Member Avatar for Paddy

I'm at the end of my goddamn tether here. I installed Windows last week, and not long after installing it my network started giving me an error about my Windows Managment Instrumenation being corrupted, which crippled the network preventing me from getting online and preventing my client computer from connecting to me (although my client computer usually can't connect to me anyway...goddamn ICS...). So, I re-installed the %$%*& thing, and again, I got that error. So, I installed it for the third time (in 2 days!), and everything seemed to be fine, until now. That %&*$ error again!

I'm not interested in "fixing" this problem, I want to know WHY the hell it happens in the first place, because it's driving me to suicide! The error message suggests using system restore - I don't use system restore, so that's not an option. Microsoft says I should do a repair install of Windows, which is out of the question also, because I've installed it a billion friggin times and although it does fix it, it just corrupts again eventually. What the hell is causing this? How do I STOP it rather than fix it?

Here's my specs:

Windows XP Pro SP1
Realtek RTL8139 Family PCI Fast Ethernet NIC (Network Card)
BT Voyager 100 ADSL Modem
Norton Internet Security/Anti-Virus 2005
One client computer connecing to me, using Windows XP Home
The Windows Firewall is off on both computers, but it's a rare occasion that we can actually share eachother's files.

I'm using ICS, and I read in another thread that a router would bypass all of this trouble. Is that true, and if so, which one should I buy? I browsed the net and they all look the same to me lol...I don't know much about this sort of thing. Also, if a router would bypass all of the heartache of using the standard ICS, would it also prevent this WMI error from occuring? I'm willing to sell my one of my livers to pay for it, as long as it means I don't have to put up with this crap.

All I want is a goddamn system that WORKS! Is that so much to ask?!?!? *weeps*

Thanks for your time.

P.S. With regards to the router, I should point out that the only two things I need are (1.) The ability to share files with my client computer, and (2.) the ability to share my internet connection with my client computer. That's it :)

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Dani AI

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Good call by about protecting a fresh install, and useful detail from about your setup (XP SP1, Realtek RTL8139, BT Voyager 100, Norton Internet Security 2005, ICS). Persistent WMI corruption usually has an underlying trigger rather than Windows "being flaky": common causes are third-party WMI providers (security suites, monitoring tools), buggy network/NIC drivers, disk corruption, malware, or repeated service/driver conflicts created by ICS. A hardware NAT router will remove the need for ICS (so it will avoid any ICS-specific problems), but it will not magically stop WMI corruption caused by other software on the machine.

Practical diagnostics to isolate the cause:

  • Inspect Event Viewer (Application and System) for WinMgmt/WMI errors and note error codes/timestamps. Those codes point to the provider or DLL involved.
  • Do a clean boot (Start -> Run -> msconfig, hide Microsoft services, disable the rest; disable startup items) and run long enough to see whether WMI breaks again. If it stays stable, re-enable groups of services to find the culprit.
  • Temporarily uninstall or fully disable Norton/NIS and any monitoring/management utilities to test if they trigger corruption.
  • Check disk and system file integrity:
sfc /scannow
chkdsk c: /f /r

Also update the Realtek NIC driver; older RTL8139 drivers have caused odd network-related service troubles in the past.

About routers: get a simple hardware NAT router with DHCP and PPPoE support (or use your Voyager in bridge mode if it supports it). Any reputable consumer brand (Linksys/Netgear/D-Link) with SPI firewall and NAT will remove ICS from your network path and make network sharing simpler and more reliable. If, after switching to a router, WMI still corrupts, the root cause is local software or disk/driver problems and should be hunted with the clean-boot / Event Viewer approach. Prioritize collecting Event Viewer entries and testing without Norton before doing repeated reinstalls.

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Member Avatar for Coconut Monkey

I have to wonder - when reinstalling Windows, do you install the original version with no service packs slipstreamed in? After installation, do you connect to the internet before applying any updates, service packs or firewalls? An original, freshly installed copy of Windows XP connected to the internet is extremely vulnerable to all kinds of viruses, worms, hacks and malicious users. Make sure you're protected before establishing any kind of connection to the outside world!

In regards to your WMI corruptions issues, it appears there are some fixes you can try without having to reinstall Windows. Try the below links for guides:
http://msdn.microsoft.com/library/default.asp?url=/library/en-us/wmisdk/wmi/reinstalling_wmi.asp

Alternatively, flick through this Google search.

Member Avatar for Paddy

Thanks for replying :)

I always install Windows XP Pro with SP1 slipstreamed into it, and thanks to previous bad experiences I install a firewall and anti-virus as soon as the Windows installation is complete hehehe.

I wish I had been more patient and waited for a reply, because I ended up just installing Windows again for a fifth time in one week haha. But the link you gave me seems to be right on the money. I've bookmarked it for future reference haha.

Thanks again ;)

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