Bad System Shell Replacement- Registry Replacement?

[gonzobrian]

First off I know this is a "game" forum and not a computer help forum.

[lostboy4480]

Sorry this is not an answer to your question but maybe helpful.  On the website you listed I was looking at the two reg edits.  If you do the one in system it will use that shell for all users, If you only do current user then it will change it for just that user.

The tweak program probably set the system key so if you can find anyway to edit the reg and delete the key in the system it should be back to normal. 

See if you can lay your hands on ERD commander or some of the modified Windows PE disks that are floating around.  They boot from CD and allow you to load in the reg hives from that machine.

Hope this is of some help

LB

[gonzobrian]

Thanks so much for your reply!  I will do some more research tonight and look into what you have said.  I still think there is hope.
Also I am wondering if a reinstal of windows on top of the old instal would replace the registry and leave all the data intact?
Thanks again,
gonzobrian

[lostboy4480]

If you run a repair install it will replace most of the registry and your data and applications will still be there

[lostboy4480]

If you have never done it before, here is a step by step of running the repair/in place upgrade

http://www.techspot.com/vb/topic8356.html

Hope you get it all running again

[youki]

What FE do you use?

If you use Atomic , when you are on the FE , try to press F11 Key.  It should run for you :
RegEdit and Explorer.

Then in RegEdit look for the key :
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE \ SOFTWARE \ Microsoft \ Windows NT \ CurrentVersion \
Winlogon

Then change the "Shell" key  to explorer.exe   instead of the FE.

I hope it helps you.

[gonzobrian]

If you have never done it before, here is a step by step of running the repair/in place upgrade

http://www.techspot.com/vb/topic8356.html

Hope you get it all running again

Hey lostboy thanks for the link and for giving me some things to try

[gonzobrian]

What FE do you use?

If you use Atomic , when you are on the FE , try to press F11 Key.

[youki]

So , if i well understand you are booting on AtomicManager.exe?

Try to start your windows in command line. (Press F8 (i think) at the start of the boot, and select "Command line something"...

When you are on

[gonzobrian]

Hey youki.  I was about to post my 3am update.  So good morning or good night depending on what time it is there.  So far I have tried something called Bart PE Found here,
http://www.nu2.nu/pebuilder/

It will allow you to run win regedit.  I have found HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE \ SOFTWARE \ Microsoft \ Windows NT \ CurrentVersion \
Winlogon.  And it shows,
(Default)            REG-SZ             (Value Not Set)
Shell                  REG-SZ              Explorer.exe

There are several other enteries in the I think its called a hive, but agian its 3am.
I had thought about renaming atomic.exe to atomicmanager.exe and see if that will boot into atomic.  Then I could use your F11 option.

Whats your opinion of what I see when I run regedit?  The reg entries on the site I found the software at top of page shows
User Key: [HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\
System]
System Key: [HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\
System]
I'm running win 2000 so I need to change anything there?
Thanks
gonzobrian

[youki]

I don't think you need to touch these entries. 

the first thing to do i to succeed to run RegEdit. after that, you are almost saved!

you look for the "Shell"  key in this hives :

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE \ SOFTWARE \ Microsoft \ Windows NT \ CurrentVersion \
Winlogon

and if there is something different than "Explorer.exe" you put it back.

If you don' t find you can do a search of "Manager.exe" string (fin menu of RegEdit) , and replace all  keys with Manager.exe by Explorer.exe.

[gonzobrian]

Well when I look in HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE \ SOFTWARE \ Microsoft \ Windows NT \ CurrentVersion \
Winlogon I find
(Default)            REG-SZ             (Value Not Set)
Shell                  REG-SZ              Explorer.exe
This is what I thought it was suppose to be.  I use find in regedit and do searhc for manager.exe and don't find it.  Any thoughts on this.
Also I tried lostboy's repair/in place upgrade option and no help.  still boots up as described.
gonzobrian

[gonzobrian]

Try to start your windows in command line. (Press F8 (i think) at the start of the boot, and select "Command line something"...
When you are on

[gonzobrian]

Well I've had a bit of a break through.

[youki]

I think there an Hive by Users where you can find the Shell entry. So if you create a MAME user, and find the shell entry for it in the registry , the fe will load only for this user.

Now concerning your error ,  you wrote "C:ATOMMICFE\TEMPLATE\LAYOUT.cfg "  if it is not a miss-typing , there one "\" missing next the C: , it should be :  "C:\ATOMMICFE\TEMPLATE\LAYOUT.cfg "  , check in your Atomic.cfg file (if it is the config you choosed as start config).

[gonzobrian]

Sorry it was a miss type.  The error reads, C:\ATOMMICFE\TEMPLATE\LAYOUT.cfg does not exist.  Use AtomicManager.exe.  I have no idea why it sayls that.  I need to find the hive for the mame user and either change  it to boot windows or atomic.  I just have no idea where it is. 

[gonzobrian]

I think there an Hive by Users where you can find the Shell entry. So if you create a MAME user, and find the shell entry for it in the registry , the fe will load only for this user.

I don't understnad the error message about the layout.cfg file.  When I set the shell value to c:\AtomicFE\AtoMic.exe.

Well after a day at the ball park whatching my son pay tball I am bracing for a long night.  I have managed to get everything back like it was.  Except atomic will load but it wont play any games it times out.  Jukebox works fine.  I bet its all the updates I need to run after doing the reinstal in place.  When I make the shell entry at HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE \ SOFTWARE \ Microsoft \ Windows NT \ CurrentVersion \
Winlogon, it affects all the user accounts and I get the discribed error.  Any ideas?

[gonzobrian]

Well I have learned more about the system registry than I thought I would ever know.  I have managed to get everything back like it was.  I can now change the shell for a specific user to say notepad.exe or arcade jukebox no prob but with atomicFe I get the above error every time.  Youki does atomicFe work as a replacement shell?
Thanks,
gonzobrian

[youki]

As i Said you by mails. To make run Atomic.Fe as Shell.

Create a .BAT file  like that:

Cd \
Cd AtomicFE
Atomic.exe

(adapt it to your folder configuration of course)

Put call it for example : Atomic.bat and copy it in your windows directory.

With REGEDIT edit the registry Key :

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\ SOFTWARE \ Microsoft \ Windows NT \ CurrentVersion \Winlogon

Add or Edit the Key : Shell

And put Shell = Atomic.BAT

Now it should work.

If you are under windows XP , you have to change the way windows open session. to do that :

Control Pane ->User Account->Modify the way the user open session (or something like that, i have a french XP so i don't know what there on US version).  Then Unckeck : Use Startup Screen. (or something like  that).

Then you can eventually use the AutoLogon. Something to change in the registry, you should find information about that in this formum i think.

I did that, and it works for me.

[gonzobrian]

The BAT file was what it took.  Now I can power up and run atomic as a shell.  Now I want to see what else I can do to remove the windows look.  Thanks BIG TIME for the help. 
gonzobrian

[youki]

 .. you're welcome!