Zero-day Fixit 50897 failure - error code 2738
One of my 6 computers won't successfully install the Fixit 50897 workaround patch, failing with a 2738 error code during the process of creating a restore point. After much effort to find potential solutions and trying a number of them without success, I'm stumped so am posting a query here and elsewhere to solicit advice. The machine with the problem is running Vista32 Ultimate SP2 (the others which had no problem with the Fixit patch run either XP Pro SP3, Vista Home Premium SP2 or Win7x64 Pro). The symptom exhibited when the "creating a restore point" box pops up is no color in the progress bar area ever appears, and 10-15 seconds later an error message box pops up stating "The installer has encountered an unexpected error installing this package. This may indicate a problem with this package. The error code is 2738." Clicking on "OK" then brings up the final box stating the installation failed. However, if I use System Tools to launch the Restore app and look at the restore points which are available, one is listed for each of the time points where I have attempted to execute that problem-child Fixit (though I might question whether they are really valid). I've learned from the blogs by Aaron Stebner and Heath Stewart that this error code seems to be associated with a mis-registered vbscript.dll (2739 is a mis-registered jscript.dll) and some sort of custom script that cannot be processed as a result,. They identify the problem may be due to the DLL registration having been initiated under a non-administrator account and provide the are specific HKCU registry subkeys to be deleted that will unregister them, but looking with regedit at the detailed locations those subkeys aren't present. Even if I re-register the to DLLs from a command window prompt generated under the cmd.exe "run as administrator" option when logged onto the Administrator account, then rebooting and attempt the Fixit install, 50897 still fails in the exact same manner as before. There's a different Fixit 50181 which is provided under the Fixit4me blog which supposedly addresses and resolves this 2738 error-code issue, and while it (50181) will successfully run through to completion there is no change in the subsequent outcome of running the 50897 patch afterwards. Thanks for looking/thinking at this problem -- I'm not that much of a software/OS expert, but am reasonably adept with computers for a civil engineer of long standing, and all thoughtful responses and any advice are certainly welcome.
June 13th, 2012 7:46pm

No responses yet, but the problem still remains. Here is a copy of what Event Viewer consistently reports each time in the "Error" item listed in the Application section, if that might help to clarify something for anyone who might guide me toward a resolution that fixes the issue on this computer: Product: Microsoft Fix it 50897 -- The installer has encountered an unexpected error installing this package. This may indicate a problem with this package. The error code is 2738. The arguments are: , , (NULL) (NULL) (NULL) (NULL) 7B30463443423430412D433941422D343543432D423543372D3931383544304530383941327D Binary data: In Words 0000: 3446307B 30344243 39432D41 342D4241 0008: 2D434335 37433542 3831392D 45304435 0010: 41393830 7D32 In Bytes 0000: 7B 30 46 34 43 42 34 30 {0F4CB40 0008: 41 2D 43 39 41 42 2D 34 A-C9AB-4 0010: 35 43 43 2D 42 35 43 37 5CC-B5C7 0018: 2D 39 31 38 35 44 30 45 -9185D0E 0020: 30 38 39 41 32 7D 089A2}
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June 15th, 2012 1:45pm

http://blogs.technet.com/b/fixit4me/archive/2009/03/31/error-code-2738-when-running-a-microsoft-fix-it-solution.aspx
June 19th, 2012 1:20am

Guessing that you didn't see my post at the end of page 5 under "JimV" where I noted that additional Fixit patch your post above references had no effect. I'd already made a pretty concerted effort to mine the various MS sites to see if there was a resolution for the problem before I posted here, and did in fact mention in my original posting above I had tried that additional patch without success. Thanks anyway.
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July 5th, 2012 4:38pm

jhvance, I have encountered this problem as well. Not sure what anti-virus and anti-spyware software you have but what I have found is that McAfee VSE can (and did on my system) corrupt the registry entries for VBScript.dll. To fix my problem I uninstalled McAfee from my system. Then I ran McAfee's Removal tool that can be found here: http://download.mcafee.com/products/licensed/cust_support_patches/MCPR.exe After the removal process I rebooted my computer. I then opened regedit.exe. I backed up my registry (in case of mistakes or future problems) and then went to HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLISD\{B54F3741-5B07-11CF-A4B0-00AA004A55E8}\InprocServer32. I made sure that the defualt=C:\Windows\System32\vbscript.dll and ThreadingModel=Both. Next I opened an administrator elevated command prompt and executed the following line to reregister VBScript.dll: regsvr32 VBScript.dll I then installed the Fixit 50897. The Fixit completed sucessfully. Finally I installed my prefered choice of anti-virus software. 
August 5th, 2012 6:36pm

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