Internet Connection Failure with XP SP2

Thanks! Let me know how it turns out for you. I'm going to check out Hijack This too.

hai medicman,

u said that u scanned ur system well bfore installing Sp2 with Mcafee virus scan but unfortunately this antivirus program is unable to find the virus "win32.kriz","win32.funlove" etc.so u have try by using another antivirus programmes like AVG antivirus which is available free or try with "Mcafee stinger" which is easily available in their site.

If McAfee virus scan fails to find things, why would their "Stinger" do any better since it's from the same manufacturer?

By the way, I still have occasional problems, I hope to post a HijackThis log when I'm back at my home computer tonight.

Another possibility no-one seems to have considered, before I installed SP2 (no problems) I had to download and install an SP2 update for my browser from the ISP I use, from what I've been able to find out, this may be the reason that SP2 won't install!

If you really need to find out, check on your ISP's home page and look to see if they have an SP2 update you need BEFORE installing SP2 from Microsoft.

Excellent idea! I never even considered that. Thank you for your help. I'll check with Road Runner today.

Thanks, I'll try AVG and McAfee Stinger.

Have you considered just uninstalling SP2 and downloading the following free excellent utilities?
"ZoneAlarm SE" (much better firewall than the limp one in SP2), "Mozilla-Firefox" (much more secure and better browser than Internet Explorer), "AdAware" & "spybot search and destroy" and "Spyware Guard" (prevents many spyware from getting in to begin with)
You will find that Win XP updates slow down your system when they do not conflict with programs and utilities. Meanwhile, you may want to learn about a superior, free Operating System called Linux, which comes in many distributions

Something to consider, I suppose. Thank you for your time and concern.

I already use Adaware SE Professional, Spybot Search & Destroy and Mozilla Firefox. Unfortunately, many companies don't recognize Firefox and will not allow you to interface with their downloads or upgrades unless you are using IE or Netscape.

Sometimes I think people are too quick to jump on the bandwagon to criticize Microsoft. It certainly has become popular in the past year or so.

I beg to differ that broadband is "always on", because mine, via iPrimus, needs to be dialed.

Other than that: the issue is clearly not related to SP2, or else I and millions of others would have the same problem ... I tend to agree with he who suggested that the personal PC may be infected.

Hey, I will add some anecdotal stuff:

I akm 61 and never expected to get a computer, until I got somehow persuaded about eighteen months ago ... and then went into a steep learning curve.

Sure I had teething problems but, at the risk of advertising, I learned to instal McAfee Firewall and Virus Scan, Spybot, Ad-Aware/Ad-Watch, System and Internet Washer and Registry Healer.

I regularly use these utilities and also the XP disk clean and defrag.

I have learned that, if you do not keep your own system clean, then you will have problems which you may attribute to some outside program, or whatever.

I have learned that there is a plethora of malware scanner/fixers out there too. We could all list our pile of malware software and contrast/compare the differences in our particular array of PC security services. This will not accomplish much, but it sure is a good start for tangents.

I have at least one of each kind of those programs designed to identify different types of malicious code and fix, quarantine, or shred the bad apples. I update and run all of them regularly. As I stated above, I updated and ran all of them each time before trying repeatedly to install SP2. My system kept coming up clean on all of the scans.

There are more variables involved with the successful installation of SP2 than clean or infected systems. I obviously don't know all of them or we wouldn't be having this communication. It is far more complex than many, including you, are willing or able to understand.

Thank you for your opinion. It matches at least half a dozen above that didn't help me either. I was, however, able to get the help I needed from a very knowledgable computer expert named R. Proffit. If you're ever in trouble, though doubtful as that may seem to you now, seek him out.

hi Keyhoti,

I see the bug caught you as well huh?

As soon as I got my first PC I was hooked, line and sinker. I've not been able to get off my computer since, [grin].

Mark

Hi medicman,

I keep checking back on your thread to see how you are getting on, and I'm sorry to hear that you are still having problems.

I don't know what else to suggest. I know how you feel when you say this is driving you mad. Using PC's should be pleasurable but when things go wrong like this it is anthing but.

I honestly don't know what else to suggest.

Well I do, but it is not one I ever hope to have to do myself, and I rarely suggest it for others.

But in your case, if no-one else can come up with a workable solution, you may be left with one option. That is to re-install your Windows XP from the original XP installation disks, and using them to reformat your hard disk to clear "everything" off your drive before XP is put back on. Then re-install your Road Runner software, then re-upgrade to SP2. I believe SP2 needs internet access, (although I am not sure), otherwise I would not suggest re-installing the Road Runner software beforehand without firewall and antivirus protection).

I really do not know what else to suggest. But I wish you good luck, and whatever you do, please keep us posted.

Mark

if AUTOSTREAMER were used to consolidate all of XP into one CD, then one install should do it.

However, a user should download the patch described in the Microsoft article, "MS03-039: A Buffer Overrun in RPCSS Could Allow an Attacker to Run Malicious Programs (Q824146)" (a 1,508Kb file) for the applicable version of WinXP used and keep it on hand and install before ever accessing the Internet. Should you format and reinstall XP at a later date, then install it unless it already has been patched through SP2.

Thank you Cursorcowboy. I bookmarked the site and will save the patch.

Take care.

Thanks Mark. I've tried the reinstallation from scratch, unfortunately "scratch" with this computer involves all of the bundled software as well: I can't separate the two, and that's the way HP intended it.

I appreciate your help. At least you sincerely tried to help me. And you didn't even cut me off when you didn't have all the answers! I guess you don't have a big reputation to protect.

I'll check out the HijackThis forum, as suggested, and hopefully that will lead to someone willing (and able) to help.

Eldon

I never cut you off. I offered to take a look at your hijackthis, but referred to forums that do hijackthis all the time.

You've taken offense where there was none made.

I think you mean the forum software that some think I cut them off because of "no further replies". That's not my doing and has caused a few flames.

Bob

Good luck m8.

Mark

I am a generalist and when I see your log file, I referred you to a specialist forum on hijackthis.

If this is arrogance, then don't read my replies.

If that offends, you. Good!

bob

Well I'll Be Darned, Bob. I think your suggestion to go to AutoStreamer may have actually done it! I don't understand why, mind you, but that doesn't matter much to me at the moment. I can put up with trying to understand it all after I get over my elation from the simple fact that it DID WORK.

As you said, I did have put on my thinking cap and take some common sense steps of my own in conjunction with the tools available on the AutoStreamer site. I went to Control Panel>Add or Remove Programs and got rid of SP2 and all of the Hotfixes that had to do with SP2. Oddly enough, my computer had to remove SP2 TWICE. I don't understand that one, either, but it did. Once I had everything SP2 off of my system I applied the AutoPatcherXP from AutoStreamer's site. It had some problems, and I had to run it more than once (the program notifies you when it experiences difficulty, and tells you you'll have to run it again to install the stuff it had problems with) but that was no big deal.

After AutoPatcherXP was done and my computer hadn't blown up, I ran all of my malware programs and I was still clean. So I rebooted, checked my network connections and found them to be functioning perfectly, and decided to run Windows Update to see what it said I needed. It said I needed to install SP2 and a couple of Hotfixes, so I put it on hold and made myself a Restore point to fall back on. Then I let Windows Update do it's thing. When it finished I couldn't even bring myself to watch it reboot. I hit the button and went outside for a smoke!

When I returned, coward that I was, I found the Windows Security Center setup screen and everything went downhill from there. Everything is working like it's supposed to for now.

I'm afraid I'll have to disappoint you, Bob. I'm not offended. I seldom am offended by results, and your advice led to just that: results. I still think you're an arrogant cuss, but I appreciate the help all the same; you arrogant cuss!

Thank you for your help Mr. Profitt.

WOW !! Medicman,

Excellent work, and well done.

Yep, I know Bob told you what to do, in his own inimical way, but you stuck in there and wouldn't be beaten.

Great news m8.

Mark

Thanks Mark, you're awesome! Your positive attitude and encouragement were just as helpful as any technical assistance I received. I appreciate your concern. Most people aren't compassionate for their fellow man these days, I guess you're the exception.

Best wishes!

Eldon

By that I mean computer support has hit from my view all time lows. In my defense I offered that item very early in the dialogue and the trip to hijackthis was to check what the heck was bedeviling the machine and (for me) confirmed that there was just too many other programs kicking the legs out from under the install XP, other, then the SP2 install. The integrated XP SP2 install seems to be a magic bullet for the difficult cases.

In closing, the issues are very stressful on owners and I can only spend so much time in rewrite of posts so I go for the kill of the issue without much thought to how it will be taken. Sometimes...

Be sure to keep those backups current and you have a good idea about restore points so you may recover from the odd "what happened?" event.

Cheers,

Bob

You did suggest AutoStreamer early, and I didn't try it soon enough. In my defense, I was trying everyone's suggestions pretty much in order of receipt, and contrary to popular belief I don't get to set around trying to fix my computer all day and night long. It took me a while to work through it.

Computer problems ARE one of THE MOST STRESSFUL events in today's world. The computer has become our gateway to the world. I use it for both personal and professional work, it entertains me, helps me create, and when working properly improves my quality of life by decreasing the amount of time it would otherwise take me to accomplish the things I need to do.

Unfortunately, those who volunteer to help computer owners in their dark hours of computer failure approach people with very short fuses in poor humor. By the time we go looking for help, we have already exhaused ourselves and every possibility we can think of which even vaguely resembles a cure. In this instance I had been working with this off and on for MORE THAN A MONTH. I exhausted all of the troubleshooting checklists and tricks I've learned along the way that have worked on other things similar to this in the past. When those didn't work, I resorted to completely wiping out my system and started from a fresh OS installation/HD reformat more than a dozen times trying different orders of software reinstallation amongst what felt like a plethora of other possible "fixes". All the while, I was in fear of further contamination because I was operating at a security deficit without the patches I needed.

And the "customer service" departments I tried astounded me with their ineptitude and indifference. The ones that shocked me the most are those outsourced to India. The "technicians" can't even understand English! I would send them questions and they would be SO FAR OFF THE MARK from what I was asking because they COULD NOT SPEAK, READ, OR WRITE American English that each time it broke down into pandemonium!!!!! I felt like I was trapped in a Three Stooges episode, with the technicians playing the roles of Curly, Larry, and Moe and I was the "normal" person in the plot suffering their idiotic abuses. That was one of the most frustrating experiences I've ever had in my life! And it does absolutely no good to complain to the company HQ or the CEO either. I tried that. The management doesn't care, and they don't even try to disquise that fact anymore. I'm still inside the first year after purchase of this computer and all of the software, the period in which I'm supposed to receive the BEST customer service they have to provide. If this was their best, I'd hate to see what I'll get after I've gone beyond the grace period next April!

I was drained and clutching my last straw when I pinned my hopes on this forum. When the fixes weren't easy and/or immediate or were things I had already tried without success, I was so depressed I thougth it was just more of the same. I didn't give some of the suggestions I recieved here the attention they deserved.

Next time I'll give the "customer service" departments the first shot if I need help, but I won't stay with them until I've become frustrated and exhausted. I'll simultaneously reach out to CNET so I can get better advice from knowledgable people who actually care.

Bob doesn't have the best bedside manner for people as frustrated as I was, but he must care or he wouldn't put up with the crap those of us at the end of our ropes are likely to deal out as I did. And he knew what he was talking about. AutoStreamer has become my first stop for OS updating from this incident, and Bob made that happen. Bob gave me the solution to a problem that stumped many, and I ignored it at first. By that point I was scared to try it! Had I utilized the program Bob suggested immediately my problem would have been resolved far sooner. Instead I downloaded the program and asked Bob for confirmation, basically asking him to tell me to do what he had told me to do in the first place. I guess I WAS asking him to "hold my hand".

Thank you again, Bob. I know you must be very busy dealing with thousands of problems people bring to this arena. Maybe if you could try to dispense a dollop of encouragement with your technical expertise it would work even better. Please don't take that the wrong way, it's just a suggestion from someone on the receiving end.

Eldon

Well said Eldon.

At some point in the future, when you are sufficiently recovered from this trauma, (I don't use that word lightly, it is indeed a traumatic experience), perhaps you could do something for the rest of us.

This was a fascinating thread. The problem appeared to be a unique one to many of us and we all had different solutions for you to try. The fact that you have resolved your problem shows that one or more of the suggestions worked, but the thread is now very difficult to follow through.

What I wondered was, if your problem is not that unique, if you could summarise the problem and what steps you had to take to resolve it. I'm sure it would be useful for us and others to refer back to for users with similar difficulties.

Perhaps a new thread, or just a continuation of this one? I don't know.

Anyway, good luck in the future.

Mark

This "thread" has taken on a life of its own!! I completely skipped over this message of yours, Mark! I'm sorry I didn't see it sooner.

I think I've done what you asked a couple of times for "pgoodma" down near the very bottom of all of this monsterous list of messages. I summarized it pretty good with a numbered list the last time that I think was fairly straight-forward and easy to understand. Please review it for me and help me to edit out any parts that are difficult to understand. I want it to be as clear as possible. Then I may start a new "message thing" in this Windows XP Forum so people won't have to read through a hundred messages to find the cure we eventually worked out. I will title it in such a way as to make it stand out to people who are looking for suggestions for making Windows XP SP2 work properly.

Thank you for all of your help and support. Maybe we will meet again in CNET. Hopefully next time I will be trying to help someone else!!!!!

Take care and best wishes,

Eldon

Ahh. I can see it Eldon,

I think thats a good summary.

You're right, the thread is expanding exponentially.

Mark

I downloaded SP2 and that was the last I saw of the internet. Been driving me crazy. good thing I also have a MAC and was able to read what to do while trying to fix the PC. My take is (short of reformatting my hard drive completely) is to try and restore the system to an earlier time PRIOR to installing SP2 (which didn't even install properlly). I hope it works.

Of course, I made sure the internet connection was viable not only thru my MAC but by going into "Safe Mode" on the PC to check it out.

Bob, I hope the System Restore is the answer. Otherwise, SP@ is nto worth the trouble it is suppose to protect you from.

ron