-help..I screwed up reg.dat file
Chuck Syarkawi
I screwed up big time by trying to "fix" the
reg.dat file in Windows directory. Now, all
I get when I started MS WORD or MS Works is
a warning message that the file is not valid.
It asked me to fix it by using the install
program. I tried that but to no avail :-(
Anybody has any idea on how to fix this?
I appreciate it :-)
--
CornerHouseMotjakMpls
10202...@compuserve.com
Ed Starry
~ I screwed up big time by trying to "fix" the
~ reg.dat file in Windows directory.
Not sure what this translates into, but. In File Manager do a search all
for *.reg files. File/Associate them with Registration Editor (regedit.exe)
then double click each one. Then File/Associate the *.reg files with
[NONE]. This will refresh your Registration Database.
Ed.. Nevada City, Ca.
Mike Fulce
:>
:>
:>~ I screwed up big time by trying to "fix" the
You may need to delete the \windows\reg.dat file first though.
Regards,
--
Mike Fulce
Programmer/Analyst
Computing Center/USM
email: mi...@bull.cc.usm.ed
www: http://www.usm.edu/cc/staff/mfulce/mike.html
Finz
re-register themselves when you run them, if not, do it the way you were
before...
Sascha Regh
Hello Chuck,
>I screwed up big time by trying to "fix" the
>reg.dat file in Windows directory. Now, all
>I get when I started MS WORD or MS Works is
>a warning message that the file is not valid.
>It asked me to fix it by using the install
>program. I tried that but to no avail :-(
>Anybody has any idea on how to fix this?
here is an article out of the Microsoft Knowledge Base. I found it
very usefull. I seem to destroy my own REG.DAT every few weeks :-)
Hope it helps.
Sascha
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
How to Register Applications in the REG.DAT File
ID: Q122964
Windows uses the registration database (REG.DAT) to store information
about
OLE-compliant applications. If an application is incorrectly
registered, or
if the database becomes corrupt, you must re-register the application.
The preferred method of registering any application is to reinstall
the
application. This will ensure the proper registration. However, if you
have
many applications, this may be too lengthy a process. Depending upon
the
application, you can re-register it by one of three methods: (1)
running
the application, (2) merging the .REG file, or (3) editing the .REG
file
and then merging it.
This article outlines the different methods appropriate for each
application.
MORE INFORMATION
================
CONDITIONS FOR RE-REGISTRATION
==============================
An application may need to be re-registered under the following
conditions:
- The REG.DAT file has become corrupt. If this happens, you must
rebuild
the REG.DAT file and re-register the Windows applications.
- If an OLE server is incorrectly registered, you may see the
following
error message when you try to insert the OLE server into another
application:
The server application, source file, or item cannot be found.
Make sure the application is properly installed, and that it has
not been deleted, moved, or renamed.
If this occurs, check to be sure the application has actually been
installed. If you find the application properly installed on the
hard
drive, it may have an incorrect entry in the registration database.
You
must then remove the incorrect entry from the registration database
and
re-register the application by the appropriate method.
METHODS OF REGISTERING AN APPLICATION
=====================================
Applications use three methods of registering themselves in the
registration database. The following is a brief explanation of each
method,
followed by a table showing which applications use which method of
registration. An in-depth look at how to employ each method follows
the
table in the "Rebuilding the REG.DAT File" section.
1. SELF-REGISTERING -
Some applications register themselves when you run them or when you
double-click the executable file (.EXE) in File Manager. If the
application has an invalid registration, remove the current
registration
before running the application.
2. VALID .REG FILES -
Some applications have valid registration files (.REG), which can
be
merged by running the Registration Editor (REGEDIT) and merging the
registration files or by double-clicking the .REG file in File
Manager.
3. POTENTIALLY INVALID DEFAULT SERVER PATH IN THE .REG FILES -
Most of the 4.x Office applications have a registration file (.REG)
that
has a variable included for the proper path to the Windows
directory.
This is usually <WindowsDirectory>. Depending upon your
installation,
double-clicking the .REG file may NOT register these files
correctly. To
ensure proper registration, search the .REG file for all
occurrences of
<WindowsDirectory>
and edit the .REG file in a text editor such as Notepad. Replace
those
occurrences with the actual path to the location of the Windows or
shared MSAPPS directory before merging.
The following is a table that shows how to register each of the major
components of Word, Microsoft Excel, PowerPoint, Microsoft Access,
Publisher, and Works.
======================================================================
Self Valid .REG File May
Registering .REG File Have Invalid
Default Path
WINDOWS
=======
Paintbrush, Notepad, SETUP.REG
Write, Cardfile,
Sound, Package
OLE FILES
========= OLE2.REG
OFFICE APPLICATIONS
===================
Microsoft Access 2 MSACCESS.EXE
Microsoft Excel 5 EXCEL.EXE* EXCEL5.REG*
PowerPoint 4 POWERPNT.EXE PP4.REG
Word 6 WINWORD.EXE
OFFICE SHARED APPLICATIONS
==========================
ClipArt Gallery ARTGALRY.EXE ARTGALRY.REG
Draw 2 MSDRAW.REG
Equation Editor 2 EQNEDIT2.REG
Graph 5 GRAPH5.EXE GRAPH5.REG
Media Player MPLAYER.EXE
Organization Chart 1 ORGCHART.EXE ORGCHART.REG
WordArt 2 WORDART2.REG
HOME FILES
==========
Works 3 MSWORKS3.REG
ARTGALRY.REG
MSDRAW.REG
NOTE-IT.REG
WORDART2.REG
Publisher MSPUB.REG
ARTGALRY.REG
MSDRAW.REG
NOTE-IT.REG
* A combination of merging the .REG file and running the application
may
be needed to properly install Microsoft Excel 5.x. Refer to the
"Registering Your Applications" section below.
======================================================================
REBUILDING THE REG.DAT FILE
===========================
If the registration database (REG.DAT) is corrupt and needs to be
rebuilt,
use the following steps:
1. Rename the REG.DAT file in your Windows directory to REGDAT.OLD.
2. Disable each line of the [EMBEDDING] section of the WIN.INI file by
inserting a semicolon (;) at the beginning of each line. This
prevents
Windows from rebuilding a new REG.DAT file based on this section.
3. Quit and then restart Windows.
4. In Program Manager, choose Run from the File menu. Type the
following
commands:
regedit /u c:\windows\system\setup.reg
-and-
regedit c:\windows\system\ole2.reg
(Substitute the correct path to your WINDOWS\SYSTEM subdirectory if
your
path is different.)
After rebuilding the REG.DAT for the applications that come with
Windows,
you must register each of your other Windows applications.
REGISTERING YOUR APPLICATIONS
=============================
As mentioned before, the preferred method for registering your
applications
is to reinstall them. This process will ensure proper registration.
Many applications have a Setup icon in Program Manager in the program
group
where the application icon is located. To reinstall these
applications,
double-click each icon and choose the Reinstall option.
If there is no Setup icon, insert the first disk of the application's
program disks, and run Setup from the disk. Choose the Reinstall
option.
Self-Registering Applications
-----------------------------
These applications will register themselves in the registration
database
when run. To ensure proper registration, remove any existing entries
first.
Follow these steps:
1. Start File Manager and from the File menu, choose Run.
2. Type "regedit" (without the quotation marks) and choose OK. This
will
start the Registration Editor and provide a list of the registered
applications.
3. Locate any references to the application you want to re-register.
Select the reference and choose Delete File Type from the Edit
menu.
When all references have been removed, close the Registration
Editor.
4. In File Manager, locate the executable file (.EXE) for the
application.
(If you have a workstation installation, you may need to look to
the
server for this file.)
5. Double-click the .EXE file.
6. Depending upon the application, the file will either start or you
will
get a message that the application can only be run from within
another
application. The application should now be registered correctly.
Merging the .REG Files
----------------------
Each application has a specific .REG file that is used during setup to
create the appropriate entry in the registration database. This .REG
file
is used to merge the application into the registration database.
The method of merging these files varies according to the application.
Word 6.0, Microsoft Access 2.0
------------------------------
Since these applications register themselves automatically when
run, it
is not necessary to merge their .REG files into the registration
database.
Publisher 2.0
-------------
Publisher 2.0 writes valid .REG files onto the hard drive that can
be
used as-is to register the applications in the REG.DAT. Use the
following steps:
1. Start File Manager. From the File menu, choose Associate.
2. In the Associate dialog box, type "reg" (without the quotation
marks)
in the Files With Extension box.
3. Use the scroll bar below the Associate With box to select
Registration Entries (REGEDIT.EXE). If it is not in the list,
click on Browse and select REGEDIT.EXE from the files in the
Windows directory. Choose the OK button.
4. From the File menu, choose Search.
5. In the Search For box, type "*.reg" (without the quotation
marks). In
the Start From box, type "C:\" (without the quotation marks), or
the
drive your Windows and Publisher files are on.
6. Be sure the Search All Subdirectories box is checked. Choose the
OK
button.
7. Double-click on each of the .REG files listed under Publisher in
the
table above. These applications will now be registered.
NOTE: If you have installed any of the Office applications after
installing Publisher, only double-click the MSPUB.REG file. Use
the
method outlined below to register the shared applications.
Microsoft Excel 5.0
-------------------
Microsoft Excel 5.0 is a self-registering application that will, in
most
cases, correct any incorrect information currently in the
registration
database.
However, if there is no current entry for Microsoft Excel and you
allow
it to self-register, it may include incorrect information that
could
cause erratic behavior of the OLE server. To avoid this, reinstall
Microsoft Excel.
Note: An alternative method involves two steps:
1. Merge the EXCEL5.REG file following steps 1-6 as outlined for
Publisher 2.0 above, then double-click the EXCEL5.REG file found
in the Microsoft Excel program directory.
2. Start EXCEL.EXE from File Manager. Microsoft Excel is now
properly
registered.
PowerPoint 4.0, Office 4.2, and Office 4.3 Shared Applications
--------------------------------------------------------------
These .REG files contain variable path statements for their
applications. Depending upon your directory structure, these may be
incorrect. To merge these .REG files, open them and edit them
first.
On Disk 1 of these applications, (and in the SETUP.ADM\DISK1
subdirectory on the Office 4.2 and 4.3 CD-ROM) you will find any of
the
following .REG files:
ARTGALRY.REG
EQNEDIT2.REG
GRAPH5.REG
ORGCHART.REG
PP4.REG
WORDART2 REG
To use these files to register the applications, follow these
steps:
1. Copy the appropriate .REG file to your hard disk. (You can copy
the
file to any directory you want.)
2. Open the .REG file in Notepad or any text editor.
3. Search the file for all occurrences of the following text string
<Windows Dir>
and change these occurrences to the actual path of the Windows
directory. For example, if the line as it appears in the .REG
file is
HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\MSOrgChart.1\protocol\StdFileEditing\server
=
<Windows Dir>\MSAPPS\ORGCHART\ORGCHART.EXE
and your Windows directory is D:\WIN31, change the line to read:
HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\MSOrgChart.1\protocol\StdFileEditing\server
=
D:\WIN31\MSAPPS\ORGCHART\ORGCHART.EXE
4. If you are running the shared OLE applications from a network
server,
you must include the whole path to the .EXE file. (You may use
the
universal naming convention [UNC] for this.) For example, if you
are
running Organization Chart from a server called \\SERVER1\SHARE
(which you routinely map to your W: drive), you should modify
the
above line to read:
HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\MSOrgChart.1\protocol\StdFileEditing\server
=
W:\MSAPPS\ORGCHART\ORGCHART.EXE
-or-
HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\MSOrgChart.1\protocol\StdFileEditing\server
=
\\SERVER1\SHARE\MSAPPS\ORGCHART\ORGCHART.EXE
5. Save the file. Exit your text editor.
6. If you have associated .REG files with REGEDIT.EXE as outlined
in the
steps for Publisher above, you can now merge this updated .REG
file
by double-clicking it in File Manager. Alternatively, choose Run
from
the File menu in Program Manager, type the following line and
press
ENTER:
regedit <path>\<AppName>.reg
This will re-register the server.
Works 3.0
---------
Works for Windows writes valid .REG files to the hard disk if the
default path choices were not changed during installation. These
can be
used as-is to register the applications in the REG.DAT file. Follow
the
steps outlined under Publisher above.
If Works for Windows is installed to any directory other than the
default directory, or if you have installed any of the Office
applications after Works was installed, you will need to edit the
REG
files before merging them using steps similar to those outlined
above.
For more information on how to register Works for Windows 3.x,
please
refer to the following article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
Manually Registering Works for Windows 3.0.