UPnP Disappeared Completely!

[Sephiroth]

OK, Windows has been f*cking stupid in the past, but this
one has me EXTREMELY pissed. I am running XP Home, and the
auto-updater found a single update for IE that was
apparently a back-door. I download, install, and reboot,
and my damn router is no longer available for control!
It's gone from "My Network Places" completely. I used to
be able to see it as "Internet Gateway" and control ports
via UPnP so i could game on my box, but now I cannot! I
uninstalled and renstalled the gateway discovery and upnp
discovery stuff from windows components, and it STILL
won't show it. However, if I start Motocross Madness 2 or
FS2K2 Pro and do host multiplayer, it controls the
router's UPnP just fine, so why the heck has Windows
stopped seeing it? I am furious because I've just missed a
match where I could have made $500, and chances are
Microsoft, in their infinite wisdomless state, will not
reimburse me for that. If I had been able to open two damn
ports I'd have been fine. So how do I find out what patch
was installed, how do I remove it (Windows is nothing but
back-doors anyway, and I myself know of at LEAST four off
the top of my head that STILL aren't fixed), or how do I
force Windows to show me what it KNOWS is there?

 

[Ken Wickes [MSFT]]

If the ports are known you could always use IE to configure your router via
its configuration web page.

 

[Sephiroth]

I know that, but it isn't the point. That requires a
router reboot, which changes my IP address. Not only that,
but the ports stay open 24/7, instead of just during the
game. Open ports are a hacker's best-friend.

Since I last posted, I also foud out that when I start
Outlook Express, IT manages to control the router just
like normal. So why is it no longer showing under "My
Network Connections" properties? I ***NEED*** this here.
If I could forward ports on the fly without a reboot then
it would just be a major pain in the rear, but it's not
that way. And Now I have to pay for a new set of tires out
of my paycheck rather than a contest I planned on winning.
So yeah, I am owed a patch to fix the problem whatever the
latest patch is caused.

 

[Ken Wickes [MSFT]]

It's usually one of these

1. The SSDP Discovery Service has been disabled on the client.

2. A firewall is blocking traffic between the client and host.

3. The "Internet Gateway Discovery & Control Client" has been unchecked in
network optional components.

4. The SSDP Discovery Service or the UPNP Device Host service has been
disabled on the host.