Clean Install - NOD32 Hangs - Bah!

[RandyLH]

All,

I performed a clean install today, with NOD32 being one of the first programs I loaded and updated. In my previous Windows environment I had about a zillion programs running at once but NOD32 started up like a champ each and every time. Unfortunately, I now find that it hangs at logon on this clean install. All components are up-to-date (v2.50.25), and it is the only program loading at start-up.

On the off-chance it was a bad install I removed via Add/Remove programs and cleaned all instances of NOD32/ESET from the Registry. I then reinstalled, but it was a futile effort as it still hangs for perhaps a minute upon logon into Windows. FYI, I"m using WINXP with Service Pack 2.

I'd sure appreciate any help I can get on this, especially since I don't want to keep waiting for NOD32 to load each time I start Windows. If I don't respond for several hours it's because I'm in Japan and about ready to head to bed with the kids, but I'll check out all responses in the A.M.

Thanks in advance,

Randy

[Marcos]

Couldn't it be that the NOD32 kernel service is waiting for another network service to start? (e.g. if you use a wireless connection) Does it time out after a couple of minutes with an error communicating with the kernel service?

[fosius]

I remember one thread with similar problem. Do you have a password protected user account?

[RandyLH]

Thanks for the replies. No, I don't have a wireless connetion and I don't have a user-protected account. I checked my log, and no error messages regarding connection to kernel services.

Any other suggestions?

[RandyLH]

Anybody? I'm sitting here with a clean install with very few programs until I get NOD32 to work. Waiting for a minute for it to load each time I logon is such a pain, a very counterproductive to the purpose of a new install.

Thanks for any advice I can get.

Randy

[windstrings]

Make sure your clean install is really clean.... see whats loading at startup..

A clean install from a HP disk or such is not clean at all because it loads all kinda stuff you may not want.... you may have forgotten what all is loaded on your disk?

Go and uninstall anything you didn't intend to install.
See whats running in task manager.... not trying to insult your intelligence... I just know I do alot of careless mistakes.. the most obvious are the easiest to overlook.

[Marcos]

Any chance you could post a log from Hijackthis here, or send it to support[at]eset.com with a link to this thread?

[RandyLH]

All,

An update. I performed another clean install and the first thing I loaded was NOD32. A couple of restarts before loading any other programs confirmed it was starting up normally.

I then installed the nForce4 drivers for my AN8 Ultra motherboard--et voila, NOD32 immediately began behaving badly. I performed the WINSOCK fix, rebooted and still a slow loading NOD32. I then used IMON-Repair which didn't help either. From there I deleted my Ethernet driver in Device Manager, rebooted, and NOD32 worked perfectly. That situation was short-lived, however, as on the next reboot after the Ethernet driver reinstalled itself I was back to a hanging NOD32.

So, I know where the problem is, the question is how to fix it since WINSOCK and IMON-Repair aren't helping. NOD32 was/is my only startup program, so no conflicts there.

I appreciate the responses thus far, I'm hoping a solution is imminent!

Thanks/Randy

[couldbe]

Hi,
this may be basic but have you got nod for windows or for xp???

Couldbe

[RandyLH]

Yup, sure do.

Information about installed components
NOD32 For Windows NT/2000/XP/2003 - Base
Version: 2.50.25
NOD32 For Windows NT/2000/XP/2003 - Internet support
Version: 2.50.25
NOD32 for Windows NT/2000/XP/2003 - Standard component
Version: 2.50.25

Operating system information
Platform: Windows XP
Version: 5.1.2600 Service Pack 2
Version of common control components: 5.82.2900
RAM: 1024 MB
Processor: AMD Athlon(tm) 64 Processor 3700+ (2210 MHz)

[Marcos]

Have you tried downloading and installing the latest nforce4 drivers to see if they resolve the issue? I reckon nvidia uses an on-chip firewall so maybe that's the culprit, but I can be wrong.

[RandyLH]

I didn't load the nVidia firewall, last time nor this time. I use Agitum Outpost firewall, haven't loaded it yet but getting ready to.

As for nVidia drivers I'm using the 6.70 pack. I only loaded the IDE, Ethernet and audio drivers.

Randy

[pc-support]

Do you have a wireless network by any chance?

[RandyLH]

No wireless network. I'm only using the built-in nVidia Ethernet adapter, same as I was before my clean install when NOD was behaving properly.

[RandyLH]

I think it may have something to do with the network configuration. If I manually input the settings from IPCONFIG into the TCPIP properties NOD32 will start right up; however, I then no longer have Internet connectivity.

I fix one thing and it breaks another. Man, this is frustrating! It worked before, so I know it should work again.

Randy

[winx5]

Hi RandyLH,

I had the EXACT same problem as you for some time ago. I did neither find any solution to the strange NOD32-hanging-at-Boot syndrome.
*coucgh* I switched to DrWeb for half a year. *cough* Then installed NOD32 again after half a year, and it woked like a charm. Don't know why...

Though I don't know the solution to your problem, I do have some advice which MAY work mysteriously:

*Browse C:\Windows\Prefetch\ and delete everything inside. Personally, I prefer to completely disable Prefetching.
*Start Menu -> Search -> Advanced Search: iconcache.db -> delete all instances.
*Clean all logs in the Event Viewer.
*Download CrapCleaner (http://www.ccleaner.com/), max out all it's settings, run it, including the registry cleaner.
*Download RegSeeker (http://www.hoverdesk.net/freeware.htm), max out settings, clean the registry.
*Run ChkDsk from the Command Prompt to see if u have any bad sectors. If so, run ChkDsk /F to fix them.
*Disable the Pagefile completly by right-clicking My Computer -> Properties -> Advanced -> Performance Settings -> Advanced -> Change Virtual Memory -> No Paging File , reboot into SafeMode and defragment your HardDrive with Contig.exe (http://www.sysinternals.com/Utilities/Contig.html) -q -s C:\*.* from the Command Prompt, when finished reboot normally.
*Download NTRegOpt (http://www.aumha.org/downloads/ntregopt.zip), run it and defragment all Registry hives, confirm reboot.
*When logged in again, right-click My Computer -> Properties -> Advanced -> Performance Settings -> Advanced -> Change Virtual Memory -> Set custom Pagefile size twice your memory ( 2048 ) in both initial and maximum size. Reboot.

Also, you could try to flash your BIOS, if there is a newer version.

Good luck!

[RandyLH]

All,

After much help from this forum, especially Marcos, it appears as if my hang problem has been solved. Marcos suggested that it may be related to my installed IPX/SPX network protocol, which I took to mean the Network for Microsoft Clients which I deleted (don't worry, I made a True Image backup just in case...!). Now, I'm happy to report, my NOD32 starts up like a champ, and obviously my Internet connectivity was unaffected.

Thanks to all for your suggestions and patience. It's a great thing having a clean install computer that purrs like a kitten!

Randy