Windows XP User Questions
Question 1. What Steps Should Take Do Before I Install XP2? aka SP2
Before installing SP2 please read the information on these pages very carefully:
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/sp2/default.mspx
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?pr=windowsxpsp2
http://www3.telus.net/dandemar/spackins.htmYou receive an "Access is denied" error message when you try to install Windows XP Service Pack 2 or Windows Server 2003 Service Pack 1
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Question 2. When I run Disk Clean Up, it gets to the first three bars when checking the files and the status bar says "compress old files" Then it just hangs there. When I close it down and run it again, it just never comes up at all.
Answer.From Microsoft KB 812248 http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=812248
1.Click Start, and then click Run.
2.Type regedit in the Open box, and then press ENTER.
3.Locate, and then click the following registry key:HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\VolumeCaches
4.On the File menu, click Export, and then click Desktop, type VolumeCaches in the File name box, and then click Save.
Note This step creates a backup of the VolumeCaches registry key. If you experience any problems after you complete the steps that are listed in this procedure, you can use this backup to restore the VolumeCaches key to its original state. To restore the key, double-click the VolumeCaches.reg file on your desktop, and then click Yes.
5.Expand the following registry key:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\VolumeCaches
6.Delete the Compress old files registry key.
7.Quit Registry Editor.Or, The Disk Cleanup Tool Stops Responding:
http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=823302
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Question 3. How do I stop pop-ups?
Answer.Pop-Ups are due to either messenger service, are embedded on web pages, or may even be part of a Spyware program that you have installed. If they are due to messenger service you may either disable it or block the open ports. Note that disabling messenger service is only a temporary fix and doesn't address the real problem. Or, they may just be pop ups for automatic updates to OE or WinXP.
Please note that messenger service is different than Windows Messenger. This section deals with messenger service.
To disable Messenger Service see this:
http://www.itc.virginia.edu/desktop/docs/messagepopup/
Creditwww - Directory of Credit Cards
To block the ports to prevent spammers from sending you ads via Messenger Service read below:
If they say messenger service in the title bar, these have nothing to do with MSN messenger or Windows messenger.What this is a new way for spammers to attack your computer and send you pop-up ads. If you receive these ads it means that your computers netbios ports are wide open to the internet and this could be a real security problem.
What you should do is install a good firewall that will block the ports the spammers use and stop the ads. A good place to start is Zone Alarm (www.ZoneLabs.com) for an inbound/outbound blocking firewall or use the inbound blocking only firewall built in to XP. Configure the XP firewall to block ports 135, 137-139 and 445. Zone Alarm will block these ports by default.
The issue is, currently ANYONE can actually send you a message through the .NET Messenger network without being on YOUR contact list! You can change this so that people will have to add you to their contact lists before they can send you a message. This will have the effect of blocking these Spam messages in the future.
To Disable Messenger Service Spam - simply Open up the main Messenger window, click Tools, then Options, then the Privacy tab, click All users and then click the Block button. This way you can manually add who you want to receive messages from and block all others.
Microsoft has some articles as well:
http://support.microsoft.com/?id=330904
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/pro/using/howto/communicate/stopspam.asp
Another option to manage the Messenger Service is to use a tiny utility called Shoot The Messenger.
Note that ShootTheMessenger is just a toggle switch that turns Messenger Service Off/On. One should still block the ports as noted earlier.
If your pop-ups are due to spyware, one can find such ware and disable it by using Ad-Adware or Spybot.
If due to automatic updates to OE or WinXP check Start | Settings | Control Panel | System | Automatic Updates and change it.
As things move on however more web browsers and add-on toolbars include anti-popup functions for popups and popunders coded into webpages.
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Question 4. I'm having lots of problems installing any Critical Updates, Security Patchesand even the SP1/2 upgrades from Microsoft's website. Are there there any basic tweaks I have to do in advance? I also get "cryptographic error messages".
Question 4.1 I keep seeing the same list of Windows XP updates appear even after I have downloaded and installed all of them.
Question 4.2 Sometimes Windows Update just hangs. Is there anything I can try?
Answer.Delete the catroot2 folder contents. It's in the system32 folder usually here:
C:\WINDOWS\system32\CatRoot2Or rename the folder and a fresh one will be created on the reboot:
Start | Run | cmd | OK
At the command prompt, type the following and press ENTER:
ren "%SystemRoot%\System32\Catroot2 oldcatroot2If one is getting "cryptographic error messages" you may rename the folder by choosing Start | Run | CMD and entering:
net stop cryptsvc
ren %systemroot%\system32\catroot2 oldcatroot2
net start cryptsvcOr try renaming method to help with "cryptographic error messages":
Open Windows Explorer to C:\Windows\system32, right-click/rename the catroot2 folder to catold. Then retry the update installation. When finished, there will be a new catroot2 folder and you can safely delete the old renamed one.
To address the common 0x800a138f error problem see here:
http://www.updatexp.com/0x800A138F.htmlTroubleshooting Windows Update Issues:
http://v4.windowsupdate.microsoft.com/troubleshoot/Windows Update Is Not Installed:
http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=811269You Cannot Install Some Updates Or Programs:
http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=822798Problems When Viewing or Downloading From Windows Update:
http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=193385Why can't I download updates?:
http://www.kellys-korner-xp.com/top10faqs.htmAlso delete the contents of your windows temp and Internet cache folders. Reboot and try the update again.
It's also suggested that you disable your anti-virus and other running background applications before you install any OS upgrade.
Question 4.3. Has anyone had the problem of going to the Windows update page and clicking on the Scan for updates button but the % never goes up so the updates are never checked and updates cannot be downloaded?
Answer.I had a very similar problem a while ago with XP Home. I would open windows update, scan for updates and it would just sit there at 0% forever and not show the available updates.
After much searching I found that putting the url of the windows update page - http://v4.windowsupdate.microsoft.com into the sites box of the local intranet solved it
Copy the above URL, go to IE options, security tab, local intranet, click the "Sites" button, then "Advanced", paste the URL into the box labeled "Add this web site to this zone;" and click "add".
Click the OK buttons to close and try it again.
A.The question about windows update just sitting at "looking for updates" and never changes %. Another option to try is, go into the network settings for your computer and remove the check for "automatically detect proxy settings". This will usually resolve the problem and allow you to go straight to the windows update address instead of using the v4.whatever address.
Here's a page with some good tips also:
http://www3.telus.net/dandemar/updtcl.htmQuestion 4.4. Trying to update Windows XP, and the update page kicks me out with an error code 0x80072EE2 so I cannot get updates.
Answer.http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=836941
Question 4.5. Windows Update has encountered an error and cannot display the requested page.
Answer.And the Windows Update Troubleshooter said...
Windows Update has encountered an error and cannot display the requested page - error message when you scan for updates:
http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=830086You receive a Windows Update has encountered an error and cannot display the requested page error message when you try to install an update:
http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=883614
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Question 5. I keep getting notices that I need JAVA to see certain webpagesincluding my online banking and some games. Where can I get the MS JAVA plugin?
Answer.MS Java was not included in XP, was included in SP1, but is not included in SP1a or later.
[Maybe VM is simply not enabled on the PC] so check here. Start IE. Goto Tools | Internet Options | Advanced Tab. Under Microsoft VM, enable JIT Compiler for VM and set the security options to default and reboot.
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