Member Avatar for mjdodd
mjdodd 27 Posting Pro

I have search google and many threads to find ouot why reently the control panel and some shortcuts do not work. Iam fully protected (spam AV spy rootkits etc) and apparently clean.
I ve tried resore but do not want a full restore as so much is at stake on network. Can anyone direct me (Ive tried Msoft!) as to where I might find help to get bacvk the ordinary function of control panel (it does work if I run the individ files .cpl etc) but even making a new network drive short cut work in IE7 but not from desktop!

Any directionwould help a lot using dual boot XP Kubuntu lots of mem and HD and no other probs!

Ta

mjdodd

  • 1 Contributor
  • 0 Replies
  • 92 Views

Dani AI

Generated

For the fact that individual .cpl files open but Start -> Control Panel and some desktop shortcuts do not strongly indicates the CPL handlers are intact and the fault is with per-user shell/shortcut handling or a user policy/registry setting. A network shortcut that works inside IE7 but not from the desktop points at broken .lnk handling or a user-scoped policy rather than a missing Control Panel component.

Quick, least-invasive triage (increasingly invasive):

  • Create a new local administrator account and log in. If Control Panel and desktop shortcuts work there, the problem is confined to the user profile.
  • Boot Safe Mode and test. If behavior is normal in Safe Mode, a third-party shell extension or startup item is likely interfering.
  • Run sfc /scannow from an elevated command prompt (Windows XP may request the install CD) to repair system files.
  • Inspect HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer for values such as NoControlPanel; export any key before editing.
  • Verify .lnk handling: run assoc .lnk (should return .lnk=lnkfile), check HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\.lnk (Default = lnkfile) and that HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\lnkfile\IsShortcut exists. Missing or altered keys here commonly break desktop shortcuts; export the corresponding keys from a healthy XP machine and import only after backing up.

Always export registry keys and create a restore point before changing anything. Offline copying of SYSTEM/SOFTWARE hives (for analysis from Kubuntu) is possible, but replacing hives is risky for inexperienced users. Restoring default .lnk and policy keys normally resolves the symptom set described.

Be a part of the DaniWeb community

We're a friendly, industry-focused community of developers, IT pros, digital marketers, and technology enthusiasts meeting, networking, learning, and sharing knowledge.