"The handle is invalid" ...whats that mean

hello,
My problem is everytime I open up any instalation programs it says something like this

C:\documents and settings\Dsyanvu\desktop\(program name eg.Powerdvd6.exe)

The handle is invalid.

This only started...a week ago but i dont know what i did.Please help

Thanks in advance. :wave:

It seems that you need to update the codecs for your DVD player environment.
Is your problem with self-burned DVDs?

No, i just used the dvdplayer as an example of what doesnt work. Most of the installers dont work.

(a) 'invalid handle' in progammers terms means an attempt to open a file with low-level read capability failed - *why not* is the source of your troubles.

If installers dont work, have you got administer rights?

Is the place your installs try to use (typically c:\windows\temp) now set read-only?

Can you save a file to c:\ and c:\windows\temp using say notepad

and by the way, it's hard for us to help if you fail to fill in your details - we have to just guess you are using WinXP home for instance.....

(a) 'invalid handle' in progammers terms means an attempt to open a file with low-level read capability failed - *why not* is the source of your troubles.

If installers dont work, have you got administer rights?

Is the place your installs try to use (typically c:\windows\temp) now set read-only?

Can you save a file to c:\ and c:\windows\temp using say notepad

and by the way, it's hard for us to help if you fail to fill in your details - we have to just guess you are using WinXP home for instance.....

Alllright..K i do have administer rights, yes i can save a file to windows\temp and it is set to read-only.
heh yeah I do WinXP but pro.

I assume when you say c:\windows\temp is read only, you mean is not read-only!

More suggestions - the quickest thing is perform a system restore back to when all was ok.

Failing that, your installer may be corrupt, try downloading a new copy of the installer (trawl Microsoft download site for 'Windows installer')

look at this reference where a built-in windows XP system driver verifier is described - for the expert only. http://techrepublic.com.com/5100-10877_11-5714091.html?tag=nl.e064 (you may have to register with tech republic to view it, but registry is free)

Oh, and you have done all the usual virus checks etc of course? see this site.

I assume when you say c:\windows\temp is read only, you mean is not read-only!

More suggestions - the quickest thing is perform a system restore back to when all was ok.

Failing that, your installer may be corrupt, try downloading a new copy of the installer (trawl Microsoft download site for 'Windows installer')

look at this reference where a built-in windows XP system driver verifier is described - for the expert only. http://techrepublic.com.com/5100-10877_11-5714091.html?tag=nl.e064 (you may have to register with tech republic to view it, but registry is free)

Oh, and you have done all the usual virus checks etc of course? see this site.


Hey
Thanks for your help again but it still wont work. I tried setting the temp file to not read only and i also tried the system restore. Also i ran the a virus check already. I downloaded the windows installer........but it wont work, "the handle is invalid" agian. It wont even run the verifier cuse it says the "the handle is invalid" too! =P anymore suggestions? thansk.

Dysanvu,
no need to repeat the previous poster's message all the time! (in other words, don't use the "Quote" button).
Click on the symbol "Hand on Paper" at the very right under a message, to reply to a thread.

:o i use the quote so then i dont have to go back to see what you wrote =P

Hello,
It turns out that all .exe files say "the handle is not invalid"
does anyone know how to fix this?

Is it still limited to just "installers"? Now you say EVERY *.exe file doesn't work? Could be file association problem. I posted this in another thread. Try it:

Create a new file called "fixexe.reg". Use notepad if you can but just make sure it is only "fixexe.reg" and not "fixexe.reg.txt".
Edit this file if you can and place everything between the dotted lines in it.

-------------------------------------
Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\exefile]
@="Application"
"EditFlags"=hex:38,07,00,00

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\exefile\DefaultIcon]
@="%1"

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\exefile\shell]

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\exefile\shell\open]
"EditFlags"=hex:00,00,00,00

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\exefile\shell\open\command]
@="\"%1\" %*"

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\exefile\shell\runas]
"Extended"=""

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\exefile\shell\runas\command]
@="\"%1\" %*"

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\exefile\shellex]

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\exefile\shellex\DropHandler]
@="{86C86720-42A0-1069-A2E8-08002B30309D}"

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\exefile\shellex\PropertySheetHan dlers]

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\exefile\shellex\PropertySheetHan dlers\PifProps]
@="{86F19A00-42A0-1069-A2E9-08002B30309D}"

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\exefile\shellex\PropertySheetHan dlers\{B41DB860-8EE4-11D2-9906-E49FADC173CA}]
@=""
--------------------------------------------------

Save this file. Then double-click it. It should ask to import to registry. Say yes.
Now refresh My Computer and check your files again.

good luck.

aww thanks for the suggestion but it didnt help. It diddnt do anything even though it said it added all the information on to registry.Again, tahnsk

Check that .reg file.
The forum-quirk strikes again, it splits long texts!

PropertySheetHan dlers should be
PropertySheetHandlers without a space in it.

haha, so it did put a space. Odd.

Here it is as a txt attachment. Have to rename to .REG before using.

Hope that was it! We'll see.

:dead: It still didnt work.

Are you sure it is EVERY exe file? Can you go to Start-Run and just type "regedit.exe" and "calc.exe". Do those work? Try to narraw it down. If it is global EXEs everywhere then I expect associations which the reg should have fixed. But if it's limited to some EXEs and not others, that's a different story.

Read this thread, he has a similar problem:
http://www.techspot.com/vb/topic29083.html

Can you get into Regedit and check the values listed in the REG file to make sure they stuck? If a virus or other malware did this then it could be changing the values right back. Especially this one:

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\exefile\shell\open\command]
@="\"%1\" %*"

That must be exact. Often a virus will change it to something like "badie.exe %1" or some such.

I also have XP Pro, so I went through my own registry and copied ALL references for my EXE extension and posted into a larger reg file. This file follows through to deeper level classes.
Use it at your own risk. If you System Restore is ON, if it doesn't work you can use Last Known Good. Or backup your registry first.
Again, rename to REG from TXT to use. Go ahead and view the file first and compare to the older one. There are more classIDs in this one.

i assume you have access to another computer as you are posting here... you need to download an antivirus program that can be ran from your floppy or cdrom drive that is independant from the o/s.

here is a link to download Fprot for dos... have a look..
http://www.freewareweb.com/cgi-bin/archive.cgi?Category=Antivirus&sb=0&so=descend&nh=3

you may have to do some configuring to get it to work. but what you are describing sounds like a virus... i know back about 5 years ago there was the navidad virus that did the same thing... disabled all exe from being able to run

so...it isnt all .exe programs but most. i can run some things like regedit.
[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\exefile\shell\open\command]
@="\"%1\" %*" mine is different it is "%1" %* when i trie dto change it to "\"%1\" %*" the msg(when i checked) said to check the path. Also i tried the nex fixexe.reg file but it stil didnt work. is there anything eles that could be wrong other than the registry?

"%1" %* is fine. Just as long as it doesn't point to a file.

If some EXE files work and others don't, can you narrow down to where/what files these are? The guy in the other thread I posted has the same issue but it's all in ONE folder. What is your situation?

Be sure to check for viruses, if you can run Internet Explorer, go to housecall.trendmicro.com and run a virus scan.

Right-click a bad file and choose Properties. Look at the Compatibility tab and see what's going on in there. The files in question, are they YOUR files? As in, you, in your user account, created them?

Also like the guy in the other thread, your files may have been destroyed by "something". You may have to just get rid of them. Because it could be the very code in the file that is corrupt, a header changed, something. That may not be fixable.

The files that dont work are almost all types of installation programs.Theyare everywhere where i can put them and theyl wont work. i found that Media player 10 setup works though..so other files like like my snes emulater znesw.exe wont work.i used nortons anti-virus 2003 to check for viruses and i didnt find.I dont understand what u mean by the compatibillity part and yeah it is on my account.

if you can get to IE/firefox.. any web browser i would recommend using an online free virus scan instead of your AV on your box.. if it is a virus chances are it has deleted your NAV DEF files so it will scan the system but will not find anything.

True true. Use IE and do an online scan from housecall.trendmicro.com or www.bitdefender.com or even from Symantec security check or Panda Antivirus has one as well. At least get a 2nd opinion.

If they are installers, try download the Windows Installer. From this link (should start the download automatically): http://www.softwarepatch.com/windows/winstallxpdownload.html

Or from MS themselves (have to use Windows verify thing to get it): http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?familyid=889482FC-5F56-4A38-B838-DE776FD4138C&displaylang=en

This normally applies just to MSI installer files but you never know.

The compatibility tab (if you have it) is a way for XP to run applications in "compatibility mode". So XP runs the program as though it was Windows 98 or 95. If you right-click on a bad file and choose Properties, you should have a tab called "Compatibility". If you don't have that tab don't worry about it. If you DO have that tab, make sure the options are not set to run as Windows 98 or some such. Basically just make sure NOTHING is checked in there.

See if you can find online and download the VERY SAME program as one that is corrupt. Does the freshly downloaded one work? Or is it instantly bad as well?

can i fix ths by reinstalling windows?do i lose anything?

If i would to reinstall windows, would i lose anything?

sorry about the double post..didnt know it was on a second page..bleh triple post =/

There are a couple ways to "reinstall" Windows XP.

A "Repair Install" will go through and reload your system files and and generally "refresh" your system. This often fixes strange errors like this.

A Full install with a format will erase everything and give you a clean install of Windows. It will guarantee that your problems are gone, but you'll be starting from scratch loading all your programs again. And you will lose data unless you back it up somewhere first.

There is another way, where you load Windows "on top" of itself. That is, don't format, but install to the same directory. This gives you a new Windows and registry, with all your own stuff still there. But your HDD will still be filled with "left over" files and folders from your programs, which you'll still have to reload anyway because you have a new registry.

Best option if you don't want to fiddle with it anymore, is to reload with a format. You have to back up data first.
You can try a repair install, and that might work, but it is still recommended to back up your data anyway.

good luck

So., itried the online scan the bitde....somehting but the other one swouldnt work becuse i didnt have acitveX or something. I found 12 viruses and i scanned 2 times the seciond time i ddint find any. Even thought the viruses are gone, the problem remains, so i dont think its the viruses. I ran fixexe-1.reg again but it didnt do anyhting. So how do u repair install? Can u give me the instructions please? Thanks

Hmmz
The viruses may be gone, deleted, now but that doesn't mean any changes they made to your system will be undone.

To do a repair install it's pretty easy. You just need two things:

1) Your "real" XP CD. Not like a recovery disc from Dell or something, but an actual, silver, XP CD.

2) Your 25-digit Product Key. Located on a sticker somewhere on your case perhaps. It will ask for this code and if you don't have one, you're screwed.
------------

Next, if at all you can back up data, do so. Burn a disc if you can or copy the data somewhere. At least for your most important files.

Next, be sure you do NOT have file encryption on. That is, that you are "hiding" your files from other users. To check, go to C:\Documents and Settings\ and look for your profile folder. RIGHT-click this folder and choose Properties. Click the "Sharing" tab. And make sure "Make this folder private" is UNchecked.
This is because if you make your folder private and then Repair Install, you may not be able to access the data in there. Well, you CAN, but that is additional steps.

It may be a good idea to turn off File Compressing too if it's on. Right-click the C: drive and there should be an option right there for using file compression.

Once everything is in order, pop in your XP CD and restart the machine. Boot off the CD and into XP setup. Now I don't know exactly what the screens are off the top of my head.
The first screen will be like an option to setup Windows, and and option to use Recovery Console. You want to choose the option to load XP.
Then on one of the next screens you'll have an option to do Repair Install. It is actually quite easy to spot. The other option I think is to "Press ESC to load a fresh copy..."
Anyway, the Repair is easy to see. Do that.

Put in your key when it asks. Create a user name if it asks. This will "look" like a normal install of XP, but don't worry, your data should be fine. Just as long as you never told XP to "format" or "erase" anything. And you used the Repair option in Setup. You should be good to go. Most of your programs should still work as well. If not, remove and reload them.

Hope it works!

Im guessing but do you have a sony Vaio? If so, first install sonySL "shared library" this will give you access to all the apllications on your application recovery CD next you need to restart and then you need to install a program called OpenGM it will be found on one of your application cd's this should fix the problem. this works with my computer but its only version v70.0 So this all depends on wich version you have.

P.S. I know most of the programms on my machine will not wok properly, and every time you try to run the programms if will try to reinstall itself if this sounds like your problem the above may help.

anyway hope this helps

Late
Puppetgrimm1

Alll righty...Major problems now =/
I ran the repair installation and it finshed, although there was a msg about entry point, GetIUMS not being located in MSDART.Dll taht keept poping up. Well the install finshed and now a lot more things wont work. For example IE and the fixexe.reg wont work.also a box called messenger service says something about "message from sysytme to alret on 8/7/2005 1:50:05 "
STOP! WINDOWS REQUIRES IMMEDIATE ATTENTION.

Windows has found 47 CRITICAL SYSTEM ERROS!

to fix errors please do the following:
1. dowload registry repair from ms-fix.co
install
run
reboot your comp
FAILURE TO ACT NOW MAY LEAD TO DATA LOSS AND CORRUpotion.

The problem is that the handle is invalid thing is still there and i cant run the install haha...IM scared now...

I tell you what, that doesn't sound like a Microsoft error message to me. That sounds like your virus buddy or some such, is back to get you. "ms-fix.co" ??? I think not.

As far as I know, Windows has no "self-check" function that tells people they have "xx critical system errors!". So ignore or remove that if you can find it.

The "msdart.dll" problem is a regular problem that Windows can have. Read this and see if you find a fix: http://www.experts-exchange.com/Operating_Systems/WinXP/Q_20914310.html

In most all situations, a Repair Install will fix anything having to do with the Windows System itself. But it seems apparent that something, possibly or service, or some major corruption exists in your system. A FULL reload may be your only option now. If not, if you can't, then we may may be in this for a long haul :(

Also note, "Messenger Service" IS a part of Windows, it's the little guy that handles pop up messages like yours. But the message itself is likely NOT from Windows itself. At least, I've never seen an error like that.

If that thread I posted doesn't fix your msdart error, then see if you can post a Hijackthis log and maybe we'll see something in your startups.

We've almost hit the dirt now!

So the messenger service thing is gone now becuse i disabled it.There are a lot more things that say the handle is invaild like explorer, so i cant open my computer normally. BUt i can open something like search and can access it from that screen. In the Other forum they said to download and INSTALL microsoft data access, but i cant install so there..OH yeah i also have new problem, i tried to log into my accoutn, it did, then it log out rite after, there is no message taht pops out, it just says logging out with that windows sound. this all happend after the repair.

I just reparid installed again and this tiem no problem with the GETISUM msdart.dll, but unfortunatly the problems are still here. At least one thing is gone....

Did you try loading the Microsoft Installer? Or Windows scripting host? Get off Microsoft web site.

But then again, if still no EXEs will work, and no installers work. There is still some serious trouble. You could try to reload Windows on top of itself, that is, in the same folder. And your data may be ok, as long as you don't format but leave the file system "in tact". Very risky though, backup data first.
Best option is, of course, a FULL backup and reload of XP.

I'd say, if the files themselves are not corrupt, then all kinds of system files likely ARE. DLLs need reregistered, file need refreshed. A big mess.

If you still can't backup, maybe your could load windows into a DIFFERENT folder. Or a different partition or a different drive. And see what happens.

As one last effort, in Normal Mode, click Start-Run and type "SFC /SCANNOW". You probably already did that, but it can't hurt.

Finally all the old problems are gone..i just reinstalled a fresh copy of windows ontop of my c drive.BUTtttttttt now everything is messed up, all my paths,folders, etc. At least there inst that pesky the handle is invaild problem. Anyways, do you how i would fix everyhting back to normal? My desktop is empty and all the things are in differnet folders. I had 2 accoutants, but now they are gone. The data is still there.. just not wehre its supposed to be. Know how to fix?

ALLRIGHT! :angel: I finally finshed eveything. Everything is organized and all the paths work. NO more the hanle is INvaild! :) Thanks to everyone for all their help and good luck with future problem solving.

THANks

Dysanvu

You know what is funny? The whole problem was likely just some missing or messed up registry keys, or a bad DLL or something needs to be reregistered. But only Bill Gates himself could have found it. lol

Glad it's working now, I can stop sweating tears over it. :)