Allowed DLL detected on every boot

Hi,

For the past couple of weeks, every time I boot up, LnS prompts me to allow or deny the file GoogleServices.dll. I allow it every time, but LnS seems to 'forget' this the next time I boot up, and prompts me anyway.

I am running WinXP Pro SP2 and LnS 2.06p2 (with DLL detection enabled, obviously) but the problem started with 2.06p1. GoogleServices.dll appears in the DLL Settings list as Allowed. I've just turned on logging for that DLL, and can report back with what it says, if necessary.

Any ideas what might be causing this, and how to fix it?

Cheers,
doonyakka

 

Hi,

Maybe the problem is when Look 'n' Stop saves the information to the registry. But the same issue should be there for some other application/DLL or even options.

You could check anyway if this DLL is mentioned in
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Soft4Ever\looknstop\Applis
or
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Soft4Ever\looknstop\Applis
If it is not, then you can try to stop/restart Look 'n' Stop to force Look 'n' Stop writing the information into the registry, assuming there is an issue to do so when Look 'n' Stop is stopped at windows shutdown.

Otherwise maybe this DLL is dynamically created by Google ? and removed later before the reboot.
When Look 'n' Stop starts, the DLL is not there so Look 'n' Stop removes the entry and then the DLL is created and Look 'n' Stop detect a new entry.

Regards,

Frederic

 

Hi Frederic,

Thanks for your reply. I had a look in the registry and found the problematic DLL in

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Soft4Ever\looknstop\Applis but not in
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Soft4Ever\looknstop\Applis

Do you think it might help if I create an entry for it in HKCU?

Also, there is a HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Soft4Ever\looknstop1\ key (note the looknstop1) as well. Is this normal?

As for whether Google Desktop creates this DLL, I don't know but I could ask in the Google Forums. But perhaps someone else reading this is using Google Desktop and can say whether or not they're experiencing the same problem.

A thought: is there a limit on the number of DLLs that LnS can store? (GoogleServices.dll is DLL79)

Cheers,
doonyakka

 

Hi doonyakka

Yes, the problem is there.
The limtation is 80 DLLs. I thought there was a dialog box saying the number max is reached, but it seems this is only for applications, and not for DLL.

So the solution is simply to remove an old DLL entry in the list, because probably all the 80 entries are not all used.
It is not a problem to remove an entry, Look 'n' Stop will anway ask again, if the DLL entry you have removed reconnect again in the future.

Regards,

Frederic

This is normal only one is used depending on the registry option ("per user" or system).

This means you started 2 instances of Look 'n' Stop. The options of the second instance are stored in looknstop1 subkey.

 

Great, another problem solved quickly and painlessly

I just did some overdue spring cleaning in the DLL list and it's all back to normal.

One quick question: if you were to remove the limitation on DLLs, would LnS become unacceptably resource-hungry?

Thanks Frederic.

-doonyakka

 

Yes, if there was no limit, users will be adding and adding DLLs, keeping old DLLs no longer used, and at the end it is not efficient (memory & CPU) to maintain a big list of DLLs filenames for nothing (especially in the driver).
So I prefer to force some cleanup from time to time.
However an alert dialog box is missing to indicate the max number is reached, and I will try to add it.

Frederic

 

Interesting, I didn't know that there is limitation of number of DLLs.

I had about 60 dll entries, but after I deleted old dlls, that number drop to 43.

Question here is, can we automate that process eather by adding function (button) in LnS or just run some application, that will check is DLL file still avialable on HDD or not, and delete obsolete entries.
*Also it would be nice if I could resize DLL settings window in the future.*

You can add similar filtering functionality to Application filtering tab, altough is fairly easy to spot that applications that have question mark as their application icon and remove them manualy

Considering the fact that I currently have 135 applications in the filtering list and bacause almost every application today need to connect to internet, I'm wondering, is there any way for me to manualy increase limits for application and dll filtering ?

 

Yes, this could be added. It is already there for applications, some automatic cleanup is done when the number of application is near the limit.
Note that some applications create dynamically exe/dll which connect, and this could cause trouble sometimes (it was the case with an Antivirus, don't remember which one).

I would prefer to keep it fixed. Normally 80 is Ok, I think doonyakka was the first user having reached the limit
But in case it is not sufficient the number will be increased.

Do you have really 135 applications which try to connect on a daily basis ?
Anyway the limit is 200 so there is some margin still.
Note that is is not a security problem to remove an application which is rarely used. Look 'n' Stop will simply ask again the next time it will be used.

Frederic

 

Hi, qazwee

Also you could only allow an application for the session if an is rarely used, that way it will greatly reduce the list.

Take Care,
TheQuest

 

You prefer to keep that "dll settings" window small and non resizable so one can see only beggining of a dll path (c:\program fil...) or you prefer to keep limit for number of dll entries ?
I could understand keeping dll limit to 80, but to keep "dll setting" window (gui) small and without possibility to click-drag-enlarge-window-so-I-can-see-what-im-doing, that I cant really understand...

I could probably cut down list for a few more entries, but I dont need to do that. I doubt that I will reach limit soon.
My question had just informative purpose.

In the other hand, list of 135 applications may sound huge, but if you consider that some, mainly modular applications, appear more than a few times in the list, than number isn't that big as it seems.

For example PHPEd appear 4 times in application and 12 (!) times in dll list.
Another example is XAMPP - 6x in application and 4x in dll list, then foobar2000 with few plugins that also need internet access, then miranda (+plugins), then adobe and office packages (each application+updater+some service), Kaspersky AV only 1x in app, but 5x in dll list, etc, etc...

Modern applications tend to be written as few smaller modules and each module that need internet access take one slot in list.

Also, people working in some specific niches such as Internet marketing may have dozens of small specialized applications that each need internet access.

But anyway, limit of 200 applications should suffice for now.

I usualy do that when try new stuff, but never for applications that I use regulary.

PS Frederic,this TheQuest's replay remid me of something - it seems that LnS save settings only on closing, and my machine working usualy 24/7, restarting only when really needed. It happened to me a few times that after few weeks of surfing/adding applications, eletricity went down, and after I power up my computer I find out that applications setting are not being remmembered. May I suggest that in next version LnS save settings on change.

 

Yes, I was answering only on the number, not on the window size.
Since this window is not used as so often as the application one, that's why it was done like this.
Yes, I agree it would be better if it had the same look as the application list. Maybe this will change in the future.

When an application/DLL appears several times, is the path anyway different ?
Sometimes an application appears two times because of old DOS format for tha path, but more than 2 times it's a bit strange (if it represents the same file).

Yes, this will be improved in a future version.
Hopefully it should not be so frequent to have Look 'n' Stop not closing properly.

Regards,

Frederic

 

It would be nice.
It became a fetish, these days, to make small nonresizable windows, especialy if window contain some long paths

I'm not described that very well. It's not THE same application, but rather few modules that belongs to same application.
It's more like this:
D:\programs\some application\main module.exe
D:\programs\some application\update module.exe
D:\programs\some application\i want to connect module.exe
D:\programs\some application\i want to connect too module.exe
...
...and I finish getting many entries in LnS.

Same (or even worse) with dlls:


if you want to look what dlls are involved, then, maybe this one looks better :


btw, it happens, sometimes, that application appear two times in application list - one time with long, and one time with short (DOS) path/name.
Didn't noticed that in dll list.

Not a problem at all.

Regards,
qazwee