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.

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.

 

[Robert L. \(MS-MVP\)]

You may want to download the XP SP3 from other computer and copy it to the
problematic computer. Then install it with safe mode. This link may help
too.
XP SP3 Issues
XP SP3 Issues. 1. We have received some reports that some security
software may not work after install ... 802.x authentication issue after
install XP Sp3 ...
www.chicagotech.net/Windows/xpsp3.htm


--
Bob Lin, MS-MVP, MCSE & CNE
Networking, Internet, Routing, VPN Troubleshooting on
http://www.ChicagoTech.net
How to Setup Windows, Network, VPN & Remote Access on
http://www.HowToNetworking.com

 

[Ian]

You may want to download the XP SP3 from other computer and copy it to
the problematic computer. Then install it with safe mode.

Bingo! That fixed the problem. Many thanks Robert.

 

[Robert L. \(MS-MVP\)]

Thank you for the update.

--
Bob Lin, MS-MVP, MCSE & CNE
Networking, Internet, Routing, VPN Troubleshooting on
http://www.ChicagoTech.net
How to Setup Windows, Network, VPN & Remote Access on
http://www.HowToNetworking.com

 

[Amy]

this sounds exactly like the problem I encountered this weekend with my PC!

I am desperate for a fix fast! However, i am more of a computer illiterate
compared to you. I have a notebook computer (vista) that i could download
the service pack to, but how would that work exactly & how would I copy it to
the disabled desktop? I guess I need a little more hand holding

Gracias Senor!
Amy

 

[Olórin]

this sounds exactly like the problem I encountered this weekend with my
PC!

I am desperate for a fix fast! However, i am more of a computer
illiterate
compared to you. I have a notebook computer (vista) that i could download
the service pack to, but how would that work exactly

Well.... you just... download it. Do you not know how to download, or is
it a matter of knowing the site to get it from? If the latter, start at
www.microsoft.com and look around from there. If you download an ISO file,
be sure you know what to do with it. I'd advise against looking for the SP
on other sites.

Oh, go on then: from the main MS site (declining Silverlight): Downloads &
Trials > Download Center > Windows Security & Updates is probably easiest,
unless you care to trawl through the Windows Catalog.

& how would I copy it to
the disabled desktop?

Either copy it to a USB memory stick, or burn the file to CD, and use that
on the "disabled desktop". Or - if you downloaded an ISO - burn the image to
disc and use that disc.

I guess I need a little more hand holding

If this doesn't work, you should start your own *new* post and describe your
own symptoms exactly and what you've tried so far. I may be missing the
mark, and apologies if that's so, but I sincerely doubt you've tried all the
things that Ian did...

 

[Twayne]

Hi Amy,

As Olorin hinted, it's best to just re-download the SP from Microsoft
again using the other computer. But ... you mention copying it to a
"disabled desktop", which might change the situation slightly or quite a
bit, depending.
An SP can either be downloaded/installed all at once, in which case
you do not have a copy of the actual SP to install elsewhere. But if
instead of using download/install you use the just download method, then
you can burn it to a CD to use on other computers.

I highly recommend starting your own NEW thread for your quest at it
will likely get a wider viewership and won't get mixed up with the
details of the thread you posted into, even though the problems are
similar, unless you have the answer you need.

This is FYI only since I feel you didn't know this point yet:
What you have done here is technically called "Hijacking a Thread".
A thread is the original post plus the responses to it, all of which in
theory are concerned with the original poster and their original
question. That means jumping into the middle of a thread and adding
your own problem to that thread. In this case it's probably done no
damage since the OP's problem is resolved, but it still can present
problems, such as responses you can't tell who they're addressed to, and
especially someone skipping around in the thread and not realizing they
are reading your new entry's answers and not the one that started the
thread, meaning you or the OP could get wrong advice and answers.
Sorry: OP = Original Poster.
It's also considered bad netiquette and some groups would jump all
over people for it. People are pretty good about understanding here,
but you will still be better off by starting your own thread so that you
will "own it", so to speak.

Regards,

Twayne