Invalid ActiveX/COM entries

[terrypin]

Norton WinDoctor is reporting over 100 'Invalid ActiveX/COM Entries'. It says "The ActiveX/COM sections of your Windows Registry contain one or more invalid entries..." They mostly look like this:

Missing or Invalid Key: "DisplayServer.AppSettingsBasic"

Problem ProgID, "DisplayServer.AppSettingsBasic," refers to an

invalid ActiveX/COM entry,

"{9B5EC720-9A44-4811-8B9F-24BD53F2050D}."

Missing or Invalid Key: "DisplayServer.AppSettingsBasic.1"

Problem ProgID, "DisplayServer.AppSettingsBasic.1," refers to an

invalid ActiveX/COM entry,

Missing or Invalid Key: "Video_TVServer.VideoZoom"

Problem ProgID, "Video_TVServer.VideoZoom," refers to an invalid

ActiveX/COM entry,

"{D385E909-3F89-4ECD-B38F-AC11F9FE6F1C}."

etc

But if I select the option to Delete any of these, Norton reports 'Repair Failed'. Other registry cleaners like CCleaner and System Mechanic don't get rid of them either.

Although I don't seem to be having particularly unstable performance on this XP Home (SP1) PC, FWIW I have had a couple of crashes in which my monitor just went suddenly blank and a rebbot started.

Can anyone help me identify/fix this issue please? Or even guess what these entries are supposed to do, as I'm technically out of my depth here.

--

Terry, West Sussex, UK

[marcolopes]

Well, if the cleaners can't get rid of them, the only solution i can recomend is to REMOVE ALL video card related software and REINSTALL again.

Also search for a utility from the Card Maker website to REMOVE all the software before installing again.

Have you replaced the video card changing BRANDS? If so, there might be some files on the system from the other card. U can use something like DRIVER CLEANER 3.

[Jeremy]

Use the Norton Removal Tool or jv16 PowerTools 2006's Registry Cleaner on Aggressive Mode.

To learn more about jv16 and it's relation to the origin of registry cleaners, read this.

Edited April 25, 2007 by Jeremy

[terrypin]

Thanks both, appreciate your help. I'll following up those suggestions.

However, I'm not sure I would want to get rid of Norton SystemWorks. It not only includes WinDoctor, but also a 1-button check that I run weekly, and Norton Unerase, which has proved very useful occasionally, when inadvertently deleted files are not caught by the Recycle Bin. And, as mentioned CCleaner also reports these 'invalid' items.

marcolopes: So it does look like a graphics card issue then? A month or two ago I upgrade my nvidia drivers from 81.98 to 93.71, shortly followed by 93.81, but reverted to 81.98 again after reading several posts questioning their stability. Maybe I should give the upgrade another go. And carefully remove the existing drivers as you recommend.

--

Terry, West Sussex, UK

[Kelsenellenelvian]

Installing driver versions over each-other like that is definatly going to leave a little bit of damage. You need to clean those drivers out and install one version.

[Jeremy]

However, I'm not sure I would want to get rid of Norton SystemWorks. It not only includes WinDoctor, but also a 1-button check that I run weekly, and Norton Unerase, which has proved very useful occasionally, when inadvertently deleted files are not caught by the Recycle Bin. And, as mentioned CCleaner also reports these 'invalid' items.

A one-button check, huh? I would never trust any of those. I prefer doing things myself as to ensure its done properly. Unerase is pretty self-explanatory, but I'd say there are much better alternatives such as Recuva which is made by the same people as CCleaner, R-Studio, GetDataBack and FinalData.

marcolopes: So it does look like a graphics card issue then? A month or two ago I upgrade my nvidia drivers from 81.98 to 93.71, shortly followed by 93.81, but reverted to 81.98 again after reading several posts questioning their stability. Maybe I should give the upgrade another go. And carefully remove the existing drivers as you recommend.

Use DriverCleaner Pro (freeware) to clean up after a driver uninstall, reboot and then install the newest version. When you clean your registry, make sure you use jv16 PowerTools' Registry Cleaner as it will not just delete entries but will analyse related registry keys and attempt to (and in most cases successfully) repair them.

[terrypin]

Thanks for the follow-up. I'll try both DriverCleaner and JV16.

--

Terry, West Sussex, UK