Missing Control Panel Icons

[Guest]

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

Just recently the only control panel icon in classic view is display.
As recently as four days ago they were all there and I had full access
to them. If I switch to catagory view and try to click on, say, sound,
I'm told that the content of this category panel has been made
unavailable by the system administrator.

Now I have administrator rights on this system. I can still install
software and edit the registry. I can run the individual applets from
the run command.

I have run anti-virus and anti-spyware scans.
I have looked in the registry for the "don't show" key.
I have run system restore.
I have tried to restore the icons through TweakUI.
I have searched newsgroups and microsoft and tried several fixes found
there and none of them resolve the problem.

The notebook, a DELL Inspiron 1150, is loaned to me by my employer. I
have had it at home most of the summer and brought it into work
yesterday and connected to the network there. It was at that point I
noticed the problem. I can't say if it started there but I do know I
went into the control panel four days ago.

The notebook is running XP Pro and all patches and fixes are current.

Any suggestions short of re-installing the operating system?

 

[Guest]

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

Andrew wrote:
> >
> > The notebook, a DELL Inspiron 1150, is loaned to me by my employer. I
> > have had it at home most of the summer and brought it into work
> > yesterday and connected to the network there.
>
>
> You're not a teacher are you? If so don't take it anywhere near the schools
> IT support staff. They completely screwed my wifes laptop up and in the end
> she said just leave it and my husband will sort it.

Well, the notebook in question belongs to the school. I'm not a
computer novice and I think the guys that do IT support at school are
pretty sharp. Still, I haven't approached them yet.

> Try looking in the registry for the don't load key and not the don't show
> key as per your message.
>
> Key to look for should be HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Control Panel\don't load.
>
> Hope that helps,
>
> Andy

Thanks Andy but I already tried that. The key was empty. I deleted it
and it still didn't change things. I've also tried a half dozen other
things gleaned from searching the net. I just can't figure it out.

 

[Andrew]

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

>
> The notebook, a DELL Inspiron 1150, is loaned to me by my employer. I
> have had it at home most of the summer and brought it into work
> yesterday and connected to the network there.


You're not a teacher are you? If so don't take it anywhere near the schools
IT support staff. They completely screwed my wifes laptop up and in the end
she said just leave it and my husband will sort it.

Try looking in the registry for the don't load key and not the don't show
key as per your message.

Key to look for should be HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Control Panel\don't load.

Hope that helps,

Andy

 

[Guest]

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

Lemurman wrote:
> Just recently the only control panel icon in classic view is
> display. As recently as four days ago they were all there
> and I had full access to them. If I switch to catagory view
> and try to click on, say, sound, I'm told that the content
> of this category panel has been made unavailable by the
> system administrator.
>
> Now I have administrator rights on this system. I can still
> install software and edit the registry. I can run the
> individual applets from the run command.
>
> I have run anti-virus and anti-spyware scans.
> I have looked in the registry for the "don't show" key.
> I have run system restore.
> I have tried to restore the icons through TweakUI.
> I have searched newsgroups and microsoft and tried several
> fixes found there and none of them resolve the problem.
>
> The notebook, a DELL Inspiron 1150, is loaned to me by my
> employer. I have had it at home most of the summer and
> brought it into work yesterday and connected to the network
> there. It was at that point I noticed the problem. I
> can't say if it started there but I do know I went into the
> control panel four days ago.
>
> The notebook is running XP Pro and all patches and fixes are
> current.
>
> Any suggestions short of re-installing the operating system?

I suspect there's a group policy in effect on that network to
disable access to most of the control panel applets. When you
logged on to the network the GPO was applied to your computer.
Try the following, open a command prompt window (Start ->
Run -> cmd.exe). Type gpresult.exe and hit enter. See if you
have anything enabled in this location:

User Configuration\Administrative Templates\Control Panel\Hide
specified Control Panel applets

The corresponding registry key:
HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer\DisallowCpl

Nepatsfan

 

[Guest]

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

Nepatsfan wrote:
> Lemurman wrote:
> > Just recently the only control panel icon in classic view is
> > display. As recently as four days ago they were all there
> > and I had full access to them. If I switch to catagory view
> > and try to click on, say, sound, I'm told that the content
> > of this category panel has been made unavailable by the
> > system administrator.
> >
> > Now I have administrator rights on this system. I can still
> > install software and edit the registry. I can run the
> > individual applets from the run command.
> >
> > I have run anti-virus and anti-spyware scans.
> > I have looked in the registry for the "don't show" key.
> > I have run system restore.
> > I have tried to restore the icons through TweakUI.
> > I have searched newsgroups and microsoft and tried several
> > fixes found there and none of them resolve the problem.
> >
> > The notebook, a DELL Inspiron 1150, is loaned to me by my
> > employer. I have had it at home most of the summer and
> > brought it into work yesterday and connected to the network
> > there. It was at that point I noticed the problem. I
> > can't say if it started there but I do know I went into the
> > control panel four days ago.
> >
> > The notebook is running XP Pro and all patches and fixes are
> > current.
> >
> > Any suggestions short of re-installing the operating system?
>
> I suspect there's a group policy in effect on that network to
> disable access to most of the control panel applets. When you
> logged on to the network the GPO was applied to your computer.
> Try the following, open a command prompt window (Start ->
> Run -> cmd.exe). Type gpresult.exe and hit enter. See if you
> have anything enabled in this location:

Nothing enabled or disabled that I couldsee.

> User Configuration\Administrative Templates\Control Panel\Hide
> specified Control Panel applets

Already tried this one

> The corresponding registry key:
> HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer\DisallowCpl

THAT WAS IT!!!!
DisallowCpl was set to 1. However, desk.cpl within the key had a value
of 1. I take it this means that all cpl were disallowed except for
desk.cpl (display and desktop) I changed it to zero and that fixed
everything.
I suspect that the setting in the registry overrides the setting in the
policy editor.

Many thanks!!!



> Nepatsfan

 

[Guest]

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

Lemurman wrote:
> Nepatsfan wrote:
>> Lemurman wrote:
>>> Just recently the only control panel icon in classic view
>>> is display. As recently as four days ago they were all
>>> there and I had full access to them. If I switch to
>>> catagory view and try to click on, say, sound, I'm told
>>> that the content of this category panel has been made
>>> unavailable by the system administrator.
>>>
>>> Now I have administrator rights on this system. I can
>>> still install software and edit the registry. I can run
>>> the individual applets from the run command.
>>>
>>> I have run anti-virus and anti-spyware scans.
>>> I have looked in the registry for the "don't show" key.
>>> I have run system restore.
>>> I have tried to restore the icons through TweakUI.
>>> I have searched newsgroups and microsoft and tried several
>>> fixes found there and none of them resolve the problem.
>>>
>>> The notebook, a DELL Inspiron 1150, is loaned to me by my
>>> employer. I have had it at home most of the summer and
>>> brought it into work yesterday and connected to the network
>>> there. It was at that point I noticed the problem. I
>>> can't say if it started there but I do know I went into the
>>> control panel four days ago.
>>>
>>> The notebook is running XP Pro and all patches and fixes
>>> are current.
>>>
>>> Any suggestions short of re-installing the operating
>>> system?
>>
>> I suspect there's a group policy in effect on that network
>> to disable access to most of the control panel applets.
>> When you logged on to the network the GPO was applied to
>> your computer. Try the following, open a command prompt
>> window (Start ->
>> Run -> cmd.exe). Type gpresult.exe and hit enter. See if you
>> have anything enabled in this location:
>
> Nothing enabled or disabled that I couldsee.
>
>> User Configuration\Administrative Templates\Control
>> Panel\Hide specified Control Panel applets
>
> Already tried this one
>
>> The corresponding registry key:
>> HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer\DisallowCpl
>
> THAT WAS IT!!!!
> DisallowCpl was set to 1. However, desk.cpl within the key
> had a value of 1. I take it this means that all cpl were
> disallowed except for desk.cpl (display and desktop) I
> changed it to zero and that fixed everything.
> I suspect that the setting in the registry overrides the
> setting in the policy editor.
>
> Many thanks!!!

You're welcome. Glad to hear you got the problem fixed.

As for why that happened, I'd still lean towards something
related to your logging on to the school network. You might
want to run regedit again and add that key to your Favorites
(on the Registry Editor toolbar click the Favorites menu and
select "Add to Favorites"). I think you're going to find that
the next time you log onto the school network, access to most
of Control Panel is going to disappear.

Nepatsfan

 

[Guest]

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

>
> You're welcome. Glad to hear you got the problem fixed.
>
> As for why that happened, I'd still lean towards something
> related to your logging on to the school network. You might
> want to run regedit again and add that key to your Favorites
> (on the Registry Editor toolbar click the Favorites menu and
> select "Add to Favorites"). I think you're going to find that
> the next time you log onto the school network, access to most
> of Control Panel is going to disappear.
>
> Nepatsfan

I took it to school today and nothing changed. However, I didn't open
outlook so I never logged onto the exchange server. I wonder if that's
what triggers the problem.

The ID guy said that they did indeed disable most of the icons to keep
folks out of trouble but they thought I would be immune since I have
administrator access.
I'll take your suggestion and thanks again.