MMC cannot open the file C:\WINDOWS\system32\dfrg.msc

[Guest Stroller]

[i've previously tried to post this a couple of time, but it doesn't seem to

have come through - I'm fairly sure the newsreader on my other machine is

playing up, but apologies if I'm mistaken & you see this twice]

 

 

Hi there,

 

I manage a small domain with an SBS 2003 server and a handful of PCs

running XP Professional SP2, all reasonably up-to-date using Windows

Update.

 

I have a shortcut to Disk Defragmenter on my desktop, which is the same

on all machines thanks to roaming profiles. It points to

"%SystemRoot%\system32\dfrg.msc"

 

When I'm at the server and click on the shortcut it works perfectly, but

when I do so at any of the XP machines it fails, giving the error:

 

MMC cannot open the file C:\WINDOWS\system32\dfrg.msc

 

This may be because the file does not exist, is not an MMC

console, or was created by a later version of MMC. This also

may be because you do not have sufficient access rights to the

file.

 

Pasting "%SystemRoot%\system32\dfrg.msc" into Start > Run or a DOS box

produces the same thing.

 

The file is there, and if I right-click on it I can see that

Administrators (of which I am one) have "Full Control" (read, write,

execute) rights to it.

 

If I just type "%SystemRoot%\system32\" into the Run box the

"C:\WINDOWS\system32\" folder opens, indicating that "%SystemRoot%\" is

being resolved correctly. I can find "dfrg.msc" in that folder &

double-click on it. The same error.

 

Starting from Accessories > System Tools gives the same thing.

 

I have tried running `regsvr32 dfrgsnap.dll` & `regsvr32 dfrgui.dll` to

no avail - they say they've completed successfully, but make no

difference. (To be honest, I don't know if they should, but when

searching I found it suggested to reregister these DLLs, so gave it a

go). I have also tried right-clicking on dfrg.inf, right-clicking &

choosing install - that helps none, either.

 

This thread <http://tinyurl.com/2cjhp8> suggests Doug Knox's .MSC file

association fix and also <http://tinyurl.com/yoho6b> reregistering

msxml3.dll. Neither help.

 

This seems to cover just about every suggestion I can find dealing with

this problem, although if you can find or think of other things to try

then I would love to hear them. I was kinda at my wits' end over this,

until I discovered that the defragmentation pane IS available if I

right-click on My Computer and choose "Manage". So I can defrag the

computers, but it makes no sense at all to me why it works from

"Computer Management" but not by other methods - curiosity and the

desire not to suffer any bugs on my computers drives me to try to

resolve this nonetheless.

 

Stroller.

[Guest Jim Behning SBS MVP]

Re: MMC cannot open the file C:\WINDOWS\system32\dfrg.msc

 

Why not do a new desktop shortcut to dfrg.msc? None of the other

nonsense. I don't know the answer is different with roaming profiles.

 

On Tue, 29 Jan 2008 13:06:37 +0000, Stroller <stroller@bigfoot.com>

wrote:

>[i've previously tried to post this a couple of time, but it doesn't seem to

>have come through - I'm fairly sure the newsreader on my other machine is

>playing up, but apologies if I'm mistaken & you see this twice]

>

>

>Hi there,

>

>I manage a small domain with an SBS 2003 server and a handful of PCs

>running XP Professional SP2, all reasonably up-to-date using Windows

>Update.

>

>I have a shortcut to Disk Defragmenter on my desktop, which is the same

>on all machines thanks to roaming profiles. It points to

>"%SystemRoot%\system32\dfrg.msc"

>

>When I'm at the server and click on the shortcut it works perfectly, but

>when I do so at any of the XP machines it fails, giving the error:

>

> MMC cannot open the file C:\WINDOWS\system32\dfrg.msc

>

> This may be because the file does not exist, is not an MMC

> console, or was created by a later version of MMC. This also

> may be because you do not have sufficient access rights to the

> file.

>

>Pasting "%SystemRoot%\system32\dfrg.msc" into Start > Run or a DOS box

>produces the same thing.

>

>The file is there, and if I right-click on it I can see that

>Administrators (of which I am one) have "Full Control" (read, write,

>execute) rights to it.

>

>If I just type "%SystemRoot%\system32\" into the Run box the

>"C:\WINDOWS\system32\" folder opens, indicating that "%SystemRoot%\" is

>being resolved correctly. I can find "dfrg.msc" in that folder &

>double-click on it. The same error.

>

>Starting from Accessories > System Tools gives the same thing.

>

>I have tried running `regsvr32 dfrgsnap.dll` & `regsvr32 dfrgui.dll` to

>no avail - they say they've completed successfully, but make no

>difference. (To be honest, I don't know if they should, but when

>searching I found it suggested to reregister these DLLs, so gave it a

>go). I have also tried right-clicking on dfrg.inf, right-clicking &

>choosing install - that helps none, either.

>

>This thread <http://tinyurl.com/2cjhp8> suggests Doug Knox's .MSC file

>association fix and also <http://tinyurl.com/yoho6b> reregistering

>msxml3.dll. Neither help.

>

>This seems to cover just about every suggestion I can find dealing with

>this problem, although if you can find or think of other things to try

>then I would love to hear them. I was kinda at my wits' end over this,

>until I discovered that the defragmentation pane IS available if I

>right-click on My Computer and choose "Manage". So I can defrag the

>computers, but it makes no sense at all to me why it works from

>"Computer Management" but not by other methods - curiosity and the

>desire not to suffer any bugs on my computers drives me to try to

>resolve this nonetheless.

>

>Stroller.

[Guest Stroller]

Re: MMC cannot open the file C:\WINDOWS\system32\dfrg.msc

 

Bearing in mind the information given below, what do you suggest as a

target for that new shorcut?

 

I am indeed using roaming profiles - this is mentioned in the original post,

albeit incidentally.

 

Stroller.

 

Jim Behning SBS MVP wrote:

>

> Why not do a new desktop shortcut to dfrg.msc? None of the other

> nonsense. I don't know the answer is different with roaming profiles.

>

> On Tue, 29 Jan 2008 13:06:37 +0000, Stroller <stroller@bigfoot.com>

> wrote:

> ...

>>

>>Pasting "%SystemRoot%\system32\dfrg.msc" into Start > Run or a DOS box

>>produces the same thing.

>>...

>>Starting from Accessories > System Tools gives the same [problem].

[Guest Ramesh, MS-MVP]

Re: MMC cannot open the file C:\WINDOWS\system32\dfrg.msc

 

Does this help?

 

You receive a "Cannot open <Snap-in Name>" error message when you try to start MMC on a Windows XP-based computer:

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/326574

 

--

Regards,

 

Ramesh Srinivasan, Microsoft MVP [Windows Shell/User]

Windows® Troubleshooting http://www.winhelponline.com

 

 

"Stroller" <stroller@bigfoot.com> wrote in message news:N9adnTMGCaJ4uALanZ2dnUVZ8qeknZ2d@eclipse.net.uk...

[i've previously tried to post this a couple of time, but it doesn't seem to

have come through - I'm fairly sure the newsreader on my other machine is

playing up, but apologies if I'm mistaken & you see this twice]

 

 

Hi there,

 

I manage a small domain with an SBS 2003 server and a handful of PCs

running XP Professional SP2, all reasonably up-to-date using Windows

Update.

 

I have a shortcut to Disk Defragmenter on my desktop, which is the same

on all machines thanks to roaming profiles. It points to

"%SystemRoot%\system32\dfrg.msc"

 

When I'm at the server and click on the shortcut it works perfectly, but

when I do so at any of the XP machines it fails, giving the error:

 

MMC cannot open the file C:\WINDOWS\system32\dfrg.msc

 

This may be because the file does not exist, is not an MMC

console, or was created by a later version of MMC. This also

may be because you do not have sufficient access rights to the

file.

 

Pasting "%SystemRoot%\system32\dfrg.msc" into Start > Run or a DOS box

produces the same thing.

 

The file is there, and if I right-click on it I can see that

Administrators (of which I am one) have "Full Control" (read, write,

execute) rights to it.

 

If I just type "%SystemRoot%\system32\" into the Run box the

"C:\WINDOWS\system32\" folder opens, indicating that "%SystemRoot%\" is

being resolved correctly. I can find "dfrg.msc" in that folder &

double-click on it. The same error.

 

Starting from Accessories > System Tools gives the same thing.

 

I have tried running `regsvr32 dfrgsnap.dll` & `regsvr32 dfrgui.dll` to

no avail - they say they've completed successfully, but make no

difference. (To be honest, I don't know if they should, but when

searching I found it suggested to reregister these DLLs, so gave it a

go). I have also tried right-clicking on dfrg.inf, right-clicking &

choosing install - that helps none, either.

 

This thread <http://tinyurl.com/2cjhp8> suggests Doug Knox's .MSC file

association fix and also <http://tinyurl.com/yoho6b> reregistering

msxml3.dll. Neither help.

 

This seems to cover just about every suggestion I can find dealing with

this problem, although if you can find or think of other things to try

then I would love to hear them. I was kinda at my wits' end over this,

until I discovered that the defragmentation pane IS available if I

right-click on My Computer and choose "Manage". So I can defrag the

computers, but it makes no sense at all to me why it works from

"Computer Management" but not by other methods - curiosity and the

desire not to suffer any bugs on my computers drives me to try to

resolve this nonetheless.

 

Stroller.

[Guest Steve Foster [SBS MVP]]

Re: MMC cannot open the file C:\WINDOWS\system32\dfrg.msc

 

Stroller wrote:

>[i've previously tried to post this a couple of time, but it doesn't seem

>to

>have come through - I'm fairly sure the newsreader on my other machine is

>playing up, but apologies if I'm mistaken & you see this twice]

>

>

>Hi there,

>

>I manage a small domain with an SBS 2003 server and a handful of PCs

>running XP Professional SP2, all reasonably up-to-date using Windows

>Update.

>

>I have a shortcut to Disk Defragmenter on my desktop, which is the same

>on all machines thanks to roaming profiles. It points to

>"%SystemRoot%\system32\dfrg.msc"

>

>When I'm at the server and click on the shortcut it works perfectly, but

>when I do so at any of the XP machines it fails, giving the error:

>

> MMC cannot open the file C:\WINDOWS\system32\dfrg.msc

>

> This may be because the file does not exist, is not an MMC

> console, or was created by a later version of MMC. This also

> may be because you do not have sufficient access rights to the

> file.

 

What happens if you create a new .MSC file for Defragmenter, by running

"MMC /a", adding the Disk Defragmenter Snap-In and saving that?

 

Is it possible that the local dfrg.msc files are being copied from the

server? SBS is likely to be running MMC v3, XP only has MMC v2, so if the

..MSC file has been updated from the server, you would expect to get

"...later version of MMC" errors.

 

--

Steve Foster [sBS MVP]

---------------------------------------

MVPs do not work for Microsoft. Please reply only to the newsgroups.

[Guest Jim Behning SBS MVP]

Re: MMC cannot open the file C:\WINDOWS\system32\dfrg.msc

 

What I do is right click desktop and choose new shortcut. In the

whitebox I type dfrg.msc and next. I type dfrg.msc at the next page

and I am done. If you can type dfrg.msc in the run box and it works

there is no need to do anything else when you make a shortcut.

 

Are you saying when you type dfrg.msc in the run box it does not run?

If so then you need to focus on that. I make shortcuts often enough

where all I type in the shortcut is the name of the msc. If I missed

the question it would not be the first time.

 

 

 

On Tue, 29 Jan 2008 14:25:34 +0000, Stroller <stroller@bigfoot.com>

wrote:

>Bearing in mind the information given below, what do you suggest as a

>target for that new shorcut?

>

>I am indeed using roaming profiles - this is mentioned in the original post,

>albeit incidentally.

>

>Stroller.

>

>Jim Behning SBS MVP wrote:

>>

>> Why not do a new desktop shortcut to dfrg.msc? None of the other

>> nonsense. I don't know the answer is different with roaming profiles.

>>

>> On Tue, 29 Jan 2008 13:06:37 +0000, Stroller <stroller@bigfoot.com>

>> wrote:

>> ...

>>>

>>>Pasting "%SystemRoot%\system32\dfrg.msc" into Start > Run or a DOS box

>>>produces the same thing.

>>>...

>>>Starting from Accessories > System Tools gives the same [problem].

[Guest Stroller]

Re: MMC cannot open the file C:\WINDOWS\system32\dfrg.msc

 

Hi, Steve.

 

Thanks for your help.

 

Steve Foster [sBS MVP] wrote:

....

>>When I'm at the server and click on the shortcut it works perfectly, but

>>when I do so at any of the XP machines it fails, giving the error:

>>

>> MMC cannot open the file C:\WINDOWS\system32\dfrg.msc

>>

>> This may be because the file does not exist, is not an MMC

>> console, or was created by a later version of MMC. This also

>> may be because you do not have sufficient access rights to the

>> file.

>

> What happens if you create a new .MSC file for Defragmenter, by running

> "MMC /a", adding the Disk Defragmenter Snap-In and saving that?

 

That works perfectly. It took some fiddling around with the view options to

get my new view of Disk Defragmenter to look just like the standard one,

but now it is so.

 

I'm still somewhat confused as to the cause of this glitch, but I think I

now have a slightly better idea of what .mmc files are now, and the whole

concept of that console, so at least I've learned something. ;)

> Is it possible that the local dfrg.msc files are being copied from the

> server? SBS is likely to be running MMC v3, XP only has MMC v2, so if the

> .MSC file has been updated from the server, you would expect to get

> "...later version of MMC" errors.

 

I don't see how. I can't think of any opportunity for them to be copied

across from the server. The only files that are shared from there are the

usual soft of documentsy stuff.

 

Right-clicking on the problem dfrg.msc and choosing properties does not (of

course!) show any version information.

 

Many thanks for this suggestion. It kinda bugs me not knowing why this has

manifested itself - does it indicate that the rest of my systems are just

about to fall apart completely? ;) - but now I can click on my desktop

defrag shortcut and it works.

 

Stroller.

[Guest VanguardLH]

Re: MMC cannot open the file C:\WINDOWS\system32\dfrg.msc

 

"Stroller" wrote in message

news:N9adnTMGCaJ4uALanZ2dnUVZ8qeknZ2d@eclipse.net.uk...

>

> I have a shortcut to Disk Defragmenter on my desktop, which is the

> same

> on all machines thanks to roaming profiles. It points to

> "%SystemRoot%\system32\dfrg.msc"

>

> When I'm at the server and click on the shortcut it works perfectly,

> but

> when I do so at any of the XP machines it fails, giving the error:

>

> MMC cannot open the file C:\WINDOWS\system32\dfrg.msc

>

> This may be because the file does not exist, is not an MMC

> console, or was created by a later version of MMC. This also

> may be because you do not have sufficient access rights to the

> file.

>

> Pasting "%SystemRoot%\system32\dfrg.msc" into Start > Run or a DOS

> box

> produces the same thing.

>

> The file is there, and if I right-click on it I can see that

> Administrators (of which I am one) have "Full Control" (read, write,

> execute) rights to it.

>

> If I just type "%SystemRoot%\system32\" into the Run box the

> "C:\WINDOWS\system32\" folder opens, indicating that "%SystemRoot%\"

> is

> being resolved correctly. I can find "dfrg.msc" in that folder &

> double-click on it. The same error.

>

> Starting from Accessories > System Tools gives the same thing.

>

> I have tried running `regsvr32 dfrgsnap.dll` & `regsvr32 dfrgui.dll`

> to

> no avail - they say they've completed successfully, but make no

> difference. (To be honest, I don't know if they should, but when

> searching I found it suggested to reregister these DLLs, so gave it

> a

> go). I have also tried right-clicking on dfrg.inf, right-clicking &

> choosing install - that helps none, either.

>

> This thread <http://tinyurl.com/2cjhp8> suggests Doug Knox's .MSC

> file

> association fix and also <http://tinyurl.com/yoho6b> reregistering

> msxml3.dll. Neither help.

>

> This seems to cover just about every suggestion I can find dealing

> with

> this problem, although if you can find or think of other things to

> try

> then I would love to hear them. I was kinda at my wits' end over

> this,

> until I discovered that the defragmentation pane IS available if I

> right-click on My Computer and choose "Manage". So I can defrag the

> computers, but it makes no sense at all to me why it works from

> "Computer Management" but not by other methods - curiosity and the

> desire not to suffer any bugs on my computers drives me to try to

> resolve this nonetheless.

 

 

Run mmc.exe. Use File -> Add Snap-In. Then click Add to see if the

Windows Defragmenter is listed - or some other defrag utility. Maybe

you installed Diskeeper [Lite] which usurps the MMC registry entry and

then uninstalled it but it didn't correctly reinstate the original

value.

 

Do you know if all the users have sufficient permissions on the

dfrg.msc file? Are they admin-level users (even if in a domain they

might have to be special "admin" users but only for their own host and

nowhere else)? You are a full administrator on your own host but are

THEY also admin-level users on their own hosts (when logged under your

domain)?

[Guest keith.uk]

Re: MMC cannot open the file C:\WINDOWS\system32\dfrg.msc

 

 

I had same problem with this now sorted and working ok if you have had

windows xp service pack 3 on and took it off thats why put it back on

then it will work :)

[Guest PD43]

Re: MMC cannot open the file C:\WINDOWS\system32\dfrg.msc

 

keith.uk <keith.uk.3aw5ue@no.email.invalid> wrote:

>

>I had same problem with this now sorted and working ok if you have had

>windows xp service pack 3 on and took it off thats why put it back on

>then it will work :)

 

You are replying to a SIX-MONTH-OLD post, moron.