It sounds like your permissions may not be set up right... you could try the
following for Windows XP.
1) Right-click the key to be deleted.
2) Left-click Permissions.
3) In the Permissions window, click each of the names in the Group or user
names section one at a time. Verify that there is a check in the box to Allow
Full Control. Click the box to add a check mark if necessary.
4) Click Apply, then OK.
5) Select the key to be removed and press the Delete key on the keyboard.
Thats pretty much verbatim from HP's site dealing with the same problem... I
am experiencing a similar issue myself so will be interested to see if
getting rid of that registry key solves your problem.