Internet connection playing silly games

[catgate]

Increasingly, over the last few days. I have been getting a situation arising where, when I click on FF or IE or even OE, I get a message in the dial up box saying "no dialing tone". There is certainly a dialing tone on the 'phone line, but, for some reason, it is not being picked up by my "connection" programme. The matter is corrected by simply rebooting. Whereupon off we go again for a period. It seems to make little difference if I am on line or not. That is to say I could well have been poking about on WF for a while and then gone to send an email, then, after typing it, found that I could not send it because the connection to the net had dropped and, after trying to re-establish a connection, received the "no dialing tone". Equally I may well have been off line for quite some time and, upon trying to connect , recieve the same message.

I have AVG, and Zone alarm always on and have the most recent (yesterday/today) updates for both of them and also for Ccleaner, Spybot, Ad-aware, Spyware blased and A squared. All of which give me a clean bill of health.

edit:- red

Additionally, to my inexperienced eye the following (just run) looks OK

Logfile of HijackThis v1.99.1

Scan saved at 18:07:59, on 11/03/06

Platform: Windows 98 SE (Win9x 4.10.2222A)

MSIE: Internet Explorer v6.00 SP1 (6.00.2800.1106)

Running processes:

C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM\KERNEL32.DLL

C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM\MSGSRV32.EXE

C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM\MPREXE.EXE

C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM\MSTASK.EXE

C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM\ZONELABS\VSMON.EXE

C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM\mmtask.tsk

C:\WINDOWS\EXPLORER.EXE

C:\WINDOWS\TASKMON.EXE

C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM\SYSTRAY.EXE

C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM\E_S4I0H2.EXE

C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM\INTERNAT.EXE

C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM\SPOOL32.EXE

C:\PROGRAM FILES\THOMSON\SPEEDTOUCH USB\DRAGDIAG.EXE

C:\PROGRAM FILES\ZONE LABS\ZONEALARM\ZLCLIENT.EXE

C:\PROGRAM FILES\GRISOFT\AVG FREE\AVGCC.EXE

C:\PROGRAM FILES\GRISOFT\AVG FREE\AVGEMC.EXE

C:\PROGRAM FILES\GRISOFT\AVG FREE\AVGAMSVR.EXE

C:\PROGRAM FILES\ANALOGX\COOKIEWALL\COOKIE.EXE

C:\PROGRAM FILES\BANDWIDTHMETER\BANDWIDTHMETER.EXE

C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM\WMIEXE.EXE

C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM\RNAAPP.EXE

C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM\TAPISRV.EXE

C:\PROGRAM FILES\MOZILLA FIREFOX\FIREFOX.EXE

C:\PROGRAM FILES\COMMON FILES\REAL\UPDATE_OB\REALSCHED.EXE

C:\PROGRAM FILES\REAL\REALPLAYER\REALPLAY.EXE

C:\HIJACK\HIJACKTHIS.EXE

O2 - BHO: (no name) - {53707962-6F74-2D53-2644-206D7942484F} - C:\PROGRA~1\SPYBOT~1\SDHELPER.DLL

O3 - Toolbar: &Radio - {8E718888-423F-11D2-876E-00A0C9082467} - C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM\MSDXM.OCX

O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [scanRegistry] C:\WINDOWS\scanregw.exe /autorun

O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [TaskMonitor] C:\WINDOWS\taskmon.exe

O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [systemTray] SysTray.Exe

O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [LoadPowerProfile] Rundll32.exe powrprof.dll,LoadCurrentPwrScheme

O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [Cmaudio] RunDll32 cmicnfg.cpl,CMICtrlWnd

O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [EPSON Stylus Photo R200 Series] C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM\E_S4I0H2.EXE /P30 "EPSON Stylus Photo R200 Series" /O7 "EPUSB1:" /M "Stylus Photo R200"

O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [internat.exe] internat.exe

O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [speedTouch USB Diagnostics] "C:\Program Files\Thomson\SpeedTouch USB\Dragdiag.exe" /icon

O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [Zone Labs Client] C:\Program Files\Zone Labs\ZoneAlarm\zlclient.exe

O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [AVG7_CC] C:\PROGRA~1\GRISOFT\AVGFRE~1\AVGCC.EXE /STARTUP

O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [AVG7_EMC] C:\PROGRA~1\GRISOFT\AVGFRE~1\AVGEMC.EXE

O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [AVG7_AMSVR] C:\PROGRA~1\GRISOFT\AVGFRE~1\AVGAMSVR.EXE

O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [CookieWall] C:\PROGRAM FILES\ANALOGX\COOKIEWALL\COOKIE.EXE

O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [TkBellExe] "C:\Program Files\Common Files\Real\Update_OB\realsched.exe" -osboot

O4 - HKLM\..\RunServices: [LoadPowerProfile] Rundll32.exe powrprof.dll,LoadCurrentPwrScheme

O4 - HKLM\..\RunServices: [schedulingAgent] mstask.exe

O4 - HKLM\..\RunServices: [Mass Storage Check Registry] rundll32.exe C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM\ShellExt\MSDServ.dll,CheckRegistry

O4 - HKLM\..\RunServices: [TrueVector] C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM\ZONELABS\VSMON.EXE -service

O4 - Startup: Microsoft Office.lnk = C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\Office\OSA9.EXE

O4 - Startup: Bandwidth Meter.lnk = C:\Program Files\BandwidthMeter\BandwidthMeter.exe

I should be most grateful for any advice, please.

[r4may]

This may or maynot be of any help:-

I have been having simular problems and on investigation I found that :-

BT have been doing "Engineering Work" on the lines which could cause these problems.

seems to have been corrected since they finished.

[catgate]

This may or maynot be of any help:-

I have been having simular problems and on investigation I found that :-

BT have been doing "Engineering Work" on the lines which could cause these problems.

seems to have been corrected since they finished.

Thanks for that r4. Sounds a bit fishy to me. Surely they are not "doing work" now. I have just had to reboot since posting the above less than an hour ago. Sounds a bit like the suggestion that if our beloved leader had been the captain of the Titanic he would have announced through the tanoy that there was "....no need to panic. We have just stopped to take on ice".

[catgate]

I can not imagine BT messing about on Sunday, and yet I am still getting the problem. I have had to reboot four times today.

[catgate]

Whilst fumbling my way about today, I have had to reboot about three times. On the last occasion shutting down was interupted by a message that told me that XPCOM had caused a fault. When I found the file XPCOM (there are three with different extentions) I discovered that it was a FF file. Does this mean that the latest version of FF is not wholly compatible with my Venerable W98SE?

[Scarecrow Man]

Does this mean that the latest version of FF is not wholly compatible with my Venerable W98SE?

Mozilla claims it is, on this page

I've had this error once or twice. The problem seemed to be a fault in the outside lines. The lines outside my house, were run under a ditch where water runs frequently. I had to call the local phone company to take a look, and the discovered the lines were filled with water. After replacing the lines, I never had an error again.

[deuces wild]

This may or maynot be of any help:-

I have been having simular problems and on investigation I found that :-

BT have been doing "Engineering Work" on the lines which could cause these problems.

seems to have been corrected since they finished.

Thanks for that r4. Sounds a bit fishy to me. Surely they are not "doing work" now. I have just had to reboot since posting the above less than an hour ago. Sounds a bit like the suggestion that if our beloved leader had been the captain of the Titanic he would have announced through the tanoy that there was "....no need to panic. We have just stopped to take on ice".

Surely either Tony B. or GWB are to blame. Politicians............they are ALL bad..........be afraid...........be very afraid!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (Insert scary laugh )

:P

[catgate]

Surely either Tony B. or GWB are to blame. Politicians............they are ALL bad..........be afraid...........be very afraid!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (Insert scary laugh )

:P

Yes....quite hilarious. :clapping: :clapping: :clapping:

[catgate]

After Googling, and finding references to "possible issues" with XPCOM.DLL, I decided to uninstall the latest version of FF (downloaded 4 March) and reload with an earlier version (which did not seem to give me any problem).

I could not use 'add/remove programmes' from Control Panel because FF was not there, so I went into the Mozilla folder and double clicked on the Uninstall programme there. I got the attached message. However, when I looked, quite a bit of FF had been removed, so I just zapped the rest manually.

Any comments?

[CurlyWhirly]

I could not use 'add/remove programmes' from Control Panel because FF was not there, so I went into the Mozilla folder and double clicked on the Uninstall programme there. I got the attached message. However, when I looked, quite a bit of FF had been removed, so I just zapped the rest manually.

Any comments?

Yes for a start that's strange as Firefox is always there in add/remove programmes when I have wanted to uninstall it.

I always thought that manually deleting programs or applications isn't a good idea?

Also by going back to an earlier version of Firefox you are going back to versions with known security issues which have been fixed in the latest version.

[catgate]

Yes for a start that's strange as Firefox is always there in add/remove programmes when I have wanted to uninstall it.

I always thought that manually deleting programs or applications isn't a good idea?

Also by going back to an earlier version of Firefox you are going back to versions with known security issues which have been fixed in the latest version.

I'm glad someone else thinks it a bit odd. I would have expected the FF auto install to have popped it in to the 'add/remove programmes' thing.

I know from experience that lots of things get 'left behind" if the uninstall is not done conventionally (things sometimes get left behind even with the conventional route), but I was hoping someone might know what. However, I worked on the assumption that if it was not logged into 'add/remove programmes', and the FF uninstall could not find one of its requirements, then it may well be that the original installation was not bound in tightly.

I have just had to reboot again to get a connection to get in here.

[CurlyWhirly]

I know from experience that lots of things get 'left behind" if the uninstall is not done conventionally (things sometimes get left behind even with the conventional route), but I was hoping someone might know what.

Have you run a registry cleaner to tidy up your registry as manually deleting files and folders may have left a few registry 'errors'?

[catgate]

Have you run a registry cleaner to tidy up your registry as manually deleting files and folders may have left a few registry 'errors'?

No, I have not run a registry cleaner per se, but I frequently run crapcleaner and use its "check for issues" utility (which seems to be a registry laundering operation). It is only a fortnight ago that I set off with a new hard drive and a complete new installation of W98SE, partially to get rid of funny happenings. Have you any recommendation for a W98SE compatible reg. cleaner?

[CurlyWhirly]

Have you any recommendation for a W98SE compatible reg. cleaner?

Sorry but no I don't as I have never used W98SE :(

[catgate]

This may be the end of this particular post. I hope so.

Following what seems like aeons of anguish and futile searching for gobblethripes and bogiemen, I eventually contacted my ISP (Onetel), who said that they would check my line.

[Anyone who's life is dull enough may remember that this lot started out several weeks ago as a result of dropped BB connections, slow action and sometimes a simple freeze. All this resulting in a message saying "There is no dialling tone" when trying to reconnect. Reconnection could be made only by rebooting.]

Well after five days of silence I got a return 'phone call, saying that, although my line was not the acme of perfection, it never the less should perform satisfactorily. However the cure might be to down grade my connection speed.

Before this was done, however, they thought that I might like to try the "Extended Reach" driver for my modem (Speedtouch 330, supplied by Onetel). So, off to the Speedtouch web site and download the suggested item.

Amazing. Since getting the thing up and running about 11.00am I have not had to reboot once, and the speed is back to where it was when I first went on to BB some months ago. In fact it is now what most people would look upon as just normal.

I have now run out of joss sticks, and am relying on great nature to continue the satisfactory progress of this matter.