SetEnv has stopped working

Question

My Pavilion G4 was hanging up when I would turn it on and wouldn't boot up unless I started it using the F11 function. I ran the 'refresh' option in the hope that it would resolve the issue but when it was going thru the process I got an error message "SetEnv has stopped working" . haven't been able to find any information to help resolve whatever the problem is. The PC preloaded with Windows 8 (64 bit) and I had upgraded to 8.1 but the refresh took it back to Windows 8. When I tried to upgrade again it told me I needed to install Windows Updates first so I attempted to do so (it says there are 114 critical updates) but it has failed twice. (I'm trying again for the third time and it is currently at 86% download completion but I don't know if they will install.) The machine now starts up very quickly and the interesting thing is that my IE is working and I can get on the internet without issue.

A few additional notes:

1. I had been getting a 'green screen' when I tried to play videos on YouTube or by clicking a link (for instance, in FB).
2.  I had shortcuts tiles that I've attempted to restore/replace but no longer even see 'This PC' and 'Control Panel' to name a few (although I can access them by clicking on the "C" drive).
3. App updates will not download which I am assuming is related to the Microsoft Updates that are needed.

Anybody have any ideas or suggestions please? Do I need to run my Recovery disks to correct these problems?

Answer 1

Hi,

Sorry for the late reply. Let me assist you with your concern.

There is no Backup and Restore on Windows 8/8.1. This feature is replaced with File History. For more information refer this Microsoft article:

What happened to Backup and Restore?

http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-8/what-happened-to-backup-restore

Errors related to ACPI is due to drivers, connection error between your hardware and motherboard. Advanced Configuration and Power Interface (ACPI) is a part of the BIOS and the operating system. The presence of ACPI in the BIOS on a given system determines whether operating systems of the Windows can make full use of features such as Power Management and Plug and Play (PnP).

I would suggest you to follow all the troubleshooting steps suggested from my previous post. Also try these steps and check if it helps.

Method 1: Run the Check disk and check if you have any bad sectors in hard drive.

1. Go to Start Page.
2. Type: CMD
3. The Apps page will come up.
4. Right click command prompt
5. Click “Run as Administrator” on the bottom pane.
6. If you get the User Account Control prompt. Click Yes to continue.
7. At the Command Prompt, type Chkdsk /r /f

Important: While performing scanning on the hard drive if any bad sectors are found on the hard drive when scanning tries to repair that sector if any data available on that might be lost.

Method 2: If issue persist, perform Reset PC as last option. Make sure you run Reset PC after Check Disk to prevent the similar issue.

How to refresh, reset, or restore your PC

**http://windows.microsoft.com/en-IN/windows-8/restore-refresh-reset-pc**

Note: I highly recommend backing up all of your important files and folders onto an external storage device before attempting any type of OS repair or upgrade.

Reset PC disclaimer: All of your personal files will be deleted and your settings will be reset. All apps that you installed will be removed. Only apps that came with your PC will be reinstalled.

Hope this helps. If you need further assistance with Windows, let us know and will be glad to help.

Answer 2

Thanks for your reply, John. I was finally able to complete the Updates lastnight but it took hours! It installed 62 of the 114, I then had to uncheck the update at the top of the list and complete the others, installing the final update as a separate item. This morning when I turned on the computer it started very quickly so I disabled the antivirus and firewall and attempted to download the Windows 8.1 upgrade (I knew the Refresh would revert it back to 8) but it runs to about the half-way point and then hangs up on me and doesn't complete. In addition, it shows 17 app updates available that won't download. I'm not able to download or install ANYTHING which is really frustrating!

I baffled by the "SetEnv" error message I got yesterday and still haven't been able to determine what it means.

To clarify what I mean by 'shortcut tiles', I had put tiles on the desktop for "This PC" and "Control Panel" (among others) and they disappeared when I did the REFRESH, which I expected. However, when I click on the "C" drive 'this pc' is no longer listed in the left-side drop-down menu which I find strange. I can only open the control panel by doing a search. Also numerous apps seem to have vanished.

I looked at the System Diagnostic Report and it indicates that everything is okay. However, the Event Viewer is showing multiple errors and warnings, many of them related to Driver\ACPI (although I don't know what that is or means) and many of the warnings indicate it 'took longer than usual to start up' or 'driver caused delay'.  The Device Manager isn't showing any drivers as outdated.

Should I utilize the things you suggested above or is there something else I need to do? By the way, I can't find 'Backup and Restore' despite several searches.

Answer 3

Hi Cyndie,

Welcome to Microsoft community forums.

• When you say “shortcuts tiles” on issue number 2, are you referring to Windows Explorer?

If you upgraded your PC from Windows 8 to Windows 8.1 and your PC has a Windows 8 recovery partition, refreshing your PC will restore Windows 8. You’ll need to upgrade to Windows 8.1 after the refresh has finished.

To fix your issue, use the following methods in the order in which they are listed. After each method, check if problem is fixed. If the problem is not fixed, try the next method.

Method 1: Follow the troubleshooting steps from this article to fix green screen while playing videos online on Internet Explorer.****

Why won't videos play in Internet Explorer?

http://windows.microsoft.com/en-IN/internet-explorer/videos-dont-work#ie=ie-10

Method 2: You may try performing a SFC scan on the computer which would scan for corrupt system files on the computer and replace them.

Use the System File Checker tool to repair missing or corrupted system files

Method 3: You can use DISM restore health command to fix Windows 8 update issue. Refer this Microsoft article:

Step 1:

System Update Readiness Tool fixes Windows Update errors

**http://support.microsoft.com/kb/947821/en-us**

Step 2: If you are still facing issue with Windows Store update after following method 1, you may try resetting Windows Store cache and check. Refer these Microsoft articles:

Why can't I find or install an app from the Windows Store?

**http://windows.microsoft.com/en-in/windows-8/why-find-install-app-windows-store**

Hope this helps. If you need further assistance with Windows, let us know and will be glad to help.