Member Avatar for lhart

Hello out there. I seem to have encountered a nice block in my operating, and before I go and spend 200 bucks to fix the problem, I thought I'd make a little plea for any advice.

I was staying at a friends' house in another city, and was using my wireless to use their internet connection. One morning, starting my laptop up revealed a message saying windows could not start properly. It gave me some directions, and all was fine. The computer was working well again, but a couple days later the same thing happened, only I could not fix it myself. I tried everything, making full use of the F1-12 keys, to no avail. The computer suggested I use the windows update disc to restart my computer. Naturally, mine was at home, in another city, but my friend had one for her Toshiba, (I have Gateway) which was also a vista. I wasn't sure it would work, but I tried it, and lo and behold it booted up just fine.

Ever since then, however, there have been little problems popping up. First and foremost, and definitely most annoying, is my internet connection. No access, limited access, and, if I'm really lucky, local only. Using my ethernet cord sent me straight to local only, but would not go beyond that. Concerning, because my ethernet cord has always worked when my wireless decides to be temperamental.

Also, about 10-15 minutes into turning on my computer, a little window will pop up saying "Symantec Service Framework stopped working and was closed. A problem caused the application to stop working correctly. Windows will notify you if a solution is available." Naturally, I have received no such notice.

My windows media player also plays music without being present now, oddly enough. I will select a song to play, and it will begin to play, but the media player will remain absent until I open it up manually. Not really concerning, but it sure as heck didn't do that before.

Please, if anyone has any idea...I would greatly appreciate some help.

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  • Latest Post Latest Post by wulawula

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As pointed out, the Symantec error is a real symptom, and and were right to look at IP assignment — but those two observations together point to a single likely cause: using a different vendor's repair disc can silently replace or mismatch system files and drivers. That can leave antivirus services unstable, break shell integrations (odd media-player behavior) and remove or install incorrect network drivers so DHCP/connection problems appear. The approach below focuses on diagnosing whether this is a software/driver mismatch (most likely) versus failing hardware.

Start with evidence, not guesses: open Event Viewer (eventvwr.msc) and review Application and System errors at the times the Symantec service crashed. Note the faulting module or driver name and timestamp — that entry is the clearest clue. In Device Manager look for unknown devices or yellow marks and check the driver provider/date (OEM drivers from Gateway are preferable to Toshiba ones).

Safe, low-effort checks and repairs to try next:

  • Run System File Checker to repair Windows system files:
    sfc /scannow
  • Run a file-system check if prompted:
    chkdsk C: /f
  • Reset the networking stack (winsock/TCP) if sockets or DHCP look broken:
    netsh winsock reset
netsh int ip reset resetlog.txt

    After these, reboot and test in Safe Mode with Networking. If the network works in a Live USB environment (Ubuntu/other), the hardware is fine and the issue is Windows/software.

If Symantec still crashes, perform a clean uninstall with the vendor cleanup/removal tool, then reinstall the correct AV build (do not rely on add-on disabling alone). For networking, download and install the Gateway-specific NIC driver — avoid drivers from other OEMs. If restore points exist, try System Restore to a point before the Toshiba-disc repair.

If problems persist, back up all personal data and either obtain the correct Gateway recovery media or perform a repair/clean install with a proper Vista disc. When asking for more help, paste the Event Viewer error entries (exact faulting module and timestamp) — they make diagnosis far more precise.

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Member Avatar for HoustonIT

You should disable the Symantec Service Framework first. In IE go to tools>internet options>programs>manage add-ons>select the Symantec Service Framework add-on and select disable. I don't think Symantec ever fixed that app for IE7. That might resolve the media player issue as well.

Member Avatar for coolraj003

As for the Internet connection, fiddling around with your ip config may solve your problem. Many have been facing this on vista and it seems manually configuring has worked for some. so may be try it.

Raj

Member Avatar for wulawula

As for the internet access, please make sure your ip address is correctly assigned.

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