Lets clean up our reg......

[Nomen]

I found this entry in the reg

MRANENIA

I also have it on my win-98 system. Have a look at these:

http://discussions.virtualdr.com/showthread.php?39343-Weird-registry-key

http://www.freedomlist.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=4121

Using the built-in file-find looking for "MRANENIA" it shows up in system.dat and bbdbcade (no idea what that file is, but it's 15 mb). Manually loading IOS.vxd and CDVSD.vxd in wordpad also shows they contain "MRANENIA". Many or most questions about mranenia seem to pertain to win-98/ME and date to 2001-2004. There does not seem to be anything resembling a valid, coherent or authoritative answer to its function or reason for being in the registry.

On my system, that key is a 128-byte binary value, most of which are zero. The first 5 values on my system are 20,03,41,43 and 47 (in hex). The last 83 bytes are zero.

Edited September 3, 2013 by Nomen

[Dude111]

Thats interesting.....

I did a file search just now again PUTTING IT IN CAPS and it came up in those 2 files you mentioned in your reply.... (Only in those 2 files though (I dont have the file you said is 15MB))

I dunno why nothing came up for this when i first did a text search months ago!! (These files were there then also) -- Quite strange!!

One thing I noticed about windows search is: It doesnt scan all areas!! -- I just checked my TOTAL files and win search says 5132 but when i use REGSEEKER and scan all files it says I have 5142 -- Im not sure what Win search is not scanning..... (Some win directories I imagine)

Edited September 3, 2013 by Dude111

[jaclaz]

Strange that noone has published anything "verified" about it.

Since it is in CDVSD.vxd, this hypothesis may have some grounds:

http://www.pctools.com/forum/archive/index.php/t-20326.html

The idea (also found *somewhere*) that it is an acronym connected to Make RANdom ENIA or similar connected to the ENIA Laws or anyways to some form of encryption may also be logical, but then why in CDVSD.vxd.

A good idea would be to run regmon and see if and when that key is accessed and by what (possibly only when reading CD's or possibly only with a given type of CD - like data but not music or viceversa). :usnure:

jaclaz

[Dude111]

But how could it do ANYTHING?? (There is NOTHING in the key!!)

Very strange how there seems to be NO INFO on this!! (Even here on MSFN (The BEST site for Win98 discussions ))

Edited September 4, 2013 by Dude111

[rloew]

The MRANENIA Key exists in Windows 98SE and ME when the Windows Installation is not Genuine.

The Code is very obfuscated but I suspect that it might cripple something in the CD Driver or get reported to CD Applications.

[Arminius]

The MRANENIA Key exists in Windows 98SE and ME when the Windows Installation is not Genuine.

The Code is very obfuscated but I suspect that it might cripple something in the CD Driver or get reported to CD Applications.

That can't be right. I have the MRANENIA key and I used my own genuine product key when I installed it. In my case the MRANENIA key is not empty, it has a hex string. I have another computer with 98SE and it also has the MRANENIA key but the hex string is different, this time a different genuine product key was used. Mine are both OEM keys.

Dude111, was your installation OEM, retail or upgrade?

[rloew]

I have been examining the Code further.

CDVSD does some other checking if the MRANENIA Key is not present.

It is possible that it indicates an OEM Version.

Do you have a value for DigitalProductID in Key:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion

MRANENIA is created if this Value is not present.

The Retail Install creates DigitalProductID when you enter the CD Key.

[Dude111]

Yes I have a DIGITAL PRODUCT ID key there...... (I just looked and it has a value in it)

But I think we now know what this key is for -- Thank you rloew!!

Edited September 4, 2013 by Dude111

[Arminius]

I have been examining the Code further.

CDVSD does some other checking if the MRANENIA Key is not present.

It is possible that it indicates an OEM Version.

Do you have a value for DigitalProductID in Key:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion

MRANENIA is created if this Value is not present.

The Retail Install creates DigitalProductID when you enter the CD Key.

Yes I do have a value for DigitalProductID in that key.

The key HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion

contains redundant information. There is the ProductId, ProductKey, and ProductType.

ProductType alone tells you what kind of install you have.

115 = full OEM

120 = OEM restore CD

101 = full retail

102 = retail upgrade

112 = fe to se update from Microsoft

116 = OEM upgrade and OEM fe to se update

111 = MSDN

110 = "select" - license for multiple installs

100 = doesn't ask for a key at all

Anyone want to volunteer to delete MRANENIA to see what happens?

I might try it but not right now.

[Nomen]

Do you have a value for DigitalProductID in Key:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion

MRANENIA is created if this Value is not present.

The Retail Install creates DigitalProductID when you enter the CD Key.

I have the DigitalProductID value at that location. It is a binary value, A3h bytes in length. Starting at byte 24h I have this string: "730-00847". Plugging that string into google turns up many hits to Windows 98 CD's being sold by various vendors - I am not sure how that number relates to win-98 - Microsoft product ID? Stock Number? Starting at byte 8 I have this string: "07604-oem-0002302-49210" - that also happens to be the string contained in the value "ProductId".

Anyone want to volunteer to delete MRANENIA to see what happens?

I have renamed the key in my registry to "backupMRANENIA" - I expect that is equivalent to deleting it. We'll see what happens.

PS: Under HKEY_Classes_root\CLSID\ I have key (guid?) with a value called "Windows Genuine Advantage Validation Tool" and under that a value called "AppID" with a value that looks like a guid. If I search for that guid I find a reg sting with a value "LegitCheckControl". I recall having to run a WGA program some time ago in order to download something from MS.

Edit: With the MRANENIA registry key renamed to "backupMRANENIA" and rebooting, the system starts just fine, and I seem to be able to access a data CD from my DVD/RW drive with no problems. Checking the registry, the system did not restore the MRANENIA key after rebooting - and the renamed key remains intact. I'm able to run FF2 and post this edit.

Edited September 4, 2013 by Nomen

[Dude111]

I would assume since this key IS EMPTY it is doing nothing.. (@ least for those of us who have it where it is totally empty) so changing its name/deleting it shouldnt cause any issues....

Edited September 5, 2013 by Dude111

[rloew]

I don't know when CDVSD.VXD accesses the MRANENIA code. It did not when I experimented with Installing it.

It is also associated with another Key. The other KEY is HKLM\Software\Microsoft\XXXX00000 where XXXXX are 4 arbitrary characters.

It appears to have a 4 Byte Value.

[Nomen]

I don't know when CDVSD.VXD accesses the MRANENIA code. It did not when I experimented with Installing it.

It is also associated with another Key. The other KEY is HKLM\Software\Microsoft\XXXX00000 where XXXXX are 4 arbitrary characters.

It appears to have a 4 Byte Value.

In my case, XXXX is I110. Under that key, I have a single binary value, the name of which is "1 ", which is 4 bytes in length, which are (in hex) 80, 00, 80, 80.

[TmEE]

My MRANENIA has a 128 byte HEX string in it, the XXXX0000 is K<500000 with "|" : 08 80 88 88 in it. I have OEM installation from, and Product Type of 115 also reflects it.

[Nomen]

This 2003 thread discusses the "Mr. Enigma" key which apparently is not found on win-9x/me but is found on (Some? Many? Most?) win-XP systems. Someone claims to have found a reference to Mr.Enigma in HIVESFT.INF in the I386 folder of the XP install CD.

http://www.dslreports.com/forum/r6097142-Weird-entry-in-registry

A letter from Microsoft seems to confirm that the MR.Enigma key is involved with the DVD drive somehow.

=========
The key has to do with the built in DVD licensing scheme of Windows XP. Hope this addresses your concerns. Sincerely ...

(in a follow-up, he continues:)

Regarding the detailed information of this key, what I know is that it's uses are to protect DVD data that is fairly sophomoric at this point. I have searched both in our internal database and on the Internet. I'm afraid that there is no more detailed information so far. However, as far as I know, this issue has been reported to our proper department. It has been bugged and the key does not exist in Windows .Net Server. Should you have any concerns, please feel free to drop me a note.

Vincent Jiang
Microsoft Online Partner Support
=========

That thread has a few comments about MRANENIA, but nothing useful. The keys Mr.Enigma and MRANENIA should appear one-after-the-other in the registry, but it seems they rarely do. Seems the transition point is between ME and XP. But it is interesting that both seem to have something to do with optical drives.