Finally Installed v4.03 - but it won't autorun

[handyandy]

After several attempts I have finally got Daemon Tools v4.03 running.

My problems (like many others) seem to result from sptd.sys and it's associated registry entries.

I have a user account set up on my PC which has no password. This account is a 'computer administrator'.

The first time I ran the DT installer it installed sptd.sys and re-booted .... but heres the rub .... I could no longer run the installer by double clicking.

I had to add a password to my account and then use right click - run as - then enter my account and password - even though I was already logged on !

This let me continue with the install - but I still got the 'kernel debugger' error.

The reponse to this seemed to be to add spdt.sys - so I tried it and I got the 'config file' error.

I then deleted the existing sptd.sys drivers from my PC and all of the registry entries which involved changing the permissions of several of them.

This done I did the right click - run as thing again and finished the install.

But ... still a problem ... I now have a dead registry entry that I can't open or change the permission on:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Servic es\sptd\Cfg

If I try to open it I get 'error while opening key'.

Also - daemon tools won't start when I log on - I get the 'kernel debugger' error again and have to do the run as thing to manually start it.

All this seems to be the result of the 'odd' permission setting on sptd.sys - and to top it all this has also affected alcohol 120%

I need help to ***** the autorun thing as without it I'll probably just de-install and go back to 3.47 which I have used happily for more than a year.

[Jito463]

What OS are you running? Have you checked the various threads in the Common Problems and Solutions section to see if there's a solution to your problem?

[handyandy]

What OS are you running? Have you checked the various threads in the Common Problems and Solutions section to see if there's a solution to your problem?

Whoops forgot to say - I am running standard version windows XP home edition with sp2 and have auto-updates on. I have windows firewall and F-secure security suite running, but don't think these are involved - I also don't think this is a windows update problem .

I've checked all the common problems stuff, which got me this far - i.e. DT v4.03 installed and running.

When I set up my PC I think it prompted me to add individual user accounts - I use one of them now ever time I boot up (no password) this is an administrator account, but not THE administrator account.

DT will run, but only if I use RUN AS - my account (if I do so I also have to associate a password with the account and enter it in the RUN AS window).

Oddly, even if I log on to my account with my password DT will STILL not run unless I do RUN AS and enter the user name & password again.

I have no other programmes that have this problem and as in my original post I am certain it's sptd.sys and the permissions associated with it in the registry that cause this (i.e as an administrator I should be able to delete these, but I can't).

I think the first time I installed sptd.sys was added, but then the permission issue blocked me from completing the install.

Once I got round this the fact that sptd.sys was already installed STILL blocked me from completing the install so I followed advice on this forum about removing it (including removing all the associated registry entries by amending their permission levels).

I then installed Daemon Tools using RUN AS - my account - which got me to here .....

[Jito463]

Try creating a new account and see if DT will auto-run under that account. Perhaps something is messed up with your current login.

[handyandy]

Try creating a new account and see if DT will auto-run under that account. Perhaps something is messed up with your current login.

Nope - tried that already - to avoid a password on my main account I created a special username just to start-up Daemon Tools. But.... even if I log in as that account it still does not autorun - I STILL have to right click and RUN AS.

Clearly I'm not the only one with this problem as their seem to be various posts about the difficulty of removing sptd.sys and it's registry entries and about the need to use RUN AS.

Anyway - the login I'm using is a 'computer administrator' account - I should be able to do ANYTHING I want to my PC!

[handyandy]

I've been reading more of the other posts....

I am convinced that the problem is this:

First part of the install runs fine - sptd.sys installs and system calls for re-boot.

But .... when the system re-boots sptd has created a registry entry with permission settings, which even an administrator cannot mofidy or delete.

This then means that people can't run the installer again without getting the 'internal setup error message' (unless they do right click - RUN AS)

Then ... once they get the set up running - they get the 'kernal debugger' error message, the text of which seems to be a red herring - the real problem is still the permission settings for the registry entries for sptd.sys

So they try the sypt.sys add / remove stuff from the command line - I think this only works properly in safe mode cause it overrides the dodgy permissions on the registry key. In normal mode they just get the 'config' error.

When I eventually managed to install v4.03 I ended up deleting sptd.sys and all the registry entries in normal mode (I used unlocker to kill the process to enable delete), which is why I think I still have a problem. This evening I will try the following:

1. Delete sptd.sys in safe mode and de-install daemon tools.
4. Start install of v.4.03
5. Once sptd.sys is installed re-boot in safe mode - 'remove' it then 'add' it using the stand alone file.
6. Whilst still in safe mode check (and amend if needed) the registry settings so that my user has full permissions for the sptd.sys cfg key.
6. Re-boot normally and attempt to complete the installation.

The problem definitely seems to be the way in which sptd.sys installs and the permissions it sets with regard to it's registry entries.

There seem to be a LOT of people with this problem.

[handyandy]

I've sorted myself out now:

First off there is definitely a permission issue with the registry settings for sptd.sys it creates the following registry key which even the administrator account cannot view or modify.

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Servic es\sptd\Cfg

This permission issue starts of all the errors:

1. setup error
2. kernel mode debugger error
3. config error

The solution is to remove sptd.sys using the download from daemon tools - I could do this in normal mode as my installation was complete - otherwise it has to be done in safe mode:

1. Download sptd_x86.exe to C:\
2. Open command prompt
3. cd.. until you reach c:\
4. Type sptd_x86.exe remove

Then re-boot as prompted - INTO SAFE MODE AGAIN

Re-run Daemon Tools installer.

Then re-boot as prompted - INTO SAFE MODE AGAIN

Run Daemon Tools installer again.

Then re-boot as prompted - this time into normal mode

Daemon tools icon appears in system tray indicating that it has correctly installed.

Installer also ran again though, but I cancelled.

I now have V.04 which autoruns !

Following the same logic I de-installed Alocohol, which was also being affected by sptd.sys and re-installed in safe mode.

Once again - everything works.

Daemon tools guys - I think you need to be advising anyone with problems to remove sptd.sys then start the install again from scratch - ALWAYS IN SAFE MODE. Either that or sort out the really weird permission settings on the registry key.

Thanks for the programme though

[Jito463]

Those registry entries are intentionally hidden to hide the driver from blacklisting schemes used by certain copy protections.

[handyandy]

Those registry entries are intentionally hidden to hide the driver from blacklisting schemes used by certain copy protections.

Well after a re-boot the emulation options on alcohol have failed.

Can alcohol and daemon tools live side by side with sptd.sys?

I'm now wondering if I should try to de-install DT then install alcohol first - then DT again.

My PC hasn't ever re-booted this much in it's life.

[Underheaven]

Re: alcohol emulation options failed

Well after a re-boot the emulation options on alcohol have failed.

How do you know your selected emulation options are not working? Are they unchecked on the preferences screen? Can you just enable emulation via the DAEMON Tools tray icon instead (Note: DT and Alcohol should not need any emulation options selected unless you're playing from burned discs)?

[handyandy]

How do you know your selected emulation options are not working? Are they unchecked on the preferences screen? Can you just enable emulation via the DAEMON Tools tray icon instead (Note: DT and Alcohol should not need any emulation options selected unless you're playing from burned discs)?

What I mean is that whilst Daemon Tools is now working fine I can only use the image making side of alcohol 120%. I cannot mount a virtual drive using alcohol.

The following error message appears when I start alcohol:



I suspect this is the permissions set for the use of sptd.sys again !

[Jito463]

Which version of Alcohol are you running?

[handyandy]

Well the fun continues ...

I have figured out that if I log on in safe mode alcohol will start fine - without the above error.

From safe mode I can then enable virtual drives in alcohol.

Once I re-boot to normal mode I get the alcohol error message. However, the virtual drives I enabled are still there and although I can't enable or disable them - I can mount and de-mount images on them.

Even stranger - when I boot up normally Daemon tools usually starts fine now, but every so often I'll boot up and I'll get the kernal debugger error message and DT will not start. Solution seems to be to restart and (so far) it's worked on the second try.

This all seems to be linked to sptd.sys and the registry key. I understand the answer that it needs to be hidden to protect from blacklisting, but surely the current arrangement does this at the expense of basic functionality?

There has to be a way round it - any help?

[Jito463]

There has to be something specific to your setup that causes SPTD to break. The hidden key works fine on most peoples computers. Something in your system is causing a conflict. As to what exactly, that's hard to say.

[handyandy]

Jito,

Just saw your post about the version of alcohol I am running - it is version 1.9.5 (build 3823).

As to it being something specific to my system causing the problems I have experienced - you might be right - if it is specific I'd love to know what it might be.

Having said that though - my reading of this forum suggests that a LOT of other people have experienced the sort of errors I have seen.

So what could be causing the conflict - where do I start in trying to resolve it?