My first nLite: A nice clean Event Log except EVID 877 "DATABASE

[zZolaa]

Hello,

I've been working on my first real nLite setup, and I'm very pleased to see that I've got no Event Log System errors except for one

Please help,

I hope to resolve this little guy, and nLite will be perfect

"Event ID: 877

There was error [DATABASE OPEN FAILED] processing the driver database."

[johnhc]

zZolaa, please post a screen shot of the Event Log entry. Also, please attach (not paste) your Last Session.ini. Make sure to always start with a fresh copy of your CD files/folders, do all your work in one nLite session and integrate only one SP. Please report when you have a solution, so others can benefit. Enjoy, John.

[zZolaa]

Hello johnc, thanks for your reply,

Here it is:

And I have attached my last session ini, except I deleted the languages and keyboards to make it a little easier to read.

- zZolaa

Last_Session.ini

Edited April 22, 2009 by zZolaa

[zZolaa]

From Microsoft:

here

"Many error messages with Event ID 877 are logged on runtimes that contain the Application Compatibility Core component."

Also:

eventid.net

"I think you are missing “drvmain.sdb”

"copy the file “drvmain.sdb” to “C:\WINDOWS\AppPatch” and the error is solved"

Ok, so... I have removed the application compatibility patches component from my nLite... This must be the error.

I definitely do not want those patches!

The only way I could think of to resolve it would be to make 0-entry dummy drvmain.sdb?

Edited April 22, 2009 by zZolaa

[johnhc]

zZolaa, I have had just a quick look, but wanted to reply. I have to run, but will look more later, including your links - thanks. Couple of questions - are you installing on HW or a virtual machine (which one)? Have you adhered to the tenets I pointed out in my first reply? Have fun, John.

EDIT: I see you have removed a bunch of stuff, which is OK as long as you realize in many cases, to get them back requires creating a new ISO. Having said that I ran across this fix for the "Application compatibility patch" error in Event Log. It appears you can fix that problem, if it is yours, without rebuilding. I see no drivers and no hot fixes - why? Have fun, John.

Edited April 22, 2009 by johnhc

[zZolaa]

Hi John, Thanks for your reply,

I run nLite in VMWARE and I didn't include any hotfixes yet because I have to find out why the RyanVM pack makes my ISO go from 130MB to 147MB...

I definitely don't want any kind of Application Compatibility stuff on my machine-- and I specifically don't want to restore functionality (EVER, for anything!)

Having to "restore functionality" just means that a person hasn't yet learned how to build a portable setup, and they are tied down to a ton of "installed" programs.

Removing stuff like "Application Compatibility" is the reason I am using nLite in the first place.

I'm not "stuck" on some nLite OS where I'm all lamer-style trying to figure out how to restore a component.

I use 100% portable software so I can reinstall Windows and in 1 hour have all of my programs working perfectly.

(I have to click a few .reg files to restore file associations)

That said,

What I am looking for, however, is a registry key that will stop the windows core from attempting to use the Application Compatibility database.

-- Yours,

zZolaa

[johnhc]

zZolaa, I will see what I can learn, sounds tough. I was not suggesting that you use the fix I linked to on a permanent basis, just to confirm that you had the problem narrowed. I find it very frustrating fixing a bug only to discover I was chasing the wrong bug. I'll let you know if I come up with anything. Enjoy, John.

EDIT: have you tried to Disable 'Application Experience Lookup Service', in the MMC Services panel? John.

Edited April 22, 2009 by johnhc

[zZolaa]

That service didn't exist for me!

[johnhc]

zZolaa, I was afraid of that. Later, John.

[johnhc]

zZolaa, please answer my question about running nLite multiple times against the same source folder and integrating only one SP. I am having trouble getting any traction on this problem, partly because I am running XP x64 and it seems to be somewhat different. Are you getting many of these error messages in Syslog? Would you be happy with simply stopping the messages? Do you get any message presented to you? If so, please open Process Explorer and determine the process and parent producing the message. If you open Group Policy Editor (gpedit.msc), via Run dialog and look at Local Computer Policy -> Computer Configuration -> Administrative Templates -> Windows Components -> Application Compatibility, do you find the last one? (I copied this from Black Viper's site.) I suspect not, but if you do you maybe able to configure it there. For some reason, it does not show up on my VM (with nLited XP x64) but does on my host (which I am not willing to experiment with). Have you solved this problem? If and when you do, please let us know. Enjoy, John.

[zZolaa]

zZolaa, please answer my question about running nLite multiple times against the same source folder and integrating only one SP.

John, I used a non-slipstreamed SP3 disk downloaded directly from MSDN, and I only nLite it once.

If you open Group Policy Editor (gpedit.msc), via Run dialog and look at Local Computer Policy -> Computer Configuration -> Administrative Templates -> Windows Components -> Application Compatibility, do you find the last one?

John, good work finding that.

I had to make a new nLite disk which has the ability to support Administrative Templates (I had removed them), so I can now report on the findings:

POLICY: Turn Off Application Compatibility Engine

  This policy controls the state of the application compatibility engine in the system.

The engine is part of the loader and looks through a compatibility database every time an application is started on the system.  If a match for the application is found it provides either run-time solutions or compatibility fixes, or displays an Application Help message if the application has a know problem.

Turning off the application compatibility engine will boost system performance.  However, this will degrade the compatibility of many popular legacy applications, and will not block known incompatible applications from installing.  (For Instance: This may result in a blue screen if an old anti-virus application is installed.)

This option is useful to server administrators who require faster performance and are aware of the compatibility of the applications they are using.  It is particularly useful for a web server where applications may be launched several hundred times a second, and the performance of the loader is essential.

Seems very close, so I used the wonderful freeware/opensource program "regshot" (the best registry snapshot before/after tracer!)

And I found that the key which is being modified is:

HKLM\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\AppCompat\DisableEngine: 0x00000001

Ah-ha!

But d*amn, it didn't work!

Still EVID 877 errors in the event log if "Application Compatibility" is removed via nLite.

Edited April 28, 2009 by zZolaa

[johnhc]

zZolaa, I don't even have the key you mention. I do have HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Ole\AppCompat and some other similar, but no DisableEngine. I may not even have the function (XP x64.) Therefore, I recommend you convert to XP x64 - just kidding. I found one Google entry about Application Popup error 877 and it concerned a firewall. Are you running a firewall? How about trying leaving Application Compatibility and setting the DisableEngine to stop it's running? Would this satisfy your needs? I don't have Application Compatibility in my nLite Components list. How many MBs are you saving by removing it? I'll continue to think about this problem. Enjoy, John.

Edit: RegShot looks like a great utility, but it supports only 32 bit Windows. John.

Edited April 28, 2009 by johnhc