(SOLVED) 0x80070005 error after running Windows Repair All In One

[recognizer]

I ran Windows Repair last night on a Windows 7 machine, because I've been having some major issues with home networking (can't activate network discovery or any sharing options) on that PC, and I'd read that this program could help with firewall policy problems. I left most of the default file permissions and services-related options checked, and let the program run. After it ran and my system rebooted, I'm getting messages that my installation of Windows is not genuine (it is a genuine OEM installation that came on the machine in question, a Lenovo laptop).

On top of that, I can't open any files created by my user account - Windows alerts me that I do not have permission to access them. I activated the hidden administrator account and it can't access the files either. Any files created by my user account (which has admin permissions) are invisible when the hard drive is attached to another computer (even when show hidden files/show system files are enabled). I was suspicious at first that there was some kind of malware issue going on, but I had ran malwarebytes before running Windows Repair, and Windows Repair itself seems to be well-regarded.

I found this article from Microsoft: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/2008385 which addresses the problem about the incorrect genuine Windows validation error. The fact that it describes a security issue would presumably explain why my administrator accounts cannot access my files. It suggests adding certain registry keys in order to repair the issue. I have already tried that - Windows informed me that the .reg file was used to update the registry - but that hasn't solved anything. I am unable to run rsop.msc in order to attempt the other solutions suggested.

I did set a restore point and back up my registry via Windows Repair before running the repair process. However, I am not currently able to run Windows Repair, even from a portable version on a USB drive.

Does anyone know how Windows Repair could have screwed up my system like this, and what I can do to fix it?
At the least, I really just want access to my files so that I can back them up. If I can get all the files created by my primary user account off the machine, I'm comfortable doing a factory restore in Windows, or formatting and installing, or whatever's necessary to fix the OS.

[Shane]

I have never had my Windows Repair cause those problems before. And even if you dont have access to a file it doesnt make them hidden, so the fact that you cant see the files tells me something else is going on.

I had one user who had their outlook pst file go missing and a bunch of other things going on. When i connected to him to take a look I did a bad sector check on the hard drive and sure enough he had a lot of bad sectors.

When the repairs ran windows had moved data to different sectors on the drive, his pst file ended up on one of the bad sectors and disappeared, the file system was messed up because of the bad sectors and so thats what was causing all the very odd problems.

Normally when you get Windows is not genuine and other problems it is most likly the same thing. System files got put on bad sectors are so are no corrupt. Which in turn can corrupt the whole file system and make files not even show up. You can tell this sounds like the problem with the fact that you cant see the files when you look at them with another system. Even if I remove all permissions from a file and give no access that file still shows up, you cant make it hidden like that.

So the fact that your files are disappearing and other things makes me think that is what is happening.

So do this next, open a cmd.exe window as administrator

type in
chkdsk c: /f /r

It will say the drive is in user and would you like to schedule it for next boot. Hit Y and enter.

Now reboot, before windows loads you should see the chkdsk start, if it doesnt then try again.

When it starts it will take a long time, it will be doing a bad sector check and move files off the bad sectors if it can. If it does find bad sectors you need to get your files off as soon as you can and get the drive replaced

Shane

[recognizer]

Thanks for the reply; I'll run down some additional information.

And even if you dont have access to a file it doesnt make them hidden, so the fact that you cant see the files tells me something else is going on.

The files are only hidden when the hard drive is connected to another computer. When I boot from the hard drive with these issues, I can see all the folders in question, but my user account does not have permissions to access them. There is an exact correspondence between the folders I cannot open while logged into the problematic computer, and the folders which are not visible when the hard drive is connected to another machine.

I've tried running chkdsk, but after rebooting it gives me the "cannot open volume for direct access" error.

you need to get your files off as soon as you can

Yeah, that's exactly what I need to do. But Windows informs me that my user account does not have permissions to view any of the contents of the folders created by my that account. I really think this is a Windows security issue, not a hard drive issue.

[Shane]

Chkdsk doesn't worry about permissions, and when you tried to do the chkdsk it didnt give the option to run it at next boot? Did you open the cmd.exe window as administrator, and have you tried turning off the UAC yet as well?

When the hard drive is in another system can you see any files what so ever? Reason why I ask is if the hard drive is encrypted then that would explain why you can see anything from other OS and only windows can.

First thing is I want to get a chkdsk done. The fact that we are having trouble makes me wonder if the file system is really messed up. Lets try and get the chkdsk going before anything else.

If you cant, send me an email to shane at tweaking dot com

I have a little time right now and I can teamviewer in and see if I can get the chkdsk working and see if I find anything else.

Shane

[recognizer]

Chkdsk doesn't worry about permissions, and when you tried to do the chkdsk it didnt give the option to run it at next boot?

It did. It was when chkdsk ran at next boot that it gave me the error. It's a standard, if rare, chkdsk error that reads
"Cannot open volume for direct access.
Autochk cannot run due to an error caused by a recently installed software package.
Use the system restore feature from the control panel to restore the system to a point prior to the recent software package installation."

When the hard drive is in another system can you see any files what so ever?

Yes. I can see all the normal system files, the Windows folder, Program Files folder, Users folder, etc. The only files which have issues are ones inside any folder that was created by my user account.

Reason why I ask is if the hard drive is encrypted then that would explain why you can see anything from other OS and only windows can.

As far as I know, Windows' EFS is not enabled. I definitely don't have any third-party encryption installed.

I have a little time right now and I can teamviewer in and see if I can get the chkdsk working and see if I find anything else.

I would really appreciate that if it were possible, but since this issue happened I haven't been able to connect to the internet!

If it is a file system issue, do you have any recommendations for recovery programs? I have used FinalData in the past, but I don't know if that's currently being updated, their website doesn't even seem to list their current pricing.

I am currently attempting to turn off UAC and see if I can restore my permissions to any of these folders. I'll get back to you if that makes any progress.

Thanks again.

[Shane]

Well the chkdsk is the first step. So there is a way to do it from the recovery console.

Here is one way to do it
http://surrealparadigm.com/?p=185

Since you can get a command window there you can run chkdsk from there, which will be ran from the recovery files and not the ones on the system.

Once you get to the command window there you are going to want to make sure what drive letter it mapped the windows drive to
so in the cmd window type in
cd C:\

and hit enter, the prompt should change to the C:\ drive. If it did then do
dir

and hit enter, this will list the folders and files. Look at those to confirm that is the correct windows drive letter.

If so do the command
chkdsk c: /f /r

and let it does it thing.

Shane

[recognizer]

Get this - I turned off UAC and it let me look at the permissions for all the problematic folders in question. Somehow all the permissions for every account had been removed. Bizarre! It's like Windows just lost all the permissions data for every file except the basic system files.

I added my own account back in with full control and now I can see the contents of the folders... at this point it seems like I shouldn't have too much trouble backing up my files and then fixing my Windows installation without worrying about my data. Thanks for your suggestions and sorry to bother you with such a strange issue.

[Shane]

The permissions for the files are stored in the file system. This is why you use NTFS when you need permissions as FAT32 doesnt have that option and its size limits. So again it points back to the drive and or the file system.

First thing is get your data off of there as soon as you can, and then, one way or another, do that bad sector check on the drive. Put the drive in the other system and do it there if you can

Shane

[recognizer]

After backing up everything and doing a system restore on the machine, chkdsk reports no errors and I'm able to install software, etc as normal (plus the firewall settings I was trying to fix in the first place seem to be cleared up).

I believe what happened was that there was an error in Windows somewhere while Windows Repair was doing one of the first three steps - Reset Registry Permissions, Reset File Permissions, or Reset Service Permissions - and that Windows didn't notify me of this error, meaning that some part of my system was left with crucial permissions not set at all.

[Shane]

If the file system did have errors in it and the program was trying to set permissions (Which are store on the file system) then all kinds of things would happen. Which sounds like that is what happened.

Now that you got the file system fixed everything is working like it should. Good to hear you got it back and going.

Shane