Internet Explorer 6 / RPC HAX issues

Zaphod B

For a couple of weeks now my IE has refused to open new windows until I stop and refresh them. If it's a normal window even the URL refuses to show up, and new flash windows, quicktime etc, also refuse to open.

Today I'm trying to download Windows Updates. Now the server seems to be totally overloaded; I'm talking about the entire civilised world trying to update their windows at exactly the same moment in time. Because each click on a link resulted in a 5-minute status bar crawl or Not Responding-ish freeze. Finally I get to see a update. It's 1.5mb. It takes 10 minutes for the download window to appear. I then wait 10 minutes, while typing this, while absolutely no progress at all is made. Not one blip on the download status bars. Eventually, not thinking, I tab the Escape key to do the stop-and-refresh thing I do when I get the window-not-opening problem, forgetting that this is a download window. It promptly closes. I go back to the Windows Update page and click the Install Now button again. Nothing happens. Not for 5 minutes. Not for 10. Nothing.... at all... happens.

SO... as I said the site and server could both be completely and utterly fvcked... or more likely its this problem I'm having with IE. Any ideas? Thx in advance.

Edit: I quit the window and tried the whole thing all over again. This time no delays in searching for updates and generally navigating the Windows Update site. It works more or less fine... until I get to the download again. If it's DLing anything at all then it's certainly not showing it.
Edit: I deleted MsBlast.exe, listed as Windows Update, in the Reg after deleting the MsBlast file elsewhere and DLing/applying the fix for the RPC exploit yesterday. Was the RPC exploit also set up to screw up my ability to download updates? I haven't seen references to this but I guess it's a possibility.

ando

you could try a different browser like opera or netscape, just so as to narrow the problem down to IE

Zaphod B

Just downloaded Opera, it seems to let me open new Windows so that must be a IE-only issue. Apparently Opera doesn't like the Windows Update site either though. Windows Update in Opera comes up in all the wrong fonts (yeah, like MS are going to make their site compatible with someone else's browser :rolleyes: selfish money-grabbing bastids).
IE will scan for updates and tell me which ones I want (it just won't download any of them). Opera won't even do that, it just says "Checking for the latest version of the Windows Update software..." and remains on that forever...

But I was in IRC just now and some ppl were saying they'd just been downloading updates with no problem. I can only assume it's something on my computer, probably to do with the RPC exploit.

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Edit:

I'll be happy to ignore the problem of IE not opening new windows, for now at least, if thats not causing my Windows Update problem. Here is my main problem...

"Windows Update is downloading the updates to be installed on your computer. Please wait."
"Preparing to download..."

"Download Progress": No status bar, nothing happening.
"Download Time Remaining": No time listed.
"Install Progress": No status bar, nothing happening.

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ANOTHER EDIT :O :

I've just remembered that the RPC exploit which I thought I'd got rid of by using a fix and deleting the msblast.exe file and reg key, is linked to Windows Update. I deleted the reg key that was msblast.exe, and I assumed was only calling itself Windows Update. Of course, it probably was windows update I deleted.
Is there any way to get Windows Update working again? Help meh (

ando

are you sure you got rid of the thing?
Install a firewall (i use Tiny Firewall, its perfect for home use) and apply the fix again.. IN SAFE MODE this time, and if you can install anti virus software with upto date definitions (I use symantec NAV)

From symantec site:

The worm also attempts to perform a Denial of Service (DoS) on Windows Update.

Link to fix: http://securityresponse.symantec.com/avcenter/FixBlast.exe

boot to safe mode and apply it, also if you do have antivirus, delete any files in quaranteen

Zaphod B

Thx, I've tried running FixBlast again in safe mode, updated my McAfee, and I'm trying ZoneAlarm again (I used it before but the hassle of constantly trying to work out what I wanted to let in or not got to me in the end - I just have no sk1llz ). Windows Update still doesn't work though I'm pretty sure now that whatever the worm was doing to Windows Update, it took my ability to download updates with it when I deleted it and applied the fix

maxheadroom

Don't give up hope yet, I've found WU incredibly slow and unresponsive over the last few days, on a fresh install of WinXP PRO.

Its probably a combination of all the server side active scripting on the site with the world + dog trying to upgrade because of the publicity about the worm.

Have you tried automatic update?

Zaphod B

An auto-update popped up earlier today; seemed to install OK. You're probably right about the servers; luckily I'm off for a week now so that'll give the servers a chance to calm down. Plus I'll get a nice tan