need help fixing several issues

[Tim.T]

I'm using Windows XP Home SP1 (don't lecture me about updates; I've had
years of error-free computing because I insist on just using SP1). My PC's a
little sick at the moment. Here is a summary of its symptoms. Some of these
issues have developed over the past few weeks or so, others more recently:

1)Bootup is about 3 minutes (increased from about 1min), even though I have
only a few items in the startup list (8 programs, most are small and don't
normally take long to load; if I remove them, bootup is no shorter). I used
a shareware but fully functional BootLogAnalyzer and it seemed to show that
the "System" took the longest to load; most other files seemed normal. Could
this be a drive, file system problem? I have no problems accessing, using
the 2-year old drive other wise. (I use Steve Gibson's 'SpinRite' for drive
maintenance and it consistently gives my drive a clean bill of health - no
errors, no bad sectors). I've tried Safe Mode, disabling services, using
MCONFIG to diagnose problems, but they make no difference. I can't pin down
the problem.

2)The MMC console won't show the extended view, only the standard view -
there is just an empty space when I try to access 'extended view'. MMC was
working fine a few days ago.

3)Even though I'm able to access the net, the 'network connection' icon is
missing from the system tray, and the network connection in 'Control
Panel>Network Connections' is 'disconnected' and won't respond when I click
it. If I attempt to delete my default connection, it says "an error has
occurred". If I try to access its properties, it says "an error has
occurred". If I attempt to change it from 'default connection', nothing
happens. I've check my network adapter and it's in Device Manager, exactly
where it should be, and functioning. I've checked all the Services that are
involved in networking, and they seem to be running. I managed to access the
net by going through my SpeedTouch modem applet and run the existing
connection from there (it uses my default connection that I set up, which
works). But Network Connections says my default connection is
disconnected...It's all rather confusing! Somehow I am connected, but I
don't know how.

4)Help and Support no longer loads. Even though I have a "FixXPHelp" tool
from Kelly's Korner which usually works, this time it doesn't, despite
finding 2 registry entries that are wrong/missing. (This tool is
specifically for when the program 'EasyCleaner' - which I use - removes some
required registry entries).

I have to admit that a day ago I used some stupid fix-all-bugs trialware,
and I have a feeling it did something. I don't know why I fall for them,
they're all crap. I have used quite a few in my time and I can honestly say
they are of little benefit, from what I can see. But sometimes you get
desperate you'll try anything!

Rant over. Hope you can help.

Tim

 

[Gordon]

I'm using Windows XP Home SP1 (don't lecture me about updates; I've had
years of error-free computing because I insist on just using SP1).

You're not going to get away that easily. You do realise that you are
putting OTHERS at risk by sticking your head in the sand by not updating?
You and people like you are one of the main reasons that the internet is
awash with Windows viruses, trojans and malware.

 

[SC Tom]

I'm using Windows XP Home SP1 (don't lecture me about updates; I've had
years of error-free computing because I insist on just using SP1). My PC's
a
little sick at the moment. Here is a summary of its symptoms. Some of
these
issues have developed over the past few weeks or so, others more recently:

1)Bootup is about 3 minutes (increased from about 1min), even though I
have
only a few items in the startup list (8 programs, most are small and don't
normally take long to load; if I remove them, bootup is no shorter). I
used
a shareware but fully functional BootLogAnalyzer and it seemed to show
that
the "System" took the longest to load; most other files seemed normal.
Could
this be a drive, file system problem? I have no problems accessing, using
the 2-year old drive other wise. (I use Steve Gibson's 'SpinRite' for
drive
maintenance and it consistently gives my drive a clean bill of health - no
errors, no bad sectors). I've tried Safe Mode, disabling services, using
MCONFIG to diagnose problems, but they make no difference. I can't pin
down
the problem.

2)The MMC console won't show the extended view, only the standard view -
there is just an empty space when I try to access 'extended view'. MMC was
working fine a few days ago.

3)Even though I'm able to access the net, the 'network connection' icon is
missing from the system tray, and the network connection in 'Control
Panel>Network Connections' is 'disconnected' and won't respond when I
click
it. If I attempt to delete my default connection, it says "an error has
occurred". If I try to access its properties, it says "an error has
occurred". If I attempt to change it from 'default connection', nothing
happens. I've check my network adapter and it's in Device Manager, exactly
where it should be, and functioning. I've checked all the Services that
are
involved in networking, and they seem to be running. I managed to access
the
net by going through my SpeedTouch modem applet and run the existing
connection from there (it uses my default connection that I set up, which
works). But Network Connections says my default connection is
disconnected...It's all rather confusing! Somehow I am connected, but I
don't know how.

4)Help and Support no longer loads. Even though I have a "FixXPHelp" tool
from Kelly's Korner which usually works, this time it doesn't, despite
finding 2 registry entries that are wrong/missing. (This tool is
specifically for when the program 'EasyCleaner' - which I use - removes
some
required registry entries).

I have to admit that a day ago I used some stupid fix-all-bugs trialware,
and I have a feeling it did something. I don't know why I fall for them,
they're all crap. I have used quite a few in my time and I can honestly
say
they are of little benefit, from what I can see. But sometimes you get
desperate you'll try anything!

Rant over. Hope you can help.

Tim

Gotta love them one-fer-all, all-fer-one packages, eh? The one I tried
promised to increase my gas mileage too!!
(Just kidding- I never use that crap.)

If your fix-all has an undo, try that. If your registry cleaner backs up the
entries before deleting them, try restoring them. Get an antimalware program
or two and scan for bugs. Boot into Safe Mode and try a System Restore to a
day or two before you screwed up your PC.
FWIW, 3 minutes is not an abnormally long boot-up time.

Good luck!
SC Tom

 

[Daave]

I'm using Windows XP Home SP1 (don't lecture me about updates; I've
had years of error-free computing because I insist on just using
SP1). My PC's a little sick at the moment. Here is a summary of its
symptoms. Some of these issues have developed over the past few weeks
or so, others more recently:

1)Bootup is about 3 minutes (increased from about 1min), even though
I have only a few items in the startup list (8 programs, most are
small and don't normally take long to load; if I remove them, bootup
is no shorter). I used a shareware but fully functional
BootLogAnalyzer and it seemed to show that the "System" took the
longest to load; most other files seemed normal. Could this be a
drive, file system problem? I have no problems accessing, using the
2-year old drive other wise. (I use Steve Gibson's 'SpinRite' for
drive maintenance and it consistently gives my drive a clean bill of
health - no errors, no bad sectors). I've tried Safe Mode, disabling
services, using MCONFIG to diagnose problems, but they make no
difference. I can't pin down the problem.

2)The MMC console won't show the extended view, only the standard
view - there is just an empty space when I try to access 'extended
view'. MMC was working fine a few days ago.

3)Even though I'm able to access the net, the 'network connection'
icon is missing from the system tray, and the network connection in
'Control Panel>Network Connections' is 'disconnected' and won't
respond when I click it. If I attempt to delete my default
connection, it says "an error has occurred". If I try to access its
properties, it says "an error has occurred". If I attempt to change
it from 'default connection', nothing happens. I've check my network
adapter and it's in Device Manager, exactly where it should be, and
functioning. I've checked all the Services that are involved in
networking, and they seem to be running. I managed to access the net
by going through my SpeedTouch modem applet and run the existing
connection from there (it uses my default connection that I set up,
which works). But Network Connections says my default connection is
disconnected...It's all rather confusing! Somehow I am connected, but
I don't know how.

4)Help and Support no longer loads. Even though I have a "FixXPHelp"
tool from Kelly's Korner which usually works, this time it doesn't,
despite finding 2 registry entries that are wrong/missing. (This tool
is specifically for when the program 'EasyCleaner' - which I use -
removes some required registry entries).

I have to admit that a day ago I used some stupid fix-all-bugs
trialware, and I have a feeling it did something. I don't know why I
fall for them, they're all crap.

You fall for them for the same reason you refuse to keep your PC secure
(SP1 ???!!!). You apparently exercise poor judgment. Actions have
consequences.

If you would like assistance, don't resist upgrading to a fully patched
SP2, or even better SP3. And stop falling for the crappy snake-oil
programs! If you do refuse the advice to become secure, I would predict
not many people would waste their time with you.

Sorry to be harsh, but you need to hear the truth!

As SC Tom, stated, the first thing you need to do is attempt to undo the
damage done by foolishly running FixXPHelp. But don't be surprised if a
Clean Install will be necessary. Since your PC is not secure, you very
likely have multiple malware infections.

 

[Jose]

I'm using Windows XP Home SP1 (don't lecture me about updates; I've had
years of error-free computing because I insist on just using SP1). My PC's a
little sick at the moment. Here is a summary of its symptoms. Some of these
issues have developed over the past few weeks or so, others more recently:

1)Bootup is about 3 minutes (increased from about 1min), even though I have
only a few items in the startup list (8 programs, most are small and don't
normally take long to load; if I remove them, bootup is no shorter). I used
a shareware but fully functional BootLogAnalyzer  and it seemed to showthat
the "System" took the longest to load; most other files seemed normal. Could
this be a drive, file system problem? I have no problems accessing, using
the 2-year old drive other wise. (I use Steve Gibson's 'SpinRite' for drive
maintenance and it consistently gives my drive a clean bill of health - no
errors, no bad sectors). I've tried Safe Mode, disabling services, using
MCONFIG to diagnose problems, but they make no difference. I can't pin down
the problem.

2)The MMC console won't show the extended view, only the standard view -
there is just an empty space when I try to access 'extended view'. MMC was
working fine a few days ago.

3)Even though I'm able to access the net, the 'network connection' icon is
missing from the system tray, and the network connection in 'Control
Panel>Network Connections' is 'disconnected' and won't respond when I click
it. If I attempt to delete my default connection, it says "an error has
occurred". If I try to access its properties, it says "an error has
occurred". If I attempt to change it from 'default connection', nothing
happens. I've check my network adapter and it's in Device Manager, exactly
where it should be, and functioning. I've checked all the Services that are
involved in networking, and they seem to be running. I managed to access the
net by going through my SpeedTouch modem applet and run the existing
connection from there (it uses my default connection that I set up, which
works). But Network Connections says my default connection is
disconnected...It's all rather confusing! Somehow I am connected, but I
don't know how.

4)Help and Support no longer loads. Even though I have a "FixXPHelp" tool
from Kelly's Korner which usually works, this time it doesn't, despite
finding 2 registry entries that are wrong/missing. (This tool is
specifically for when the program 'EasyCleaner' - which I use - removes some
required registry entries).

I have to admit that a day ago I used some stupid  fix-all-bugs trialware,
and I have a feeling it did something. I don't know why I fall for them,
they're all crap. I have used quite a few in my time and I can honestly say
they are of little benefit, from what I can see. But sometimes you get
desperate you'll try anything!

Rant over. Hope you can help.

Tim

You have many issues and some of them are of your own making.

For example, Help and Support quits working. My first questions is:
Have you ever run any third party programs offering guaranteed system
performance enhancement where the product description includes any of
the words "help, fix, tune, tune up, speed up, optimize, mechanic" in
the description?

The answer is always yes and I know the answer is going to be yes, but
I still like to ask it.

None of your issues sound hard to fix. They sound annoying.
Hopefully you will not want to use some trial and error methods,
guessing, trying things, etc., so first some preliminaries:

Reduce the chances of malicious software by running some scans.

Download, install, update and do a full scan with these free malware
detection programs:

Malwarebytes (MBAM): http://malwarebytes.org/
SUPERAntiSpyware: (SAS): http://www.superantispyware.com/

These can be uninstalled later if desired.

Click Start, Run and in the box enter:

msinfo32

Click OK, and when the System Summary info appears, click Edit, Select
All, Copy and then paste back here.

There would be some personal information (like System Name and User
Name) or whatever appears to be only your business that you can delete
from the paste.

 

[Gordon]

I disagree, one of the main reasons that
the internet is awash with Windows viruses, trojans and malware is that
Microsoft in their greedy rush for profits fail to adequately develop
"Windows" to be resistant to such, preferring as they do to foist poorly
developed Operating Systems on a unprepared public and field and 'fix' the
resultant delinquencies as they arrive.

Absolutely. But the people who do not apply security updates are EQUALLY to
blame.

 

[Bob I]

I disagree, one of the main reasons that
the internet is awash with Windows viruses, trojans and malware is that
Microsoft in their greedy rush for profits fail to adequately develop
"Windows" to be resistant to such, preferring as they do to foist poorly
developed Operating Systems on a unprepared public and field and 'fix'
the resultant delinquencies as they arrive.

Ya right, and would you like to buy some Florida property too?

 

[SC Tom]

I disagree, one of the main reasons that
the internet is awash with Windows viruses, trojans and malware is that
Microsoft in their greedy rush for profits fail to adequately develop
"Windows" to be resistant to such, preferring as they do to foist poorly
developed Operating Systems on a unprepared public and field and 'fix' the
resultant delinquencies as they arrive.

--

Geoff
ExploitEd

Wisdom and experience come with age, they say, but I do wish I could
remember the darn question

While I agree with what you and Gordon are saying, a main reason IMO is that
since MS owns ~90% of the PC market share, and Apple ~10%, where do you
think the hackers are going to devote their time and energy? It would be a
lot easier to find holes in 90 PC's than it would be in 10. Apple can say
they are more secure (and they very well may be), but if the roles were
reversed and Apple had 90% of the share, who do you think would be getting
more viruses then? I know what I'd be hacking if it were me.

SC Tom

 

[SC Tom]

PC, Personal Computer! The Macintosh when it was fist introduced was a 'PC
'.
You are suggesting M$ owns the PC market? There are very efficient well
developed and well supported Operating Systems available for 'PC's that do
not suffer from the gaping security weaknesses of the M$ offering. Why
they are not widely used is because of the inertia of the installed
market.

--

Geoff
ExploitEd

Wisdom and experience come with age, they say, but I do wish I could
remember the darn question

Again, if you were making money hacking PC's, would you go after MS or the
smaller fish? Are they truly "gaping security weaknesses" or is just that no
one bothers with Linux, Unix, etc.?

SC Tom

 

[Gordon]

Again, if you were making money hacking PC's, would you go after MS or the
smaller fish? Are they truly "gaping security weaknesses" or is just that
no one bothers with Linux, Unix, etc.?

The architecture of *nix makes it very difficult to attack.....particularly
Linux as there are so many variants.

 

[SC Tom]

The architecture of *nix makes it very difficult to
attack.....particularly Linux as there are so many variants.

Again I ask, if *nix owned 90% of the share, where do you think hackers
would be putting all their energy and resources? If MS was the 10% minority,
who would bother trying to get in? Only the amateurs, looking for a place to
start.

 

[Twayne]

In

I'm using Windows XP Home SP1 (don't lecture me about updates; I've
had years of error-free computing because I insist on just using
SP1). My PC's a little sick at the moment. Here is a summary of its
symptoms. Some of these issues have developed over the past few weeks
or so, others more recently:

1)Bootup is about 3 minutes (increased from about 1min), even though
I have only a few items in the startup list (8 programs, most are
small and don't normally take long to load; if I remove them, bootup
is no shorter). I used a shareware but fully functional
BootLogAnalyzer and it seemed to show that the "System" took the
longest to load; most other files seemed normal. Could this be a
drive, file system problem? I have no problems accessing, using the
2-year old drive other wise. (I use Steve Gibson's 'SpinRite' for
drive maintenance and it consistently gives my drive a clean bill of
health - no errors, no bad sectors). I've tried Safe Mode, disabling
services, using MCONFIG to diagnose problems, but they make no
difference. I can't pin down the problem.

2)The MMC console won't show the extended view, only the standard
view - there is just an empty space when I try to access 'extended
view'. MMC was working fine a few days ago.

3)Even though I'm able to access the net, the 'network connection'
icon is missing from the system tray, and the network connection in
'Control Panel>Network Connections' is 'disconnected' and won't
respond when I click it. If I attempt to delete my default
connection, it says "an error has occurred". If I try to access its
properties, it says "an error has occurred". If I attempt to change
it from 'default connection', nothing happens. I've check my network
adapter and it's in Device Manager, exactly where it should be, and
functioning. I've checked all the Services that are involved in
networking, and they seem to be running. I managed to access the net
by going through my SpeedTouch modem applet and run the existing
connection from there (it uses my default connection that I set up,
which works). But Network Connections says my default connection is
disconnected...It's all rather confusing! Somehow I am connected, but
I don't know how.

4)Help and Support no longer loads. Even though I have a "FixXPHelp"
tool from Kelly's Korner which usually works, this time it doesn't,
despite finding 2 registry entries that are wrong/missing. (This tool
is specifically for when the program 'EasyCleaner' - which I use -
removes some required registry entries).

I have to admit that a day ago I used some stupid fix-all-bugs
trialware, and I have a feeling it did something. I don't know why I
fall for them, they're all crap. I have used quite a few in my time
and I can honestly say they are of little benefit, from what I can
see. But sometimes you get desperate you'll try anything!

Rant over. Hope you can help.

Tim

I suspect you've caused yourself considerable problems, Tim. For one, never,
EVER run programs from any resource you aren't already fmailiar with or have
done your homework to seeh that their reputation and track record is. You
say you've used "quite a few" so it's possible you'd had several problems
for a long time before things got just so and they showed up. On top of
that you could easily have a lot of flie corruption that simply happens over
time, especially with only SP1 and not mention of any other protection
software. If you're not running at least a good firewall, AV and
antispyware, along with a backup strategy, you're likely riddled with a
bunch of little "problems" spread all over the place and looking at days to
get it working again, IF you even ever do. .
You might want to consider how long it will take to rebuild the system
from scratch than try to troubleshoot multiple problems. It's only an hour
to reinstall everything and maybe another couple hours to reinstall your
applications and customizations.

You said you didn't want to hear about SPs and so on, but that's very likely
the source of a lot of your problems. At SP1 there were still a gazillion
holes in the OS. Can you even get auto updates for SP1 anymore? Just
curious. With the condition of the 'net and everything else today, you
really need to think seriously about going to SP2 or better yet SP3, and
then letting auto update fill in the rest of the holes. Starting with SP2
there is even a built in firewall, not bidirectional, but still plenty
useful. I was reading the other day about tests showing that going online
without a firewall can allow infections in as little as 3 1/2 minutes by a
"drive-by" virus or other malware.

If you really don't have the power to run anything more than SP1, then you
definitely need the assistance of the best security programs you can lay
your hands on. Most of them can be gotten free too, but beware of just
going out and picking the first one you see. ASk fo advice if you have to.
You'll be glad you did. Are you even doing any updates at all?

HTH,

Twayne`

 

[Gordon]

Again I ask, if *nix owned 90% of the share, where do you think hackers
would be putting all their energy and resources? If MS was the 10%
minority, who would bother trying to get in? Only the amateurs, looking
for a place to start.

No you don't get it. The ARCHITECTURE ie the file structure and that way
*nix is built and used makes it VERY difficult to attack. Period. Doesn't
matter about numbers.
Example. 55% of ALL web servers run some sort of *nix yet there are only a
very few *nix viruses in the wild and of those most are relatively harmless.
Why? Because it's very difficult to attack them with viruses or malware
because of the design. *nix OSs are secure by DESIGN.
Yes Windows has 90% of the desktop, BUT, Windows is unbelievably easy to
write viruses for, not because of it's popularity, but because of the way
it's designed!

 

[Gordon]

You said you didn't want to hear about SPs and so on, but that's very
likely the source of a lot of your problems. At SP1 there were still a
gazillion holes in the OS. Can you even get auto updates for SP1 anymore?

Don't think so - security updates are only for SP2 machines at the moment
AFAIK and from the middle of next year will only be for SP3 machines...

 

[SC Tom]

No you don't get it. The ARCHITECTURE ie the file structure and that way
*nix is built and used makes it VERY difficult to attack. Period. Doesn't
matter about numbers.
Example. 55% of ALL web servers run some sort of *nix yet there are only a
very few *nix viruses in the wild and of those most are relatively
harmless. Why? Because it's very difficult to attack them with viruses or
malware because of the design. *nix OSs are secure by DESIGN.
Yes Windows has 90% of the desktop, BUT, Windows is unbelievably easy to
write viruses for, not because of it's popularity, but because of the way
it's designed!

Oh, I get it. I concede that the nixes and Apples of the world are more
secure than Windows (what's the easiest way to break into a house? Through
the windows, of course ). I'm just saying that IF Microsoft only had a
small share of the market, there wouldn't be nearly as much effort put into
it as there would be in the more popular OS, no matter what it was. Do you
really think that if *nix was as widespread on the home market as Windows
that there wouldn't be more hits on it than there are? It doesn't matter how
secure a program is; if it's the big dog in the yard, everyone is going to
try and bring it down.

 

[BillW50]

Gordon wrote on Wed, 11 Nov 2009 08:13:13 -0000:

No you don't get it. The ARCHITECTURE ie the file structure and that way
*nix is built and used makes it VERY difficult to attack. Period.
Doesn't matter about numbers.

Really Gordon? Ever heard of rootkits? While relatively new in the
Windows world, it has been a thorn in *nix side for the past 18 years.

Example. 55% of ALL web servers run some sort of *nix yet there are only
a very few *nix viruses in the wild and of those most are relatively
harmless. Why? Because it's very difficult to attack them with viruses
or malware because of the design. *nix OSs are secure by DESIGN.

What is difficult is that there are so many distros out there and
applications and viruses has to be tailored for each one. Which makes
*nix pretty useless for the masses. Heck that makes it pretty useless to
me as well. As *nix makes a very poor general purpose OS.

*nix by design, break things. You can't update, add security patches or
anything without breaking applications and drivers. Sure it also breaks
viruses too. But I don't care about viruses! I do *care* about my
drivers and applications working though. ;-)

Yes Windows has 90% of the desktop, BUT, Windows is unbelievably easy to
write viruses for, not because of it's popularity, but because of the
way it's designed!

Easy to write viruses for? Also easier to block viruses for as well. As
I have never been infected yet. And I have been using Windows daily
since '93. And Windows is easy to write applications for. This is what
makes it successful and why *nix will never amount to anything. It is
all of the distros out there which is destroying each other. So what
good is *nix if it just sits there doing nothing Gordon?

 

[Gordon]

*nix by design, break things. You can't update, add security patches or
anything without breaking applications and drivers. Sure it also breaks
viruses too. But I don't care about viruses! I do *care* about my drivers
and applications working though. ;-)

You do talk absolute crap.

Plonk.

 

[BillW50]

Gordon wrote on Wed, 11 Nov 2009 18:57:32 -0000:

You do talk absolute crap.

Plonk.

Prove it Gordon! Prove how I can update this piece of crap *nix (which
is a commercial distro and not free) I am running right now! People who
claim it can be done should be able to prove it! Otherwise we have names
for people like you!

 

[BillW50]

In BillW50 typed on Wed, 11 Nov 2009 07:24:01 -0600:

Gordon wrote on Wed, 11 Nov 2009 08:13:13 -0000:


Really Gordon? Ever heard of rootkits? While relatively new in the
Windows world, it has been a thorn in *nix side for the past 18 years.


What is difficult is that there are so many distros out there and
applications and viruses has to be tailored for each one. Which makes
*nix pretty useless for the masses. Heck that makes it pretty useless
to me as well. As *nix makes a very poor general purpose OS.

*nix by design, break things. You can't update, add security patches
or anything without breaking applications and drivers. Sure it also
breaks viruses too. But I don't care about viruses! I do *care* about
my drivers and applications working though. ;-)


Easy to write viruses for? Also easier to block viruses for as well.
As I have never been infected yet. And I have been using Windows daily
since '93. And Windows is easy to write applications for. This is what
makes it successful and why *nix will never amount to anything. It is
all of the distros out there which is destroying each other. So what
good is *nix if it just sits there doing nothing Gordon?

I don't know which Gordon is yet, but it appears Gordon is either
clueless or a liar. I can't think of any other possibilities right now.

If Gordon is just ignorant, well I must give him a pass. Although if he
is knowingly spreading BS, he is no better than a con artist and should
be thrown in jail as far as I am concern.