Windows update breaks network

[Graham]

Hi

A recent windows update tends to break the network.  If you type in the address bar \\computername you will find the computer but if you use my networkplaces\microsoft windows network\workgroup\  the computers cannot be found.  This OS is XPx64 and is using NVidea onboard network.  I also know of a Vista machine that was unable to print to a network printer after a recent update unfortunately I don't have any more details on this yet.

Does anyone know which update is causing this problem and a possible fix?  No it is not the Nvidea bus enumerator update that is causing the problem.  I'm guessing that it may be one of the 2 IE8 updates but at present it is only a guess.

[shoarthing]

Hi

A recent windows update tends to break the network.  If you type in the address bar \\computername you will find the computer but if you use my networkplaces\microsoft windows network\workgroup\  the computers cannot be found.  This OS is XPx64 and is using NVidea onboard network.  I also know of a Vista machine that was unable to print to a network printer after a recent update unfortunately I don't have any more details on this yet.

Does anyone know which update is causing this problem and a possible fix?  No it is not the Nvidea bus enumerator update that is causing the problem.  I'm guessing that it may be one of the 2 IE8 updates but at present it is only a guess.

. .  are you sure it was a windows update that did this?

If so then can you roll back to a state pre-update & have the system working?

 . . .  if so, then (obv) you can install each update separately until you get to the villain.

[Graham]

Hi S

Thanks for the answer, usually I would agree with you but in this case that didn't work.  It turned out not to be a windows update, as I first thought, but a rather complex faulty onboard network adaptor.

Once I delved into the problem I realised that it was a fight between two computers, no other computers on the network was affected.  THe computer that gained network browsing access, between the two, was the computer that was turned on first.  From time to time the computer turned on last would gain access but that happened very rarely with this computer but happened quite a bit more often with the other computer.

Bare in mind the other computer has rarely been turned off since it was built but it had been when I first installed this computer.  Now the other computer has been around for a while and though this computer is much beefier obviously it is not as wise cause eventually it suffered a fatal blow to its network adaptor.  A big blue screen of death followed by the words "HARDWARE FAILURE".  I tried to revive the poor thing but alas I eventually went into the BIOS and burried it.  Once a PCI network was fit all my woes were over.

"Once a PCI network was fit all my woes were over."  Well perhaps not all of them because I realised during my trials that I am very close to the maximum number of connections allowed.  The half opened maximum is fixed by a patch for the TCPI.SYS file (or something like that)  I have found one for XP but have not found one for XPx64.  I presume the physical maximum connections will be done in the registry but I haven't found where yet.  Any advice would be welcome.

BTW S your suggestion worked so long as once I had set the IP to static I did not change it back to DHCP....Strange.

[shoarthing]

Hi S . . . . "Once a PCI network was fit all my woes were over."  Well perhaps not all of them because I realised during my trials that I am very close to the maximum number of connections allowed.  The half opened maximum is fixed by a patch for the TCPI.SYS file (or something like that)  I have found one for XP but have not found one for XPx64.  I presume the physical maximum connections will be done in the registry but I haven't found where yet.  Any advice would be welcome.

(my colour emphases) This number of connections business is notoriously confusing . . . the tcpi.sys patch [for XP SP2+]is indeed for 'half-open connections' but any need for this is or IME was almost invariably due to running a not-very-well-written P2P application.

SP2 for XP contained a deliberately changed tcpi.sys, which limited half-open connections to 10 - this was a reaction to blaster/sasser & co - these pests use p2p-like means to spread themselves.

The number of fully open TCP connections is basically limited by resources - any modern PC can have hundreds open simultaneously & IME the practical limit is often first seen at the router.

Max physical connections to other PCs [as set out in the EULA in a MS OS] is determined by the OS version: ie re: Vista "Home Basic" has a limit of 5; "Home Premium" & "Ultimate" have a limit of 10 - with a network beyond these numbers of physically connected PCs you need to use "Business" versions &/or of course Server 2008.

 . .  I don't know what the EULA for XP64 says; but doubt this is (a component of) the issue if you have properly licensed copies.

[Graham]

Hi S

Thanks for your reply, sorry it has taken so long to get back to you.....Huh the pressures of work!

I wondered what the half open connection thing was about, thanks for the explanation, you probably saved me hours trawling the internet.  The faulty network card was causing a problem with half opened connections which is why it was dependant on which comp started first as to which got access.

XPx64 does have the 10 computer limit on it but to be honest I am downloading the latest 64bit SUSE as I type.  It will be more secure for the server anyway.

BTW I have just dropped a can of beer on my keyboard and got away with it but if there are spelling mistakes in this post it is down to the keyboard being pi.....pi.... er not very sober 

[shoarthing]

 . . . SUSE is of course a lovesome thing - but suggest you at least take a look at another (http://ihackintosh.org/ideneb) - & even more competently-designed - 'Nix, the version I linked to being tuned to run on AMD h/w

 . . . I have been using OSX on Intel h/w for some years, & it is . . . well, it *just works*

Sorry to hear about the k/b ..  I blew up several but now understand that (incredibly) you can rescue a drenched k/b - even one drenched in sugary milky coffe - by immediately unplugging it, then putting it in tha dishwasher on the rinse cycle (no detergent) for five~ten minutes, then drying it naturally for about a fortnight before plugging it in again.

 . .  an acquaintance saved a v expensive Mac Pro k/b doing this.

[Graham]

"BTW I have just dropped a can of beer on my keyboard and got away with it but if there are spelling mistakes in this post it is down to the keyboard being pi"

reply; "Sorry to hear about the k/b .. "
 
Oh I take it there was spelling mistakes in my previous post 

  "I blew up several but now understand that (incredibly) you can rescue a drenched k/b - even one drenched in sugary milky coffe by immediately unplugging it, then putting it in tha dishwasher on the rinse cycle (no detergent) for five~ten minutes, then drying it naturally for about a fortnight before plugging it in again . .  an acquaintance saved a v expensive Mac Pro k/b doing this."

Well S I am pretty sure I have told you about the leak/flood that I had a few years back when I was not living here.  The water had been left on and during the winter a balla-valve blew off the cold water supply to the tank in the loft.  I got a report from a neighbour that I had a leak so a few hours later I went round.  OH JEEZ you have never seen owt like it.  It was so bad that I called the emergency electricity board out to cut us off at the substation.  I ended up replacing ceilings and gawd knows what else but there was several computers. TVs, DVDRs etc still in the house and dripping wet through.  I just left them to dry out naturally for a while and they all worked fine.  In actual fact it is only last week that I removed a couple of the TVs, still in working order.

[Graham]

BTW just as a warning to everyone, though there was several thousand pounds worth of damage to the property, because no one had stayed there overnight for the previous 30 days the insurance refused to pay out, despite the fact the property had been visited 2 or 3 times a week.  Before leaving your property for more than thirty days check your insurance documents