a more practical note - there are indications that I may not have sufficient permissions to successfully apply some of the WMI solutions, more hints from 'privileges' messages when running msconfig, and also the odd DCOM errors which show up under Event Viewer. Now, my question...

I'm the only person who uses my laptop, and my identity should have full administrator privileges, although it is a different identity from 'Administrator'. Also, I've never set any passwords for Windows logon. It's always possible that the guy who replaced my faulty hard drive (6 months old - that's LOL!) changed permissions - but I doubt it. So... without running any risk of locking myself out of the system all together - how can I check that I do, indeed, have full permissions to do anything the hell I like with my system?
David

 

Clicking on Change Account Type shows 'Administrator' radio button checked, 'Limited' greyed out, and the only option is to cancel. That implies to me that I already have Administrator privileges, which I should have... ? If so - why the odd insufficient privileges messages when I change stuff in msconfig? Not that the msconfig messages seem to actually stop me from doing anything, that I can determine...

Is there another way of checking/modifying privileges wrt DCOM and 'error 0x00080005' relating to 'opening namespace for object 1 defined on..' when running a DOS script for re-registering WMI stuff, etc?
David