Fixing Task Manager is Disabled by your Administrator

That's a very common problem for Windows users. Many times when you try to open Task Manager, you find that "Task Manager" option has been grayed out: Also when you try to run it by typing "taskmgr" in RUN dialog box, Windows shows following error message: Task Manager has been disabled by your administrator. There might be 2 possible reasons behind this problem:

Your system administrator applied the restriction using Registry Editor or Group Policy Editor. Your system has been infected with virus and it has disabled the Task Manager.

If you are already the Administrator of the system, then your system is most probably infected. Now if your system in not infected or you have successfully removed the virus, then you can follow these simple steps to enable Task Manager again: 1. Type regedit in RUN dialog box or Startmenu Search box and press Enter. It'll open Registry Editor. 2. Now go to following keys one by one: HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\System HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\System HKEY_USERS\.default\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\System and look for a DWORD value "DisableTaskMgr" in right-side pane. If you find it, delete it. 3. That's it. Now Task Manager will be enabled.

Enabling Folder Options and Registry Editor

Many times Windows users face a common problem. The "Folder Options" in "Tools" menu is not visible. Even It can't be accessed from Control Panel. Also "Registry Editor" is disabled. If you are also facing this problem, then you have come to right place. Follow the simple steps mentioned in this tutorial and your problem will be solved: 1. If Folder Options is disabled but Registry Editor is still working in your system, then you can enable Folder Options by editing Windows Registry. Type regedit in RUN dialog box and press Enter. it'll open Registry Editor, now go to following keys: HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Current Version\Policies\Explorer HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Current Version\Policies\Explorer In right-side pane, check whether a DWORD value named NoFolderOptions exists or not? If it exists, delete it. 2. But sometimes Registry Editor is also disabled. Whenever you try to open regedit, Windows will show following error message: Registry Editor has been disabled by administrator. Its a symptom of RONTOKBRO Trojan.

3. If its not a trojan problem and someone intentionally has disabled it in your system, then you can enable it again by following any of these methods: a. Type gpedit.msc in RUN dialog box and goto: User Configuration -> Administrative Templates -> System in right-side pane, set "Prevent access to Registry editing tools" to either Not Configured or Disabled. b. Just type following in RUN dialog box and press <ENTER>: REG add HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\System /v DisableRegistryTools /t REG_DWORD /d 0 /f Now after enabling Registry Editor, you can re-enable Folder Options by following methods mentioned in 1st or 2nd steps.

Resetting Forgotten Password

1st Method: The first thing which you check if you forget login password. When we install Windows, it automatically creates an account "Administrator" and sets its password to blank. So if you have forget your user account password then try this: Start system and when you see Windows Welcome screen / Login screen, press <ctrl>+<alt>+<del> keys twice and it'll show Classic Login box. Now type "Administrator" (without quotes) in Username and leave Password field blank. Now press Enter and you should be able to log in Windows. Now you can reset your account password from "Control Panel -> User Accounts". Same thing can be done using Safe Mode. In Safe Mode Windows will show this in-built Administrator account in Login screen. 2nd Method: Windows XP and further versions also provide another method to recover forgotten password by using "Reset Disk". If you created a Password Reset Disk in past, you can use that disk to reset the password. 3rd Method: If the above mentioned tricks don't work, then try following trick which is actually a loophole in Windows XP Setup and a big security hole: A. Boot using Windows XP Setup CD and follow the instruction like Accepting EULA, etc. B. When it asks to repair your existing Windows installation, accept it and press "R" to run the repair. C. Setup will start repairing your Windows and will start copying files, etc. D. After a few minutes setup will restart your system and when it restarts don't press any key when it shows "Press any key to continue..." otherwise Setup will start from the beginning. Don't press any key and setup will resume where it left. E. Now it'll start doing other tasks and will show a small progressbar with a few details in left side.

F. Look carefully at the details and when it shows "Installing devices", press <Shift>+F10 keys in your keyboard. G. It'll open a Command Prompt window. Now type nusrmgr.cpl and press <Enter>. H. It'll open the same "User Accounts" window which you see in Control Panel. I. Now you can remove or reset any account password without any problem. 4th Method: There are many 3rd party utilities which claim to recover forgotten Windows password: Windows Geeks Lost Forgotten Password Service: Windows Geeks have a program that works instantly to remove any lost or forgotten password. With this program you can get back in very quickly: Emergency Boot CD: EBCD is a bootable CD, intended for system recovery in the case of software or hardware faults. It is able to create backup copies of normally working system and restore system to saved state. It contains the best system software ever created, properly compiled and configured for the maximum efficient use. You may download image builder utility which creates image of bootable CD-ROM (.ISO file), plus basic set of system tools. When the image is ready, write it to CD-R or CD-RW, and then everytime you'll need convenient and powerful system tools they'll be just at hand. It is easy to customize the disk for your needs. You can include to CD any program you like, or remake the structure of CD completely. All you need is to change a few lines in configuration XML files. Offline NT Password & Registry Editor: This is a utility to reset the password of any user that has a valid (local) account on your NT system. You do not need to know the old password to set a new one. It works offline, that is, you have to shutdown your computer and boot off a floppydisk or CD. It'll detect and offer to unlock locked or disabled out user accounts. It is also an almost fully functional registry editor. Windows XP Login Recovery: Login Recovery is a service to reveal user names and recover passwords for Windows NT, 2000, XP, 2003 and Vista. As long as you have physical access to the computer, your passwords can be recovered. Ultimate Boot CD (UBCD): Ultimate Boot CD runs independently of any operating system. It will boot from any Intel-compatible machine, regardless of whether DOS/Windows/Linux/BeOS is installed on the machine. However, you do need an operating system and a ISO-capable CD writer software to create the Ultimate Boot CD from the downloaded ISO image file. 5th Method: If all fails, then simply reinstall Windows and create new accounts. To recover lost data, you can use Data recovery tools available on net but the chances will be very low to get data back. That's all we can suggest. If you have any other method / tool, feel free to post here.

Problems with Solution/s

1. Whenever I double-click on any drive/folder in My Computer, a Search window opens. Sol: Open regedit and goto following keys one by one: HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Directory\shell HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Drive\shell In right-side pane, delete the "Default" key. If it doesnt work then delete the key "find" under both. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------2. Whenever I double-click on any drive in My Computer, "Open with" dialog box opens OR I get following error message: Cannot find copy.exe. Make sure you have typed the name correctly and then try again. Sol: Enable "Show hidden files" option in "Tools -> Folder Options" and then search for "Autorun.inf" file in all drives and if you get them in root of any drive (e.g. in C:\, D:\ and so on), delete them. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------3. Whenever I open a folder, another folder with the same name is created under it. Sol: Your system is infected by a variant of Indonesian virus called Brontok/Rontokbro. It creates a sub-folder in a folder with same name. Most of the times it comes from mobile memory cards. Scan with a good anti-virus and remove the virus. Also download HijackThis and scan your system with it in Safe Mode, then fix following entries: C:\WINDOWS\system32\SSVICHOSST.exe F2 - REG:system.ini: Shell=Explorer.exe SSVICHOSST.exe O4 - HKCU\..\Run: [Yahoo Messengger] C:\WINDOWS\system32\SSVICHOSST.exe O7 - HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Current Version\Policies\System, DisableRegedit=1 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------4. Whenever I start my computer, My Documents/My Computer opens automatically at windows startup. Sol: Open regedit and goto: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Winlogon In right-side pane, change value of "Userinit" to: C:\WINDOWS\system32\userinit.exe, NOTE: If you have windows installed in other drives, then change C:\ to that drive label. Now goto: HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Current Version\Explorer\Advanced In right-side pane, change value of "PersistBrowsers" to 0

Now log off windows and it should solve the problem. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------5. When I start my computer, I get error message: NTLDR is missing or Boot: Couldn't find NTLDR Sol: Boot using Windows Setup CD and enter into "Recovery Console" by pressing "R". Now Log into windows installation and enter admin password. Now give following commands at prompt: copy x:\i386\ntldr c:\ copy x:\i386\ntdetect.com c:\ Where "x" is your CD drive, change it acc. to your system. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------6. When I start my computer, I get error message: Windows could not start because the following file is missing or corrupt: <Windows root>\system32\hal.dll. Please re-install a copy of the above file. Sol: Boot using Windows Setup CD and enter into "Recovery Console" by pressing "R". Now Log into windows installation and enter admin password. Now give following commands at prompt: Attrib -H -R -S C:\Boot.ini Del C:\Boot.ini BootCfg /Rebuild Fixboot --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------7. When I start my computer, I get error message: "Windows\System32\config\system" file missing or corrupt. Sol: Boot using Windows Setup CD and enter into "Recovery Console" by pressing "R". Now Log into windows installation and enter admin password. Now give following commands at prompt: copy %windir%\Repair\system %windir%\System32\Config If it doesnt work, then again boot into "Recovery Console" and give following commands: fixmbr bootcfg /scan bootcfg /rebuild fixboot ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

8. Whenever I start my computer, Scandisk starts running even I proper shut down the PC last time. Sol: Do as following: A. Open regedit and goto: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Session Manager In right-side pane, change the value of BootExecute to: autocheck autochk * B. If the above trick doesnt help then give following commands in Command Prompt: chkntfs /x drive_name for e.g., if ScanDisk runs automatically for C: and D: drives, then give following commands one by one: chkntfs /x C: chkntfs /x D: --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------9. When I start my computer, I get following error message: CMOS checksum error, defaults loaded. Sol: Open your computer cabinet and look for a coin-sized battery attached in motherboard. Remove it and attach a new one. The new battery will cost approx. 15-20 Rs. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------10. I forgot my system BIOS password. How can I reset it? Sol: Open the cabinet and look for a coin-sized battery in motherboard. Remove it and attach it again after a few minutes. All BIOS settings will set to default and the password will also reset. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------11. I re-installed my windows and now "Stand By" option is greyed out in shutdown dialog box and I can't use it. Sol: Install VGA drivers from your motherboard CD and the option will be enabled. If you don't have the motherboard CD, then goto the manufacturer site and download the required drivers. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------12. My Windows Login Screen has changed to "Classic Logon Box". I want the new Welcome Screen back. Sol: Type "control userpasswords" in RUN dialog box or Open "User Accounts" in Control Panel. Then click on "Change the way Users log on and off". Now check the option "Use Welcome Screen". If you get following error: Uninstall client services for netware.

Then Open "Network Connections" and open Properties of your Internet Connection. Now goto "Networking" tab and select "Client services on Netware" option and click on the"Uninstall" button. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

13. A strange process "ctfmon.exe" always runs in background and if I click on "End Process" button, it restarts automatically. Sol: Open Control Panel and goto Add/Remove Programs list. Now click on the Microsoft Office entry and then click on "Change" button. Now select "Add/Remove Features" and click on "Next". Now expand "Office Shared Features" and click on "Alternative User Input" and then select "Not Available" and finally click on Update. It'll permanently remove that ctfmon.exe and your problem will be solved. You can also use 3rd party utility "CTFMON-Remover" to get rid of ctfmon.exe easily and quickly: CTFMON-Remover --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------14. I just noticed that all my Firefox Bookmarks have gone. The bookmarks list is empty. How can I get them back? Sol: Type "%appdata%\Mozilla\Firefox\Profiles" in RUN dialog box and then open the "xxxx.default" folder (where xxxx will be random numbers and characters). Now open "bookmarkbackups" folder and you'll get your bookmarks there. Now you can import them in Firefox again. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------15. My Windows is showing some wrong icons of files. How can I reset the corrupted icons? Sol: You can use any of following methods: A. Download TweakUI from here and then click on "Repair Icons" in "Repair" section. B. Open My Computer and goto: C:\Documents and Settings\User_Name\Local Settings\Application Data Replace C:\ with your system drive and "user_Name" with your username. Now there'll be a HIDDEN file "iconcache.db", delete it and restart your system. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------16. I'm using Windows XP and the desktop icons suddenly started showing an ugly background rectangle behind the text. How can I make the text transparent? Sol: Type "sysdm.cpl" in RUN dialog box and press <Enter>. Now goto "Advanced" tab, click on "Setting" button in "Performance" section and enable the option "Use drop shadows for icon labels on the desktop". --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------17. I'm using Windows XP and suddenly the Common tasks stopped showing in left-side pane.

Sol: Open "Tools -> Folder Options" and enable the option "Show Common Tasks in folders". --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------18. Whenever I right-click on Start button and select "Open", a "Copy To"/"Move To" dialog box opens automatically. Sol: Open regedit and goto: HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\AllFilesystemObjects\shellex\ ContextMenuHandlers\ Now under this key, delete following 2 keys: Copy To Move To --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------19. I can't see Hidden files/folders in my computer. Even I enable the option "Show hidden files/folders" in "Tools -> Folder Options", its automatically disabled again. Sol: Open regedit and goto: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\Current Version\explorer\Advanced\Folder\Hidden Under this key, you'll see 2 more keys "NOHIDDEN" and "SHOWALL". Make sure that the values of "CheckedValue" and "DefaultValue" in right-side pane are "2" and "2" for "NOHIDDEN" and "1" and "2" for "SHOWALL" respectively. If its not so, then change them and you'll be able to enable/disable these options in "Folder Options". You can also alter Hide/unhide settings using registry as following: HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Current Version\Explorer\Advanced In right-side pane, change value of "Hidden" to: 1 - To show hidden files 2 - To not show hidden files --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------20. I accidentally deleted my "mspaint.exe"/"notepad.exe"/etc. file, how can I get it back? Sol: You can use any of following methods: A. Goto "%windir%\System32\DLLCache" folder and look for the file, if its there then copy it to "%windir%\System32\" folder.

B. Insert your Windows Setup CD and goto "I386" folder. Now look for the same file, it'll present there but the last letter of extension will be "_". e.g., u'll get "mspaint.ex_"/"notepad.ex_"/etc. Now open Command Prompt and goto "I386" folder and give following command: expand mspaint.ex_ mspaint.exe expand notepad.ex_ notepad.exe etc. Now u can copy the file to "%windir%\System32" folder. C. Give following command in Command Prompt: sfc /SCANNOW It'll automatically restore the files. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------21. Suddenly my taskbar is showing only icons in all opened application buttons. I can't see any text. How can I get back the full taskbar buttons? Sol: Open regedit and goto: HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Control Panel\Desktop\WindowMetrics In right-side pane, delete "MinWidth" value. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------