Hey all, I just helped a friend upgrade his (totally shot) Win98 box with Win2000 Pro, and during the install I opted to delete the existing partition and install a clean copy of the new OS in Fat32 format over whatever was there. All seemed fine in the install, except at one point at which it coughed up an error about SVCHOST.EXE and making a log file for the error, (this was during the install). We were able to continue and finish the install, but upon initial boot of the OS when we started to download the windows updates, it kept coughing this SVCHOST.EXE error, which basically leaves us having to restart over and over. I've tried to reinstall the OS twice now, but its still coming up with this error.
1) Any ideas what this is about?
Is "deleting the existing partition" the same thing as totally nuking the system clean? If so, what might cause this to keep hapenning.
2) Is there an advantage to reinstalling and formatting the drive to NTFS vs Fat32? Might that help/hurt us out?
Thanks!
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No other drives. just the one HD. He's a simple user. What are the differences between NTFS and Fat32? Before i go through another 45 minute to hour long process, do you know what may be causing this svchost.exe error on the suppose-to-be clean install, and if reformatting NTFS will do away with it?
Thanks!
Svchost.exe is a generic host process name for services that are run from dynamic-link libraries (DLLs). It starts services for hardware components also - you may have a W2K incompatible or bad device in your configuration. Svchost attempts to start it and keep on failing. Check the device manager to see if you are having any problem.
Right mouse click on My Computers, Properties, Hardware, Device Manager (be sure to click on show hidden devices) and look through the list for a device in error.
Before you go through another install boot to a clean DOS diskette, run FDISK /MBR to wipe out any possible boot sector virus. Do an install and look for the errorneous device or chip. You may want to look at the current system before you go through the process.
thanks Gnart, that sounds like the advise I definitely needed. As far as looking through the device manager, I'll do that first thing tomorrow.
Can you tell me how to boot to a DOS diskette and do the run FDISK /MBR ??? Is there someplace I can go on the web from my own computer to download a dos boot disk?
you totally rock, thanks!
www.bootdisk.com
You can download a dos boot disk there.... then from dos prompt, do:
a:> fdisk /mbr
Then delete the system partition (the one windows is installed on) on your hard drive.... save everything and then reboot to the win2k pro installation cd and during the install you will recreate the system partition... format the partition with NTFS.
If you have other partitions which are still FAT32, maybe that you are storing data on, you can convert that partition to NTFS after you install Windows by using the convert.exe tool from a command line.
C:\Documents and Settings\ratstud>convert /?
Converts FAT volumes to NTFS.
CONVERT volume /FS:NTFS [/V] [/CvtArea:filename] [/NoSecurity] [/X]
volume Specifies the drive letter (followed by a colon),
mount point, or volume name.
/FS:NTFS Specifies that the volume is to be converted to NTFS.
/V Specifies that Convert should be run in verbose mode.
/CvtArea:filename
Specifies a contiguous file in the root directory to be
the place holder for NTFS system files.
/NoSecurity Specifies the converted files and directories security
settings to be accessible by everyone.
/X Forces the volume to dismount first if necessary.
All opened handles to the volume would then be invalid.
Oh yeah... one last thing, partitions aren't partitions anymore... they're volumes... confused yet?
Were you plugged in to the Internet the whole time you were getting SVCHOST errors? Its a long shot but the blaster worm causes SVCHOST problems, see this extract from SOPHOS's website:
"Why am I getting errors associated with SVCHOST.EXE even if my computer is not infected with W32/Blaster-A?
If a vulnerable computer is probed by W32/Blaster-A, even if infection is not successful, the svchost service will fail. This will cause a variety of problems with other software.
To recover from these problems install the patch at Microsoft Security Bulletin MS03-026 and restart the svchost service"
My guess is that possibly you are being port scanned by a blaster infected computer elsewhere in the world (There are lots of them!) and its taking out your SVCHOST service. I have seen computers dial up to the internet and get scanned within the first ten seconds of beng online... Suggest download and install the hotfix available at http://www.microsoft.com/s
It could be hardware too though, so if you're not connected to the internet during install then you can ignore everything I just said ;-)
Regards,
Joe
As joesinc mentioned, it could be a virus because I've seen something similar.
Run the Blaster removal tool ( I use Norton's ) from http://securityresponse.sy
Then apply this patch:
http://www.microsoft.com/d
if you get the shutdown window popup, from the run command type : shutdown /a (to abort shutdown process)
Finally do a complete windowsupdate from : http://windowsupdate.micro
To further clarify: svchost.exe acts as a front-end for non-executable .DLL - it loads these .DLL and acts as executable entry points for them. There are .DLL (as virus and worms) that are non-executable - so it seems like svchost.exe itself is the virus or worm.
Tomgrin said that he did a fresh install twice and did not mention connection to the Internet or install new software so I focused on the hardware. If he listed the software then I would suspect an old piece of software with an incompatible .DLL. I would have recommended a reinstall w/o installing the software - run the system to see if svchost.exe fail - then install the software one at a time to see which one fail.
Yes, he definitely can pick-up the blaster (lovsan) worm - if he connected to the Internet.
However, he said that it occurs during the setup install once - so I ruled out software/Internet - and backed it to bootsector and hardware. Tomgrin - since we don't know what you were doing at the time svchost.exe does the hicups - I hope the additional information help you diagnose the problem. Since it was a Win98 box - I would definitely clean the MBR first.
wow. ok, yeah, of all people, my friend could have very well had a boot sector virus on his win98 machine prior to it having problems (perhaps virus related themself) since he did a lot of.. downloading, so who knows. We didn't rule that out ourselves that it might be a virus still on the machine, we just werent sure if we were truly wiping the hard drive by deleting the partition during the new OS install, and evidently we were not. But - I think everyone's pretty much right here, and all of your input and links are very much appreciated. I'll get back on here tonight and throw the points around for everyone who helped, but first I'm going to try to get over there to give this another wack.
thanks
Although this poses I think a good question for me to ask. Lets say I go through the process of truly wiping the box from a dos disk, 'fdisk' etc, and I reinstall the new OS. Obviously the first thing I'd do once the OS is installed is to go to the windows updates, and start the somewhat lengthy process of getting all the updates.
Since he has a cable modem plugged directly in, with no need for a router (only 1 computer), how do I guarantee that he doesnt get port scanned again, and instantaniously infected?
http://download.microsoft.
This file is less than a Floppy disk, so you can put it onto disk from a different PC. Then don't plug his cable modem in until you have installed the patch. Or gamble and download the patch immediately and hope you don't get infected ;-)
You want ZoneAlarm too, to prevent future problems such as this.
disconnect it during the install - run it for a little bit (have a beer or two while it sits by itself should do it) before you connect to the Internet - we want to rule out hardware incompatability first. Then install anti-virus and firewall if you have them on hand. If not connect and download firewall - install; then free virus software and install.
1. FW: I used zonealarm ( http://www.zonealarm.com ) and sygate ( http://www.sygate.com ),
Nothing wrong with zonealarm, but I prefer and recommend sygate.
2. Virus: http://www.grisoft.com
There isn't any need to wipe the partition by using a DOS disk.
In the windows 2000 setup there is a parition utility that allows you to delete all partitions and create them, and then install the OS. This is a much quicker way of doing it than FDISK as you don't have to do an extra two reboots and format the C: yourself afterwards, the install will do it all for you.
As the other EE's say, download a personal firewall as well.
Did you check all the hardware is compatible with Windows 2000 before installing? You can run Winnt32 /checkupgradeonly (requires OS installed to run) or check here http://www.microsoft.com/w
Here is the blaster worm patch for Windows 2000:
http://www.microsoft.com/d
Finally resolved everything last night. Here is what we had to go through, as an FYI - since you've all put in so much time and help.
1) kinda backwards, I forgot to bring dos disk over at first - so I got to a command line and did: format c:
2) came home and went to www.bootdisk.com grabbed dos 6.22 for FDISK (awesome.. totally easy to do, great suggestion)
3) FDISK/MBR (couldn't believe it was so fast to FDISK/MBR, I thought it would take hours, was surprised it only took seconds)
4) Reinstalled OS from CD, formatting drive to NTFS
5) Decided that very likely the "hiccup" I was getting the day prior during installs when it would say something about "could not copy file SVCHOST.EXE" was due to either a simple scratch/error on the CDR that I was copying from, since I had just wiped everything, and it was unplugged from the net during install. But this time through I didn't get that error when copying/installing files.
6) Now - fresh OS was installed and rebooted w/ cablemodem plugged in so I could go get the windows updates immediately. HERES WHERE THINGS GOT INTERESTING. First off, I HAD the windows patch for that virus on a floppy disk from my roommate for win2Kpro, (the link someone gave me above was in deed for XP, not 2000) so I copied that to the to the desktop but it wouldnt run until I had a service pack later than 2 or something. And during the time it would take me to try to get that update, I started getting SVCHOST.EXE errors again. Totally frustrated, I bagged everything on a hunch, and went and got McAffee's virus protection and personal firewall (bought online for direct download and use). I got that same SVCHOST.EXE error several times through this and had to keep rebooting.
Turns out, that the first thing McAffee did was catch the friggin NACHI virus that somehow got itself onto the fresh box within literally seconds of being plugged in, and cleaned it up. Once that was done, and several reboots later, I was able to get the windows updates, run the virus exe patch, and he is totally up, running and protected.
thanks to all.. was definitely something that required several scenarios before I knew how to get through it.
tom
Just a note: You are on cable modem so is everyone else on the block. Basically, your PC and neighbors are on the same little network. The neighbors are infected - so as soon as you connect your PC to the (little) network you are infected, it takes less than a second after your PC broadcast its presence. That was the reason I recommended to leave it off the network and run it while you have a couple of beers to see if you have any hiccup.
Now, go fix the neighbors' PCs on that little network. ;>)
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by: ratstudPosted on 2003-09-07 at 20:13:20ID: 9307077
You should reformat with NTFS, and do a fresh install of Win2k Pro... Are there any other drives in this PC??? Upgrade them to NTFS also.
NTFS is just plain better than FAT32 anyway...