Re: April Updates:Now can't connect over FTP

[PA Bear [MS MVP]]

[Crossposted to Windws Update newsgroup]

What updates were installed today, Simon? Does uninstalling any of them
resolve the problem?

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~Robear Dyer (PA Bear)
MS MVP-Windows (IE, OE, Security, Shell/User)
AumHa VSOP & Admin; DTS-L.net

Simon wrote:
> I run XP SP2 and IE7. MS April updates loaded today via automatic
> updates.
> Yesterday I could connect over FTP but today, after the updates installed,
> the XP Diagnostic Tool tells me it cannot connect over FTP. Any
> suggestions
> please?

[Simon]

Hotfix for IE7 KB947864 plus the following XP Security KBs:
945553
914440
941693
948590
933729
948881

Will try uninstalling tomorrow. Do you think I should try it with the IE7
one first?

[PA Bear [MS MVP]]

[KB933729 was released in Nov-07: Why wasn't it installed months ago?]

Unless you just recently installed IE7 (i.e., shortly before installing the
Apr-8 updates), my money would be on KB914440 (Vulnerability in DNS Client
Could Allow Spoofing) first, followed closely by KB947864. But before
uninstalling anything as a test, please answer these questions:

1. Did you, in fact, just recently install IE7 and hadn't tried connecting
via FTP since you'd installed it until after you'd installed the Apr-08
updates?

2. Can you connect via FTP via Windows Explorer instead?

3. Does this KB article help to diagnose/fix the problem?

How to troubleshoot network connectivity problems in Internet Explorer
[ignore APPLIES TO]
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/936211

--
~Robear Dyer (PA Bear)

MS MVP-IE, Mail, Security, Windows Desktop Experience - since 2002
AumHa VSOP & Admin http://aumha.net
DTS-L http://dts-l.net/

[PA Bear [MS MVP]]

PS: Please do NOT begin any more new threads in either newsgroup about this,
Simon. Thanks.

PA Bear [MS MVP] wrote:
> [KB933729 was released in Nov-07: Why wasn't it installed months ago?]
>
> Unless you just recently installed IE7 (i.e., shortly before installing
> the
> Apr-8 updates), my money would be on KB914440 (Vulnerability in DNS Client
> Could Allow Spoofing) first, followed closely by KB947864. But before
> uninstalling anything as a test, please answer these questions:
>
> 1. Did you, in fact, just recently install IE7 and hadn't tried connecting
> via FTP since you'd installed it until after you'd installed the Apr-08
> updates?
>
> 2. Can you connect via FTP via Windows Explorer instead?
>
> 3. Does this KB article help to diagnose/fix the problem?
>
> How to troubleshoot network connectivity problems in Internet Explorer
> [ignore APPLIES TO]
> http://support.microsoft.com/kb/936211
>

[Simon]

Many thanks for your replies. I had been having problems with IE7 for a
couple of weeks - frequent "IE needs to close " messages and so I
re-installed it the day before the April updates. I checked and could
connect over FTP after the re-install but before the updates. After the
April updates had installed I noticed that KB914440 had somehow been deleted
from the PC so I re-installed it (this initiated another batch of automatic
updates including, I think, KB933729).

I have now removed only KB914440 and your bet was right - I can now connect
over FTP from both IE and Windows Explorer.

This means , of course, that I no longer have the XP Network Diagnostic
Tool. Are the April updates intentionally designed to remove this or is
there another way of restoring this to the PC?

Again, thanks for your time and advice.

[PA Bear [MS MVP]]

Simon, I asked you to try two other troubleshooting steps (#2 & #3 in my
previous reply) before doing anything else (e.g., uninstall KB914440).

As luck would have it, I'd meant to say "my money would be on 945553...",
not "my money would be on 914440..." in my previous reply. There is no way
that having 914440 installed should affect FTP, despite what you're seeing.
In fact, with IE7 installed you should only be able to use Windows Explorer
to access FTP; cf.
http://msmvps.com/blogs/spywaresucks/archive/2006/07/02/103612.aspx.

> ...I had been having problems with IE7 for a

> couple of weeks - frequent "IE needs to close " messages and so I
> re-installed it the day before the April updates.

The above leads me to two possibilties: Either IE7 still isn't installed
properly, or you still have a hijackware problem. But before venturing into
those realms, please do the following:

1. Reinstall 914440:
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyId=EA541E8E-85A3-4D2F-A3A4-B329D03FC2FA

2. Double-check to make sure the machine's fully patched by visiting Windows
Update website (http://windowsupdate.microsoft.com).

3. See if FTP works using Windows Explorer (cf.
http://msmvps.com/blogs/spywaresucks/archive/2006/07/02/103612.aspx).

4. If no joy, try the diagnostics in http://support.microsoft.com/kb/936211.

In your next reply, let me know how you made out in #3 and/or #4 above.

Also tell me: What anti-virus application or security suite is installed?
What anti-spyware applications (other than Defender)? What third-party
firewall (if any)?
--
~PA Bear

[Simon]

Thankyou PA Bear. I have followed your steps and I now can connect over FTP
via Windows Explorer.
I am really struck by your comment that it is not possible to connect to FTP
in IE7. If I understand things properly this means that the XP Network
Diagnostic Tool will always show an FTP connection problem.
I have AVG 7.5 Free and Windows Defender. Firewall is the built-in XP Home
SP2 one. However, since the IE7 re-install I haven't had any "IE has to
close" messages so I'm hoping that I haven't had a hijack problem - don't
have the knowledge to deal with that.

[PA Bear [MS MVP]]

YW. Well, then let's leave well enough alone, shall we? <wink>

With IE7 installed, it's best to connect via FTP via Windows Explorer or My
Network Places.