Safe mode problems

[Zampa]

Great...thanks for the advice there......off to the sops at the weekend for a look for xp then........

Seems like one prob after another here.....occasionally i get an error box up stating certain programs have caused a problem in kernel 32

And....Ive looked in 'SOUNDS AND MULTIMEDIA DEVICES' ..under the devices tab....audio.....everything from the sound driver was in place but it said due an unkiwn problem......were not working

As I type this...i have an error box....'rundll has caused an error in kernel33DLL'

These are windows files yes?....is it the beggining of the end.....any way of a short term fix?

 

[empip]

Read this from Outpost Firewall User's Support Forum :-
http://216.239.51.104/search?q=cach...hive/index.php/t-5041.html+kernel33.DLL&hl=en
Particularly the final reply from Danil

Twas only a google away ....


edit :- oops just noticed file extension on the outpost site is that .DLl or .DLcapital i .DLI?? Just checked, it is .DLl the final L is lower case L.
Does it matter? I do not know.

 

[Igorian]

Yes, it's quite common for nasties to take on similar names to real system files. Kernel32.dll is a valid file, kernel32.dli or kernel33.ANYTHING is not. It can be tricky to identify them, but you seriously need to scan your system. Try downloading Avast and running a scan. I think you are in for a shock.

As for XP, try buying online for a better deal.

I say again, time to backup your important stuff.

 

[Bazdaa]

Keeping it basic.

When you have installed Windows XP on your PC. Think about making yourself the administrator (with password, just dont forget it). Then make all others standard user accounts. This should HELP to restrict people from installing any dodgy software.

It's not ideal, but it's a start.

P.S. You also want to have a look at ZoneAlarm.

 

[Igorian]

Keeping it basic.

When you have installed Windows XP on your PC. Think about making yourself the administrator (with password, just dont forget it). Then make all others standard user accounts. This should HELP to restrict people from installing any dodgy software.

It's not ideal, but it's a start.

P.S. You also want to have a look at ZoneAlarm.

I have my reservations about zonealarm. While it's an ok software firewall, it can be confusing for novice users. Also, it can mask the fact that problems exist, rather than actually removing them which is better. Also, which probably doesn't apply here, it can cause problems in a network environment as it exists at node level rather than at the gateway. In any case, you really want to have antivirus software and some protection against spyware in place early on and make sure it is updated often. As previously mentioned, Avast is a good free AV program and the M$ offering is pretty good for the latter. IMHO, I would avoid the Norton suites as these can cause more problems than they solve.

 

[Bazdaa]

Well Zone Alarms does work for me (subscriber). But I do agree it can be confsing for some. It also might mask the problem, but it catches loads when I do the regular system sweep.

I also run the Netgear Wifi router, but thats for another thread.

 

[empip]

......... it can cause problems in a network environment as it exists at node level rather than at the gateway. ...

There is a form which may reference that problem .... See under Internet Connection Sharing. From Firewall .. Advanced settings.

I have read so much about Norton, yet I have never reinstalled my System Works and it keeps going quite satisfactorily BTW not Norton firewall .... Been a fan since Peter Norton daze. Tho' preferred PCTools back then

 

[Igorian]

Yes, plenty of people use software firewalls and Norton Software. At the end of the day, the guy is making more money than me

I base my opinion on what I see on a day to day basis. People buy/download this software, install it and expect to be protected and for it to work with their particular setup without so much as reading the index of the manuals, which is nonsense.

Another consideration is the level of alerts software firewalls produce. I have had many calls from clients saying they are constantly being attacked because their firewall has popped up an alert. In some cases it's the ISP sending either test or keep alive packets and others are just random portscans, which should never have reached the host anyway and could have been prevented by having a hardware firewall at the gateway.

At the end of the day, anyone taking the trouble to hack a system is unlikely to be interested in the average end user and will likely be prevented from doing so by the ISPs themselves. Most major ISPs invest vast amounts of cash on hardware firewalls.

Most attacks are self inflicted and are instigated by downloading dodgy software or by opening rogue emails. Most of this can be prevented with a little education and some basic antivirus software.

With wireless systems becoming the norm for home use, but with little education being provided by the suppliers, this is a far easier route to persue if attacking the individual. I posted here earlier this year about an experiment I performed with a Centrino laptop and some scanning s/w that can be downloaded free from the net. I drove about 20 miles and detected 70ish wirless networks. About 40 of those were unprotected, some with the weaker WEP security and very few running WPA or other protection. Of the 40, I was able to access the internet without too much effort and even gained access to some shared drives.

 

[Zampa]

The comp ended up getting worse by the minute.graphics got in a bad way.lost the sound.couldnt put anything right.so option B it was.total wipe and installed xp.not bad price either 54 quid for the oem..company called easynet in swansea...highly recommend.

Just feeling my way around at the moment and sussing this new look out...

One slight prob...set up the a user a/c for each of us here...but whenever I log onto msn messenger (v7.5) my wifes messenger account name appears in my 'online friends' ...if i click on it and type in hello.it pops up .as if im talking to myself!!......

Any ideas..???

Thanks for all your past help chaps...

Zampa

 

[kendor]

The comp ended up getting worse by the minute.graphics got in a bad way.lost the sound.couldnt put anything right.so option B it was.total wipe and installed xp.not bad price either 54 quid for the oem..company called easynet in swansea...highly recommend.

Just feeling my way around at the moment and sussing this new look out...

One slight prob...set up the a user a/c for each of us here...but whenever I log onto msn messenger (v7.5) my wifes messenger account name appears in my 'online friends' ...if i click on it and type in hello.it pops up .as if im talking to myself!!......

Any ideas..???

Thanks for all your past help chaps...

Zampa

just remove the friend (wife) from your list.

 

[ninebob]

One slight prob...set up the a user a/c for each of us here...but whenever I log onto msn messenger (v7.5) my wifes messenger account name appears in my 'online friends' ...if i click on it and type in hello.it pops up .as if im talking to myself!!......

Any ideas..???Zampa

Win XP comes with "Windows Messenger" built-in (a "diet version" of MSN Messenger which will use your existing account). Sounds like you have both running at once, so you need to disable the former.

 

[Zampa]

One slight prob...set up the a user a/c for each of us here...but whenever I log onto msn messenger (v7.5) my wifes messenger account name appears in my 'online friends' ...if i click on it and type in hello.it pops up .as if im talking to myself!!......

Any ideas..???Zampa

Win XP comes with "Windows Messenger" built-in (a "diet version" of MSN Messenger which will use your existing account). Sounds like you have both running at once, so you need to disable the former.

Thanks...