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KernelEx 451 installer is caught in a no-man's land


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I tried installing KernelEx to run Opera and VLC

I have an overloaded and abused W98se system with unofficial ServicePack 2.a

(It's the greatest and all my software works!)

=== another detail -- the system had a problem to start with ===

Total Commander 7.50 showed gobbledy gook on c-drive --

but only on c-drive -- file and directory lists on the other drives were just fine

the file list for c-drive was full of indecipherable characters --

a virus with a unicode problem (presumption?

I thought it was some kind of mean a** root kit, and just gave up on trying to kill it

all the normal files "windows" etc, appeared normal

but the files and directories with names in wierd chars all had dates out of this world and files sizes in the hundreds of gigs

and they could not be deleted from within windows

and they couldn't be deleted from within dos, because dos couldn't seem

(I gave up on trying to fight viruses long ago ...)

thus, a unicode failure of somekind may be involved in the problem I am about to describe

I expanded Unicows.exe and copied the files dll and pdb files to c:\windows\system\

(hope that's all that's involved to install unicows?)

something (hacking or what?) fixed the file display of c-drive in Total Commander

it may have been the unicows, or restoration of a corrupted kernel32.dll

(but, again the other partitions and drives did not have that problem)

I may have tried to install KernelEx before unicows -- I can't remember

or it may be that a Magog virus doesn't like KernelEx?

however it happened, KernelEx installer is stuck in somekind of no man's loop

and I need some help to get it out

=== so that's the system, now back to KernelEx ===

here's what's happening now

basically, to boot my system,

I have to start from drive A:

copy kernel32.sav (an original copy from another install) to kernel32.dll

each time the system runs, something is altering my kernel32 in such a way as to cause explorer to crash on the next boot

whatever it is, it is changing kernel32.dll without chaning its file size (very suspicious)

the date changes

but the corrupted kernel32.dll won't run explorer on next bootup

detailed description of the lock-out loop

on bootup

desktop gui screen appears and user logon message box appears

user presses [esc] to bypass logon and load a default system

windows plays its chimes and tries to load explorer for default system

but then progress stops at what I now call "Point-1"

before any icons or before the startbar appears a message box pops up:

"Explorer has performed an illegal operation and will be shut down."

[Details]: "EXPLORER has caused a stack fault in module KERNEL32.DLL at 0laf:bff7429f"

explorer shuts down leaving a blank single blank desktop screen

with no icons ... for example no My Computer in upper left corner

[start] key on keyboard doesn't work

no mouse pointer

control-alt-delete works

it shows two services running

-Csinject

-Ghoststartservice (arghhh ... how to stop Norton?)

tab over to [shutdown] and hit [enter] key shuts down the system

reboot recycles right back to "Point-1" -- desktop with no icons, no mouse, dead start key on keyboard

== I'm in a loop == each reboot recycles back to Point 1

reboot from floppy

replace corrupted Kernel32 with original kernel32 from a fresh install

cd c:\windows\system\

copy kernel32.sav kerlet32.dll

reboot from hdd

during reboot at the ?"T-13" stage? (memory fails ..) dos phase of boot process

windows message is : ... updating oonfiguration files ... starting Windows 98

I assume the update means KernelEx installer is still running

GUI screen appears

message box pops up: "KernelEx has to restart this computer in order to complete setup. Do you wish to do this now?

selecting [OK] to reboot and finish installation then recycles me right back to "Point-1" again.

boot from drive A then C and select [Cancel] instead of OK to reboot, and it loads a system

(hooray! for the floppies!!)

as icons appear, KernelEx intaller produces a red-(X) message box: "KernelEx has not been properly installed. "

selecting [OK] kills the message box and gives me a system, but it does not kill the problem.

Kernel32.dll gets corrupted, and the next time I bootup, I am at back to "Point-1" again, unless I boot through floppy and restore original Kernel32.dll

== control panel can't uninstall ==

once in the system, I tried removing the program through control panel

KernelEx appears in the Add/Remove programs window

the KernelEx uninstall wizard stops with the message:

"Detected unfinished previous installation -- You have to restart the sytsem in order to complete before you can proceed."

Then a red-(X) message KernelEx Uninstall appears "You have to restart the system first."

pressing [OK] cancesl the uninstall and returns the system.

But that corrupts Kernel32.dll and puts me right back in the loop again

I tried a fresh download and tried reinstalling, but I can't reinstall either.

The installer says:

"Detected unfinished previous installation. You have to restart the system to complete it before you can proceed."

So I can't uninstall, and I can't reinstall, and I can't get the installer to quit between boots

each time I produce a system, something (arghh) changes my kernel32.dll, which causes explorer to fail on bootup

the only way into my system now is through drive A, as above

===

the installer is also somehow caught in a no-man's land as well -- is there a registry trick I can use to stop it?

any suggestions will be greatly appreciated ...

here are some of the registry entries with a registry search on "KernelEx"

shall I just erase them? and use dos to delete the KernelEx subdir?

thanks

===

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\CLASSES\CLSID\{00021401-0000-0000-C000-000000000046}\InProcServer32

C:\WINDOWS\KERNELEX\KEXCOM.DLL

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\CLASSES\CLSID\{2338519D-676A-4ff8-99B9-924252B43710}\InProcServer32

KernelEx Shell Extension

HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\*\shellex\PropertySheetHandlers\KernelEx

Default {2338519D-676A-4ff8-99B9-924252B43710}

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\CLASSES\CLSID\{2338519D-676A-4ff8-99B9-924252B43710}\InProcServer32

C:\WINDOWS\KERNELEX\SHEET.DLL

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\KernelEx\AppSettings\Flags

*\KERNEL32.DLL 0x00000001

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall\KernelEx

UninstallString "C:\WINDOWS\KernelEx\uninstall.exe"

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\AppCompatFlags\Custom\{2EAF7E61-068E-11DF-953C-005056806466}

KernelEx.sdb "Google Earth 5.2"

Edited by Molecule
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What you experience is typical of FAT corruption and it's got nothing to do with installing KernelEx IMO since it happens only on one partition. Scandisk and/or Norton Disk Doctor are the tools you need to run to fix this but I suggest you copy all that is valid onto another drive/partition before you do so.

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KernelEx works by modifying 'kernel32.dll' so as to expand its symbol resolve engine via the KernelEx core. So having this file change from the "known good" version is not necessarily indicating a problem. Copy your "known good" version of 'kernel32.dll' to your 'c:\windows\sysbckup' directory, so that KernelEx can uninstall correctly if required.

Do try removing CleanSweep, this might have compatibility issues. Also remember that "Safe Mode" can help when you have these sorts of start-up issues.

Finally, do download the trial edition of Avast 4.8 Professional (the home edition is no longer available), also the updated virus definition files, and check your system out! There is a menu option to do a boot-time scan, which you should do, to get those nasties that load early.

BTW, I've found that running the Unicows installation package and pointing it to 'c:\windows\system' works properly, whereas copying its contents there manually, doesn't (YMMV?).

Joe.

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