Icrontic is proud to offer the Office Hours series of articles. Each week we’ll take a look at a common problem in Windows or often-used software and nail down a quick fix for it. This week the good doctor explores the impact that a broken Cryptographic Service has on Windows XP.
The Problem
The forgetful little Cryptographic Service!
Before the ubiquitous Windows Update service can ever install downloaded updates, it must first verify the authenticity of the downloads with Windows XP. The task of verifying the legitimacy of these update falls on the Windows Cryptographic Service which prevents Windows users from unwittingly installing false and harmful updates.
Like many core components of Windows XP, the cryptserv is prone to random and show-stopping disrepair. Should this service fail to run correctly, users will be unable to install Windows updates and a raft of other internet-enabled software which use certificate authority.
Common symptoms of this issue include the following errors or messages:
- “Setup could not verify the integrity of the file Update.inf. Make sure the Cryptographic service is running on this computer.”
- The Windows Updates site reports that all updates failed installation with an error code of 0x800B0004.
- Windows Updates reports error number 643 when attempting to install updates.
- “Error 126: The specified module could not be found”
The Fix
The Windows XP Cryptographic Service is actually little more than a Windows service, a handful of DLL files, and a database. Windows XP kindly provides the ability to recreate the database and to remind the absent-minded Windows service that its DLL files are in fine condition. Get started with these steps to bring some order to the fussy service:
Step 1:
Download the indispensable Dial-A-Fix application and extract it to a memorable folder.
Step 2:
These options should repair the issue at hand.
Run Dial-A-Fix and locate the “Fix SSL/HTTPS/Crytography” section of the program.
Step 3:
Make sure all options in this section are ticked as indicated.
Step 4:
With all the check boxes ticked, press the GO button and let Dial-a-Fix work its magic.
Post-mortem
While Dial-a-Fix hasn’t done anything that can’t be done by hand, it has automated five critical steps in solving today’s quandary:
- It temporarily disabled the Cryptographic Service so as to make the files it depends on accessible for editing.
- It unregistered 18 DLL files from the operating system; this frees them for reregistration, a far more important task.
- It deleted the contents of C:\Windows\System32\Catroot2, or the location of the Cryptographic Service database which often becomes corrupted.
- It reregistered the 18 Cryptographic Service DLL files, which gently reminds Windows that the files are both good and worth using. That poor little service just forgets that they’re there, sometimes!
- It restarted the Cryptographic Service so all the changes made behind the scenes take effect.
Like all good Windows fixes, you should be sure to restart your PC when Dial-a-Fix has completed its operations. When all is said and done, service packs, Windows Update and Microsoft Knowledgebase-supplied fixes should work straight away.
Do you have a common Windows or software irritation for the good doctor? Send an email to robert@icrontic.com to see if there’s a quick fix for what ails you. The best ailments will be featured every Wednesday right here on Icrontic.
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