Problem with files with names like *com.dll

[Mandy Shaw]

Hallo,
I have a problem on my Windows XP Home installation. It is not possible to
write to files with names like *com.dll.
I first observed this when attempting to re-install Norton Anti-Virus 2003
(which has a couple of files with names of the relevant format). However
even 'echo garbage >c:\temp\testcom.dll' comes up with an error.
I have run Ad-Aware, Spybot and CWShredder, also installed SP1a (PC was on
SP1 previously). Virus scan (Symantec online, since NAV won't install) comes
up clean.
Definitely had a CoolWeb infestation at one point, this proved hard to
eradicate (am unconvinced it's quite gone yet), I suspect this may have been
the root of the trouble.
I can see from various other forums that others are having similar problems,
but as yet I can't see that anyone has found a solution.
File system is OK, it's Windows XP that is the problem [thank goodness, I
suppose] - I can share the file system from elsewhere (Windows 2000) and
write out a *com.dll file with no trouble at all.
Anyone have any clues?
Many thanks
Mandy

 

[Mandy Shaw]

Hallo,
I have a problem on my Windows XP Home installation. It is not possible to
write to files with names like *com.dll.
I first observed this when attempting to re-install Norton Anti-Virus 2003
(which has a couple of files with names of the relevant format). However
even 'echo garbage >c:\temp\testcom.dll' comes up with an error.
I have run Ad-Aware, Spybot and CWShredder, also installed SP1a (PC was on
SP1 previously). Virus scan (Symantec online, since NAV won't install) comes
up clean.
Definitely had a CoolWeb infestation at one point, this proved hard to
eradicate (am unconvinced it's quite gone yet), I suspect this may have been
the root of the trouble.
I can see from various other forums that others are having similar problems,
but as yet I can't see that anyone has found a solution.
File system is OK, it's Windows XP that is the problem [thank goodness, I
suppose] - I can share the file system from elsewhere (Windows 2000) and
write out a *com.dll file with no trouble at all.
Anyone have any clues?
Many thanks
Mandy

Or maybe someone could point me at other newsgroup(s) I might try? I am sure
there are loads of active newsgroups for XP, but I don't know where to look
for them.

 

[Mandy Shaw]

Hallo, I am still experiencing this problem despite enlisting the help of
both Experts Exchange and Symantec - my system is now clean, but the problem
is still there (I can give you details of the actions taken if you need
them). I feel that what I really need is to understand the internals of what
XP is doing when it accesses files, so that I know which programs / DLLs /
registry entries (or whatever) I should be investigating. Alternatively,
perhaps there is additional logging I could switch on somewhere to make the
event log pop up some diagnostics. Can anyone recommend a Web site or
textbook that might help?
Thank you
Mandy

Hallo,
I have a problem on my Windows XP Home installation. It is not possible to
write to files with names like *com.dll.
I first observed this when attempting to re-install Norton Anti-Virus 2003
(which has a couple of files with names of the relevant format). However
even 'echo garbage >c:\temp\testcom.dll' comes up with an error.
I have run Ad-Aware, Spybot and CWShredder, also installed SP1a (PC was on
SP1 previously). Virus scan (Symantec online, since NAV won't install) comes
up clean.
Definitely had a CoolWeb infestation at one point, this proved hard to
eradicate (am unconvinced it's quite gone yet), I suspect this may have been
the root of the trouble.
I can see from various other forums that others are having similar problems,
but as yet I can't see that anyone has found a solution.
File system is OK, it's Windows XP that is the problem [thank goodness, I
suppose] - I can share the file system from elsewhere (Windows 2000) and
write out a *com.dll file with no trouble at all.
Anyone have any clues?
Many thanks
Mandy

Or maybe someone could point me at other newsgroup(s) I might try? I am sure
there are loads of active newsgroups for XP, but I don't know where to look
for them.

 

[Mandy Shaw]

See below for original post + follow-ups.
I am still experiencing this problem despite trying absolutely everything I
can think of.
There is one other reference to a similar issue in the archives of this
newsgroup - the advice was, however, limited to 'reinstall XP' which I am of
course prepared to do if I must (I have tracked down the product key, have
the CDs, etc.). But SOMEONE out there must know enough about the innards of
XP to be able to give me a clue what is happening. The other poster was
basically told to go re-install XP and stop worrying about trivia, and
appears to have accepted this. But I don't see this as trivia, I have an
operating system which is not working correctly and no-one can tell me why.
SFC /scannow comes up clean, no viruses (AVG both updated and used
regularly), no spyware (Ad-Aware and Spybot both updated and used
regularly), no CWS, nothing unexpected in HijackThis or msconfig, and the
problem is the same when running in Safe Mode signed on as Administrator.
There are no other weird symptoms of any sort on this computer (in fact it
behaves miles better than any other PC I have had that hasn't had a
re-install for nearly 18 months - I do like XP really).
I did wonder if opportunistic locking could be anything to do with it? Any
comments? (Not sure whether XP Home supports this anyway.)
Note that I can write out a *com.dll file absolutely fine from elsewhere via
a share. I can also read, run, move, rename, copy *com.dll files. I just
can't write bytes to one.
Anyway .... I suspect the original post has got lost off the newsgroup by
now, so just thought I would raise the matter again. I hope you don't mind,
but no-one even responded to my original post or my previous 2 follow-ups -
surely this is not that hard if you are an XP techie? I am an IT
professional, but my expertise is not in Windows operating systems.
TIA
Mandy

Hallo, I am still experiencing this problem despite enlisting the help of
both Experts Exchange and Symantec - my system is now clean, but the problem
is still there (I can give you details of the actions taken if you need
them). I feel that what I really need is to understand the internals of what
XP is doing when it accesses files, so that I know which programs / DLLs /
registry entries (or whatever) I should be investigating. Alternatively,
perhaps there is additional logging I could switch on somewhere to make the
event log pop up some diagnostics. Can anyone recommend a Web site or
textbook that might help?
Thank you
Mandy
possible

to

was

on

SP1 previously). Virus scan (Symantec online, since NAV won't install) comes
up clean.
Definitely had a CoolWeb infestation at one point, this proved hard to
eradicate (am unconvinced it's quite gone yet), I suspect this may

have
been

the root of the trouble.
I can see from various other forums that others are having similar problems,
but as yet I can't see that anyone has found a solution.
File system is OK, it's Windows XP that is the problem [thank

goodness,

I

suppose] - I can share the file system from elsewhere (Windows 2000) and
write out a *com.dll file with no trouble at all.
Anyone have any clues?
Many thanks
Mandy

Or maybe someone could point me at other newsgroup(s) I might try? I am sure
there are loads of active newsgroups for XP, but I don't know where to look
for them.

 

[pt]

Hello,
just af the same prop here, but this on a XP Pro
not possible to install NAV 2004 & Nero 6....
noth failing on a *com.ddl "the system cannot find the file found"
PT

 

[Mandy Shaw]

That's the one.
I, also, tried installing NAV 2004 - same problem (needless to say).
Interesting that it happens on XP Pro as well as Home.
Do you have anywhere else you can turn for support? I have got nowhere
either here or on Experts Exchange (one of the specialists on the latter did
try very hard to think of something, but has not done so as yet).
Symantec just told me to send them screen dumps of the error messages, i.e.
were as much use as a chocolate fireguard.
No-one seems to understand that this is a simple issue with writing out data
to files with names of a specific structure - it appears to be neither
application-dependent nor disk drive hardware-dependent in any way. Surely
SOMEONE understands the way in which XP accesses a file system well enough
to be able to diagnose this problem, or at least to be able to suggest
additional logging we could switch on for diagnostic purposes?
Anyway thanks very much PT for responding - a problem shared is a problem
halved .... I hope!