msinfo

[telcom]

Deleted reg file (noopenwith) but still same result.
(Back to help and support page)

[bruzzes]

We have a temporary workaround now that gets us to the page.

copy and paste the following in the run box:

msinfo32 /categories +all -loadedmodule

The regular msinfo32 in the run box still takes us to the General Help & Support page.

By going to the C/Windows/system32/dll cache and finding msinfo.exe and right clicking on it, we can create a shortcut. After the creation of the shortcut, we copy and paste the following path in the target window:

"C:\Program Files\Common Files\Microsoft Shared\MSInfo\msinfo32.exe" /categories +all -loadedmodules

This shortcut with icon can now be placed on the desktop.

Clicking on the shortcut now gives us access to the correct page.

I guess at this point we need to find out what registry entry is missing or modified for the original command.

I think that is the key for this problem.

['Eminence Grise]

I just posted a new topic about this(I should have done a search first on this site), is there anything new about this? It's obviously a bug. I'll post whatever MS tells me when they answer my request for support. It's nice to know I'm not alone, I thought I was nuts. Many, many thanks to bruzzes for his workaround. It works great, many thanks.

[buck52]

Howdy

Just saw this thread...No help but


I have the same problem...msinfo32 gets the help and support page

XP Home

buck

[downtime]

Right click my computer, choose manage, does system give you the info you're looking for? It's the same as msinfo32.

[buck52]

Howdy downtime

Not exactlly...that gets to the same place as control panel>Administrative tools>Computer management...lots of info there but no software environment tab, as there is in msinfo32, which give access to running tasks, startup programs etc... I realize that info can probably be gotten individually from other locations but not under one heading. No big deal in my case, my computer is running fine...just a curiosity thing.

buck

[Techtips]

Try Taskinfo200


its free and available :-

http://www.iarsn.com/

['Eminence Grise]

bruzzes workaround gave me exactly the info I needed, not only the system info but the tools (Doc Watson and Net diagnostics) also, now it's a matter of why. Why does the shortcut still point to the correct program (msinfo32.exe) but that program opens help and support rather than System information? Why does the workaround work? What happened to cause it? I added the correct target to access the correct program but I'm still left with what happened and why? I received an email from MS and they seem to think it's a recently installed program but as it's been a week or two since I last accessed the msinfo32 program I don't know which one it would be? XP anti-spy is really the only program that could have an effect being the only program I installed that makes changes to xp itself but the first time this happened and I reinstalled I hadn't even heard of xp anti-spy so I really can't see that happening.

[The Elder Geek]

Don't know if this will help or not but might want to verify in:

HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\MSInfo.Document\Shell\Open\Command

and also in

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Classes\MSInfo.Document\Shell\Open\Command

Default String Value = C:\Program Files\Common Files\Microsoft Shared\MSInfo\MSInfo32.exe /msinfo_file %1


HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Shared Tools\MSInfo

String Value Path = C:\Program Files\Common Files\Microsoft Shared\MSInfo\MSInfo32.exe


HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\App Paths\msinfo32.exe

Default String Value = C:\Program Files\Common Files\Microsoft Shared\MSInfo\MSInfo32.exe
String Value Path = C:\Program Files\Common Files\Microsoft Shared\MSInfo

Maybe those will give you a reference point.

[Vampirefo]

I finally figured it out, after running test after test. A index.dat file has been deleted, and that's why when some run msinfo32 they get the help center instead of system information.

I had this problem, and just now got it figured out, I restored a new image and system information was working great, I then ran Spider which cleans temp files, I saved the report rebooted and system information was not working.
I looked at what spider deleted and I found it deleted a index.dat here E:\\WINDOWS\\PCHEALTH\\HELPCTR\\OfflineCache\\index.dat

I opened and image and restored just this dat, and now my system information is working, so this dat file is the cause for the problem.

[beemer]

I have the exact same problem with sys info. Is there a way to recover this index.dat file from the installation cd?

I found a work around (similar to the above) where the target for the system info shortcut is changed from:

"C:\Program Files\Common Files\Microsoft Shared\MSINFO\msinfo32.exe"

to

"C:\Program Files\Common Files\Microsoft Shared\MSINFO\msinfo32.exe" "%1"

This only works for this shortcut however, i.e., trying to access the system info through other means -- help and support center, the MSINFO folder, etc. -- yields the prior results.

Quite frankly, I have no idea why adding "%1" works in this case. I would like to find a permanent fix. Any thoughts?

Jeff

[Vampirefo]

Well, if you have XP Pro, I can send you copy of mine, it will fix the problem, I don't know about home, though but all Pro I have seen the file size is 79KB.

If anyone has XP home can you check the size of the dat file?

If you want the file e-mail me a [email protected] it's a dat file so you can open it in notepad, so you will know nothing is in it, that shouldn't be.