By the way Yoshi, I can't remember if I posted this on your original thread,
but a workaround is to access the CP this way because simply trying to open
the control panel from run or typing it in search is going to open an empty
folder or it may try to open and fail.
I have tried to fix this when I've seen it via F8 (all 4 options for system
restore and LKG) and no dice. I've tried to use Startup Repair which I've
found will fix components of Vista that are broken and major ones at that
outside the context of a no boot Vista but no dice. As I've said many
times, and has not been a topic of discussion yet on the Win RE blog if you
compair a repair install in XP and Startup Repair in Vista, you have a much
greater efficacy percentage with Repair Install in XP however, to be fair
Startup Repair in Vista is more versatile, and there are also ways to
install it in the context of Win PE or other means as outlined on the Win RE
blog:
http://blogs.msdn.com/winre/
Go to Help and Support in Vista either clicking it on the Start Menu or type
its command helppane.exe into run. Don't type control panel in the search
box, because it's going to give you an empty control panel folder, however
type in one of the applet names--say appearance and personalization. Then
click see all results. Expand the triangle to the left of the entry control
panel in the "folders pane" on the left. You have most but not all of the
CP applets there and then you can make a folder called CP or whatever and
copy those individual applets into that. I noticed for example that the Add
New Hardware Wizard isn't included and there may be a few others--but 21 of
them are and they can be used.
You can also bring up dialogue boxes that are part of each applet by typing
in say appearances and personalization in Help directly or by using run
commands for them that will work in Vita--but not all Vista run commands
work in the run box that work in XP, and not all run commands that work in
the run box in either OS work at the command prompt, and Vista has as many
as about 200 (I haven't counted them--new commands and does not have some of
the commands that work at the XP command prompt).
See the appendix this book for Vista Commands and Commands new in Vista
(although Vista isn't mentioned in the title of the book:
Windows Administration at the Command Line for Windows 2003, Windows XP, and
Windows 2000: In the Field Results (Paperback)
Using the New Vista Commands p. 458
http://www.amazon.com/gp/reader/0470010002/ref=sib_dp_pt/002-1653495-2369650#reader-link
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0470010002/datacservip0f-20/
http://www.amazon.com/gp/reader/0470010002/ref=sib_dp_pt/002-1653495-2369650#reader-link
CH