PG 1.15 and AOL 9.0 Optimized

[siliconman01]

I have AOL 9.0 Optimized on my Windows XP-SP1 Home system. When activating AOL, I get PG log messages that it tries to get access for all Write, Terminate, Set Info, and Suspend Blocked items of every pgm set up in PG. So I put waol.exe in PG with all options ALLOWED. That clears the waol.exe log messages.

However adding waol.exe results in AOLACSD.exe (AOL's connections driver) log messages on waol.exe. So I put in AOLACSD.exe with all options ALLOWED. The log messages for AOLACSD.exe continue for Write, Terminate, Set Info, Suspend access to waol.exe.

Hmmm... I think I'm jinxed!

[Peter2150]

Your not jinxed. I get the same thing. It has been reported to Jason at DCS

Pete

[Jason_DiamondCS]

Could you please post logs of this occuring, it helps a lot. :)

-Jason-

[Peter2150]

Hi Jason. Emailed you about this: Here is the log.

[17:24:38] - [P] - c:\progra~1\common~1\aol\acs\acsd.exe [1676] tried to gain WRITE,TERMINATE,SET INFO,SUSPEND access on c:\america online 9.0\waol.exe [3128]
[18:12:28] - [P] - c:\progra~1\common~1\aol\acs\acsd.exe [1676] tried to gain WRITE,TERMINATE,SET INFO,SUSPEND access on c:\america online 9.0\waol.exe [2964]
[19:21:14] - [P] - c:\progra~1\common~1\aol\acs\acsd.exe [1676] tried to gain WRITE,TERMINATE,SET INFO,SUSPEND access on c:\america online 9.0\waol.exe [3376]
[21:27:03] - [P] - c:\progra~1\common~1\aol\acs\acsd.exe [1676] tried to gain WRITE,TERMINATE,SET INFO,SUSPEND access on c:\america online 9.0\waol.exe [2684]

The log entry only occurs once, when AOL is first started, so this log entry represents starting AOL up 4 times.

I have acsd.exe(only 1 on my system) in my program list, and write,terminate,set inifo, and suspend are all allowed.

Pete

[siliconman01]

[00:57:54] - Window Log Started
[00:58:04] - [P] - c:\progra~1\common~1\aol\acs\aolacsd.exe [252] tried to gain WRITE,TERMINATE,SET INFO,SUSPEND access on c:\program files\america online 9.0\waol.exe [3212]
[00:58:04] - [P] - c:\progra~1\common~1\aol\acs\aolacsd.exe [252] tried to gain WRITE,TERMINATE,SET INFO,SUSPEND access on c:\program files\america online 9.0\waol.exe [3212]

I get these two entries on each sign on. This is with waol.exe and AolAcsd.exe in PG and with all options Allowed.

[Jason_DiamondCS]

Yeah, I was interested in Silicons log though Peter :) . Though I do see your actual LOG now instead of your interpretation. Combined with Silicon's log I can now confirm why it is doing this. BTW Silicon, how is

c:\progra~1\common~1\aol\acs\acsd.exe

Started. Like do you start it yourself, or is it started automatically when windows loads, and if so, where?

Short term solution :- Get rid of the DOS/SHORT directory naming. For instance c:\progra~1 change that to c:\program files and common~1 to common files. The place to change this is the place where the file gets started. I would assume it is a registry entry or somewhere in your Startup folder.


-Jason-

[siliconman01]

AOLACSD.EXE is part of the AOL Connectivity Service named AOL ACS and is established as a system service by AOL 9.0 Optimized. It is loaded on system start up.

Changing the format to get rid of the DOS/SHORT format does work and the logging entries for AOLACSD.EXE no longer appear on AOL activation.

Changing the format to get rid of the DOS/SHORT format also stops the Pest Patrol log entry for ppmemcheck.exe Terminate, referencing my thread on Pest Patrol.

Both of these changes are Registry modifications...no problemo
As of NOW I have a Clean LOG. :D ;D

Is this something you are "fixing" in Process Guard or is it a manual fix that I will have to do anytime Pest Partrol or AOL are updated/upgraded?

[Peter2150]

{QUOTE-> quoting: siliconman01 link=board=40;threadid=17451;start=0#msg108108 date=1070890028]

Changing the format to get rid of the DOS/SHORT format also stops the Pest Patrol log entry for ppmemcheck.exe Terminate, referencing my thread on Pest Patrol.

Both of these changes are Registry modifications...no problemo

<-QUOTE}

What did you change in the registry. In explorer all my files and folders don't have the dos format, and in fact where I entered the files in PG, the paths show the full format. I looked in the registry and the path to acsd.exe is also in the long full format.

[siliconman01]

I found them under:

Hkey_Local_Machine\System\ControlSet001\Services\AOL ACS
Hkey_Local_Machine\System\ControlSet002\Services\AOL ACS
Hkey_Local_Machine\System\CurrentControlSet\Services\AOL ACS

Change the variable ImagePath in each Control Set.

[Peter2150]

Thanks Siliconman01 ;D, and to AOl for a stupid installation choice :P

[siliconman01]

My pleasure...and AOL's too ;D

[Peter2150]

I don't quite know the cause, but I just went thru an interesting exercise. I made the registry mod's as discussed above, and it solved the log entries, and everything seemed fine. Then this morning, I discovered that although, AOL seemed fine, logged on, everything was okay on line, logged off okay, but I could shut it down. Only way I could kill it was by logging off. ???

First thing I tried was to take all the references to the AOL programs out of processguard. No luck. Then disabled processguard. No luck :(

I fired up Port Explorer(and I wasn't sure I'd use this) and what I saw, when AOL was hung was that ACSD.exe(the connectivity service) was trying to call home, while I was trying to shut down the main program. I killed the process with PE and when I looked AOL had an error that it had been unable to connect. Hmm, the connectivity trying to connect while the main program is shutting down. Weird.

Since, I knew I couldn't replace the registry entries the way the had been(it wouldn't have mattered), I was contemplating uninstalling PG, reinstalling AOL. All in all unpleasant prospects.

Then it dawned on me, just may be a nasty had gotten in, so I ran my Virus Scan, and SpybotSd. Both came up clean. Then I did a complete scan with TDS, and low and behold, no trojan, but it did report an ADS stream on acsd.exe. TDS cleaned it off, and voilla, everything is fine.

I really don't know what happened, but its kudos to DCS for their fine tools. They sure helped figure out what was going on. ;D

[Jason_DiamondCS]

Hi, yes this will definately be fixed in the next PG. But for the time being if you notice any DOS short filepaths/names try and fix the way the program is started to get rid of potential PG issues.

Some programs however (maybe AOL I don't know) MIGHT rely on the DOS pathnames for whatever reason, usually due to slack programming. :)

I'm glad you guys worked it out though!

-Jason-

[Peter2150]

Hi Jason

I don't know what happened. AOL doesn't seem to need the full path. I left it in. But something, and I am clueless as to what, left an ADS stream on that exe, and that was the problem. It about drove me nuts. Sure show the worth of PE and TDS.