Re-install of Illustrator 10 isn't all there...........

Question

AI 10 wasn't working right for some time, so I reinstalled hoping for a better performance.
Now, there's no plugins, and I get a "missing plugin" message with every old file I open-like Calligraphic Brush, drop shadow missing, etc.; all the tools aren't in the toolbox--magic wand, line segment, pencil,rectangle, etc. Also, there is no AI Help.
When I checked the main AI folder, the Plugin folder is empty.....What happened here? Would re-install again be any different?
Oh nuts.............appreciate help here...new work beginning soon....mm

Answer 1

Ugh.
Looks like Main.Valued.000000 is the Windows logon that was in effect when you last installed and ran Illustrator. Is that how you're logging onto Windows now? Is that an administrator level logon?
Its OK for the Plugins folder under c:\docs&settings\...\AI10 to be empty. That's normal for AI 10.
I would move that entire folder (c:\Docs&Settings\{Your logon user name}\AppData\Adobe\AI10) off to the desktop, then start up Illustrator. Illustrator will recreate all the necessary files. If you had corrupt prefs, and that was causing your problems, that should fix it. (You can trash the folder you moved to the desktop once you're sure you don't need it any more.)
If that doesn't work, do a thorough uninstall, followed by a reinstall. Start with the standard Windows uninstall (Control Panel | Add or Remove Programs), then search your system thoroughly and delete any AI related folders. Make sure you delete the folder mentioned above on your c: drive.
Create a System Restore point. Then, use a good registry cleaner utility to wipe out all references to Illustrator. (The System Restore will get Windows back up and running in case the registry cleaner mucks things up.) If you're not comfortable messing with the registry, skip this step.
Finally, reinstall AI 10, paying attention to your Windows logon. (It should be the one you use normally, and preferably administrator level. Look under Control Panel | User Accounts to see what's going on.) Apply updates right away as necessary to get to 10.0.3.
If all goes well, put your palettes where you want, close Illustrator, and save a copy of the c:\docs&settings\...\AI10 folder in a safe place. You'll then have a quick way to restore things if they get mucked up again.
Good luck!