WINDOWS/MICROSOFT UPDATE FAILS TO LOAD - ERRORS
Steve@discussions.microsoft.com Coach Steve
MSE Installed/configured/running
IE8 Ver. 8.0.6001.18702
Greetings Gurus,
I am really struggling with this one and am hopeful those wiser and less
frustrated will be able to offer some advice/suggestions to my dilemma.
I am unable to launch Windows Update. When I click the link on my Programs
menu, a browser window opens and immediately displays the message:
"Internet Explorer could not display the page...."
The URL is correct and I am able to navigate to most other pages on MS site.
When I attempt to access the Windows Update site via a link from a MS page,
the Update site loads and displays the usual, "Update is scanning your...."
which lasts for approx. 3 seconds and then fails with the error message, "The
website has encountered a problem and cannot display the page you are trying
to view."
Furthermore when I select updates to download and install via the Windows
Update Catalog I am able to select the updates I want, and then view the
basket. I am then prompted to select a location to download to. As soon as,
(and I mean the very instant) I click OK when I've selected the download
location, the window opens which shows myselected downloads with a dialog box
on top of it which states, "To try downloading the failed or cancelled
updates you add them back to your basket by clicking OK." So the long and
short of it is any method I choose to update my system not only fails, it
fails immediately without even attempting to scan my computer, check for
installed updates, etc.
I have scanned and rescanned my computer usinh Panda Active Scan, all the MS
Security tools, MalwareBytes and HiJack This and no virii/Trojans are found.
I currently do not have any antivirus software onboard other than the MSE
tools and Windows Defender. I had AVG installed until about 10 days ago but
it became corrupted and essentially useless due to a rootkit virus which I
removed with the help of MS Tech Support Online Chat.
There are 2 other issues which may or may not be related but I'll mention
them in case they are.
Windows Installer will not stay started. It is constantly being stopped by
something and I have to start it manually if I want to install anything and
lastly, the option to turn off system restore is grayed out.
Beyond that, my system runs fine - no lags, redirects in IE, no ghost
versions of iexplorer.exe listed in Task Manager.... nothing that would
indicate anything was obviously wrong with my computer.
And last but not least, there are only 23 processes running at system
startup and the computer boots to my deskto[ from totally off in just under a
minute.
If you've read this far and are not dead from boredom, I thank you and look
forward to your advice and assistance.
Regards,
Coach
MowGreen
> I had AVG installed until about 10 days ago but
> it became corrupted and essentially useless due to a rootkit virus which I
> removed with the help of MS Tech Support Online Chat.
The removal of a root kit is not easily done and in fact, when a root
kit compromises a system the *only* way one can be certain that it's
been removed is to clean the Hard Drive when it has not been booted up.
That requires either booting from a virus rescue CD or moving the HD to
another system or rack and configuring it as a Slave.
So, I doubt that this system is clean, Coach Steve. The system is being
denied access to Windows Update, denied access to the MS Update Catalog,
Windows Installer does not function, and there is no control over what
System Restore is doing.
IMHO, your only options at this point in time are to flatten (format)
and pave (reinstall Windows; this is the *preferred method* when a root
kit exploits an OS), remove the HD and scan it when it has not been
booted to, or, boot from a virus rescue CD and try to clean the HD.
What was the name of the root kit, please ?
MowGreen
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*-343-* FDNY
Never Forgotten
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"Security updates should *never* have *non-security content* prechecked