/ Cannot Open Control Panel

Cannot Open Control Panel

I cannot open my Control Panel. It says that Windows Explorer has stopped working. And at startup a dialog box says, “Cannot open data file to run registration program.” HELP! Celeste Stewart

The Control Panel/Windows Explorer problem and the “Cannot open data file to registration program” problems are two separate issues, so let’s look at them individually, starting with the Control Panel/Windows Explorer problem.

Control Panel and Windows Explorer Failures

According to Microsoft, when your Control Panel won’t open, it’s due to a damaged .cpl (Control Panel) file. Microsoft’s Knowledge Base article #221153 discusses how to solve this for older operating systems from Windows 95 to Windows 2000.

If you have Windows Vista, a hotfix is available for an issue with Control Panel not starting. View the Microsoft Knowledge Base article #936686 to see if your computer’s symptoms match and if so, apply the patch.

System Restore

Windows Explorer, explorer.exe, is the program responsible for the Windows graphical interface. Since it is crashing as well, these two problems may be related and due to corruption within the explorer.exe file. If this is a recent problem, the easiest thing to do is to use System Restore (if available) and roll back your system to an earlier point in time when the computer was working properly. Go to Start > Programs > Accessories > System Tools > System Restore.

System File Checker

Another option is to use the System File Checker to scan your operating system for damaged files (such as the explorer.exe and *.cpl files). If damaged files are found, the System File Checker replaces them with clean copies from the Windows installation CD. Find your CD and then go to Start > Run and type sfc /scannow.

The “Cannot Open Data File to Registration Program” Error

The “Cannot open data file to registration program” error is a message telling you that Windows has been instructed to load a registration program of some sort, but it cannot find the actual link to run the program. This particular message appears to refer to Toshiba’s registration program though it is conceivable that other applications may generate a similar message.

Usually, if you click “OK” on a message like this, the message will go away until the next time Windows starts. But who wants to do that each time? Since this happens at startup, it’s likely that the Startup Items for your system contain a shortcut to the Toshiba (or some other) registration program. Removing this entry will stop this message. Go to Start > Run and type in msconfig. Click the Startup Items tab and look for the mysterious registration program and then remove the checkmark next to it. Confirm your choice and reboot the computer. The message should be gone. If you have a Toshiba, the registration.exe file is named “RealConnect Agent” from a company called DataLode, Inc. It is located under C:\Program Files\Toshiba Registration\Registration.exe.