Thomas The Geek

The Windows audit mode first came to my attention when attempting to install Google Chrome in a new Windows 7 install, instead of installing Chrome, Windows 7 popped up an error message stating that Chrome could not install because Windows 7 was in audit mode. Here is the fix that corrects this error, but first…

What Is Audit Mode?

In a nutshell, it is a customization mode that allows manufacturers and techs to create custom Windows installations. If you are interested in the details, you can readily access all notes regarding “Windows Audit Mode” on the MS support site, so we will not dwell on this here. Suffice it to say, once in audit mode, you should have noticed some seemingly unusual stability issues even before hitting the audit mode error box. Hopefully you did not play around inside your system needlessly before catching this, but if you did and other errors have been introduced as a result, please do yourself a favor and contact a service technician to fix your system.

What You Should Know!

You should BEWARE if you come up against the audit mode error, because it means that your installation has been tampered with. Yes, you heard right! Simply put, you should not experience this error if you installed Windows from the install disc yourself or if you purchased a new computer with Windows pre-installed. Manufacturers are not suppose to distribute pre-installed systems in audit mode, for reasons that should now be obvious to you.

So What Does This Mean?

Usually it means that you installed a program that has, maliciously or not, improperly altered the registry, putting windows into audit mode. I say usually because this is not always the case. Whatever the cause may be, however, you may want to consider reinstalling Windows from scratch to ensure that your install is clean and stable. If you do reinstall, make sure to check your registry immediately after installing Windows from disc to ensure that your registry is correctly set using the following instructions as a reference to locate the correct registry entry. Then follow up by only installing trusted applications. It’s also a good idea to set a Recovery Point after each program to ensure you can fix your installation if you should find yourself in audit mode again.

Note that reinstalling Windows is an Option, not a recommendation, only you can determine the best course of action for your situation.

Final Warning!!!

If you are out of your depth here, contact a qualified service technician in your area for help. While the following fix can be performed by most anyone who is familiar with the inner workings of Windows, you can make things worse if you should make a mistake. The Windows registry is a very sensitive part of your operating system and should not be toyed with. If you are just a user and have no clue about the technical aspects of your computer, be wise and seek help. If you are located in the Burnaby/Metrotown area, my service fee is very affordable even for low income persons on a very tight budget.

Now, let’s fix your Windows!

For Windows XP:

1. Click on the Start menu
2. Click on Run
3. Type regedit in the Run box and click OK or hit the Enter key
4. Click on Regedit
5. Once in Regedit, follow the directory tree on the left hand side until you reach the following location…
   HKLM\System\Setup
6. Highlighting the Setup location in the left tree, you should now see two or more registry entries on the right hand side
7. Point your mouse cursor over the AuditInProgress entry
8. Right click to bring up the context menu and select Modify
9. Delete the value shown so that nothing is showing, you want the entry to be blank
10. Click OK to save
11. Now close Regedit and reboot Windows

For Windows Vista:

1. Click on the Start menu
2. Click on Run
3. Type regedit in the Run box and click OK or hit the Enter key
4. Click on Regedit
5. Once in Regedit, follow the directory tree on the left hand side until you reach the following location…
   HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Setup\State
6. Highlighting the State location in the left tree, you should now see two or more registry entries on the right hand side
7. Point your mouse cursor over the ImageState entry
8. Right click to bring up the context menu and select Modify
9. Delete the value shown so that nothing is showing, you want the entry to be blank
10. Click OK to save
11. Now close Regedit and reboot Windows

For Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008:

1. Click on the Start menu
2. Type regedit in the search box
3. Regedit.exe should appear above the search box, click on it
4. Once in Regedit, follow the directory tree on the left hand side until you reach the following location…
   HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Setup\State
5. Highlighting the State location in the left tree, you should now see two or more registry entries on the right hand side
6. Point your mouse cursor over the ImageState entry
7. Right click to bring up the context menu and select Modify
8. Delete the value shown so that nothing is showing, you want the entry to be blank
9. Click OK to save
10. Now close Regedit and reboot Windows

That’s it, you should now be able to install Google Chrome. You should also notice that Windows is stable now, as it should be. If you should encounter a problem, either go back and double check the entry as outlined above or contact a service technician. Again, the procedure explained here is not for the layman. If you are unsure of what you are doing, be wise and don’t do it!