help
Go get avgfree and throw it on the box (http://free.grisoft.com) you can download both the program and the updates so the box doesnt have to be online to do it. Install and do the updates. Then boot into safe mode and run the scan and see what it cleans. (to verify its clean)
For your socket error:
On an XP Home/Pro computer, when trying to browse the Internet, you are getting "Page Cannot Be Displayed" and when you go to the command prompt window and run ipconfig /all, you get an APIPA in the form of 169.254.x.x. Then immediately run ipconfig /renew, you get this error message: "An operation was attempted on something that is not a socket"
If so, you have a damaged winsock2 key in the registry.
You should check System Information (winmsd) Expand Components / Network / click on Protocol - if the section headings item of "Name" have a value starting with with anything other than MSAFD or RSVP then that is probably what is causing the problem.
Examples:
MSAFD Tcpip [TCP/IP]
MSAFD Tcpip [UDP/IP]
RSVP UDP Service Provider
RSVP TCP Service Provider
MSAFD NetBIOS [DeviceNetBT_Tcpip...
and so on
It may be a third-party firewall or a Spyware or a Virus. ("New.Net" is a common spyware for example) Make sure that MSCONFIG is in Normal Startup and then see if uninstalling the third party firewall (best done from its own uninstall program if available) or the Spyware from Add Remove Programs will resolve the issue. If it's a virus, then an Anti Virus Program will be able to deal with that.
You may want to try downloading either Ad-Aware 6 or Spybot to another computer and then installing one of them on the infected XP Home/Pro computer and try to wipe out Spyware and see if that resolves the issue.
If none of that works or is possible, you could try this method for replacing the winsock and winsock2 registry keys:
WARNING: using Registry Editor incorrectly, can cause serious problems that may require you to reinstall your operating system.
Step 1: Delete registry keys
A)Open Regedit from the Run line
B)Go to both of the following keys, EXPORT each of them, and then delete them: (To export a key, you right click on it and choose
"export" - you can choose where to export them to - DESKTOP is handy - and you need to type in a file name such as "exported
Winsock key" / "exported WinSock2 key" and then click on SAVE)
HERE ARE THOSE TWO KEYS HKLM
-SYSTEM
--CurrentControlSet
---Services
----Winsock
THAT YOU NEED TO DELETE
HKLM
-SYSTEM
--CurrentControlSet
---Services
----WinSock2
C)Restart the computer
NOTE: It is important to restart the computer after deleting the Winsock keys. Doing so causes the XP operating system to recreate
shell entries for those two keys. If this is not done, the next step does not work correctly.
Step 2: Install TCP/IP on top of itself
A)Open the properties window of the network connection (Local Area Connection)
B)Click Install
C)Click Protocol, then Add
D)Click Have Disk
E)Type the path to the %systemroot%inf folder (usually C:Windowsinf) and click OK (if you try to click Browse, then browse to the inf folder, it may not show up in the list)
F)You should now see "Internet Protocol (TCP/IP)" in the list of available protocols. Select it and click OK.
G)Restart the computer
When the computer reboots you will have functional Winsock keys. If so, then be sure to delete the exported winsock and
winsock2 reg files. (You don't want to accidentally put them back in the registry)
Side effects and possible problems:
This method will restore basic functionality to the Winsock keys, but is not a complete rebuild. On a default install of Windows XP
the registry key:
HKLM
-SYSTEM
--CurrentControlSet
---Services
----Winsock2
-----Parameters
------Protocol_Catalog9
-------Catalog_Entries
will have 11 sub-keys. When applying this method, the Catalog_Entries will only have 3 sub-keys. It works and there does not appear to be any side effects. Missing entries relate back to the:
HKLM
-SYSTEM
--CurrentControlSet
---Services
----Tcpip
-----Parameters
------Interfaces
key. Also, third-party proxy software or firewalls may need to be reinstalled.
If issue is resolved, then be sure to delete the exported Winsock / WinSock2 .reg keys as you don't want to accidentally end up importing those damaged keys back into the registry.
Also, if you run a hijack this and save the list and post here, I can run thru it and see if its clean or not.
Hope that all helps. The socket error (not getting an IP) fix should work though (damaged winsock or winsock2 file is causing it)
**Help info culled from my own tech website. =)
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