On startup, XP tries to reinstall everything

Archived from groups: microsoft.public.windowsxp.general (More info?)

"Petz" <jpetzing@earthlink.(PUTnetHERE)> wrote in message
news:02ACD23B-2525-4DE5-985B-F74BF8DED2DD@microsoft.com...
> My XP system tries to reinstall Office, HP Scanner Software, and a
> gazillion
> other programs each time I start up. This began happening after cloning my
> C,D drives to a new disk.
>
> I have to cancel each attemped reinstall a bunch of times and I don't even
> have the MSI file for some of them.
>
> Also, I can't install or uninstall anything, Computer Management in Admin
> Tools does not start and Device Manager does not start.
>
> When I try to start the either DM or CM and Task Manager is displaying my
> processes, I notice that WINLOGON gets a couple percent CPU usage for a
> second, but NOTHING else starts. There's no error message or anything;
> Computer Management or Device Manager just fails to start.
>
> I *think* that XP thinks that a program install is active, and therefore
> blocks any new install, uninstall , Device Manager or Admin Tools from
> running.
>
> I tried in in-place reinstall of XP, no improvement.

Take a look here at the Windows Installer CleanUp Utility

http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=290301

rgds
Li'l Roberto