Windows Security Center and MS Updates

Hi,

My computer components are:

- ASUS A8V-VM SE Socket 939 Micro ATX Motherboard - UDMA133, SATA
- Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 SATA 3.0 Gb/s 320Gb hard drive (RAID array not set up)
- AMD Athlon Gforce 8400 64 X2 4200+ Toledo 2.2GHz 2 x 512KB L2 Cache Socket 939 Processor
- ARCTIC COOLING Freezer 64 Pro 92mm CPU Cooler
- Corsair 620W PSU
- Ballistix 2x1G RAM, 184-pin DIMM, 128MX64 DDR PC3200, Unbuffered
- Envision EN9410e 19” LCD, 1280x1024 Resolution Monitor
- BenQ DW1655 Lightscribe DVD+RW 16X8X16 DVD-RW 16X4X16 CDRW 48X48X32
- MSI (nVidia GeForce 8400 GS) VGA MSI NX8400GS-TD256EH RT Video Card
- NORCO-4618 PCI-X / PCI eSATA / SATA II / SATA I 5-Port Controller Card RAID 0/1/5/10/JBOD
- Windows XP Pro X64, SP2
- NetFramework 2.0 Redistributable Pack for X64

A RAID Array isn't set up.

My drivers and BIOS are up-to-date. I use Windows Firewall and aVast!

This is what happened before Windows Firewall no longer recognized aVast!:


I was having problems with videos . . . they were choppy, and my computer
was very sluggish when transferring files. I installed some testing programs . . . PC PitStop, 3DMark05 Test, HD Tune Test, What's Running, ATF-Cleaner, Look In My PC, and CodeStuff Starters. All of these test programs have been uninstalled.

I also disabled cftmon.exe, removed the checkmark/tick to turn off Indexing,
I ensured that DMA was chosen, and disabled the DNS Client service. When I undid these changes, it made no difference. aVast!still isn't recognized by Winsows Security Center.

Along with Windows Security Center not regognizing aVast!, I can't download
updates and Microsoft shows that I've never received any updates.

Could it have anything to do with my IP address? The reason I'm asking is
because some people have told me that my IP address is different.

 

This thread is OT for this forum, but I'll bite anyhow since a Mod will move it.

1) WSC not recognizing Avast! (or other AV apps)

2) Download Dial-a-fix and check Fix Windows Update > Go

3) If you are able to pull up web pages/ping/tracert/etc. then you don't have an issue with your (public) ip address. Your public IP could change at any time if your ISP implements DHCP (most do) on their router. If you want a static IP you will need to talk to your ISP (some charge $5-$10 mo.) or use a DynDNS service.

4) If your pc is sluggish I would first recommend testing the HDD with mfg. diags and skip the synthetic tests. If it passes then run MSCONFIG and disable all non-Microsoft services and all items under Startup > apply > reboot. See how things move along now.....

 

Hi Killer . . . Thanks for responding.

I've tried Dial-A-Fix in the past but it doesn't work. It may have been adjusted so that it would partially work on a 64-bit os, but not completely. I ran it again tonight and I attached screenshots of the error messages that I received. The first error message popped up as soon as I started Dial-a-Fix. Number 2, 3 and 4 popped up when it was trying to unregister the dll's.

I don't understand step 4, where it says "Let them to Automatically start." Does this mean that when I reboot my computer, that they will start on their own? I'll be doing this as soon as you let me know.

My computer is no longer sluggish. I just mentioned the programs that I installed, ran the tests and then uninstalled in case someone knew that one of the tests or its uninstallation might cause this problem.


Much thanks

 

What is meant at #4 "let them to automatically start" is to leave the startup type as "Automatic". (The other options would be "manual" or "disabled". It should be on automatic anyway; that's the default, just double check that they are.)
Yes, they will restart when you reboot. The purpose in stopping them temporarily is so you can delete the folder indicated, else it would be locked.
Hopefully this procedure will fix the problem. It's not that unusual for the security centre to have a bit of a brain fart occasionally.

Did you have any other type of AV before installing Avast, and how long has Avast been installed. (It plays well with most other software but is fairly sensitive to the presence of some leftovers from other AV's that the uninstaller may not have removed. There are tools available to remove remnants, in some cases.)

Dial-a-Fix (as stated here under "Known Issues", halfway down), is not tested on 64bit OS.
Actually, as you have probably found out, quite a lot of software won't work on a 64bit, and you will need to take extra care checking system requirements for pretty much anything you install.

 

I knew that using Dial-a-Fix might cause me problems because, when I first installed x64 and ran the scans, it deleted files that were needed and I had to do a Repair, but I decided to run Dial-a-Fix anyway because it looks like that's where I'm headed if I can't find another fix.

I tried the fix that Killer mentioned in the beginning. Windows Managament Instrumentation started up when I rebooted but I still can't get updates and Security Center still doesn't recognize aVast! I've used aVast! on this pc for 2 years with no problems. As I mentioned earlier, I installed a lot of test programs and I think that when I uninstalled them, some needed files were deleted along with them.

I clean my computer with Advanced SystemCare v3, a really great program. If anything was left over from the uninstallation of those programs, Advanced SystemCare v3 would have deleted it. I've been using it for the past couple of years also and it's never caused me any problems by deleting anything that was needed.

I never had a problem with aVast! or MS Updates until I uninstalled the test programs.

I've run a few anti-virus/malware programs and a F-Secure for rootkits and they all came up negative . . . only a few cookies, so I don't think that I have anything. I'm running OneCare right now. It looks like it's going to take a long time to finish.

Even Microsoft Forums has no resolution to these problems. I've been searching the internet for a couple of days now to find a cure. It looks like a Repair is imminent. It'll take less time than continuing to search the net for a cure.

Thanks to all of you . . . your help is very much appreciated.
.

 

You really shouldn't run such stuff that's obviously not designed for x64, will cause more harm than it will fix.

You'll have to reinstall Avast probably. My personal opinion is that WSC is notoriously broken junk not worth wasting time and system resources with. Might as well disable the monitoring altogether and move to something more productive.

See this post for cleaning up stale drivers cruft left over by the various security suites.

 

I did what this page recommended. There were 2 items that were grayed out.
https://www.wilderssecurity.com/showpost.php?p=1349891&postcount=21

Dial-a-Fix says that it has been re-designed to use with x64 os. Also, I really had nothing left to lose. I believe that I'm going to have to do a Repair so if it did screw up my files, it wouldn't have changed that fact, and it all seems to be because WMI can't be found. MS has instructions to make a batch file for 32-bit os but not x64 os.

I uninstalled and reinstalled aVast! but it didn't help. I'm not as much concerned about aVast! not being recognized by WSC but I am concerned about not being able to receive MS updates.

 

http://windowsxp.mvps.org/repairwmi.htm has some tips on WMI if you want to spend more time on it.

As for the Windows Update stuff, are you using Microsoft Update or the original Windows Update? Without posting really specific errors, incl. the error code and error messages we won't get anywhere plus this issue is pretty much off-topic here. Try this for starters:

Code:

regsvr32 /s wuapi.dll
regsvr32 /s wuaueng1.dll
regsvr32 /s wuaueng.dll
regsvr32 /s wucltui.dll
regsvr32 /s wups.dll
regsvr32 /s wups2.dll
regsvr32 /s wuweb.dll

If that doesn't help, download the WindowsUpdateAgent30-x64.exe and force install it using the /wuforce switch.

 

I didn't know that there was a difference. I used to get automatic updates, presumably from Microsoft, and I had the link in my Favorites that I've gone to on occassion to see if Microsoft had anything that it hadn't given me yet.

I can't get to the C prompt without it being C:\Documents and Settings\Administrator>. It's a little over my head.

How do I force it? Where's the switch? Over my head again.


Should I make a batch file out of these?

 

You can doubleclick the VBS script, no need to run it manually.

No need to batch those, just paste them one each time after you press Win+R keys simultaneously, press Enter then. Or paste them to command prompt, doesn't matter.

And you normally type the filename and append it with space and /wuforce, press Enter then; use cd C:\ command if you saved to directly to C:\.

We are way way off-topic here to cover working with command prompt in Windows.

 

@ doktornotor

I don't understand most of what you suggested in your last post. I think it'll be easier for me to just do a Repair or even a format. I don't have enough knowledge yet to do the things that were suggested here.


Thank you all for trying to help me and for all of your suggestions. I appreciate that you all put some good thought into this problem to help me solve it.

 

I've had a similar problem with updates after installing servixe pack 3.
The solution was similar to what doktornotor describes.
I've founded it here.
Just open a command prompt (start-run-cmd)and apply those 11 commands showned in post 2.

 

Well, I really don't know what there's to understand. You can't paste a piece of text into an open window?

1/ Save the attachment below as wufix.bat to your desktop and double-click it.

2/ Do the same with the .VBS script, just save it to the desktop.

3/ Save the EXE file to C:\, open command prompt, type "C:\WindowsUpdateAgent30-x64.exe /wuforce" without the quotes into command prompt or press Win+R keys and type it there.

There's absolutely no need to reinstall Windows because of such trivial issue, but there are forums focused on covering basics of working with command prompt in Windows, this is not one, so if you need help on working with command prompt, the debate belongs there.

 

There is no need to get rid of it... it's not any malware, it's MS disliking applications that kill their Windows Genuine "Advantage" stuff.

P.S. You might want to delete the directory listing you've pasted above, those warez releases is not something exactly fit for public security forums.