XP DNS stopped working?

[Ian]

XP Home. Worked OK for several years. Automatic MS update enabled. PC
connected to home router.

During an update last week, the update stopped suddenly before
completion. Since then, it has been impossible to access the internet
with IE or OE: page not found, server not found etc. All other PCs
connected to the router continue to function normally.

From the faulty PC I can use IE to log in to the router, so http isn't
blocked. Pings to known IP addresses on the internet work fine.

But whenever I try to ping internet sites by FQDN (e.g. ping
www.bbc.co.uk) I get host unknown responses, as if DNS isn't working.
However, NSLOOKUP works fine.

NETSTAT -AN and IPCONFIG give expected results.

I've tried disabling the firewall, to make doubly sure nothing is
blocked.

I've tried rebooting the router, then the PC. The DNS server addresses
in the PC (set up by DHCP) are fine.

I've tried reverting to the previous System Restore point. No joy.

Ideas anyone?

 

[Ian]

XP Home. Worked OK for several years. Automatic MS update enabled. PC
connected to home router.

During an update last week, the update stopped suddenly before
completion. Since then, it has been impossible to access the internet
with IE or OE: page not found, server not found etc. All other PCs
connected to the router continue to function normally.

From the faulty PC I can use IE to log in to the router, so http isn't
blocked. Pings to known IP addresses on the internet work fine.

But whenever I try to ping internet sites by FQDN (e.g. ping
www.bbc.co.uk) I get host unknown responses, as if DNS isn't working.
However, NSLOOKUP works fine.

NETSTAT -AN and IPCONFIG give expected results.

I've tried disabling the firewall, to make doubly sure nothing is
blocked.

I've tried rebooting the router, then the PC. The DNS server addresses
in the PC (set up by DHCP) are fine.

I've tried reverting to the previous System Restore point. No joy.

More evidence. Looking back through the Event Log, it looks as if things
went wrong during an aborted update to SP3. The events reported around
this time (earliest first):

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Timeout waiting for App Layer Gateway Service to connect
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
ALGS failed to start: the service did not respond to the start or
control request in a timely fashion
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The System Restore filter encountered unexpected error 0xC000009A while
processing xpsp1res.dll on harddiskvolume 1. It has stopped monitoring
the volume
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
SP3 installation failed. Insufficient system resources
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Server unable to allocate from the system nonpaged pool because pool
empty
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
SP3 uninstall failed. System cannot find the file specified (classic MS
error message: which *** file are you talking about ??????)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
SP3 installation failed, leaving windows partially updated.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Unfortunately there isn't a Restore Point prior to this failed update
that I can revert to.

I don't understand why there was a lack of resources. There is over 40GB
free on disk, and the RAM is 1GB.

Going back to the DNS failure, I put a valid host entry in the hosts
file, and it was possible to access the host using its FQDN. So network
access is possible, but not using DNS.

Any ideas on any of this? I really want to get a clean MS update, but
without DNS I can't talk to the MS update site.

 

[CTOS]

I was recently working with a Dell Optiplex desktop computer and was getting
similar low system resources type error messages eventho I had plenty of RAM
and hard drive space. Come to find out by running the Dell hardware
diagnostics, my system board had gone bad, "FPU Calculation Test" failed.

You might not have a hardware failure, but with the information you've given
I'd recommend performing at least a repair install and if that don't work a
clean install.

 

[Ian]

You might not have a hardware failure, but with the information you've given
I'd recommend performing at least a repair install and if that don't work a
clean install.

Understood. I suspect I will have to do a re-install, but I'm hanging on
as long as possible!

 

[Ian]

More evidence. Looking back through the Event Log, it looks as if
things went wrong during an aborted update to SP3. The events reported
around this time (earliest first):

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Timeout waiting for App Layer Gateway Service to connect
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
ALGS failed to start: the service did not respond to the start or
control request in a timely fashion
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The System Restore filter encountered unexpected error 0xC000009A while
processing xpsp1res.dll on harddiskvolume 1. It has stopped monitoring
the volume
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
SP3 installation failed. Insufficient system resources
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Server unable to allocate from the system nonpaged pool because pool
empty
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
SP3 uninstall failed. System cannot find the file specified (classic MS
error message: which *** file are you talking about ??????)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
SP3 installation failed, leaving windows partially updated.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Unfortunately there isn't a Restore Point prior to this failed update
that I can revert to.

I don't understand why there was a lack of resources. There is over
40GB free on disk, and the RAM is 1GB.

Going back to the DNS failure, I put a valid host entry in the hosts
file, and it was possible to access the host using its FQDN. So network
access is possible, but not using DNS.

Any ideas on any of this? I really want to get a clean MS update, but
without DNS I can't talk to the MS update site.

More followup. I've now installed wireshark to see what is actually
happening on the wire.

1. When trying to ping a host with its FQDN, nothing appears on the wire
-- I was expecting to see a DNS query.

2. The DNS client service was set to automatic startup and running, as
expected. Stopping and starting the service had no effect.

3. As a quick test, I enabled NetBIOS over TCP/IP. Pinging the host did
produce three NBMS name query packets.

So where do I go from here to persuade the DNS client to do something
useful?

 

[Ray Parrish]

For service pack 3 installation issues you are entitled to free
unlimited Tech Support from Microsoft via, chat, email, or telephone.
The following link is to their info page on how to get this support. -

<http://support.microsoft.com/oas/default.aspx?ln=en-us&prid=11273&gprid=522131>

To learn more about service pack 3 installation and it's issues have a
look at the links on this page -

<http://www.rayslinks.com/Windows XP SP3 installation.html>

Later, Ray Parrish