WinINet corruption

mickhart,

please do the following:

Press Start - Run - (type)CMD - (press)enter
Copy/Paste: ipconfig /flushdns - press - enter
If you are typing this in, note the space between the g /f
It needs to be there.

with regard to your successful run of SFC. Good! And the 20 minutes with periodic grinding away at the XP CD is a good sign that various missing or corrupted files were replaced. Note: MS tools are "line-of-sight" or one-foot-after-another. Therefore Windows would not have "known" that something was missing, until SFC checked the expected item before and after the missing or corrupt item. Now you have 20 minutes worth of "new stuff" in your Operating System. With those fresh files in place, MS may now be able to identify additional missing items. If Windows could talk to itself, it might say: "Oh hey, I didn't know we had this fresh file, so now that I see this fresh file, I also know that there should be the next one and the next, etc. in serial position." The above may be poorly conceived, but something very like that above description is true of the workings of the otherwise excellent MS native tools, such as SFC, CHKDSK, SCANDik, and DiskDefrag. Therefore….. Please run SFC additional times, until the last time running it does not access the XP CD or replace any files. This may take up to 3 additional times running it. Doug

Thanks Doug… I'll do the SFC a couple of more time. The start-run-cmd makes the tool bar at the bottom of the screen disappear for a few seconds and then nothing at all happens… I'm guessing thats not a good thing!!? Regards, Mick

The start-run-cmd makes the tool bar at the bottom of the screen disappear for a few seconds and then nothing at all happens… I'm guessing thats not a good thing!!?

Correct. That is not a good thing.

Run the SFC a couple more times. It might catch some additional missing or corrupted files.

Then try the instructions for Flushing DNS again

Thanks Doug, its running now…looks like another 20 min plus job! …CD clicking away hard drive light flikering. I'll do two more straight off once this one finishes …should I shutdown each time or is it ok to just run it again without shutting down?… I should of mentioned Firefox is crashing a lot this evening as well …fault etc..needs to close etc…reprt fault …restart previous session or new one… Regards… Mick

Yes, to be on the safe side, reboot between runs of SFC. As to FireFox crashing… Are you able to boot FireFox in Safe Mode (that would be FireFox Safe Mode) How to start Firefox in Safe Mode 1. Close down Firefox completely: At the top of the Firefox window, click the File menu, and select the Exit menu item. 2. In Windows, click Start, open the All Programs list, and navigate to the Mozilla Firefox folder. In the Mozilla Firefox folder, select Mozilla Firefox (Safe Mode). 3. Firefox should start up with a Firefox Safe Mode dialog. Note: You can also start Firefox in Safe Mode by clicking Start, selecting Run (or use the Start Search box in Windows Vista) and then entering the following in the text field: firefox -safe-mode

Doug… Finished one sfc run..started a second…seems to be taking just a long! …shouldn't it be getting faster each time?… Update… Second run heading towards 40 mins!! …

yes. As more/most of the missing/corrupt files get replaced, SFC should not need to access XP CD and hard drive cache as often. A clean run of SFC should take about 7 - 10 minutes.

Once this second sfc run ends I'll shut down and then reboot and run it one more time ..if it takes as long does that indicate something?..I don't recall loading XP frm scratch took this long!..lol I'll try firefox safe mode the next time it crashes…

Doug… Its taken about 45 mins on its second run. When I logged back in from the first run, after the normal windows startinf up, I got an almost all blue windows xp screen with a 'please' wait..that lasted 10 seconds or so and then it booted up …so running the sfc must of done something. I'll do one more close down and sfc again..and then call it a night …this is is harder than being at work all day!!..lol One more question ..I put an additional half gig of RAM in about two/three months ago, well before any of these problems, but if RAM goes faulty can it cause any/all of the problems I'm getting?… I'll read your reply when I get into work tomorrow morning… Best Regards and thanks for all your continued help…

Not likely a problem with the RAM. You'd be seeing different error codes with the Blue Screens. But I'll keep it in mind. How many sticks of RAM did you add? How may total sticks? Dual or single mode DDR DDR2 ? You're right, a fresh install of XP would have taken less time. (note: don't format or attempt changes to your XP operating system until we have made sure that we have your accurate Product ID Key recorded) Try the FireFox Safe boot in the morning. Take care.

I'm surprised I can't get in to the Microsoft firewall, and the security centre says it is shutdown and I can't get it that way. Could that be blocking my AV updates and causing browser instability?… Or am I grabbing a straws again

If you close down ZA, do you get a warning from windows that you have no Firewall running?

If not, please do the following. Step 1 and last part of 4 is in the ZA menues.
Disconnect temporarily from the internet, while doing these steps.

1. Overview Tab->Preferences tab-> Uncheck Load ZA at startup
2. Reboot the computer
3. Turn ON windows firewall
4. Now start ZA, Windows Security Center should see ZA firewall and Windows firewall should have been disabled by ZA (by checking under Firewall ->Advanced ->checked Disable Windows firewall
5. Go back to #1 and check Load ZA at startup

———————————————–

After you have done the Firefox safe-mode, be sure to flush the DNS cache as mentioned
by Doug.

Are there any other machines on this network? Do you share the line with someone else?
Like in a house-complex etc. If yes, do they experience the same?

What I am getting at, is that it may be a ISP question, rather than a fault in your end. We can check
for that later. Just so we can look into it, and maybe get some clues, but what ISP company do you
use?

'til then

Cheers

Hi… I've flushed the DNS cache (black box flahed up quick and then was gone…so I'm guessing its that). If you close down firefox you get the MS security centre warning. Yesterday, you may recall I couldn't get into the Windows firewall, today I can! ..and its shown as off. The security center is showing AVG (as the AV), and zone alram as the firewall. I have a main desk top PC upstairs running on cable internet connection. The cable goes via a Belkin wireless router and this laptop, which I use down stairs, is on that wireless link. The main PC is operation both on and off the internet perfectly, and updating it AVG AV perfectly. The ISP is Virgin media. To recap to faults I have: 1. The AV refuses to update (ZA firewall on or off) More than one firewall has been tried, neither updated when installed (they were not on the machine at the same time), or when reinstalled from scratch 2. The Browsers work normally then without warning hang. Sometimes shutting down is needed to make them work again, sometimes not. 3.Firefox will often crash and give the option to send an error report and then to start a new session or resume the previous one. 4. Some times an error report pops up on firefox (I previouly listed the module number it gives on this thread), it asks if you want to cancel or debug. 5. Site I visit (Hotmail, ebay etc), can be fine and on another occasion crash the browser, freeze it or bring up a error message. 6. The SFC function has been run five time so far. Each time it reads the disc for 20-45 mins and is obviously taking files/data of of it, however it does the same each time, gets no faster and seems to make no differnce to any of the issues above. 7. Some of the functions you have asked me to run (Redgit etc), don't work 7. There were none of the above issues before removing the malware I think that's it! …Right guys…any ideas from that list? Co's its making me go lol

Hi again Mick

Hehe, yes that is quite a list of symptoms. I have been thinking on a link between those incidents,
and right now the only thing that comes to mind, is BITS (Background Intelligent Transfer Service)

BITS are responsible for Microsoft updates and Sotware updates. Transfering files between machines
using unused bandwidth. In home-owners case, between a company's server and your own machine,
using normal HTTP (HyperText Transfer Protocol)

So lets check the status of your BITS service. Just to eliminate it out of the equation.

Go to start, choose RUN, type: Services.msc

Find the BITS (Background Intelligent Transfer Service) entry. Rightclick and choose properties.

Startup type should be "Manuel"

While you are in services, check the Remote Procedure Call service as well. BITS are dependent of this
service, and won't run if it is disabled. It should also be set to "manuel".

Manuel indicates that programs in need of the service can start it. For instance, AVG calls upon this service
when it tries to connect to the update server at Grisoft. Or your browser when it needs to check for updates.
Maybe the cause of the crashes, when no connection is made. Perhaps a longshot, but it can't hurt.

I'll do some more thinking in the meanwhile, and perhaps Doug or another Tech have some more ideas


Cheers

Abydos,

We have a snapshot of Services, as an attached file here:
http://forums.whatthetech.com/index.php?s=…st&p=545264

MickHart,

Go ahead and give another look per Abydos instructions so we know that the settings remain the same or not.

Abydos,
BITS is listed as Running Automatic.
Apparently something was using BITS at the time of the snapshot.
hmmmm.