No Web Access after SP2 update

[Doug Kanter]

Why isn't anything easy?

Working on a friend's Compaq Presario (the world ugliest computer). Her
teenage son had done everything possible to screw it up. Many kinds of
spyware, 2 viruses, machine was a mess. So, my friend said "The hell with
it....let's start from scratch". Used the Compaq restore disk to reformat &
reinstall XP Home. Installed ZoneAlarm next, everything worked fine. Did all
MS updates EXCEPT SP2 (ran out of time & energy on the first night).
Everything worked fine.

Did the SP2 update (using Windows Update from the start menu). No glitches
during install, but now, I cannot access the internet. When I did the SP2
update on two other machines, I did NOT have this problem. Before I start
poking around, can anyone offer a clue, or tell me which fork in the road to
take?

By the way, I tried shutting down ZoneAlarm, even though it did NOT indicate
that it had blocked anything outbound, like IE, but doing this made no
difference.

-Doug

 

[Malke]

Why isn't anything easy?

Working on a friend's Compaq Presario (the world ugliest computer).
Her teenage son had done everything possible to screw it up. Many
kinds of spyware, 2 viruses, machine was a mess. So, my friend said
"The hell with it....let's start from scratch". Used the Compaq
restore disk to reformat & reinstall XP Home. Installed ZoneAlarm
next, everything worked fine. Did all MS updates EXCEPT SP2 (ran out
of time & energy on the first night). Everything worked fine.

Did the SP2 update (using Windows Update from the start menu). No
glitches during install, but now, I cannot access the internet. When I
did the SP2 update on two other machines, I did NOT have this problem.
Before I start poking around, can anyone offer a clue, or tell me
which fork in the road to take?

By the way, I tried shutting down ZoneAlarm, even though it did NOT
indicate that it had blocked anything outbound, like IE, but doing
this made no difference.

-Doug

I would reinstall the drivers for whatever device is used to connect to
the Internet (modem, NIC). Also - obviously from another computer with
a working Internet connection - did you check on Compaq's website for
any patches that needed to be installed before SP2?

Malke

 

[Doug Kanter]

I would reinstall the drivers for whatever device is used to connect to
the Internet (modem, NIC).

OK. Will try that next.

Also - obviously from another computer with
a working Internet connection - did you check on Compaq's website for
any patches that needed to be installed before SP2?

Of course not. Grrrrrr...... <banging head on desk>

 

[R. McCarty]

For Networking issues, I have a few steps I use with customers on
the phone -

(1.) Do an IPConfig - Make sure that IP address isn't a AutoConfig
169.x.x.x - Verify the Gateway and DNS Servers.
Make sure any Software Firewall has the LAN range in it's
Trusted Zone.
(2.) If using a Router - Ping the Router's IP Address & Login to the
Router's Web Interface and make sure it's connection is active.
If not, then Power Cycle both the ADSL/Cable modem.
(Doesn't apply if user is on Dial-Up).
(3.) If Ping works from Client to Router, Then Ping an WAN address
I use DSLReports.Com to verify Internet connectivity.
(4.) Check Network Connections and make sure that a Residential
Gateway device isn't active, if so Uninstall.

 

[Doug Kanter]

Finally got back to working on the machine today. This is getting stranger
and stranger. FYI, there is no router being used with this machine.

1) ZoneAlarm (free version) was able to call home and determine that there
was an update available. When this happens, ZA starts IE and takes me to the
Zonelabs site for the download.

2) In IE, I was able to browse to two web sites, but VERY slowly. After
those two (LL Bean and NY Times), IE stops working - I get the "This page
cannot be displayed" screen, the one you get when you have no web
connection. The sites I tried to access after the first two ARE NOT "DOWN" -
the problem is with the machine.

3) If I unplug the network cable while the machine's running, within a few
seconds, I see the normal error message near the system tray, about a cable
being disconnected. So, the machine knows it *was* connected to the outside
world, and knows when it's lost that connection.

4) I uninstalled ZoneAlarm, restarted, and then the Windows Firewall
activated itself. Same problems as before. I temporarily shut the firewall
OFF. No effect.

There's a handgun on the desk and I'm thinking of using it, but not before
starting from scratch, reinstalling XP from the Compaq CD...blah blah blah.

 

[R. McCarty]

You might need to check on which LSP's (Layered Service Provider)
hooks are in your Network. I'd recommend you get LSPfix and see
what is going on.
http://www.cexx.org/lspfix.htm

 

[Doug Kanter]

Is this something which would/might have been changed, simply by installing
SP2?