XP Message on Start Up

Hi, I have an:- Acer Aspire one D260-A | CPU Intel Atom Processor N450 (1.66GHz, 512 cache) | 1GB memory | 160 GB Hard Drive | running MS Windows XP Home SP3. The machine is about three months old. When ever I boot the machine and logged in (with administrator privileges, or limited user), I get the following message:- Windows XP Setup: Please go to the control panel to install and configure components - I've attached a screen grab of the message. 📎XP_SU_Message.JPG This happened after I had some issues with my machine and ran ccleaner registry fix. The issues with my machine have now been rectified courtesy of the guys at forums Spybot who have recommended you guys here. Any help you can give on how I might sort the machine so the message goes away would be welcome. Thanks

Hi, Sorry to hear of the problem with your machine.
Here's the link that specialists here may need to see what happened when Ken got rid of the nasty infecxtions on your machine.
http://forums.spybot.info/showthread.php?t=61086
This could be a difficulty caused by using the automated registry cleaner…..
1 Did you make a back up of your Regisry either using Erunt or Ccleaner's own built in back up facility before you made the changes in your Registry?
Note its important that you DO NOT use a registry back up without advice as its just possible you could reintroduce the infections, if you do so, but just please let us know if you can locate the back up…… we will then consult Ken for his views and get back to you.

In the meantime we will try and tackle this issue from a different direction.
Please do this:
1 Make sure that hidden files and folders are showing in your XP set up
see here for how to do this;
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/using/h…iddenfiles.mspx
2 access the root of your your C drive (C:\) and see if you can locate an autorun.inf file or anything with autorun in it…… don't take any action just let us know if you can find one and post back with its full name.
Regards
paws

Hi Paws, Many thanks for the quick response. I didn't make a back up before using ccleaner. I used ERUNT before Ken cleaned my machine but as part of the clean up process I have deleted all previous restore points because there were infections in them (if that makes sense). I have run a search on my C:\ for 'autorun', (I used the generic search facility) here are the results:- 📎autorun.JPG Thanks for your help so far, it's much appreciated! TW

Hi, Ok,
See if you can find an autorun.inf file in the Root of your Hard drive….
Don't use the search facility, navigate to C:\ and look for autorun.inf
Let me know if you find it.
If at any time you have run Flash Disinfector then please also let me know
Note you may have file extentions hidden…. (XP does this by default) for this work please turn them on;
Here's how:
1 Double Click on My Computer
2 Look at the Menu's and Click on Tools > Folder Options
3 Click on View tab.
3 Uncheck/ untick/clear the mark from "Hide extensions for known file types"
4 Click OK.
Regards
paws

Hi Paws, I haven't run Flas Disinfector. I have looked in C:\ and there are no files with autrun in there, just 13 folders and two files, do I need to look in any of the folders in the C:\ drive? Thanks TW

hi there Cronus,

I have looked in C:\ and there are no files with autrun in there, just 13 folders and two files, do I need to look in any of the folders in the C:\ drive?

Looking manualy would take forever

Navigate to and open your System root folder.

Open "run" and enter cmd
At the command prompt copy and paste dir /s autorun .inf

This command will search through all subdirectories for a file that matches that file name.

Cheers,
Lee

Hi Lee, I ran the command as you suggested and the response was file not found! Any other ideas? Thanks. TW

@Lee, The directions you gave will start looking at the \documents and settings\{current use} folder. I think paws is only interested to know if it exists at the root.

@Lee,

The directions you gave will start looking at the \documents and settings\{current use} folder. I think paws is only interested to know if it exists at the root.

Hi, that's what it did, it only looked in the documents and settings for that user, tbh I'm not sure what the root is - is that literally C:\? In which case it's not there.

Thanks

TW

@Lee,

The directions you gave will start looking at the \documents and settings\{current use} folder. I think paws is only interested to know if it exists at the root.

Hi, that's what it did, it only looked in the documents and settings for that user, tbh I'm not sure what the root is - is that literally C:\? In which case it's not there.

Thanks

TW

That is correct. It is not a surprise that it isn't there. Paws just needed to know in case it was.

Hi, Ok,
Thanks for completing those items.
Before we do the next steps I want you to do 2 further things:
1 You already have Erunt on your machine, please run it and create a back up of your Registry
2 I also want you to make a new System Restore Point
Please post back if you need directions on how to do either of these steps:
next:

1 Click on Start
2 Click on run
3 Type in the white box
4 Regedit
5 click on OK

Navigate to the following:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE/Software/Microsoft/Windows/CurrentVersion/App Paths/setup.exe
If setup.exe (on the right hand pane) exists then right click on setup.exe and delete it.
If it's not there then post back for further instructions.
IMPORTANT proceed cautiously, double check everything, do not make a mistake, and only delete the setup.exe entry on the right pane, leave everything else alone.
6 When this has been done Click on File and then exit and the Registry editor will close.
Reboot (Close down and then restart your machine)

Are things better?
Regards
paws

Hi Paws, Thanks for thew reply. I followed the instructions, but no setup.exe in the right hand pain, just the left as in the screen grab. As it was in the left hand side I've left it there. 📎setup.JPG Ready and waiting… Thanks TW

After a bit of research, this pop-up features in a lot of problem situations. It's not specific. It quite often happens after an install of a game or some obscure program or feature. The usual zeroed in problem culprit (opinion) is an Autorun being where it shouldn't be. It looks like that is not the case in your present predicament.. Is there a program or game you have installed recently? Have you tried a System Restore to before this problem started? Cheers, Lee

Hi, Ok Next delete the setup.exe in the left hand panel (right click it and select delete) accept the warning Reboot your computer Any better? If you encounter serious system instability following the reboot then restore your Registry backed up previously (Erunt) then reboot again Regards paws

Hi, Ok
Next delete the setup.exe in the left hand panel (right click it and select delete)
accept the warning
Reboot your computer
Any better?
If you encounter serious system instability following the reboot then restore your Registry backed up previously (Erunt) then reboot again
Regards
paws

Hi Paws,

I have done as instructed but the message was still there once I rebooted the machine, no stability issues though. Anything else we can try?

@Lee, no new software or games have been loaded, issue occurred once I'd run ccleaner registry fix in a failed attempt to get rid of defragmenter which has now gone thanks to SS&D.

Thanks

TW