Troubleshooting in Safe Mode

[Guest Jiimy Jay]

I'm running XP Pro and each time I launch Rossetta Stone I get the message

Macromedia Projector has encountered a problem and needs to close. After

following all the suggestions from their tech support I still have the

problem. I even encounter this error when I boot in safe mode. The

interesting thing is that I have 2 copies of XP loaded on my computer. The

other version I boot up to when I want to play video games. This version of

XP does not have stuff such as Virus protection, startup progams, etc. Its

just barebones to give me the most amount of memory free to play games. I

installed Rosetta Stone on this version of XP and it boots up fine, even in

Safe mode. So, my impression of safe mode is that it is a minimal loading of

just essential drivers should be my starting point for figuring out the

conflict I'm having. How can I compare the safe mode startup configurations

of the two versions of XP to find out where my Macromedia conflict might be?

thanks for your input.

[Guest Bert Kinney]

Re: Troubleshooting in Safe Mode

 

Hi,

 

You could perform a clean boot on the problem OS to troubleshoot.

 

How to perform a clean boot in Windows XP

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/310353

 

How to perform advanced clean-boot troubleshooting in Windows XP

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/316434

 

How to troubleshoot by using the System Configuration utility in Windows XP

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/310560

 

Regards,

Bert Kinney MS-MVP Shell/User

http://bertk.mvps.org

Member: http://dts-l.org

 

 

Jiimy Jay wrote:

> I'm running XP Pro and each time I launch Rossetta Stone I get the message

> Macromedia Projector has encountered a problem and needs to close. After

> following all the suggestions from their tech support I still have the

> problem. I even encounter this error when I boot in safe mode. The

> interesting thing is that I have 2 copies of XP loaded on my computer. The

> other version I boot up to when I want to play video games. This version of

> XP does not have stuff such as Virus protection, startup progams, etc. Its

> just barebones to give me the most amount of memory free to play games. I

> installed Rosetta Stone on this version of XP and it boots up fine, even in

> Safe mode. So, my impression of safe mode is that it is a minimal loading of

> just essential drivers should be my starting point for figuring out the

> conflict I'm having. How can I compare the safe mode startup configurations

> of the two versions of XP to find out where my Macromedia conflict might be?

> thanks for your input.

[Guest cquirke (MVP Windows shell/user)]

Re: Troubleshooting in Safe Mode

 

On Sun, 08 Jul 2007 09:37:46 -0400, Bert Kinney <bert@NSmvps.org>

>You could perform a clean boot on the problem OS to troubleshoot.

>How to perform a clean boot in Windows XP

>http://support.microsoft.com/kb/310353

>How to perform advanced clean-boot troubleshooting in Windows XP

>http://support.microsoft.com/kb/316434

>How to troubleshoot by using the System Configuration utility in Windows XP

>http://support.microsoft.com/kb/310560

 

These are great for this state chart...

 

OK Safe Mode

Fail Normal Boot

 

....but less so for this one:

 

Fail Safe Mode

Fail Normal Boot

 

If Safe fails, then whatever's integrated (or otherwise causing

problems, such as "DLL hell", settings, corruption or infection within

code files, etc.) is still present in Safe Mode.

 

Try Safe Mode Command Prompt Only, and run your application from the

command prompt, without running the shell. If that works, then it's

something integrated into the shell, i.e. Windows Explorer +- IE. You

can use the following tools to pin that down:

- IE, Tools, Options, Programs, Add-Ins

- Nirsoft's Shell Extensions Viewer

- Nirsoft's Multimedia Manager

 

Get Nirsoft's free tools from http://www.nirsoft.net (not the .com squatter!)

 

If no joy, consider services and drivers, and compare the "old" (i.e.

not updated after installation) files that make up the app and <ahem>

relevant code. The command line FC tool is good for that.

 

If you find a code file that has the same version tab in Properties,

but fails FC (i.e. the one from one installation is not the same as

the other) then make backup copies of both, and swap them.

 

You may want to scan for malware, from the "fresh" installation in

Safe Cmd Only, perhaps. Also; how are the two installations hidden

from each other? MS is weak on that separation...

 

 

>------------------------- ---- --- -- - - - -

I'm on a ten-year lunch break

>------------------------- ---- --- -- - - - -

[Guest Bert Kinney]

Re: Troubleshooting in Safe Mode

 

 

 

cquirke (MVP Windows shell/user) wrote:

> On Sun, 08 Jul 2007 09:37:46 -0400, Bert Kinney <bert@NSmvps.org>

>

>> You could perform a clean boot on the problem OS to troubleshoot.

>

>> How to perform a clean boot in Windows XP

>> http://support.microsoft.com/kb/310353

>

>> How to perform advanced clean-boot troubleshooting in Windows XP

>> http://support.microsoft.com/kb/316434

>

>> How to troubleshoot by using the System Configuration utility in Windows XP

>> http://support.microsoft.com/kb/310560

>

> These are great for this state chart...

>

> OK Safe Mode

> Fail Normal Boot

>

> ...but less so for this one:

>

> Fail Safe Mode

> Fail Normal Boot

>

> If Safe fails, then whatever's integrated (or otherwise causing

> problems, such as "DLL hell", settings, corruption or infection within

> code files, etc.) is still present in Safe Mode.

>

> Try Safe Mode Command Prompt Only, and run your application from the

> command prompt, without running the shell. If that works, then it's

> something integrated into the shell, i.e. Windows Explorer +- IE. You

> can use the following tools to pin that down:

> - IE, Tools, Options, Programs, Add-Ins

> - Nirsoft's Shell Extensions Viewer

> - Nirsoft's Multimedia Manager

>

> Get Nirsoft's free tools from http://www.nirsoft.net (not the .com squatter!)

>

> If no joy, consider services and drivers, and compare the "old" (i.e.

> not updated after installation) files that make up the app and <ahem>

> relevant code. The command line FC tool is good for that.

>

> If you find a code file that has the same version tab in Properties,

> but fails FC (i.e. the one from one installation is not the same as

> the other) then make backup copies of both, and swap them.

>

> You may want to scan for malware, from the "fresh" installation in

> Safe Cmd Only, perhaps. Also; how are the two installations hidden

> from each other? MS is weak on that separation...

 

Good next step(s) Chris.