Member Avatar for traveler309

I work in a small office and we have a network of 5 computers. They were running slow, so we decided to run Malwarebytes Anti-Malware Removal. There were several trojans on each computer, so we removed them. It worked...except on one machine...MINE!

When the program was deleting the files I suddenly got a message saying that my computer was shutting down. It did, then rebooted, and after that I had no internet! I did the network internet troubleshooter and my ISP address came back as 0.00.00 or something like that. I no longer have anything show up under "Network Connections" and if I try to "Create a New Connection," nothing happens.

I thought I would maybe "System Restore." But I get an error message saying "System restore in not available." I tried running the Winsock repair tool that someone suggested and I got a message saying, "winsockxpfix.exe is not a valid Win32 application." I then went into Start-Run-command and entered "netsh int ip reset resetlog.txt" but it said none was present. I then tried "netsh winsock reset catalog" but got the same response.

What do you think went wrong????? How can I get my internet settings back? Can someone please help me? This is so stressful! Thank you!!!

  • 5 Contributors
  • 8 Replies
  • 296 Views
  • 2 Weeks Discussion Span
  • Latest Post Latest Post by patelrg

Dani AI

Generated

Short expert summary and focused next steps that complement earlier suggestions from , and .

The symptom (Network Connections blank after Malwarebytes removed trojans; System Restore not available; winsock repair tool rejected; netsh commands failing) points to either missing/corrupt networking system files or the Network Connections service/registry entries having been removed or damaged. Start with non-destructive checks (Device Manager, show hidden devices, remove ghost adapters and let Windows redetect) as suggested, then proceed to restore the networking shell components and system files before doing a full reinstall.

Re-register the network shell DLLs and the Network Connections service (runs quickly from an administrative command prompt). Example commands to run on an XP box (one line each):

regsvr32 netshell.dll
regsvr32 netcfgx.dll
regsvr32 netman.dll

After those succeed, reboot and check whether the Network Connections window and adapters return. Microsoft documents these DLL re‑registration steps and other recovery methods for "missing network connections" scenarios. (learn.microsoft.com)

If the re-registration does not restore the missing files, run the System File Checker to repair corrupted or missing system files (this may require the Windows XP installation media). Example command:

sfc /scannow

SFC will try to restore core DLLs like netshell or netsh if they were damaged. Microsoft documents SFC usage and when the installation media is required. (support.microsoft.com)

Winsock/LSP corruption is a common side-effect of malware removal; resetting the Winsock catalog is an appropriate fix but only after verifying the netsh binary and system files are intact. The netsh winsock command and its behavior are documented by Microsoft. (learn.microsoft.com)

Advanced recovery (if the Network Connections service itself is gone) can be done by importing a small registry service entry to recreate Netman or by rebuilding the HKLM\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Network\Config key (both are documented on Microsoft resources). Before any registry edits, back up the registry and user data. If these repair steps fail, an in-place repair (XP repair install) or full reinstall—after a complete data backup—will be the reliable recovery path. (learn.microsoft.com)

Recommended Answers

All 8 Replies

Member Avatar for cguan_77

can you go to device manager, check hardware tab and the network option, check whether the driver for your lan card was corrupted or what... if corrupted try to install back..

check if it helps..if not post back...

Member Avatar for traveler309

can you go to device manager, check hardware tab and the network option, check whether the driver for your lan card was corrupted or what... if corrupted try to install back..

check if it helps..if not post back...

OK, so I can go into device manager and into the network option but how do I know if my lan card was corrupted? And how would I install it back? Thanks!

Member Avatar for cguan_77

OK, so I can go into device manager and into the network option but how do I know if my lan card was corrupted? And how would I install it back? Thanks!

ok, what i mean check on the device manager and check the networks adapter tab then select the adapter click on properties, then check on general tab.. make sure that the display is "The Device is working properly" and check the Device usage make sure that the device is enable..

or upon going to device manager check the network adapter if got a question mark icon on it, if got then you need to re-install back the lan driver, to reinstall you need to have your lan driver cd.. or if you don't have just check the manufacturer of your lan card then search on the web.. but do this only if the device manager is showing question mark or error.

if the above solution none of it works..then maybe some other problem..but you already tried the winsock repair but it didn't work..
anyway, just to make sure that your winsock is not corrupted you

try to do this:
plug in your xp cd, then go to \SUPPORT\TOOLS\ click on SUPPORT.CAB, then extract netdiag.exe put on c:\ directory
if don't have the xp cd download netdiag at microsoft website..

then go command prompt: start->run->type cmd then enter
go to c:\ or which directory you put the netdiag.exe
then type this command: netdiag /test:winsock if everything is okay it should display "PASS"
post back the result..

Member Avatar for traveler309

I'm sorry it's been awhile...I was just too frustrated to deal with the computer anymore. I tried your advice from below. I downloaded netdiag from the microsoft site and put it on the machine but I couldn't get it to run. I followed your directions (and the directions from the microsoft site) exactly I have tried so many things and I am ready to give up. I am planning to reinstall the operating system on to my computer tomorrow. I just want you to know how much I appreciated all of your suggestions and help!!!! Thank you. :)

Member Avatar for Winnson

I just had this problem. It was because a DNS changer was removed. Here are the excellent instructions I received to get back online:
* Go to Start -> Control Panel ->Network Connections.
* Right click your default connection, usually Local Area Connection or Dial-up Connection, if you are using Dial-up, and left click on Properties.
* Double-click on the Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) item and select the radio button that says Obtain DNS servers automatically. Click OK twice.
* Go to Start -> Run, enter CMD and click OK.
* At the Dos Prompt Screen, type in cd\ and then press ENTER.
* Now type in ipconfig /flushdns and then press ENTER. (notice the space after ipconfig)
* Close the command prompt window.
* Reboot your PC and try to open any website.

Hope that works for you to get back online!

Member Avatar for patelrg

If your dns is reset, make sure that your lan card is working and has the correct driver. Once that is done, go to your network connections and assign it an ip and subnet and such manually. See if that helps.

Be a part of the DaniWeb community

We're a friendly, industry-focused community of developers, IT pros, digital marketers, and technology enthusiasts meeting, networking, learning, and sharing knowledge.