XP Home file download hangs at 99% then stops responding.

[rjk]

Not sure what's causing this - ...tearing hair out now !

This is Dad's PC in the house - and the one that my nieces also use !!

I've been digging for hours :-( ...since this problem appeared I've
installed SP3, re-registered the *.dll's that prevent further Windows
updates, cleared out TIF and temporary folders.

....have tried switching off Spybot S&D, AVG 8.0, ZA and Windows Defender !!
...STILL I can't save a small file such as MVP hosts to etc directory, i.e.
it downloads fast | stops at 99%, and then hangs. Have tried downloading it
to a different folder and saving it under a different name in case a
security prog. somewhere is interfering with things.
So I have to click on "End Program now" and then of course IE7 quits !!
(IE6 file download was doing the same thing before I embarked on updates.

....would be grateful for any tips !

TIA

regards, Richard

 

[rjk]

....and after deleting everything in etc something is making backups with
names like:-

hosts.20080623-153932.backup
hosts.20080623-154134.backup

??

 

[rjk]

....and after deleting everything in etc something is making backups with
names like:-

hosts.20080623-153932.backup
hosts.20080623-154134.backup

??

 

[rjk]

....and after deleting everything in etc something is making backups with
names like:-

hosts.20080623-153932.backup
hosts.20080623-154134.backup

??

 

[rjk]

...ooops ! fighting with email server names on Dad's PC

regards, Richard

 

[rjk]

....found it, ...sort of...
....uninstalled AVG 8.0 and Spybot S&D, and now nothing is interfering with
etc !

....now if only I could find out how, in either of the above programs, just
how to temporarily stop whichever one is that "locks" the hosts file, that
would be good !

regards, Richard