If you run into problems that may include, being unable to browse the internet or “Page cannot be displayed” errors in Internet Explorer or Mozilla FireFox the problem could be a corrupted TCP/IP stack or Winsock. This can be caused by a number of different things, installation of networking software, virus, Trojan or malware infection or by disinfection of spyware or security software.

Windows Vista has a command line command that can reset the Winsock Catalog to a “clean” state or a default configuration. When the command is executed it removes all of the Winsock LSPs (Layered Service Providers) that have been installed, which should include the LSP that has the problem or infection.

Note: That resetting the Winsock using “netsh winsock reset” removes all the third-party LSPs and restores Winsock to factory default setting. Existing programs that uses their own LSPs, need to be reinstalled again. Example… Google Desktop Search. This command does not affect Winsock Name Space Providers entries. Also to check which LSPs have been installed on your system, use the “netsh winsock show catalog” command.

To execute this command:

1. 1. Click on the Start Button.

2. 2. Type “CMD” in the Start Search box.

    3. Press the “Ctrl-Shift-Enter” to run the Command Prompt as Administrator.

4. 4. Allow the elevation request.

5. 5. Type “netsh winsock reset” at the Command Prompt and press “Enter”.

6  6. Restart the computer.

This command is also available in Windows XP SP2.

Use ReadyBoost to extend RAM - I have read a number of different articles about this subject. The system I tried it on is a 1.8 Centrino Duo with 1 Gig of ram, I ran NovaBench 2 both before and after turning on Ready boost with the results showing better performance without it installed. I ran the test with two different 2 gig USB sticks, 1. Kingston DataTraveler 100 and (probably not HiSpeed) 2. with a MobileMate SD+ Memory Card Reader with a SanDisk 2.0 GB card (speed unknown). Finding the statics on the speed of these sticks are questionable at best and I’m working on this as I receive this info I will edit this post. This feature can be turned on by inserting the USB Flash Drive into the USB port and then finding the drive in My Computer, right click on it, select properties, click on the tab for ReadyBoost and turn it on. I would be interested to have a comment or two on this subject if any one out there has different results.

Disable UAC (User Account Control) Or as I call it “Are you Sure”, One of the first settings I went looking to change was the popup windows that keeps asking to confirm that you want an operation to be executed (anything that effects the system configuration). Of course I do! That’s why I click on it! This is the “User Account Control“, it is found in the Control Panel under user accounts and can be turned on or off. Of course after turning it off I noticed that I get an occasional warning from the “SysTray” that it is turned off.

In Windows networking the IP stack (Winsock) can become corrupt, this will cause the network (and internet) connections to fail. If you encounter connection problems after removing network related software, Adware or after registry clean-up; and all other ways fail, then give WinSock XP Fix a try, it can be downloaded from many places on the internet (a google search will bring them up) or at http://www.snapfiles.com/get/winsockxpfix.html and just follow the directions.

Microsoft’s web site http://support.microsoft.com/kb/811259 also list the way to test and fix this error.

I have resisted running Windows Vista for long enough, I tried it as a beta and never moved to it. My new laptop has Windows Vista installed and I will leave it installed. In this Area I will list Tips and Tweaks for Vista as I find them.

The first thing I ran into was a DHCP Client Service that would not start with the following error.

Error 1079: The account specified for this service is different from the account specified for other services running in the same process.

The Laptop I was working on was not able to join a network, wired or wireless. The tech support for the cable company and the laptop manufacturer had already tried to fix it with the owner over the phone and were unable. After looking around a little and cleaning up some of the connections left over from their troubleshooting I noticed that when I did a “ipconfig /all” from the command prompt the IP address was an APIPA address 169.254.xxx.xxx, so I check the DHCP Client service. DHCP Client service was not running, and when I attempted to start it I received the “Error:1079″ listed above. Next I “Googled” the Error code and found a couple of sites that had a fix:

To resolve the problem, try these steps:

Type Services.msc in Start, Run dialog

Locate and double-click the Remote Registry service from the list Click the Log On tab

In the account text box, type in NT AUTHORITY\LocalService

Set both the Password fields blank

Click Apply, OK

(The service now uses LocalService account, rather than LocalSystem account)
Restart Windows and set the Remote Registry service to Automatic or Manual, and then start the service.

So I followed these instructions and still no help, searched more on the internet and still could find no other reference to this problem. Went back to the machine because I knew the problem was the DHCP Service and I had to make it run to fix the problem. I looked at all the dependencies, checked them and then looked at the processes running from the Task Manager, still no help. Following the example above I set the account to “Network Service”, tried to start the service, still failed, set it back to “LocalService” and the service started right up. Basically it needed to be turned off (settings change) and then turned back on. No further problems. — Tim