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Thread: I'm missing a Registration Key used to help install programs

  1. #1
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    I'm missing a Registration Key used to help install programs

    I'm kinda lost in the action of fixing my registration in order to install a new program. The infamous "Error 1606, could not access allusers...etc" was a problem, and I needed to fix the registration to solve the problem. In doing so, I followed an official Microsoft response http://support.microsoft.com/default...en-us%3B315352 although the registration key

    Common Administrative Tools

    wasn't in the library.

    Would it be by any chance my computer, or a corrupted tutorial to fixing a unique problem?

    -any help will be appreciated, i've considered creating a key? but, im not willing to take that chance

    -thx.
    .

  2. #2
    AO Veteran NeuTron's Avatar
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    Is it just me being stupid or does this post make absolutely zero sense?

  3. #3
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    Let me tell u somthin right diddy

    Format, reinstall, ...Repeat.


    Formating solves ALL :

  4. #4
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    Ok so your missing a registry key? By it isn't in the library do you mean that Common Administrative Tools isn't a key in your registry? As far as how infamous this error is, it's the first I've heard of it but maybe it's more common than I think. And you also mention it says "could not access allusers..", but on the website it says could not access network <Common Administrative Tools>. So if you aren't getting that error then it might not be that problem. Are you using WinXP or Win2K? Because in Win2K that's not an issue, so it may be a different issue all together.

    And you could always try to just add the key..
    Reality is the one who has it wrong, not you

  5. #5
    Senior Member nihil's Avatar
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    I think Pecosian has hit the nail on the head. What OS are you using?......the MS article is specifically for Win XP Home & Pro.

    If you are using Win2k you will NOT find "common administrative tools" in "User Shell Folders". Instead there is an "Administration Tools" entry in "Shell Folders"

    As your problem seems to be with installing software, I wonder if it may be as simple as the user profile you are logging on as, does not have local administration rights ? If this is the case, administrative tools will not be loaded when you logon. I must admit I would have expected an authorisation error message, rather than 1606, but you don't always get what you expect with Microsoft

    You do not say if your machine is on a network or stand alone? If it is on a network, I would talk to your administrator, and get them to set you up with local admin rights. If it is stand alone, make sure you log on as administrator, or a different member of the administrator workgroup. If you already have admin rights, please try another admin profile (if you have one) as it could be that your user profile is corrupted, and all you have to do is create a new one.

    Hope this is of some help

    I think Pecosian has hit the nail on the head. What OS are you using?......the MS article is specifically for Win XP Home & Pro.

    If you are using Win2k you will NOT find "common administrative tools" in "User Shell Folders". Instead there is an "Administration Tools" entry in "Shell Folders"

    As your problem seems to be with installing software, I wonder if it may be as simple as the user profile you are logging on as, does not have local administration rights ? If this is the case, administrative tools will not be loaded when you logon. I must admit I would have expected an authorisation error message, rather than 1606, but you don't always get what you expect with Microsoft

    You do not say if your machine is on a network or stand alone? If it is on a network, I would talk to your administrator, and get them to set you up with local admin rights. If it is stand alone, make sure you log on as administrator, or a different member of the administrator workgroup. If you already have admin rights, please try another admin profile (if you have one) as it could be that your user profile is corrupted, and all you have to do is create a new one.

    Hope this is of some help

    I think Pecosian has hit the nail on the head. What OS are you using?......the MS article is specifically for Win XP Home & Pro.

    If you are using Win2k you will NOT find "common administrative tools" in "User Shell Folders". Instead there is an "Administration Tools" entry in "Shell Folders"

    As your problem seems to be with installing software, I wonder if it may be as simple as the user profile you are logging on as, does not have local administration rights ? If this is the case, administrative tools will not be loaded when you logon. I must admit I would have expected an authorisation error message, rather than 1606, but you don't always get what you expect with Microsoft

    You do not say if your machine is on a network or stand alone? If it is on a network, I would talk to your administrator, and get them to set you up with local admin rights. If it is stand alone, make sure you log on as administrator, or a different member of the administrator workgroup. If you already have admin rights, please try another admin profile (if you have one) as it could be that your user profile is corrupted, and all you have to do is create a new one.

    Hope this is of some help

  6. #6
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    "Is it just me being stupid or does this post make absolutely zero sense?"
    I can't explain things very well, sorry...

    "Let me tell u somthin right diddy

    Format, reinstall, ...Repeat.


    Formating solves ALL :"
    I wouldn't bother to reformat the computer since it's an error Windows XP itself caused...
    (It would still be there even if I reformatted...)

    "Ok so your missing a registry key? By it isn't in the library do you mean that Common Administrative Tools isn't a key in your registry? As far as how infamous this error is, it's the first I've heard of it but maybe it's more common than I think. And you also mention it says "could not access allusers..", but on the website it says could not access network <Common Administrative Tools>. So if you aren't getting that error then it might not be that problem. Are you using WinXP or Win2K? Because in Win2K that's not an issue, so it may be a different issue all together.

    And you could always try to just add the key.."
    I'm using " Windows XP - Professional " as an operating system. A couple people suffer the same problem when trying to install NAV, and other programs...

    I think Pecosian has hit the nail on the head. What OS are you using?......the MS article is specifically for Win XP Home & Pro.

    If you are using Win2k you will NOT find "common administrative tools" in "User Shell Folders". Instead there is an "Administration Tools" entry in "Shell Folders"

    As your problem seems to be with installing software, I wonder if it may be as simple as the user profile you are logging on as, does not have local administration rights ? If this is the case, administrative tools will not be loaded when you logon. I must admit I would have expected an authorisation error message, rather than 1606, but you don't always get what you expect with Microsoft

    You do not say if your machine is on a network or stand alone? If it is on a network, I would talk to your administrator, and get them to set you up with local admin rights. If it is stand alone, make sure you log on as administrator, or a different member of the administrator workgroup. If you already have admin rights, please try another admin profile (if you have one) as it could be that your user profile is corrupted, and all you have to do is create a new one.

    Hope this is of some help
    Well, that msg x3, since he copied and pasted it 2 more times...

    I am logged on as administrator, I will try to install under the other Administrator username. (and anyway, i know becuz i get entry to regedit :-) )

    I've found some helpful sites, to search for a particular key (again) which is in the MS-Installer... but I think it's encrypted and kept hidden away from XP users...


    I've lost all hope in using Windows XP, I'm hoping to downgrade to 2000 or 98...
    Do any of you approve of the idea?......
    .

  7. #7
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    I would go with mOBSCENE on that one.
    [glowpurple]The inside secrets of big buisness are being leaked onto the Net - (who\'s fault is that ) - Me[/glowpurple] http://www.AntiOnline.com/sig.php?imageid=419

  8. #8
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    Ok, well know that we know more about the system, did you try to manually add the key? I see from your post above that you seem to think it's something like a registration key, it's not, it's a "registry key", just a string of stored info in your registry that got changed, and that website tells you what to put in it. In order to set it you have to go into regedit or regedt32 and find where the key should be and add it or change it if it's not right.

    And just so you know, it's under HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE so this won't change from user to user, at least it shouldn't.

    As for downgrading, I use 2K and it works great, 98 SE was good in its time but it's getting old and getting any kind of support for it will get harder and harder. I've tried XP and didn't care for the extra features they added, and also the fact that it was new at the time so it had some bugs in it, still does... but so does 2K... I've only had 2K crash on me once in 2 years so I can't complain.

    [EDIT]Alright I made a .reg file that will set the key back to what it says it should be on the microsoft website. I've renamed it to a text document, to import it just rename to .reg and it should work, though I'm not sure if regedit in XP is the same as 2K or not... It's in hex because of the key type, REG_EXPAND_SZ, but if you convert all the codes to their ascii equivalent you can see that it does just set that key.
    Reality is the one who has it wrong, not you

  9. #9
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    Downgrading left as only option, Thx anyway

    Well, as for the registry key that you gave me (Common Administrative Tools)... It was imported after i Saved Target as "administrative tools.reg ", but it still presented the Error 1606: Could not access network location "::\Documents and Settings\All Users\Desktop" whenever I tried to install various programs. It was worth a try...

    Thanks for the help, I think downgrading to Windows 2000 or 98... (not sure yet which to get) would be the best decision to make anyway.

    It may probably get rid of my recent virus "system32.exe" (in which files are still trying to navigate to it) my dad recently got in an e-mail and unfortunately downloaded, as well as the "Operating system not found" error I get at random times... (like once every 2-3 weeks..) not to mention to get rid of the CTRL ALT DEL sensitivity (End task) "Do you want to send an error report?" ...

    Thanks again, seeya around.

  10. #10
    Senior Member
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    You did reboot after you imported the key right? Windows has a tendancy to need to be restarted for any registry changes that affect Windows itself to take effect.

    With the description you gave above with the virus and Operating System not found error it might be better to format and start from scratch, in fact with the OS not found I'd suggest re-partitioning the drive if you know how to just in case it's an error with your partition.
    Reality is the one who has it wrong, not you

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