[Q] Messed up registry - Windows Phone 7 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting

Hello,
I experimented with the WP7 Root Tools and tried to add an own theme by creating a folder called "2" inside the Themes folder in the registry. After I did that I could not open any app anymore. I can't open the Root Tools app or any other marketplace-app. I tried to fix the problem with the MFG menu of my LG e900 but I can't start that either.
Do you have any way to fix my problem? I don't want to reset my phone and loose all my text messages and my dictionary!

If you don't have a recent backup (which you seriously should; why would you go poke the registry without knowing one???) then yeah, hard-reset it pretty much the only option. You could try opening the Theme control panel in Settings and see if it clears things up for you, or you could try writing an app that uses the LG provxml driver to delete the offending registry key *BEFORE THE APP LOADS ITS UI* so that it *might* get run before crashing, but those are my only guesses as to waht might save you.
If you're going to semi-blindly poke the registry, *ALWAYS* have a backup at hand.

GoodDayToDie said:
you could try writing an app that uses the LG provxml driver to delete the offending registry key *BEFORE THE APP LOADS ITS UI* so that it *might* get run before crashing
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Do you think this is possible? So I might give it a try.
Do you know where I have to read to learn this?

Do you have any WP7 dev experience? The basic concept is pretty straightforward, but it helps if I don't have to explain the basics of app development. I've attached a ZIP archive that contains the source code for a very basic app that uses LG provxml.
Your app will need the following things:
NewSysInfoComDLL.dll (native library that talks to the LG provxml driver).
WPInteropManifest.xml (file that allows your app to talk to native code).
ID_CAP_INTEROPSERVICES in WMAppManifest.xml (to access drivers).
Reference to the InteropServices .NET framework DLL (for the ComBridge API).
In the constructor for the main page, or possibly even in the app initialization code that goes in App.xaml.cs - whichever place gets executed first - you'll need to do the following:
Initialize the COM bridge to the native library (the *Interop*.cs files will help here).
Call the LG provision XML API with a provxml string that deletes the registry ney you created (you can find the provxml reference for Windows Compact 7 on MSDN).
If you're very lucky, this will fix your registry before the app tries to read the registry, goes looking for the additional theme data, doesn't find it, and crashes.

reason adocde
Thank you so far!
I am a very basic programmer, so I don't know very much about it, but I have created a few apps already.
The example looks really interesting, but I think it only shows how to read a registry key. How can I write one instead?

ProvXML reference (I did tell you how to find this yourself...) http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/gg155017.aspx
You want the registry provider, obviously, and you want to delete a key, so that will be a nocharacteristic element.

Physatty said:
Hello,
I experimented with the WP7 Root Tools and tried to add an own theme by creating a folder called "2" inside the Themes folder in the registry. After I did that I could not open any app anymore. I can't open the Root Tools app or any other marketplace-app. I tried to fix the problem with the MFG menu of my LG e900 but I can't start that either.
Do you have any way to fix my problem? I don't want to reset my phone and loose all my text messages and my dictionary!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i had the same issue, but i tried it a few months ago manually, to manage the second folder. but i messed the same thing up, its not the fault of wp7 root tools, its just to the registry. my out was an hard reset. which resets the registry too.

Dinchy87 said:
i had the same issue, but i tried it a few months ago manually, to manage the second folder. but i messed the same thing up, its not the fault of wp7 root tools, its just to the registry. my out was an hard reset. which resets the registry too.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
And that's what I did now.

Related

remove entries from start/parameters menu.

Hi, where are located the entry of the parameters menu ? Because in the connections tab, i have an entry i want to remove...
Hope i was clear...
Ciao
Fred
frederikk said:
Hi, where are located the entry of the parameters menu ? Because in the connections tab, i have an entry i want to remove...
Hope i was clear...
Ciao
Fred
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not entirely sure what you want to remove or from where? What device and rom you using too?
I believe the OP wants to remove a Settings shortcut. I'm not sure how to do it with 6.1, but if you're using 6.5, then you may be able to delete the registry setting for the .cpl (may take some work figuring out which is which) to get rid of the shortcut. Look for it in hklm-security-shell-startinfo-start-settings. It may not work-you'll just have to experiment.
Farmer Ted said:
I believe the OP wants to remove a Settings shortcut. I'm not sure how to do it with 6.1, but if you're using 6.5, then you may be able to delete the registry setting for the .cpl (may take some work figuring out which is which) to get rid of the shortcut. Look for it in hklm-security-shell-startinfo-start-settings. It may not work-you'll just have to experiment.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Im confused, if the OP wants to merely delete a shortcut from a folder in the start menu (wino 6.5) he can use total commander or file explorer and manullay delete or move to a different location?
I might be missing the point here though
timmymarsh said:
Im confused, if the OP wants to merely delete a shortcut from a folder in the start menu (wino 6.5) he can use total commander or file explorer and manullay delete or move to a different location?
I might be missing the point here though
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's harder with Settings shortcuts, though. They don't appear in the start menu directory most of the time. Only the Program shortcut show up there. I guess yiou can also delete the registry entry for the setting in HKLM\ControlPanel. That should work if the one in HKLM\Security\Shell... doesn't do the job.
Hi, i knew i was not really clear ! I typed it from my phone... too quick.
So, i'm using wm6.1 with a stock htc rom on my touch HD.
In the settings, connections tab i see and old Wifi router entry... if i click on it nothing happens and i have fulle removed this prog. So i would like to delete this entry.
As i said, i can't find any .cpl for this entry. I looked in the registry but no way to find it.
Hope i 'm more accurate now
Ciao
Fred
I don't know if these keys exist or not in 6.1, but in 6.5 there are a bunch under HKLM\ControlPanel, and a lot of them are just numbered somewhat randomly. I have 3-8, 10-15 and 35. Then there are keys for Advanced Network, Backlight, Buttons, etc. If it's numbered, you may just need to use trial and error (back up before randomly deleting, obviously).
If the app was something you installed and then removed, it may have put an actual shortcut in the \Windows\Start Menu\Settings\Connections folder. Check to see if it exists, then delete it. I can remember having an app that did that once or twice. If you still have the cab file, you can analyze it with sk tools or winCE cab analyzer and see where it sticks the .cpl or what it's named.
Farmer Ted said:
I don't know if these keys exist or not in 6.1, but in 6.5 there are a bunch under HKLM\ControlPanel, and a lot of them are just numbered somewhat randomly. I have 3-8, 10-15 and 35. Then there are keys for Advanced Network, Backlight, Buttons, etc. If it's numbered, you may just need to use trial and error (back up before randomly deleting, obviously).
If the app was something you installed and then removed, it may have put an actual shortcut in the \Windows\Start Menu\Settings\Connections folder. Check to see if it exists, then delete it. I can remember having an app that did that once or twice. If you still have the cab file, you can analyze it with sk tools or winCE cab analyzer and see where it sticks the .cpl or what it's named.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanx. I see those random digits in the registry, but no way to identify which goes to which Andno it is not a "simple" link
Ciao
Fred
Well, back up the HKLM\ControlPanel values, then start deleting the keys one at a time (you may need to soft reset after each one). When you find the key that gets rid of the shortcut you don't want, then restore all the original keys, and delete the annoying one again. It may not work, though-I'm just guessing that removing the keys will remove the shortcuts.
Farmer Ted said:
Well, back up the HKLM\ControlPanel values, then start deleting the keys one at a time (you may need to soft reset after each one). When you find the key that gets rid of the shortcut you don't want, then restore all the original keys, and delete the annoying one again. It may not work, though-I'm just guessing that removing the keys will remove the shortcuts.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ok. thank you for your help.
Ciao
Fred

[Q] Cannot access registry anymore after accentcolor change

Hey there,
I got a Samsung Omnia 7 with Telekom Branding and a serious problem. I cannot access the registry of my phone anymore with any tool. WP7 Root tools and the registry editor from TouchXperience keeps crashing.
What I been doing is trying to add a new accent color.
I first went to [HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\ControlPanel\Themes] and then in the folder which contains the theme names. I have created there a correct Dword entry and called the name "grau".
Well, then I switched into [HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\ControlPanel\Themes\0\Accents] and wanted to add there another accent color with the index number 11. I was looking for the hex values on my PC while my phone screen got locked.
After unlocking it again, I couldnt access any of the tools anymore.
Also when I go into the control panel -> design (where you can choose light/dark background and accent color) it just kicks me out of the menu.
I dont know what I should do, I need something which lets me access the registry somehow or an app which could remove the key...
Any help is greatly appreciated
You can do write-only registry operations in a few ways, but one of the easiest is to use provxml. Download the Interop Unlock XAP from the Dev&Hacking sub-forum and open it in 7-zip (the built-in Windows ZIP explorer won't work for this). There's a .. folder. Navigate it up to ..\..\..\..\.. or so, then there's a provxml folder. Open it, and there's a file inside. Edit that file. It'll have some registry write commands in an xml format (wap-provisioning, you can read about it on MSDN if you want). Put the registry commands you want into the file and save it back into the XAP archive. Then, follow the normal steps for interop-unlock on a Samsung phone, except don't install the original app (deploy your modified version). This will process the provxml and make the registry changes.
Note: provxml can be used to delete registry values as well as create or modify them. This is a great way to undo partial jobs like adding a new theme that isn't supposed to be there.
Thanks a lot for your reply.
It worked out. I removed all those broken keys.
I had done loads of registry changes and a bunch of tweaks for the phone, at the end I did a hard reset.
I'll wait for tools the next time

Semi-bricked Phone from Registry! Please help!

Hi everyone,
I was recently experimenting with my LG Quantum, trying to add another theme instead of the two that are already available. I know you can just change the values of one of the existing themes, but I wanted to keep both of the other ones. Anyways, I was using the Registry Editor app (not sure whose it was), and trying to add a key called "2" to HKLM\ControlPanel\Themes. It kept deleting when I refreshed the Registry Editor, so I decided to go into MFG and create the value HKLM\ControlPanel\Themes\2\BaseThemeColor. I then tried to go into the Registry Editor application to see if it had created the Key. But the registry editor didn't open. So I restarted my phone and everything works fine...except none of the applications that have been installed will open. I've tried reinstalling them and downloading different applications that I've never had. Nothing works.
Also, in settings, under the theme, it usually says the name of your current accent color. Now it doesn't say anything, so I'm pretty sure the problem has something to do with the new key that's been added to HKLM\ControlPanel\Themes. I can't delete the key either because the MFG application and Registry Editor won't open... I have no idea what to do.
Any ideas?
Thanks for your help!
-Elliott
EDIT: push notifications from applications work, I just got one.
eeeelliott said:
Hi everyone,
I was recently experimenting with my LG Quantum, trying to add another theme instead of the two that are already available. I know you can just change the values of one of the existing themes, but I wanted to keep both of the other ones. Anyways, I was using the Registry Editor app (not sure whose it was), and trying to add a key called "2" to HKLM\ControlPanel\Themes. It kept deleting when I refreshed the Registry Editor, so I decided to go into MFG and create the value HKLM\ControlPanel\Themes\2\BaseThemeColor. I then tried to go into the Registry Editor application to see if it had created the Key. But the registry editor didn't open. So I restarted my phone and everything works fine...except none of the applications that have been installed will open. I've tried reinstalling them and downloading different applications that I've never had. Nothing works.
Also, in settings, under the theme, it usually says the name of your current accent color. Now it doesn't say anything, so I'm pretty sure the problem has something to do with the new key that's been added to HKLM\ControlPanel\Themes. I can't delete the key either because the MFG application and Registry Editor won't open... I have no idea what to do.
Any ideas?
Thanks for your help!
-Elliott
EDIT: push notifications from applications work, I just got one.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Time to reset the phone.
Settings
then select about.
Then scroll down and select Reset Phone.
You will need to reinstall things and reconfigure your email accounts.
Use the same Windows Live ID and you will be able to reinstall everything without repurchasing.
that's what I was dreading... I'll just restore it in Zune. So it's not too far away from what it used to be.
LET THIS BE A WARNING FOR EVERYONE WANTING TO ADD ANOTHER THEME.... DONT DO IT

[Q] how to make my apps autorun whenever my phone starts

hi,guys
i try to achieve it by using fiinix's dllimport dll,but now i have no idea?whocan give me some advices?
thank you!
This is a mildly scary idea, but an interesting potential hack.
On desktop Windows, you'd either use the registry, the Startup folder of the Start menu, or create an NT Service that ran automatically.
The registry key is
HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run
or
HKLM\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run
but WP7 only has those registry paths up through CurrentVersion. You could try creating the Run key, and adding entries under it, though.
WP7 doesn't have a "Startup" sub-folder of the Start menu the way that Windows for the PC does, but it does have a Startup folder. The path is \Windows\Startup. You'd probably want to create a shortcut, most likely to "app://<APP_GUID_HERE>/_default" because that's how app paths are described in the registry, although I can't promise that would work.
While WP7 does have Services, I don't think they're how you'd want to do this. For one thing, they may need to be written in native code, which would make it very tricky to run them on a stock ROM.
In any case, any of these changes are going to require at least interop-unlock (root-unlock would make it easier) or full-unlock. Using DllImport doesn't actually give you any extra permissions; it just makes it eaier to call native functions. They still run with your limited permissions (such as no ability to edit the Registry or the \Windows folder), though.
GoodDayToDie said:
This is a mildly scary idea, but an interesting potential hack.
On desktop Windows, you'd either use the registry, the Startup folder of the Start menu, or create an NT Service that ran automatically.
The registry key is
HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run
or
HKLM\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run
but WP7 only has those registry paths up through CurrentVersion. You could try creating the Run key, and adding entries under it, though.
WP7 doesn't have a "Startup" sub-folder of the Start menu the way that Windows for the PC does, but it does have a Startup folder. The path is \Windows\Startup. You'd probably want to create a shortcut, most likely to "app://<APP_GUID_HERE>/_default" because that's how app paths are described in the registry, although I can't promise that would work.
While WP7 does have Services, I don't think they're how you'd want to do this. For one thing, they may need to be written in native code, which would make it very tricky to run them on a stock ROM.
In any case, any of these changes are going to require at least interop-unlock (root-unlock would make it easier) or full-unlock. Using DllImport doesn't actually give you any extra permissions; it just makes it eaier to call native functions. They still run with your limited permissions (such as no ability to edit the Registry or the \Windows folder), though.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
good idea!but it is a little difficult to achieve now.and do you know fiinix's screen_capture app use backroundworker to achieve the backround task.however,when i use such method on my htc T9292,nothing happened.do i need any other skill to achieve such goal?

HTC Omega Registry editor not working

Hello!
I've installed the custom ROM on my HTC Radar. I've tried to edit some parameters in the registry using the registry editor got with the ROM, but it doesn't work. I write in the new parameter, I tap on the done button, but when I refresh the registry editor, it resets the oroginal value. I tried to add a new value, but same situation. It appears, and after a refresh, it disappears. I can't edit any values in the registry... I'd like to change the original tile colors, but I simply can't edit the registry. Neither work the tile color changing apps.
Please, give me a link of a working registry editor, or a solution.
Thanks!
I suggest using WP7 Root Tools for now. You don't really need the "root unlock" part of it, but it includes a quite respectable registry editor built in.
It's very possible that custom ROMs are still shipping the old TouchXperience registry editor app for some reason. That thing is obsolete and uses a method of high-privilege access that requires a firmware version older than any HTC Radar ever made.
Thanks!
GoodDayToDie said:
I suggest using WP7 Root Tools for now. You don't really need the "root unlock" part of it, but it includes a quite respectable registry editor built in.
It's very possible that custom ROMs are still shipping the old TouchXperience registry editor app for some reason. That thing is obsolete and uses a method of high-privilege access that requires a firmware version older than any HTC Radar ever made.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Big big big big thanks for you, with the WP root tools I can edit the registry finally!

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