[SOLVED] Failed to load component

[Arno Noomen]

I stopped getting updates. I get this error
CBS Failed to load the COMPONENTS hive from 'C:\WINDOWS\System32\config\COMPONENTS' into registry key 'HKLM\COMPONENTS'. [HRESULT = 0x800703f9 - ERROR_NOT_REGISTRY_FILE]

sfc /scannow and dism /online /cleanup-image /restorehealth do not help.

yours sincerely

Arno

 

[Maxstar]

Hi and welcome to Sysnative,

Download

ComponentsScanner and save it to your desktop.

• Right-click ComponentsScanner.exe and select "Run as administrator", click Yes on the UAC (User Account Control) prompt which appears.
• Follow the on-screen instructions.
• When the following message appears: "ComponentsScanner has detected the following issues that it is able to repair automatically."
• Press Y to perform the repair.
  
  
  
  
  
• Once complete, a report will be saved to your desktop called ComponentsScanner.txt.
• Post the logfile ComponentsScanner.txt as attachment into your next reply.

 

[Arno Noomen]

Hello,

thanks for your comment. I get this output. see appendix

greeting

Arno

 

[Maxstar]

Hi,

This is what I expected due to the given error, so please provide the following log: C:\Users\<username>\AppData\Local\Sysnative\ComponentsScanner.log

Provide also a copy of the current COMPONENTS hive to look at.

Upload your COMPONENTS hive.

• Navigate to C:\Windows\System32\Config and locate the COMPONENTS file.
• Please copy this file to your desktop.
• Note: If you receive an error that this file is in-use, simply reboot your computer and try again.
• Right-click on this file on your desktop and select Send To > Compressed (zipped) folder. This will create a file named COMPONENTS.ZIP on your desktop.
• If the file is too large to upload here, upload the file to www.wetransfer.com and post the link in your next reply.

 

[Arno Noomen]

Hello,

thanks for your help. here you have the log file and the components.zip

 

[Maxstar]

It seems this is an long-standing issue, since the last write date seems to be December 2023. Do you have recent backups before that date of the COMPONENTS hive.

 

[Arno Noomen]

no Unfortunately not

 

[Maxstar]

Are you running Windows 11 22H2 or 23H2, I can't see that in the CBS log. Because both of them are using the same SSU version for now...

 

[Arno Noomen]

 

[Maxstar]

Thanks, in the meantime make a full image of this system and also a seperate backup all your personal / important data.

The current COMPONENTS hive is badly damaged, I couldn't load it in several tools. I will setup a new VM with the same build so we can try something else. Is the Dutch (NL) Language Pack the only one which is installed?

 

[Arno Noomen]

Okay

I actually hope not to reinstall. I did run the setup while retaining data and apps and then got this error message.

 

[Arno Noomen]

i am only use the dutch language pack

 

[Maxstar]

Wat we could try is to perform an in-place-place upgrade again when we have replaced the COMPONENTS hive from a very similar build.

I have an very similar (clean) build 22631.2428 here, with the EN-us en NL-nl (defaut) language packs. So we can try to replace this hive and perform the in-place-upgrade again.
This procedure worked in a very similar case I've seen before.

But first:
- Make an backup (image) of all the important data.
- I would also suggest to perform the in-place-upgrade offline to avoid automatic updates (driver) updates etc.
- So please do the following when the system is disconnected from the internet.

Step 1. Replace Components Hive Manually

Warning: this fix is specific to the user in this thread. No one else should follow these instructions as it may cause more harm than good. If you are after assistance, please start a thread of your own.

1. Download COMPONENTS.ZIP and save to your desktop.
2. Right-click on it and select Extract all.... Make sure the "Show extracted files when complete" is checked and click Extract.
3. Now we have the COMPONENTS file that we will be using to replace your current one.
4. Navigate to C:\Windows\System32\config
5. Right-click on the current COMPONENTS file and select rename. Rename it to COMPONENTS.bad.
   Note: If you get an error that the file is in use, reboot your computer and then try again.
6. Take the file from the Components folder on your desktop and paste it into C:\Windows\System32\config

Step 2. Mount the Windows 11 23H2 ISO and perform the in-place-upgrade without internet connection...

 

[Arno Noomen]

Thank you. I'm going to try this, you'll hear from me. thank you in advance

 

[Maxstar]

Graag gedaan / You're welcome! Let me know the result...

 

[Arno Noomen]

Thanks it worked. I am now back on the latest build version.

I'm very happy

 

[Maxstar]

Hi,

You're welcome. Glad to hear this fix which is actually a 'last resort' has worked, so I will mark this thread as solved

I would also like to recommend to make frequent backups / system images to avoid such issues in the future. You can also make seperate backups of the registry with the following tool.

Download

Acelogix RegBak (Portable) to create a backup of the registry.

• Extract RegBak.zip and right-click regbak64.exe and select "Run as administrator".
• Click on the button New backup and choose the location where you want to save the backup.
• Optional: enter a description for this backup.
• Now click on the option "Click here to view details".
• Ensure the option Select hives not loaded by Windows is checked, to be sure the following items are included in the backup.
  
  
• Click Ok to save these settings and press Start to create the backup.
• When completed you will see the message: Finished succesfully.