Hard Light Productions Forums
Off-Topic Discussion => General Discussion => Topic started by: Trivial Psychic on December 11, 2015, 06:35:40 pm
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So my PC did an auto-update Tuesday night, and applied them during shut down that night and completed installing them when I powered up Wednesday. Unfortunately, after loading in, I was surprised to find that Waterfox (the 64-bit Firefox variant I use), was giving me a blank screen and wasn't loading anything. So I load up Chrome... same diff. Then I load up Windows Explorer, and there no problem there. It can access the net without any problems. Then I try Microsoft Mail... no problems there. Then I try BitComet (my bit torrent program) and there's no connecting. I try Shareaza (P2P), no connection. Norton Antivirus can use Auto-update no problem though. So then I try to load up Windows Update and see if they've put up and oops patch, and low and behold, Windows Update can't connect. The message I get is "Windows Update cannot currently check for updates, because the service is not running. You may need to restart your computer." Unfortunately, a restart doesn't solve the problem. So if Microsoft DOES realize they did an oops, my PC can't receive it. Any suggestions?
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Check if you are able to ping anything and if you are able to resolve any dns request.
Some applications may hide connection errors because... dunno.
Another idea, do you use any network proxy?
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One thing that stands out is that Norton Antivirus can cause problems. People I have talked to say, "The first thing you do is uninstall the Norton Antivirus."
That's my two cents.
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Everything was working, even with Norton until the Windows update. Also, as an addendum, I tried to use the "View Update History" so I could possibly uninstall the offending updates, but it just gives me a blank screen. I tried letting it sit for an hour in case it was just taking its sweet time, but nada.
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You'll want to check the Services MMC panel (type Services in the start menu, it should pop up) and see if the Windows Update service is running - if not, try to start it. If it won't start, then you'll need to start checking through the Event Viewer logs to see if it mentions what's preventing it from running.
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System Restore to before the update.
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I should say, NAV probably auto-updated during that time period too, and I've also heard (and seen) NAV do oddball things like this. So there's that possibility as well.
You could check the NAV quarantine, maybe it got a false positive on a Windows file that was being updated?
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My first guess would also be Norton. Really, it's the same AV that used to declare itself a virus (and promptly delete itself), corrupt your OS after being uninstalled (dunno if it still does that...) and break perfectly legitimate programs as a matter of course. It might have gotten better, but I'd still wouldn't touch it with a bargepole. It's very likely that Norton auto-updated when Windows did.
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it's the same AV that used to declare itself a virus (and promptly delete itself)
Oh God, what is this?
What IS this?!
What AM I?
*existential crisis*
*vanishes into the aether*
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Well, I suppose that in Norton's case, it's actually one of the few times when it's working exactly as intended. It's supposed to remove software that threatens the computer. That's exactly what it does. :) That the Norton AV itself is as much of a threat as malware it's supposed to protect from is another matter...
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They call it Norton 360 cause if you install it to get rid of a virus, you'll find yourself in exactly the same place afterwards. :p
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So I had the day off yesterday, and I made plans to call Microsoft's Toll-free help line and try to get their opinion on what was ailing my system. After being on the phone for a hour and forty minutes, having an MS tech-support staffer remotely checking things out on my PC, recommending that I uninstall Norton, only to find that it didn't solve the problem, the staffer informed me that it would require "higher-level tech support" to resolve the issue, which would be available if I had a Microsoft membership, which would cost $149 for a year , or $99 for a one-timer. I promptly replied that these options were out of my price range to simply resolve a software issue. I asked if performing a reinstall of Win7 might solve the issue. She said that it might. I made the attempt, but the install refused to go through. At this point, if I want to return my system to full functionality, it will require a more extensive rebuild.
On a side note, I followed LHN91's suggestions. The Services program tells me that Windows Update isn't activated, but attempting to activate it leads to a failure and error message that even the MS tech support woman couldn't resolve. Also, through the Event Viewer I found that the system update created a restore point, but when I used the system restore program, it informed me that there were no restore points to select. The MS rep seemed to think that the system update failed, and the result was all of this nastiness. I am surprised that the restore point was deleted though. This sounds too co-ordinated to have been accidental. I am beginning to suspect a virus of some kind.
I have decided that if am to sink some more cash into this PC, it will be into upgrading it. I plan to at the very least get a new and larger hard drive, set it up as my primary, reinstall Windows 7 on that drive, wipe my old install, move all my files from my larger partition over to the new drive and just format the entire old drive. I should only need the new drive, and probably a new copy of Norton, as my current one expires in a month anyway.
On the other hand, I am also considering following the GO-BIG-OR-GO-HOME attitude, and making plans to, in addition, upgrade my motherboard, CPU, RAM, and Video card at the same time. The trick will be pitching this to my mother. I have no doubt that she will agree to fund the basic upgrade, but the overhaul is something in another class altogether. The basic upgrade could go for about $240, while the super overhaul I'm looking at could be as much as $900. Also, both of these figures assume that I can reinstall my exiting copies of Windows 7 and Office 2010. New copies of Win10 and Office 2016 come in at about $300 for the pair.
I'll be pitching her the situation this weekend. Wish me luck.
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I should only need the new drive, and probably a new copy of Norton, as my current one expires in a month anyway.
If Norton is about to expire, just get another anti-virus. It's worth it. There are many better ones out there.
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Trivial Psychic: Go to Settings --> Update & Security --> Recovery --> Reset This PC --> Get Started --> Keep my files --> Follow instructions.
Also folks, there is not necessarily any need for 3rd party AV since Windows comes with its own; Windows Defender. It's good enough.
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I asked if performing a reinstall of Win7 might solve the issue. She said that it might. I made the attempt, but the install refused to go through. At this point, if I want to return my system to full functionality, it will require a more extensive rebuild.
I have decided that if am to sink some more cash into this PC, it will be into upgrading it. I plan to at the very least get a new and larger hard drive, set it up as my primary, reinstall Windows 7 on that drive, wipe my old install, move all my files from my larger partition over to the new drive and just format the entire old drive. I should only need the new drive, and probably a new copy of Norton, as my current one expires in a month anyway.
1. Define "install refused to go through." What version of Windows 7 do you have, and precisely how are you attempting to reinstall it? A rebuild should not be required to simply reinstall the OS. In fact, changing out a motherboard is likely to give you far MORE problems.
2. Back up your data only to a clean external drive or internal drive, and wipe the existing disks clean before you do anything.
3. Get rid of Norton. Avast is totally free and very well-regarded/implemented. MSE (Windows Defender now) does a decent job of things, especially in conjunction with EMET. Avoid McAffee and Norton like the plagues they are.
There's no point upgrading a system that is well-functioning from a hardware perspective just to resolve a software issue.
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Trivial Psychic: Go to Settings --> Update & Security --> Recovery --> Reset This PC --> Get Started --> Keep my files --> Follow instructions.
Also folks, there is not necessarily any need for 3rd party AV since Windows comes with its own; Windows Defender. It's good enough.
That's not an option in Windows 7, Fury. The reset feature only exists in Windows 8 and above.
Also, Windows Defender has suffered somewhat in its rankings lately. With EMET it's still top-notch, but on its own a 3rd party AV is usually better (so long as its not Norton or McAffee).
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I know, but I assumed he'd be on Win10 by now. Well, he could just backup his **** to external drive and then reinstall Windows. It's a three hour job if you've got decently fast internet to download all those updates.
3rd party AV's all have minor issues, I've ended up uninstalling all of them within a week of installing. Defender stays out of my way, so it's good enough.
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I know, but I assumed he'd be on Win10 by now. Well, he could just backup his **** to external drive and then reinstall Windows.
That was my suggestion as well.
3rd party AV's all have minor issues, I've ended up uninstalling all of them within a week of installing. Defender stays out of my way, so it's good enough.
I've been using Avast for close to a decade; while they've definitely increased the bloat somewhat, I find the basic AV package is sufficiently unintrusive.
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I asked if performing a reinstall of Win7 might solve the issue. She said that it might. I made the attempt, but the install refused to go through. At this point, if I want to return my system to full functionality, it will require a more extensive rebuild.
I have decided that if am to sink some more cash into this PC, it will be into upgrading it. I plan to at the very least get a new and larger hard drive, set it up as my primary, reinstall Windows 7 on that drive, wipe my old install, move all my files from my larger partition over to the new drive and just format the entire old drive. I should only need the new drive, and probably a new copy of Norton, as my current one expires in a month anyway.
1. Define "install refused to go through." What version of Windows 7 do you have, and precisely how are you attempting to reinstall it? A rebuild should not be required to simply reinstall the OS. In fact, changing out a motherboard is likely to give you far MORE problems.
2. Back up your data only to a clean external drive or internal drive, and wipe the existing disks clean before you do anything.
3. Get rid of Norton. Avast is totally free and very well-regarded/implemented. MSE (Windows Defender now) does a decent job of things, especially in conjunction with EMET. Avoid McAffee and Norton like the plagues they are.
There's no point upgrading a system that is well-functioning from a hardware perspective just to resolve a software issue.
To reinstall Win7, I inserted the disk and chose setup, and told it I was installing Windows. It got past the backing-up-Windows.old part. After the reboot, it simply said that it couldn't install this version of Windows and restored my previous install. Now, I then reinstalled Norton and ran smart update for it, then rebooted, but there were a few more options during the reboot than usual, and before I had the chance to make a selection, my cat stepped on the "enter" key and selected the default, which went into a 640/480 version of Windows install, and appeared to proceed past the first attempt. It made it past the "expanding files" part then came up with the same failure message, and restored my previous install. After that, boot-up options were back to what they were from before.
As for backing up, I don't have an external drive. The most I have is a Blu-ray burner.
I may take you up on the Avast thing, after I do some research.
As for the whole upgrading thing, my current system uses a double-partitioned 160GB drive: one for Windows and One for Linux (my Brother-in-law insisted that it would solve compatibility issues, but I never found it of any use), and a 500GB drive for data. I'd like to expand my space at the same time and pick up a 2TB drive. This will enable me to host all of the content from my old drive. I can copy over what I want from the old drive before wiping it clean and hopefully eliminate the partitions and have access to the whole 500GB. I may also dispense with the 160GB, as it uses older pre-SATA interface.
As for the super-upgrade, its been about six years since my last major upgrade, which consisted of CPU, Memory, Motherboard, and video card, which required a new power supply as well. Its starting to show its age, especially if I want to keep pace with FSO's new features and BP's high graphics. The last time I upgraded it was because some virus was masquerading as part of Norton and was quickly gobbling up free space. I eventually found it and killed it, but by that time I had decided it was time to upgrade anyway. I figure that if I'm gonna upgrade, best to try to do it all in one shot. Here's what I'm thinking:
Now: Desired:
AMD Phenom-II X2 560 AMD A6-7400K
Gigabyte (can't recall exact) Something A88X-chipset-based
4GB DDR3 16GB DDR3-1866
ATI-5770 1GB ATI R7-370 4GB GDDR5
160GB+500GB 2TB+500GB(+160GB)
I was casually considering grabbing an SSD no, not the kind that shoots red beams to install my main OS on, but that would be a bit excessive. ;)
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To reinstall Win7, I inserted the disk and chose setup, and told it I was installing Windows. It got past the backing-up-Windows.old part. After the reboot, it simply said that it couldn't install this version of Windows and restored my previous install. Now, I then reinstalled Norton and ran smart update for it, then rebooted, but there were a few more options during the reboot than usual, and before I had the chance to make a selection, my cat stepped on the "enter" key and selected the default, which went into a 640/480 version of Windows install, and appeared to proceed past the first attempt. It made it past the "expanding files" part then came up with the same failure message, and restored my previous install. After that, boot-up options were back to what they were from before.
What version of Windows 7 do you have, did it come preinstalled or separate from the system itself, and do you have the original product key?
If you have an original disc and product key, you should be able to boot to the disc, wipe the Windows partition on your 160 GB drive (or better yet, delete both the Windows and Linux partitions, since you don't use it, and create a new 160 GB partition for Windows), and reinstall from scratch to it. It'll give you a completely fresh install of Windows 7; reinstalling from a disc within the Windows environment itself generally won't unless your version allows you to select a clean install option (and I can't remember which editions do and don't).
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The A6 would be at best a side-grade. It's outperformed at stock by a Core2Quad Q6600.
If you're going to update, despite my own desire to support the underdog I'd still pick at least a haswell Pentium on a basic board, it'd vastly outperform the A6.
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Uninstalling Norton when it has screwed up your system won't usually fix things. You have to use the Norton Removal Tool (yes, they had to release a tool to pry its tentacles out of your system).
https://support.norton.com/sp/en/us/home/current/solutions/kb20080710133834EN_EndUserProfile_en_us
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I have recruited the assistance of my Brother-in-law, who's a PC-Whiz and one who is well acquainted with invasive and malicious software. He indicates that he will likely be able to recover my system without the proposed hardware upgrade. While the idea of a machine full of new hardware is appealing, I would rather postpone such an upgrade for another time and have a fully restored system and save that money for another day... even if it isn't my money.
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Double-Post.
With the assistance of my Brother-In-Law, we performed a wipe of my 160GB drive, removed the partitions, and installed a fresh copy of Windows. I'm still in the process or getting my settings back to what they were, and I can't seem to find the program I was using for email before and Thunderbird is somewhat troublesome. I even managed to import my old bookmarks from Waterfox into Firefox-64bit. Also, as suggested, I have installed Avast as my primary anti-virus software.
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If you might be able to recognize it by name, you could look at the list here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_email_clients
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Good job! Windows Live Mail, which I need to download Windows Essentials to get. Thanks!
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:yes: Glad to help.
If you have trouble getting .net Framework 3.5 (which includes 2.0 and the necessary 3.0 for Essentials), there's a write-up here (http://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/insider/forum/insider_apps-insider_other/how-do-i-get-windows-live-mail-on-windows-10/fae23749-eea5-47b1-9f6a-3031cf993b15?auth=1). (Basically, under "turn Windows features on/off", install it)
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I found it. Its all set up. Thanks.
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I haven't used Avast! Free antivirus yet. However, since my hard drive failed about a week ago I have been using the free version of Avira and it's doing a very good job. Does anyone else have experience with Avira?