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Home Network crashed

shermans
Pro
Posts: 1,303
Thanks: 101
Fixes: 3
Registered: ‎07-09-2007

Home Network crashed

My laptop suddenly lost its sound driver for no apparant reason - except that I had just done about 10 automated Windows Updates - to be honest, I suspect th updates were not innocent.  After much struggling, I RESTOREd my settings to an earlier date bt cold only do so using Safe Mode.  However, all seemed to be Ok and the sound was restored.  I am using Windows XP.
However, I then discovered that I had lost access to my home network - I use WiFi.  I can access the wireless router ok and I can also access the internet, but I cannot connect to my desktop computer through my home network, no matter what I try.  In the old days with Windows 98, you could manually configure the network and were in contrl, but with XP, it is a nightmare   cannot find my way around anything any more !
To make matters worse, whenever I try to do anything with the network, it hangs for ever and then times out.  Even if I ask it to look at the Entire Network, it takes forever to respond.  Then it finds my home network but clicking on it causes it to hang again.  So I can never see my desktop computer any more.  Trying to see the laptop from the desktop gives the same result.
I should add that I can ping my WiFi router without problem, but I cannot ping my desktop.
What I would like to do is to start from scratch.  How can I remove all network conections and then create a new home network again from scratch ?  I am completely bewildered.  Can anyone advise how to do this ?  Because XP seems to always require Wizards, there is no longer any control  and every time I try to do something, nothing seems to work.
Thanks.
4 REPLIES 4
ReedRichards
Seasoned Pro
Posts: 4,927
Thanks: 145
Fixes: 25
Registered: ‎14-07-2009

Re: Home Network crashed

If you had to go to Safe Mode to get System Restore to work then you are probably using security software that blocks System Restore.  Norton Internet Security does this, as does Kaspersky Internet Security; they claim it is a self defence mechanism.  The chances are the same Internet Security software is also messing up your network by applying a firewall where you don't need one.   
shermans
Pro
Posts: 1,303
Thanks: 101
Fixes: 3
Registered: ‎07-09-2007

Re: Home Network crashed

That is far too obvious a solution !  Why would I want to think of that ?  Only of course it worked.  Zone Alarm was indeed the culprit !  Crazy
I feel so embarrassed about this because I should have thought of that !  In fact, it should have been the first thing I thought of.  For some reason, Zone Alarm had also been corrupted and the home network had been removed from its allowable settings.  As soon as I terminated Zone Alarm, everything was back to normal.
Thank you so much,ReedRichards, I owe you.  I think it confirms what I said before.  In the old days of W98 when I was in control, there was more discipline and process, and I would have disabled Zone Alarm as a matter of course.  But with XP, so much is automated that I lose my way and gave up the struggle !
Again thanks for pointing out the b------g obvious. Embarrassed  I really am most grateful.
ReedRichards
Seasoned Pro
Posts: 4,927
Thanks: 145
Fixes: 25
Registered: ‎14-07-2009

Re: Home Network crashed

I'm really glad I was able to point you in the right direction.  One day you'll have a computer running Windows 7 and you'll look back nostalgically to the simplicity and controllability of Windows XP.  But don't even get me started on ZoneAlarm...!!!
severedsolo
Grafter
Posts: 97
Registered: ‎09-03-2010

Re: Home Network crashed

Zone Alarm has been broken recently, I have been using it for years, but the latest iteration had a habit of completely borking my Win 7's File system once a week, so it has been relegated to the "so long and thanks for all the fish" category of software