RPC (remote procedure call) service unexpectedly terminated

[Ce Petrescu]

When I access the internet, Windows XP automatically shuts
down after an interval of time with the error 'RPC
service unexpectedly terminated'. The interval of time
is anywhere from a few seconds to a few minutes; because
of this I cannot get any of the updates for Windows XP.
Any suggestions what causes this and how it can be
fixed ? I searched Windows XP Support but could not find
any references to this error.

[Carey Frisch [MVP]]

What You Should Know About the Blaster Worm and Its Variants
http://www.microsoft.com/security/incident/blast.asp

Are you looking for info about the cause of "Remote Procedure Call (RPC)",
initiated by NT Authority\System error message that shuts down Windows
(you might also see svchost.exe error occasionally)?
http://www.faqs.org/rfcs/rfc1831.html

--
Carey Frisch
Microsoft MVP
Windows XP - Shell/User

-------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Ce Petrescu" > wrote in message:
...

| When I access the internet, Windows XP automatically shuts
| down after an interval of time with the error 'RPC
| service unexpectedly terminated'. The interval of time
| is anywhere from a few seconds to a few minutes; because
| of this I cannot get any of the updates for Windows XP.
| Any suggestions what causes this and how it can be
| fixed ? I searched Windows XP Support but could not find
| any references to this error.

[Ken Blake]

In ,
Ce Petrescu > typed:

> When I access the internet, Windows XP automatically shuts
> down after an interval of time with the error 'RPC
> service unexpectedly terminated'. The interval of time
> is anywhere from a few seconds to a few minutes; because
> of this I cannot get any of the updates for Windows XP.


You have the MSBlaster worm. To remove it, do the following:

The following instructions are in three parts

1. Stop it from running

2. Remove it from your system

3. Make sure it doesn't come back



Before beginning, if you have an always-on internet connection,
it's a good idea to disconnect it.



1. Stop it from running

Press Ctrl-Alt-Delete to bring up the Task Manager, then on the
Processes tab, click msblast.exe and then "End process." Reply
"Yes" to the warning message that comes up.

This stops the worm from running, so your system will not shut
down. However, it doesn't remove it, and if that's all you do, it
will start up again the next time you boot.


***

2. Remove it from your system

a. Start the registry editor program, regedit, by going to Start
| Run, and typing REGEDIT
Navigate to HKEY_Local_Machine\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Curr ent
Version\Run by clicking the plus signs next to each of the
folders in the left hand pane. When you get to the last of them,
Run, click the word Run itself.

Find an entry called "Windows Auto Update" on the right side.
Right-click it and delete it.

b. Do a Windows search for msblast, and delete all files found.

The worm is now gone, and won't start again the next time you
boot. But if that's all you do, you can get reinfected just as
you did the first time.

***


3. Make sure it doesn't come back

a. Make sure you're running a firewall that prevents worms like
this from getting in. You can enable the built-in Windows XP
firewall, or download and install another one such as the free
version of ZoneAlarm. To enable the built-in firewall, go to
Control Panel, double-click Networking and Internet Connections,
then click Network Connections. Right-click your connection, then
click Properties, and on the Advanced tab, click the option
"Protect my computer and network..."


b. If you've disconnected your internet connection, reconnect it.
Download and install the Microsoft patch at
http://download.microsoft.com/download/9/8/b/98bcfad8-afbc-458f-aaee-b7a52a983f01/WindowsXP-KB823980-x86-ENU.exe

That will remove the vulnerability that the worm exploits.


c. Be sure you are running an anti-virus program, and that you
regularly download the latest updated virus definitions.

--
Ken Blake - Microsoft MVP Windows: Shell/User
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