Question mark instead of application icon

Discussion in 'LnS English Forum' started by phagenauw, Nov 3, 2008.

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  1. phagenauw

    phagenauw Registered Member

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    Why does LNS show an question mark in a circle in the application filtering list instead of the application icon. Also the application name field itself is empty (a question mark -without circle around it - is shown) and no file system path to the app is shown. Strange thing is that sometimes the same applications is detected again bij LNS and then the application shows up correctly in the list (with an icon and the app. name is shown). Lucky thing is that to my opinion LNS is working correctly. OS i'm running is Vista SP1 x64 and LNS 2.06p3 (x64). Somebody any idea?
     

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  2. Phant0m

    Phant0m Registered Member

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    When a starter application uses an special extension (.dat, .tmp...) instead of a standard one (.exe, .com, .bat...), Look 'n' Stop doesn't detect the parent name properly and displayed ?/Unknown instead. I'm not certain if this is the case here, .. Frederic will say.

    Is uTorrent.exe located in C:\ drive? And are you launching uTorrent application directly from Desktop shortcut? Start Menu shortcut? Start \ Run or by another third-party product?
     
  3. phagenauw

    phagenauw Registered Member

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    All shortcuts which i start are pointing (99%) most of the time directly to the .exe of the application, so i'm not using any 'strange' starter applications.
    That's also the case with utorrent.exe; the icon (on my desktop) is pointing directly to it's .exe (and with utorrent it can't mis; it's only 1 file!).
     
  4. Frederic

    Frederic LnS Developer

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    This happens when there was an issue to detect the path.
    Are all executables on fixed disks, or are you executing some programs on removable disks ?

    What about the popup alerting you a new application connect ?
    What is the path mentioned there ? For instance if you remove VMWARE.exe from the list, when it will connect again, could you make a screenshot of the popup window ?

    Thanks,

    Frederic
     
  5. phagenauw

    phagenauw Registered Member

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    Al applications execute from the fixed disk (all is running on a Dell XPS M1530 laptop). Also it makes no difference if apps execute from C:\Program Files or C:\Program Files (x86). Files executed from both paths are mentioned in the list with the ? (circle). Complete re installation of LNS makes no differance; the same issue appears again. In the screenshot the start and mentioning of VMWARE.EXE after it has been removed from the application list in LNS.
     

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  6. Frederic

    Frederic LnS Developer

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    Ok, thanks. It looks like the driver is not able to detect some process that are started.
    To confirm that, just after a "?" application was allowed to connect and added to the list of Connected application, could you open the console window and ask for driver logs ?

    Usually you should get something like this:
    [...]
    C:\PROGRAM FILES\INTERNET EXPLORER\IEXPLORE.EXE
    C:\PROGRAM FILES\MICROSOFT OFFICE\OFFICE12\OUTLOOK.EXE
    C:\PROGRAM FILES\MICROSOFT OFFICE\OFFICE12\OUTLOOK.EXE
    C:\PROGRAM FILES\MICROSOFT OFFICE\OFFICE12\OUTLOOK.EXE
    C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM32\SVCHOST.EXE

    But in your case, I guess it will be like that:
    [...]
    C:\PROGRAM FILES\INTERNET EXPLORER\IEXPLORE.EXE
    OUTLOOK.EXE
    OUTLOOK.EXE
    OUTLOOK.EXE
    C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM32\SVCHOST.EXE
    (if Outlook is affected)

    Then I would like to know if there is a difference between the applications that are properly detected (I mean with the full pathname) and the ones that are not.
    For instance could you confirm that all properly detected applications are old/initial process started just after Windows started and never stopped (like looknstop.exe) and after the problem appears (the first "?" in the list of connected applications) then any new process/application that is started will not be detected properly.
    Typically if you quit/restart Look 'n' Stop, after a first "?" appeared in the connected applications list, and if this new Look 'n' Stop process connects to internet (you can click on "Test Now" in the options tab to force that) is it properly detected ?

    Thanks,

    Frederic
     
  7. phagenauw

    phagenauw Registered Member

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    Hi Frederic, I first had to figure out what you meant but i think i'd managed. The logs show exactly what you described. When a program is correctly detected the full path is shown. If it's not detected only a ? mark is shown and the .EXE of the application (second screen shot; stunnel.exe, first is firefox; correct). I also noticed that at some point from one executable both versions will be detected by LNS (last screen shot; FTDV3.EXE). So in the end if have an application list with all of my apps two times in this list. When an app appears two times in the list they work independent of each other. So first i have to figure out which one has the valid connection by then i can block one of them in the application list. Not very interesting but maybe you can do something with this info. Also to my opinion it makes no difference if LNS is stop and again started to the point when apps are wrong detected. Also when at time 1 an app is wrong detected. App 2 can be correctly and some time later app 3 can be again wrong. Again all apps are started from the same (C:, 64GB part. on a 250GB HD) drive (NTFS formated, Vista SP1 x64, 4GB).
     

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    Last edited: Nov 5, 2008
  8. Frederic

    Frederic LnS Developer

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    Hi,

    The console windows is actually another window you can open by ticking the "Console" checkbox in the options tab.
    There you have a "Driver logs" button which gives some other useful information.
    I would like to get these "Drivers logs" just after an application without its full pathname was detected.

    Yes, probably stopping/restarting Look 'n' Stop doesn't make a difference for all apps, but this was not my point.
    I've seen from the first screenshot Look 'n' Stop pathname was Ok. Since the Look 'n' Stop process is started very early, I would like to know if it is always Ok for it, or if you get also no pathname for Look 'n' Stop sometimes (you can force Look 'n' Stop to connect with the "Test now" button).
    I suspect it will be always Ok for that process started just after Windows has started. If this is correct, then quit/restart Look 'n' Stop, so a new process is created, and then I would like to know how this new process is detected.

    For FTDV3.EXE do you mean that it has been detected wrongly at one time, and later properly detected ?

    Thanks,

    Frederic
     
  9. phagenauw

    phagenauw Registered Member

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    Ok, i've found what you meant (hopefully)... When i remove LNS from the detected apps and make a connection (with the check now button) it is always properly detected (up till now and I've tried it a lot of times). See screen shots with LNS mentioned. Also a screen shot (driver log) just after thunderbird is detected wrong. Hope this helps and is the info you want.
     

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  10. phagenauw

    phagenauw Registered Member

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    Ok forgotten to mention; yes that's exactly what i mean with FTDV3.EXE...
     
  11. Frederic

    Frederic LnS Developer

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    Ok, thanks for the screenshots.
    It confirms the problem is at the driver level, and unfortunately there is no error detected there (I hoped the driver logs would get some additional error message).

    For the Look 'n' Stop test, did you also try to stop/restart it ?
    I'm trying to figure out why it works sometimes, and sometimes not.

    Also this is the first time this issue is reported. Is there something special on your conputer (hard/soft) ? What other security software are installed ? What is your computer CPU ?

    Thanks,

    Frederic
     
  12. phagenauw

    phagenauw Registered Member

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    Yes besides the test with deleting LNS out of the detected applications and making the connection again i also exited LNS and start it again. Same results (up till now). LNS is always detected good. But immediately after loading it again the 'problem' starts all again. As i already mention i'm using a Dell XPS M1530 with a 2.6G dual core (T9500) with 6MB 2nd level cache, 4GB installed memory, OS is Vista SP1, x64, I already 'swapped' my virusscanner and now i'm trying AVG (before that i used NOD32). Same results. No other security software i'm running besides Defender which is a standard Vista feature and for reducing spam and popup windows -while i'm browsing- i have Ad Muncher installed. Ok i'm working in a Novell/NetWare/Linux environment so i have a Novell client for Vista installed and some software from Novell such as clients for; iFolder, iPrint, etc. That's it i think. Hope you can do something with this info; if you need more; i'd be glad to supply it!
     
  13. phagenauw

    phagenauw Registered Member

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    Any news? on this issue?
     
  14. Phant0m

    Phant0m Registered Member

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    So when you exit Look 'n' Stop application and re-launch it [manually], does it continue to not detect applications pathnames? Or it does for that Windows session until after you re-start the computer?

    I noticed 'AVGNSA.EXE' shown in your window captures, that's part of AVG. Is there a problem when AVG is entirely uninstalled and after you re-booted the computer?


    Regards,
    Phant0m``
     
  15. n8chavez

    n8chavez Registered Member

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    I've had a similar problem for a very long time. In fact, it has ;ed me me switching. I hope it gets fixed soon so I can give LnS another shot.
     
  16. Frederic

    Frederic LnS Developer

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    No sorry. Something prevents the driver to get the full path of some applications. I don't know why.
    I thought I could understand the difference between applications that are affected and the others that are not, and this would help.

    Frederic
     
  17. Frederic

    Frederic LnS Developer

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    It is not the same issue.
    Here the problem is in the driver and the full path of the application is not detected.

    In your case, the full path is correct, but when asking for the icon (through a standard window function) it returns a default icon. The problem occurs at the application level, not at the driver level.

    Frederic
     
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