I have been blocked from running anything from MS. This includes updates
[Error number: 0x80072EE7] and installing Windows Live Mail. I have shut
off Zone Alarm and WinPatrol. I have checked services and they are running,
at least those that I know.

Any ideas what could be the blocker?

computerkiller wrote:
> I have been blocked from running anything from MS. This includes
> updates [Error number: 0x80072EE7] and installing Windows Live
> Mail. I have shut off Zone Alarm and WinPatrol. I have checked
> services and they are running, at least those that I know.
>
> Any ideas what could be the blocker?

Assuming you have Windows XP 32-bit...

Check your HOSTS file - make sure it doesn't contain any redirects you don't
want.

Check your DNS settings, make sure they are correctly set.

Empty your Temporary Internet Files (in fact - delete all your IE temp files
and reset IE to its defaults.)

Fix your file/registry permissions...

Ignore the title and follow the sub-section under "Advanced Troubleshooting"
titled, "Method 1: Reset the registry and the file permissions"
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/949377
*will take time
(You don't *have* to install SP3 - even if it directs you to do so.)

Reboot and ...

Download, install, run, update and perform a full scan (separately) with the
following two applications (freeware versions are the ones to use for this):

SuperAntiSpyware
http://www.superantispyware.com/

MalwareBytes
http://www.malwarebytes.com/

After performing a full scan with one and then the other and removing
whatever they both find completely, you may uninstall these products,
if you wish.

Download and run the MSRT manually:
http://www.microsoft.com/security/ma...e/default.mspx

Reboot.

Download/Install the latest Windows Installer (for your OS):
( Windows XP 32-bit : WindowsXP-KB942288-v3-x86.exe )
http://www.microsoft.com/downloadS/d...displaylang=en

Reboot.

and...

Download the latest version of the Windows Update agent from here (x86):
http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkID=91237
.... and save it to the root of your C:\ drive. After saving it to the root
of the C:\ drive, do the following:

Close all Internet Explorer windows and other applications.

Start button --> RUN and type in:
%SystemDrive%\windowsupdateagent30-x86.exe /WUFORCE
--> Click OK.

(If asked, select "Run.) --> Click on NEXT --> Select "I agree" and click on
NEXT --> When it finishes installing, click on "Finish"...

Reboot.

Then follow the instructions here:

How do I reset Windows Update components?
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/971058
(You don't *have* to install SP3 - even if it directs you to do so.)
(*It would be wise to, if you can.)

Reboot.

CHKDSK
How to scan your disks for errors
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/315265
* will take time

Defragment
How to Defragment your hard drives
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/314848
* will take time

Ensure your hardware drivers are up to date (from the hardware
manufacturer's respective web pages.)

Reboot.

Log on as an user with administrative rights and open Internet Explorer
and visit http://windowsupdate.microsoft.com/ and select to do a
CUSTOM scan...

Every time you are about to click on something while at these web pages -
first press and hold down the CTRL key while you click on it. You can
release the CTRL key after clicking each time.

Once the scan is done, select just _ONE_ of the high priority updates
(deselect any others) and install it.

Reboot again.

If it did work - try the web page again - selecting no more than 3-5 at a
time. Rebooting as needed.

The Optional Software updates are generally safe - although I recommend
against the "Windows Search" one and any of the "Office Live" ones or
"Windows Live" ones fornow. I would completely avoid the
Optional Hardware updates. Also - I do not see any urgent need to install
Internet Explorer 8 at this time.

Come back - let us know if that worked.
.... Really - come back and let everyone know if that worked.

--
Shenan Stanley
MS-MVP
--
How To Ask Questions The Smart Way
http://www.catb.org/~esr/faqs/smart-questions.html

The Real Truth MVP wrote:
> Try Microsoft's® Windows Update Repair Tool. Download it here
> http://www.ms-mvp.org/

"The Real Truth MVP",

I feel it important to ask why someone would visit this site,
http://www.ms-mvp.org/, to download a Microsoft provided tool?

Would it not make more sense for one to retrieve said tool directly from
the people who create and support it?

I would like to offer that it would be safer to point the people to
here, http://support.microsoft.com/kb/971058, and allow the people to
read about the tool and get it from the actual creator - which means
that they would get the latest version of the tool if it was to be updated.

--
Newsgroup Honesty
(E-Mail Removed)

* People who are brutally honest get more
satisfaction out of the brutality than
out of the honesty. *
--

In article <(E-Mail Removed)>,
(E-Mail Removed) says...
> I feel it important to ask why someone would visit this site,
> http://www.ms-mvp.org/, to download a Microsoft provided tool?
>

Because PCBUTTS1 is a hack that misdirects and redirects people to his
website because he makes money off it and he has also hosted filthy
pornographic materials on that site and used them to stalk people with.

--
You can't trust your best friends, your five senses, only the little
voice inside you that most civilians don't even hear -- Listen to that.
Trust yourself.
(E-Mail Removed) (remove 999 for proper email address)

The Real Truth MVP wrote:
| Try Microsoft's® Windows Update Repair Tool.
| Download it here http://www.ms-mvp.org/

Newsgroup Honesty wrote:
| "The Real Truth MVP",
|
| I feel it important to ask why someone would visit this site,
| http://www.ms-mvp.org/, to download a Microsoft provided tool?
|
| Would it not make more sense for one to retrieve said tool
| directly from the people who create and support it?
|
| I would like to offer that it would be safer to point the people to
| here, http://support.microsoft.com/kb/971058, and allow the people to
| read about the tool and get it from the actual creator - which means
| that they would get the latest version of the tool if it was to be
| updated.

The Real Truth MVP wrote:
| The link I provide does go to directly to Microsoft if it does not
| then the MS site is down and it redirects to a local backup.

While it does now - it did not when I originally asked the question.

At the time I went to the link originally and scrolled down and clicked
on the download link; I received a "ResetWindowsUpdate" zip file that
contained a "ResetWindowsUpdate" msi file.

Now - since I mentioned it, at least (in frame of time), you have
changed the link so that it goes to the go.microsoft.com link
appropriate for said fix.

For this I thank you, but still feel a direct link to the actual
Microsoft knowledge base article would serve those asking for assistance
better than a link to what seems to be your web page and then forcing
them to scroll down to find the proper link within your web page.

I'd compare it to getting your information from the friend of a friend
whose brother told them they heard it at a party instead of direct from
the source.

--
Newsgroup Honesty
(E-Mail Removed)

* People who are brutally honest get more
satisfaction out of the brutality than
out of the honesty. *
--

Newsgroup Honesty wrote:
| I feel it important to ask why someone would visit this site,
| http://www.ms-mvp.org/, to download a Microsoft provided tool?

Leythos wrote:
| Because PCBUTTS1 is a hack that misdirects and redirects people to his
| website because he makes money off it and he has also hosted filthy
| pornographic materials on that site and used them to stalk people
| with.

Ouch.

That is quite the barrage of accusations.

I would choose to stay indifferent at this time, as I have seen only
this accusation. Feel free to elaborate, if desired. I've learned over
*cough* many *cough* decades to not make flash judgments.

It also begs the question, given the "his" and "he" in your response, of
whose picture is on the referenced web page?

--
Newsgroup Honesty
(E-Mail Removed)

* People who are brutally honest get more
satisfaction out of the brutality than
out of the honesty. *
--

There is a very good chance that you are seeing the effects of a hijackware
infection!

NB: If you had no anti-virus application installed or the subscription had
expired *when the machine first got infected* and/or your subscription has
since expired and/or the machine's not been kept fully-patched at Windows
Update, don't waste your time with any of the below: Format & reinstall
Windows. A Repair Install will NOT help!

1. See if you can download/run the MSRT manually:
http://www.microsoft.com/security/ma...e/default.mspx

NB: Run the FULL scan, not the QUICK scan! You may need to download the
MSRT on a non-infected machine, then transfer MRT.EXE to the infected
machine and rename it to SCAN.EXE before running it.

2. [WinXP ONLY!! =>] Run the Windows Live Safety Center's 'Protection' scan
(only!) in Safe Mode with Networking, if need be:
http://onecare.live.com/site/en-us/center/howsafe.htm

3. Run a /thorough/ check for hijackware, including posting the requested
logs in an appropriate forum, not here.

Checking for/Help with Hijackware
http://aumha.net/viewtopic.php?f=30&t=4075
http://mvps.org/winhelp2002/unwanted.htm
http://inetexplorer.mvps.org/data/prevention.htm
http://inetexplorer.mvps.org/tshoot.html
http://www.mvps.org/sramesh2k/Malware_Defence.htm
http://www.elephantboycomputers.com/...moving_Malware

**Chances are you will need to seek expert assistance in
http://spywarehammer.com/simplemachi...php?board=10.0,
http://www.spywarewarrior.com/viewforum.php?f=5,
http://www.dslreports.com/forum/cleanup,
http://www.bluetack.co.uk/forums/index.php,
http://aumha.net/viewforum.php?f=30 or other appropriate forums as well.**

If these procedures look too complex - and there is no shame in admitting
this isn't your cup of tea - take the machine to a local, reputable and
independent (i.e., not BigBoxStoreUSA) computer repair shop.

=====================
Start a free Windows Update support incident request:
https://support.microsoft.com/oas/de...spx?gprid=6527

Support for Windows Update:
http://support.microsoft.com/gp/wusupport

For home users, no-charge support is available by calling 1-866-PCSAFETY in
the United States and in Canada or by contacting your local Microsoft
subsidiary. There is no-charge for support calls that are associated with
security updates.
--
~Robear Dyer (PA Bear)
MS MVP-IE, Mail, Security, Windows Client - since 2002
www.banthecheck.com


computerkiller wrote:
> I have been blocked from running anything from MS. This includes updates
> [Error number: 0x80072EE7] and installing Windows Live Mail. I have shut
> off Zone Alarm and WinPatrol. I have checked services and they are
> running,
> at least those that I know.
>
> Any ideas what could be the blocker?

In article <#(E-Mail Removed)>,
(E-Mail Removed) says...
>
> Newsgroup Honesty wrote:
> | I feel it important to ask why someone would visit this site,
> | http://www.ms-mvp.org/, to download a Microsoft provided tool?
>
> Leythos wrote:
> | Because PCBUTTS1 is a hack that misdirects and redirects people to his
> | website because he makes money off it and he has also hosted filthy
> | pornographic materials on that site and used them to stalk people
> | with.
>
> Ouch.
>
> That is quite the barrage of accusations.
>
> I would choose to stay indifferent at this time, as I have seen only
> this accusation. Feel free to elaborate, if desired. I've learned over
> *cough* many *cough* decades to not make flash judgments.
>
> It also begs the question, given the "his" and "he" in your response, of
> whose picture is on the referenced web page?

Many of the files to which he claims ownership are actually
hacked/pirated from others works and their names/credit is removed and
then included in his work.

One of his files is a copy of another person's that entered tatteltail
lines in and were copied to Butts's hacked file for months, when the
group planned this and exposed Butts for the thief he is he went nuts
and claims that he created it and that it's real malware - which it
isn't.

I'm not going to edit what I'm about to paste, it's directed as a
response to PCBUTTS (TRT), but you will get the idea from it:

----

PCBUTTS1, you've exposed yourself as the PIRATE/THIEF we all have said
you are.

The file you claim to have known about, claim to have submitted to anti-
virus sites, the file named "obatssrsghde.exe" was a marker inserted
into Stuarts batch file you stole from him, it was a KEY that proves
you're a thief:

For those that don't know, Stuart inserted the obatssrsghde.exe marker
into his batch file to prove, to the community, that PCBUTTS1 / The Real
Truth MVP is actually a lying thief, and PCBUTTS admitted in his own
post that he created the marker and claimed to know what it was - even
claimed to have submitted the malware to anti-virus vendors, but the
joke was on him, Stuart told everyone in the community about it BEFORE
it appeared in PCBUTTS1 download.... There is no actual file named
obatssrsghde.exe in the malware community, it was a ruse.

The key is in the spelling (shifted one character):

obatssrsghde.exe
pcbuttsthief

If you change (add) 1 character to each letter you will see that
"obatssrsghde" is actually the marker "pcbuttsthief" - proving that
PCBUTTS1 is a thief.

Are there other markers - YES, does PCBUTTS1 know about them - no,
they've been there for a long time, but this is the most obvious one.

Face it Chris/PCBUTTS1/TRT, you've exposed yourself in public.


--
You can't trust your best friends, your five senses, only the little
voice inside you that most civilians don't even hear -- Listen to that.
Trust yourself.
(E-Mail Removed) (remove 999 for proper email address)

On Sat, 08 Aug 2009 00:22:23 -0700, Zilbandy
<(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:

>
> On Sat, 8 Aug 2009 02:39:34 -0400, "PA Bear [MS MVP]"
> <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:
>
> >There is a very good chance that you are seeing the effects of a hijackware
> >infection!
> >
> >NB: If you had no anti-virus...
>
>
> Just curious about the meaning of "NB". That's all.


I'm not PA Bear, but since he hasn't answered yet....

"NB" is a general abbreviation, not a computer one. It stands for the
Latin phrase "nota bene," which means "note well."

--
Ken Blake, Microsoft MVP - Windows Desktop Experience
Please Reply to the Newsgroup

Got Google? => http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nota_bene

Zilbandy wrote:
> On Sat, 8 Aug 2009 02:39:34 -0400, "PA Bear [MS MVP]"
> <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:
>
>> There is a very good chance that you are seeing the effects of a
>> hijackware
>> infection!
>>
>> NB: If you had no anti-virus...
>
>
> Just curious about the meaning of "NB". That's all.