O.T. Can't logon to the Internet:

wrote in message ...
I tried using the link given and to use the 'Fix It'
and troubleshooting links to get auto updates started.
I even changed it manually and it did start to update
a couple of files then stopped.

This sounds like normal behavior for Automatic Updates. The system
installs a set of updates, then prompts or waits for a reboot and the
process is repeated.

It will not update SP1,SP2, or SP3 and each time I try
it gives the same screen with "Windows does not start
in Windows XP, Windows Server, 2003 or Windows
2000" message.

Please repost with what you are doing or trying to do when this
message appears.

I was able to update my IE5 to IE7 but when I tried
to update it to IE8 it gave me this message: the
procedure entry point SHRegGetValueW could not
be located in the dynamic link library SHLWAPI.dll

I suggest you wait until you get to SP2 or SP3 for this.

The device manager now only shows two yellow
question marks.

- ? Other devices
--? Multimedica Audio Controller

"Other devices" is something that Windows can't identify, possibly a PCI
bridge or controller. See http://support.microsoft.com/kb/314464

As I said, Once I get speakers I believe these will
disappear.

If there are no sounds, go to "Control Panel", "Sounds and Audio devices", click
"Advanced" in the "Device Volume" box and make sure the volume and muting
controls are set properly.

Thoughts/Suggestions on how I can get it to automatically
update and install the service paks?

If restarting the computer doesn't initiate a new update, try downloading
and running the stand-alone updater.

http://download.windowsupdate.com/v6...gent20-x86.exe

Ben

I want to thank everyone for their time and effort in helping
me trying to resolve this problem. I really appreciate it.

In my last message, I was having trouble loading the service
paks. I tried it again but this time I clicked save then opened
it instead of clicking open and it made all the difference in the
world. Everything started downloading and installed fine including
SP3 and 61 updates afterward! They all installed with no problem
but it did take awhile.

I have the computer set up for automatic updates but when I
manually checked for any it seemed it was taking a long time
about it so I canceled it. It should come right up within a
reasonable amount of time (1-2 minutes). In any case if I
needed updates it would let me know, correct?

I also installed Avast and Spywareblaster

If I come across any problems I'll start a new post.

p.s. should I go ahead and install the utility disks(below)anyway?

Drivers and Utilities
Dell Dimension Resource CD for reinstalling Device Drivers and using Diagnostics, Utilities, and Online Documentation

Drivers and Utilities
For Reinstalling V.92 (Capable) 56K Telephony
Data/Fax/Voice Modem Software
for Microsoft Windows


Thanks again,
Robert

wrote:
I want to thank everyone for their time and effort in helping
me trying to resolve this problem. I really appreciate it.

In my last message, I was having trouble loading the service
paks. I tried it again but this time I clicked save then opened
it instead of clicking open and it made all the difference in the
world. Everything started downloading and installed fine including
SP3 and 61 updates afterward! They all installed with no problem
but it did take awhile.

I have the computer set up for automatic updates but when I
manually checked for any it seemed it was taking a long time
about it so I canceled it. It should come right up within a
reasonable amount of time (1-2 minutes). In any case if I
needed updates it would let me know, correct?

I also installed Avast and Spywareblaster

If I come across any problems I'll start a new post.

p.s. should I go ahead and install the utility disks(below)anyway?

Drivers and Utilities
Dell Dimension Resource CD for reinstalling Device Drivers and using Diagnostics, Utilities, and Online Documentation

Drivers and Utilities
For Reinstalling V.92 (Capable) 56K Telephony
Data/Fax/Voice Modem Software
for Microsoft Windows


Thanks again,
Robert


You still have to review your Device Manager
(Start : Run : devmgmt.msc) results, to know
whether any additional work is required. Is
your Device Manager clean ? Are the yellow marks gone ?
Is your audio installed ?

The slow Windows Update, is a known bug. We all were
affected by it, within the last month or two or three.
The bug has to do with Window Update checking the
dependencies with respect to Internet Explorer updates.
Internet Explorer has had a large number of updates,
and the poorly written dependency software "goes off
in the woods" for awhile, pondering the problem.

Once you install KB2888505, it should be fixed for
a short while, until the next Windows Update comes along.
As far as I know, it's not a fix within KB2888505 that
speeds up the Windows Update, it's the fact that the
installation of yet another Internet Explorer patch,
changes the dependency tree, and Windows Update
has the balance tipped in its favor. So it's a side effect
of installing that one, that Windows Update responds
faster.

The following two links give you a choice. Without
visiting Windows Update, you can install KB2888505, for
either Internet Explorer 6 or for Internet Explorer 8.
If you haven't installed IE8 as part of your installation
procedure, then perhaps the first download will work. The
second download is for if you have IE8 installed. WinXP,
out of the box, comes with IE6 (at least my SP3 did).
As usual with software, there will be an "about:" box
somewhere on IE, to tell you what version it is.

You don't have to get these this way. You can go to Windows
Update, wait the 30 minutes or so it takes the bug in
Windows Update to finish, then the Windows Update screen will
appear. You can check the Windows Update history, on the left,
or look in the current suggested security updates, for KB2888505.
So you can do this one, without fooling around, but you'll have
to be patient for Windows Update to appear.

*******
Use this, if you're running IE6.

"Cumulative Security Update for Internet Explorer for Windows XP (KB2888505)
This update applies to Internet Explorer 6 with the following operating systems:
* Windows XP SP3"

http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/downl....aspx?id=41064

*******
Use this, if you're running IE8.

Cumulative Security Update for Internet Explorer 8 for Windows XP (KB2888505)
This update applies to Internet Explorer 8 with the following operating systems:
* Windows XP SP3

http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/downl....aspx?id=41074

*******

You can also have a bug, where you see the network interface start
slowly, when WinXP starts. That can be fixed using

ngen.exe executequeueditems

and the problem arises any time a .NET security update
is installed. It would then depend, on exactly how many
..NET layers you'd installed (2.0, 3.0, 3.5, 4.0 and so on).
You don't absolutely need .NET when starting out with a
fresh copy of WinXP. But some program installers will
insist on installing them, and like a disease, you'll be
maintaining those just like you have to install Java updates
all the time, or Adobe Flash updates. Just a nuisance.

So don't worry about that one right now. But if you
notice it takes a minute or two for your network to
start, and the network icon to change states in the bar
at the bottom, that's the kind of command to use to
flush the "recompiling" of .NET assemblies. The .NET
assemblies are pre-compiled, in order to speed up
their loading, which isn't absolutely necessary. The
software also understands how to do that at runtime,
so the pre-compiling will happen in any case. The
above command says "hurry up and finish dammit", so
that your networking on WinXP will start right away
after boot up.

Paul

Your right of course. The device manager
still shows two yellow question marks.

- ? Other devices
--? Multimedica Audio Controller


I think they will go away when I get speakers.

Thanks for links and explaining why it takes
Windows Updates so long, whew.

Robert

On Sat, 7 Dec 2013 23:09:56 -0800 (PST), wrote:



Your right of course. The device manager
still shows two yellow question marks.

- ? Other devices
--? Multimedica Audio Controller


I think they will go away when I get speakers.

FWiw, you can probably come close to verifying this by ContolPanel
Sound and audio devices Volume tab Speaker Settings, Advanced
Speaker Setup, and setting that to No speakers.

Then it won't expect fo find speakers.

If the yellow doesn't go away you could set that value to headphones
and plug in headphones if you have any. It's possible you have a
problem with the controller and this way you can start working on it
now.

I have run without speakers, and I don't remember getting a yellow,
but maybe I never looked and so ihat means nothng.

Thanks for links and explaining why it takes
Windows Updates so long, whew.

Robert

micky wrote:
On Sat, 7 Dec 2013 23:09:56 -0800 (PST), wrote:


Your right of course. The device manager
still shows two yellow question marks.

- ? Other devices
--? Multimedica Audio Controller


I think they will go away when I get speakers.

FWiw, you can probably come close to verifying this by ContolPanel
Sound and audio devices Volume tab Speaker Settings, Advanced
Speaker Setup, and setting that to No speakers.

Then it won't expect fo find speakers.

If the yellow doesn't go away you could set that value to headphones
and plug in headphones if you have any. It's possible you have a
problem with the controller and this way you can start working on it
now.

I have run without speakers, and I don't remember getting a yellow,
but maybe I never looked and so ihat means nothng.
Thanks for links and explaining why it takes
Windows Updates so long, whew.

Robert


But the audio entry should be "clean" and "no yellow marks",
even if no speakers are connected to Line Out jack.

The state of the driver, is not a function of the external
cabling. Some of the hardware has "jack sense", and it can
tell when something is plugged in. But that comes later,
after a valid driver is installed, and loaded by the OS.

The idea is, your IT guy, if setting up your computer,
installs the driver from day one, so that the computer is
immediately ready for audio.

Also, if the computer has no valid audio subsystem, it'll use
the case speaker to "beep" for any Windows notifications. Which
can be annoying. Once at least one audio driver is installed,
the notifications can be redirected to that audio output.
Even if no speakers are connected to it.

Robert should have a look at how many sets of audio jacks
are on the back of the computer, to determine how many audio
drivers would be required to make "everything clean". Motherboards
have audio in the I/O plate area. Anywhere from 3 jacks to 6 jacks.
in a 1x3 or 2x3 (dual) stack. But when the computer is ordered,
the user can also order Soundblaster PCI as an option, which would
be a second set of drivers. Then, you'd see a stack of 1x4 jacks
for audio, on a PCI card faceplate. Some of the Soundblaster OEM
cards, come with four jacks on the faceplate. More expensive cards
have more jacks (and channels).

This is an example of a typical Soundblaster OEM, that
gets bundled with computers.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16829102003

The more expensive ones, come with more jacks. The spacing
here is pretty tight.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16829102054

Paul

I have (5) jacks,

black, green, blue, pink, yellow

If memory serves, I used the black and green for my
speakers.


After installing the update it then proceeded to
install IE8 and over 160+ following updates
(I lost count).

Understood,

I checked and still shows two yellow question marks.

- ? Other devices
--? Multimedica Audio Controller


Should I install the utility disks(below)anyway?

1. Drivers and Utilities
Dell Dimension Resource CD for reinstalling Device Drivers and using Diagnostics, Utilities, and Online Documentation

2. Drivers and Utilities
For Reinstalling V.92 (Capable) 56K Telephony
Data/Fax/Voice Modem Software
for Microsoft Windows

Thoughts/Suggestions?

Thanks,
Robert

wrote:

I have (5) jacks,

black, green, blue, pink, yellow

If memory serves, I used the black and green for my
speakers.


After installing the update it then proceeded to
install IE8 and over 160+ following updates
(I lost count).

Understood,

I checked and still shows two yellow question marks.

- ? Other devices
--? Multimedica Audio Controller


Should I install the utility disks(below)anyway?

1. Drivers and Utilities
Dell Dimension Resource CD for reinstalling Device Drivers and using Diagnostics, Utilities, and Online Documentation

2. Drivers and Utilities
For Reinstalling V.92 (Capable) 56K Telephony
Data/Fax/Voice Modem Software
for Microsoft Windows

Thoughts/Suggestions?

Thanks,
Robert

I don't know what is on the Resource CD, but what
I would hope to find is:

1) Setup.exe runs.
2) A menu appears, offering options.
3) You navigate to the audio driver option.
And select a driver that corresponds to your audio.

You don't really want to install all the drivers.
The ability to install a single audio driver would be
nice.

*******

One picture of a Dimension 8200 I can find, shows a 1 by 3 stack
in the I/O plate area. That doesn't match your description,
so I'm thinking the sound comes from a PCI sound card.

Let's hope this card is purchased from Dell, and the driver
is on the Resource CD.

Maybe it looks like this ?

http://cdn1.bigcommerce.com/server42....1280.1280.jpg

The Dell website, has a driver here. But it's dated
4/5/2002. It can't be much newer than the one you've
got on the Resource CD.

"Creative Labs Sound Blaster Live! 512V,
v. SBLV-DLPAT-1-LA, A03
Patch resolves DEVLDR32 problem when in multi user mode in WinXP."

ftp://ftp.dell.com/audio/R37379.EXE

Paul

Would the safest thing for him to do, Paul, be to just go into Control
Panel, and select System, Hardware, Device Manager, and then go to the
yellow exclamation point item, and right click on it and find the option
there (and only there) to install an updated driver - and then insert his
CD? Rather than just inserting the CD and trying to install everything?
Just wondering....

BTW, pink is the microphone input, and blue is the line input, at least as I
recall. (I don't know what the yellow is for, and am too lazy to google it
(he can do that :-)

Paul wrote:
wrote:

I have (5) jacks,

black, green, blue, pink, yellow

If memory serves, I used the black and green for my
speakers.


After installing the update it then proceeded to
install IE8 and over 160+ following updates
(I lost count).

Understood,

I checked and still shows two yellow question marks.

- ? Other devices
--? Multimedica Audio Controller


Should I install the utility disks(below)anyway?

1. Drivers and Utilities
Dell Dimension Resource CD for reinstalling Device Drivers and using
Diagnostics, Utilities, and Online Documentation 2. Drivers and Utilities
For Reinstalling V.92 (Capable) 56K Telephony
Data/Fax/Voice Modem Software
for Microsoft Windows

Thoughts/Suggestions?

Thanks,
Robert

I don't know what is on the Resource CD, but what
I would hope to find is:

1) Setup.exe runs.
2) A menu appears, offering options.
3) You navigate to the audio driver option.
And select a driver that corresponds to your audio.

You don't really want to install all the drivers.
The ability to install a single audio driver would be
nice.

*******

One picture of a Dimension 8200 I can find, shows a 1 by 3 stack
in the I/O plate area. That doesn't match your description,
so I'm thinking the sound comes from a PCI sound card.

Let's hope this card is purchased from Dell, and the driver
is on the Resource CD.

Maybe it looks like this ?

http://cdn1.bigcommerce.com/server42....1280.1280.jpg

The Dell website, has a driver here. But it's dated
4/5/2002. It can't be much newer than the one you've
got on the Resource CD.

"Creative Labs Sound Blaster Live! 512V,
v. SBLV-DLPAT-1-LA, A03
Patch resolves DEVLDR32 problem when in multi user mode in WinXP."

ftp://ftp.dell.com/audio/R37379.EXE

Paul

Bill in Co wrote:
Would the safest thing for him to do, Paul, be to just go into Control
Panel, and select System, Hardware, Device Manager, and then go to the
yellow exclamation point item, and right click on it and find the option
there (and only there) to install an updated driver - and then insert his
CD? Rather than just inserting the CD and trying to install everything?
Just wondering....

BTW, pink is the microphone input, and blue is the line input, at least as I
recall. (I don't know what the yellow is for, and am too lazy to google it
(he can do that :-)


Actually, there is another way, but he won't use it.

This is a tip someone else posted here for me, since I was
having trouble finding a good way to list devices needing drivers.

*******

This is a demo from Windows 8, which has the same msinfo32.exe program.
You run the msinfo32 program, to get some info. Picture here, in
the muted colors of Windows 8. The WinXP version looks slightly better.

http://oi39.tinypic.com/2i7muwy.jpg

( http://i39.tinypic.com/2i7muwy.gif )

The "Components : Problem Devices" gives me

PCI\VEN_109E&DEV_0878

as one of the entries. (You will have zero entries
showing, if your Device Manager is clean.)

Consulting this file, gives...

http://pciids.sourceforge.net/pci.ids

109e Brooktree Corporation
0878 Bt878 Audio Capture

And, that's an example of getting brand info for
an audio device, for which the driver is missing.
My Windows 8.1 Preview gave me that example case.

So the "Components : Problem Devices" is where I'd
go for some "hints" for what site I should be
visiting for drivers. That particular one in my example
is hard to solve, which is why it remains broken on my
Windows 8.

Years ago, that same piece of hardware sat in my
Macintosh (even though it's a Windows card). I ended
up using some kind of Peek and Poke commands in some
environment there, to load some registers on the card.
And, I actually got to watch TV that way. Just the one
time was enough to prove it works. A guy in a Mac
forum wrote a driver, but didn't waste the time putting
in the 39 different configuration files for the card.
(That's how many flavors of popular 878 cards are out
there. There would be more of them by now, way more.)
Since the config for that card was not loaded in the
driver, I had to peek and poke stuff at the appropriate
PCI bus offset, and it magically started to work.

So that card has been a thorn in my side for years :-)
And there is sits in Windows 8, doing its usual broken thing.

The PCI Parallel port in that tinypic picture, is a
separate PCI Express card I added, that has a parallel
port on it. It doesn't have a driver either. Yet.
No rush though.

Paul

I haven't tried the Resource CD as yet since this is the
first time I'm reading your reply.

The 8200 is now caught up with updates but it now has another issue.

When it logs on it doesn't automatically logon to the Internet like
it formerly did. Instead it tells me that my computer is at risk and
when I check, the firewall is off but then comes back on, on its own
and the computer connects to the Internet.

It still shows the two remaining question marks.

- ? Other devices
--? Multimedica Audio Controller


Robert

wrote:
I haven't tried the Resource CD as yet since this is the
first time I'm reading your reply.

The 8200 is now caught up with updates but it now has another issue.

When it logs on it doesn't automatically logon to the Internet like
it formerly did. Instead it tells me that my computer is at risk and
when I check, the firewall is off but then comes back on, on its own
and the computer connects to the Internet.

Easy to fix.

I put the info in a previous post.

The network delay is caused by a .NET library update.
The same problem will happen each time you do a .NET library
update in Windows Update. Make a note of this solution in
a text file somewhere, so you can repeat it the next time
it happens. It will happen again. I've fixed this
twice already.

To fix the problem (60 second network delay at startup),
you will need to use the search. Search your C: drive for
copies of "ngen.exe". When the search came back, these
were my two copies.

C:\WINDOWS\Microsoft.NET\Framework\v2.0.50727\ngen .exe
C:\WINDOWS\Microsoft.NET\Framework\v4.0.30319\ngen .exe

I open a Command Prompt window, and paste this into it.
The reason I have to use the entire path of the executable,
is because ngen.exe is not in the normal execution path.
So I have to give the entire name for it to work.

C:\WINDOWS\Microsoft.NET\Framework\v4.0.30319\ngen .exe executequeueditems

After it has run, I see this printed in the Command Prompt window.
This could take as long as ten minutes, before the message appears.
You should see the disk light flash, as .NET assemblies are
pre-compiled.

"All compilation targets are up to date."

You may have different "ngen.exe" programs than me, and I
just picked the "highest" one and ran it.

Other OSes, seem to have the correct logic to do this
for themselves. For some reason, the above line is not
automatically emitted for the repair of WinXP. So we as
users have to do it.


It still shows the two remaining question marks.

- ? Other devices
--? Multimedica Audio Controller


Robert


Try your Resource CD.

You need to install an audio driver, for the device in question.
It's likely to be a PCI sound card.

Or if you use the "msinfo32" thing I posted, you can track
down the correct driver from the Dell FTP site. Based on
identifying whether the PCI card is a Soundblaster or a
Turtle Beach card, or whatever.

Paul

Sorry Paul, I must not have caught that message. Please
bear in mind I've been staring at this computer for many
hours trying to work with it.

For whatever reason(Network delay)? the 8200 went back to
logging on normally with the Internet automatically signing
on and no warning that my computer was at risk or the firewall
turned off.

I used the Resource CD to install (2) updates that it said my computer
needed when I loaded the disk. There were more options that I could
have loaded but I wasn't sure about them so I played it safe and only
loaded the two that pop-ed up when I opened the CD program.

I checked afterwards and the (2) question marks are still there.

Robert

wrote:

Sorry Paul, I must not have caught that message. Please
bear in mind I've been staring at this computer for many
hours trying to work with it.

For whatever reason(Network delay)? the 8200 went back to
logging on normally with the Internet automatically signing
on and no warning that my computer was at risk or the firewall
turned off.

I used the Resource CD to install (2) updates that it said my computer
needed when I loaded the disk. There were more options that I could
have loaded but I wasn't sure about them so I played it safe and only
loaded the two that pop-ed up when I opened the CD program.

I checked afterwards and the (2) question marks are still there.

Robert

Two choices.

1. Use msinfo32.exe to get some information about
the device in question.

I tried to post a picture here, but it's pretty hard
to give you a link without some distracting advertising on it.
This shows you what to look for.

http://oi39.tinypic.com/1z4joxt.jpg

( http://i39.tinypic.com/1z4joxt.gif )

You can use Start : Run : msinfo32.exe
to run the program and get the information.

*******

2. Or take the side off the computer and
look at the PCI card.

Paul

Referencing the msinfo32.exe you said, "that there was a way but he won't use it". I took that to mean that you thought it too difficult for me to attempt. So I didn't.

In any case, the 8200 now logs on normally and the Internet automatically signs on as it should. Also, I found my Santa Cruz - Turtle Beach CD with the Audio controller.

I installed it into the 8200 and checked the device manager afterward and it's clean!! There's only one last thing. I seem to remember seeing that the system restore was set to max. Should it be that high or should I lower it?

Anything else?

Otherwise, I want to thank everyone that has been patient with me and has helped fix my computer. I really appreciate all your good advice and taking the time to explain things.

Thanks,
Robert