[SOLUTION] The VPN client was unable to setup IP filtering

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In the Cisco AnyConnect VPN Client my user would get “The VPN client was unable to setup IP filtering. A VPN connection will not be established.” and “AnyConnect was not able to establish a connection to the specified secure gateway. Please try connecting again.”

This happened after being infected with malware (ZeroAccess trojan to be specific). After cleaning, it still wouldn’t connect to the VPN. Thanks to a hint here, I found that the cause was because the trojan deleted the Base Filtering Engine service.

I got it back by following the instructions from my preferred antivirus company, ESET.

If you can’t find the SubInACL.exe, get it from Major Geeks here.

Please comment if this DID or DIDN’T help.

[SOLUTION] Windows Update and BITS services missing

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You get: “Windows Update cannot currently check for updates, because the service is not running. You may need to restart your computer.” on Windows 7 when checking for updates.

In my case, this happened on two computers that both were infected with the ZeroAccess trojan. The reason this message appears is that the malware deleted the registry keys for Background Intelligent Transfer Service (BITS) and Windows Update (wuauserv).

I searched and searched today, but came up empty trying to find a utility or easy fix. Thankfully, I previously figured this out and here is what to do:   (this is an advanced fix and I highly recommend leaving it for professionals; I cannot support you if this causes problems)

1. Run SERVICES.MSC after hitting WINDOWS-R and look for Windows Update and Background Intelligent Transfer Service in the list of services. If they are missing, keep going.

2. Visit Smartest Computing’s cache of registry keys. Click Download at the top and save the SEVEN.ZIP (or adapt this if your OS is different) and pull out the bits.reg and wuauserv.reg, double-click each one and restart the computer.

3. Leave a comment if this worked or not. There are times when the files have been changes or removed that this wouldn’t work.

[UPDATE 4/2013] If this doesn’t work for you, Tweaking.com has an All-in-One Windows repair tools that has had success with some: http://www.tweaking.com/content/page/windows_repair_all_in_one.html I’m interested in feedback on that tool.

[UPDATE 11/2013] Some users have been able to repair Windows XP with this advice here:  http://www.philmorgan.net/techie-tools/windows-update-bits-background-intelligent-transfer-service-fix-batch-file-for-windows-xp

How to fix Dodge Grand Caravan rear blower motor resistor – with pictures

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I have a 2003 Dodge Grand Caravan and the rear blower for the air conditioner stopped working except for on the highest setting. From my quick checking it looks like this should also apply to 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005 Dodge Grand Caravan and Chrysler Town & Country.  Here are my instructions on how it fix it yourself:

Pickup the resistor (when the fan is on 4, it bypasses the resistor), so you must replace it. I bought it at the local Dodge dealer — part number 5019189AA. The list price is shown to be $21.20.

Grab yourself a 5/16″ socket and ratchet and get started. It only took me about 10 minutes. This grate pictured below is where the blower motor is located:

Pull this plastic strip straight up, it will pop off. Pull the whole thing off and set it aside.

Then pull the side panel off. I had some trouble getting this off and could only comfortably get the bottom clip off, so I just replaced it by bending the panel back like shown.

This is the blower motor resistor. Remove those two screws with your 5/16 socket. Be careful not to drop them in the nest of wires.

Pull the resistor out and pull back the red tab to unlock the thumb lever and push down on that lever and pull:

This is the old resistor…hmm that goo coming out the side can’t be good. Put in the new resistor (you can handle that). At this point, go test the blower motor to make sure you did it right. Make sure to try both knobs if you can’t get it to work (front and rear).

I pulled this white clip out of the metal and placed it back in the plastic panel. Make sure the one above it is correct, too.

I first put the front flaps back underneath, then popped in the clips in the back.

Make sure that the weatherstrip is over top of the panel.

 

That should do it! If this helped or you can help make this better, please comment below.

 

Dell Latitude E6430/E6530 Frequent Crashes & Blue Screens

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I decided to recommend the latest and greatest Dell Latitude to my client a month ago, the Latitude E6530. I know the E6520 is reliable and stable, but I figured I’d go for the next generation of processor and USB 3.0. Well, that was a mistake. Ever since I put 4-5 hours in prep time to get it ready, it crashed over and over — about 5 times per day. It would generally just restart on it’s own and leave a crash dump. Sometimes it would happen when it was idle, sometimes when it was in use.

I called Dell (thankfully I bought ProSupport), and they redirected me to a special team of 10 technicians that are in charge of support for brand new models. The agent didn’t seem to have seen this issue before. We checked all the drivers and updated a few, although most drivers were still at “A0”, which means the first release. The problem continued. I changed the settings so that the computer didn’t sleep or hibernate at all, but it would still happen while using it. The tech recommended that I reformat the hard drive and start over. To me, that it like someone going to the mechanic with a stalling problem. The mechanic looks at it and recommends removing everything in the engine compartment and putting it all back in. I would think that they would want to get to the bottom of what is causing it.

So, on my own, I swapped the RAM I put in with the OEM RAM and disabled the USB 3.0 controller in the Device Manager. I did have the wireless mouse receiver and HP OfficeJet 6700 plugged into the USB 3.0 ports, so I moved those to the USB 2.0 port on the back and the eSATA port, respectively.

That did it — perfect for 5 days. I went back and re-enabled the USB 3.0 port and moved the HP back to it and it crashed multiple times that day. I’m headed back to reinstall my RAM.

Sadly, Dell could be learning from this and working with Intel to remedy it, but nope. PLEASE, if you have this problem, too, comment!

[UPDATE 8/14/12] FASCINATING! Check out this comment where the same exact issue is reported, but only on the Latitude with an HP OfficeJet 6700! So, is this an HP problem or Dell driver problem??

[UPDATE 8/18/12] This is quite fascinating and disturbing: “Make sure your not plugging the USB into a USB 3.0 port. HP printers don’t work with USB 3.0 connections and that can keep the computer from seeing the printer.” – HP support site (thanks Jason)

 

Using a problem called WhoCrashed, here is the crash information:

On Thu 8/2/2012 10:41:12 AM GMT your computer crashed
crash dump file: C:\Windows\Minidump\080212-14632-01.dmp
This was probably caused by the following module: ntoskrnl.exe (nt+0x7F190)
Bugcheck code: 0x1E (0x0, 0x0, 0x0, 0x0)
Error: KMODE_EXCEPTION_NOT_HANDLED
file path: C:\Windows\system32\ntoskrnl.exe
product: Microsoft® Windows® Operating System
company: Microsoft Corporation
description: NT Kernel & System
Bug check description: This indicates that a kernel-mode program generated an exception which the error handler did not catch.
This appears to be a typical software driver bug and is not likely to be caused by a hardware problem.
The crash took place in the Windows kernel. Possibly this problem is caused by another driver which cannot be identified at this time.

On Thu 8/2/2012 10:41:12 AM GMT your computer crashed
crash dump file: C:\Windows\memory.dmp
This was probably caused by the following module: iusb3xhc.sys (iusb3xhc+0x63F2B)
Bugcheck code: 0x1E (0x0, 0x0, 0x0, 0x0)
Error: KMODE_EXCEPTION_NOT_HANDLED
file path: C:\Windows\system32\drivers\iusb3xhc.sys
product: USB 3.0 Device Driver
company: Intel Corporation
description: Intel(R) USB 3.0 eXtensible Host Controller Driver
Bug check description: This indicates that a kernel-mode program generated an exception which the error handler did not catch.
This appears to be a typical software driver bug and is not likely to be caused by a hardware problem.
A third party driver was identified as the probable root cause of this system error. It is suggested you look for an update for the following driver: iusb3xhc.sys (Intel(R) USB 3.0 eXtensible Host Controller Driver, Intel Corporation).
Google query: iusb3xhc.sys Intel Corporation KMODE_EXCEPTION_NOT_HANDLED

On Thu 8/2/2012 10:29:53 AM GMT your computer crashed
crash dump file: C:\Windows\Minidump\080212-15350-01.dmp
This was probably caused by the following module: ntoskrnl.exe (nt+0x7F1C0)
Bugcheck code: 0x3B (0xC0000005, 0xFFFFF80002C059BC, 0xFFFFF88007C2BE80, 0x0)
Error: SYSTEM_SERVICE_EXCEPTION
file path: C:\Windows\system32\ntoskrnl.exe
product: Microsoft® Windows® Operating System
company: Microsoft Corporation
description: NT Kernel & System
Bug check description: This indicates that an exception happened while executing a routine that transitions from non-privileged code to privileged code.
This appears to be a typical software driver bug and is not likely to be caused by a hardware problem.
The crash took place in the Windows kernel. Possibly this problem is caused by another driver which cannot be identified at this time.

On Wed 8/1/2012 6:19:25 PM GMT your computer crashed
crash dump file: C:\Windows\Minidump\080112-15568-01.dmp
This was probably caused by the following module: ntoskrnl.exe (nt+0x7F190)
Bugcheck code: 0x1E (0x0, 0x0, 0x0, 0x0)
Error: KMODE_EXCEPTION_NOT_HANDLED
file path: C:\Windows\system32\ntoskrnl.exe
product: Microsoft® Windows® Operating System
company: Microsoft Corporation
description: NT Kernel & System
Bug check description: This indicates that a kernel-mode program generated an exception which the error handler did not catch.
This appears to be a typical software driver bug and is not likely to be caused by a hardware problem.
The crash took place in the Windows kernel. Possibly this problem is caused by another driver which cannot be identified at this time.

On Wed 8/1/2012 4:06:57 PM GMT your computer crashed
crash dump file: C:\Windows\Minidump\080112-40716-01.dmp
This was probably caused by the following module: ntoskrnl.exe (nt+0x7F190)
Bugcheck code: 0x1E (0x0, 0x0, 0x0, 0x0)
Error: KMODE_EXCEPTION_NOT_HANDLED
file path: C:\Windows\system32\ntoskrnl.exe
product: Microsoft® Windows® Operating System
company: Microsoft Corporation
description: NT Kernel & System
Bug check description: This indicates that a kernel-mode program generated an exception which the error handler did not catch.
This appears to be a typical software driver bug and is not likely to be caused by a hardware problem.
The crash took place in the Windows kernel. Possibly this problem is caused by another driver which cannot be identified at this time.

On Tue 7/31/2012 2:29:22 PM GMT your computer crashed
crash dump file: C:\Windows\Minidump\073112-14679-01.dmp
This was probably caused by the following module: ntoskrnl.exe (nt+0x7F1C0)
Bugcheck code: 0x3B (0xC0000005, 0xFFFFF80002C049BC, 0xFFFFF88007F4DA80, 0x0)
Error: SYSTEM_SERVICE_EXCEPTION
file path: C:\Windows\system32\ntoskrnl.exe
product: Microsoft® Windows® Operating System
company: Microsoft Corporation
description: NT Kernel & System
Bug check description: This indicates that an exception happened while executing a routine that transitions from non-privileged code to privileged code.
This appears to be a typical software driver bug and is not likely to be caused by a hardware problem.
The crash took place in the Windows kernel. Possibly this problem is caused by another driver which cannot be identified at this time.

On Tue 7/31/2012 1:09:42 PM GMT your computer crashed
crash dump file: C:\Windows\Minidump\073112-21980-01.dmp
This was probably caused by the following module: tcpip.sys (tcpip+0x63D7B)
Bugcheck code: 0x1E (0x0, 0x0, 0x0, 0x0)
Error: KMODE_EXCEPTION_NOT_HANDLED
file path: C:\Windows\system32\drivers\tcpip.sys
product: Microsoft® Windows® Operating System
company: Microsoft Corporation
description: TCP/IP Driver
Bug check description: This indicates that a kernel-mode program generated an exception which the error handler did not catch.
This appears to be a typical software driver bug and is not likely to be caused by a hardware problem.
The crash took place in a standard Microsoft module. Your system configuration may be incorrect. Possibly this problem is caused by another driver on your system which cannot be identified at this time.

On Mon 7/30/2012 4:28:03 PM GMT your computer crashed
crash dump file: C:\Windows\Minidump\073012-26582-01.dmp
This was probably caused by the following module: ntoskrnl.exe (nt+0x7F190)
Bugcheck code: 0x1E (0x0, 0x0, 0x0, 0x0)
Error: KMODE_EXCEPTION_NOT_HANDLED
file path: C:\Windows\system32\ntoskrnl.exe
product: Microsoft® Windows® Operating System
company: Microsoft Corporation
description: NT Kernel & System
Bug check description: This indicates that a kernel-mode program generated an exception which the error handler did not catch.
This appears to be a typical software driver bug and is not likely to be caused by a hardware problem.
The crash took place in the Windows kernel. Possibly this problem is caused by another driver which cannot be identified at this time.

On Mon 7/30/2012 3:25:56 PM GMT your computer crashed
crash dump file: C:\Windows\Minidump\073012-15662-01.dmp
This was probably caused by the following module: ntoskrnl.exe (nt+0x7F190)
Bugcheck code: 0x1E (0x0, 0x0, 0x0, 0x0)
Error: KMODE_EXCEPTION_NOT_HANDLED
file path: C:\Windows\system32\ntoskrnl.exe
product: Microsoft® Windows® Operating System
company: Microsoft Corporation
description: NT Kernel & System
Bug check description: This indicates that a kernel-mode program generated an exception which the error handler did not catch.
This appears to be a typical software driver bug and is not likely to be caused by a hardware problem.
The crash took place in the Windows kernel. Possibly this problem is caused by another driver which cannot be identified at this time.

On Mon 7/30/2012 1:44:15 PM GMT your computer crashed
crash dump file: C:\Windows\Minidump\073012-14024-01.dmp
This was probably caused by the following module: ntoskrnl.exe (nt+0x7F190)
Bugcheck code: 0x1E (0x0, 0x0, 0x0, 0x0)
Error: KMODE_EXCEPTION_NOT_HANDLED
file path: C:\Windows\system32\ntoskrnl.exe
product: Microsoft® Windows® Operating System
company: Microsoft Corporation
description: NT Kernel & System
Bug check description: This indicates that a kernel-mode program generated an exception which the error handler did not catch.
This appears to be a typical software driver bug and is not likely to be caused by a hardware problem.
The crash took place in the Windows kernel. Possibly this problem is caused by another driver which cannot be identified at this time.

On Sun 7/29/2012 7:22:41 PM GMT your computer crashed
crash dump file: C:\Windows\Minidump\072912-13462-01.dmp
This was probably caused by the following module: ntoskrnl.exe (nt+0x7F190)
Bugcheck code: 0x1E (0x0, 0x0, 0x0, 0x0)
Error: KMODE_EXCEPTION_NOT_HANDLED
file path: C:\Windows\system32\ntoskrnl.exe
product: Microsoft® Windows® Operating System
company: Microsoft Corporation
description: NT Kernel & System
Bug check description: This indicates that a kernel-mode program generated an exception which the error handler did not catch.
This appears to be a typical software driver bug and is not likely to be caused by a hardware problem.
The crash took place in the Windows kernel. Possibly this problem is caused by another driver which cannot be identified at this time.

On Sun 7/29/2012 4:34:18 PM GMT your computer crashed
crash dump file: C:\Windows\Minidump\072912-12620-01.dmp
This was probably caused by the following module: ntoskrnl.exe (nt+0x7F190)
Bugcheck code: 0x1E (0x0, 0x0, 0x0, 0x0)
Error: KMODE_EXCEPTION_NOT_HANDLED
file path: C:\Windows\system32\ntoskrnl.exe
product: Microsoft® Windows® Operating System
company: Microsoft Corporation
description: NT Kernel & System
Bug check description: This indicates that a kernel-mode program generated an exception which the error handler did not catch.
This appears to be a typical software driver bug and is not likely to be caused by a hardware problem.
The crash took place in the Windows kernel. Possibly this problem is caused by another driver which cannot be identified at this time.

On Sat 7/28/2012 10:18:09 PM GMT your computer crashed
crash dump file: C:\Windows\Minidump\072812-15210-01.dmp
This was probably caused by the following module: ntoskrnl.exe (nt+0x7F190)
Bugcheck code: 0x1E (0x0, 0x0, 0x0, 0x0)
Error: KMODE_EXCEPTION_NOT_HANDLED
file path: C:\Windows\system32\ntoskrnl.exe
product: Microsoft® Windows® Operating System
company: Microsoft Corporation
description: NT Kernel & System
Bug check description: This indicates that a kernel-mode program generated an exception which the error handler did not catch.
This appears to be a typical software driver bug and is not likely to be caused by a hardware problem.
The crash took place in the Windows kernel. Possibly this problem is caused by another driver which cannot be identified at this time.

On Thu 7/26/2012 10:54:52 PM GMT your computer crashed
crash dump file: C:\Windows\Minidump\072612-13260-01.dmp
This was probably caused by the following module: ntoskrnl.exe (nt+0x7F190)
Bugcheck code: 0x1E (0x0, 0x0, 0x0, 0x0)
Error: KMODE_EXCEPTION_NOT_HANDLED
file path: C:\Windows\system32\ntoskrnl.exe
product: Microsoft® Windows® Operating System
company: Microsoft Corporation
description: NT Kernel & System
Bug check description: This indicates that a kernel-mode program generated an exception which the error handler did not catch.
This appears to be a typical software driver bug and is not likely to be caused by a hardware problem.
The crash took place in the Windows kernel. Possibly this problem is caused by another driver which cannot be identified at this time.

On Thu 7/26/2012 4:33:53 PM GMT your computer crashed
crash dump file: C:\Windows\Minidump\072612-13509-01.dmp
This was probably caused by the following module: ntoskrnl.exe (nt+0x7F190)
Bugcheck code: 0x1E (0x0, 0x0, 0x0, 0x0)
Error: KMODE_EXCEPTION_NOT_HANDLED
file path: C:\Windows\system32\ntoskrnl.exe
product: Microsoft® Windows® Operating System
company: Microsoft Corporation
description: NT Kernel & System
Bug check description: This indicates that a kernel-mode program generated an exception which the error handler did not catch.
This appears to be a typical software driver bug and is not likely to be caused by a hardware problem.
The crash took place in the Windows kernel. Possibly this problem is caused by another driver which cannot be identified at this time.

Conclusion

18 crash dumps have been found and analyzed. Only 15 are included in this report. A third party driver has been identified to be causing system crashes on your computer. It is strongly suggested that you check for updates for these drivers on their company websites. Click on the links below to search with Google for updates for these drivers:

iusb3xhc.sys (Intel(R) USB 3.0 eXtensible Host Controller Driver, Intel Corporation)

If no updates for these drivers are available, try searching with Google on the names of these drivers in combination the errors that have been reported for these drivers and include the brand and model name of your computer as well in the query. This often yields interesting results from discussions from users who have been experiencing similar problems.

 

2012 Toyota Camry roof clunking

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In my new 2012 Toyota Camry Hybrid XLE (here is the first report I’ve seen from a 2013 Camry owner), there is a terrible clunking, clicking or popping noise coming from the roof around the sunroof, particularly when going over bumps or turns, particularly when the car torques. (This is in addition to many loud dash rattles.) The dealer says that Toyota knows about it now and is working on a fix, but no estimate was given for when. I took it to the dealer September 2012 and the service bulletin finally was released in October 2013. Please comment if you are experiencing the same thing and what you are doing about it. (Oh, and I just hit 9,000 views of this post on January 2014.)

Here is a recording I made one hot day. I’d like to make a video of the noise, so if you can capture a video of the sound at its worst, send it to me in an email using the address on my home page or comment.

Here are some reports from other owners of the same thing:

http://www.toyotanation.com/forum/310-7th-generation-2012/418639-2012-camry-xle-roof-noise.html

http://www.toyotanation.com/forum/310-7th-generation-2012/427628-2012-camry-se-moonroof-knocking-noise.html#post4021184

http://www.schiffner.com/my-2012-toyota-camry-is-a-lemon-and-toyota-doesnt-help/

ADVICE FOR UNTOUCHED CARS:

My current advice would be to have the service rep type into your record that you have a terrible clunking noise in your roof at the next scheduled service appointment (as long as you are under warranty for a while). Start a log for yourself to record everything that happens with dates, mileages, names and comments from the dealer.

[UPDATE 3/9/13] Here’s an interesting comment written by the technician working with a Toyota field tech, “found welding slag in between the seam of the moon roof opening and in between the pinch welds. during body roll and over bumps the slag would creek and make noise. removed headliner and moon roof assembly to access and clean out the space between the spot welds on the pinch weld opening of the moon roof. inserted shim stock and in between the space after cleaning out the slag and also installed felt in between the roof and folded over section of the opening. was helped by FTS to properly install the shim stock, reassembled and verified repair”. In my talking with a tech, they don’t provided enough shims for all of the welds, so they can only do some and in some cases they spray foam in the roof, like mine.

[UPDATE 2/1/14] From Toyota Nation forums. Toyota finally released a service bulletin: TSB-0151-13. When you go to the dealer, tell them about this TSB and ask whether they have experience doing the repair. I would only have someone do this repair that has successfully performed at least one or two. It is a long and difficult repair that can go horribly wrong. I would talk to the service manager as well to tell them about what you know from this site and that you would like him/her to supervise the job and make sure it is done right. Assume that your car will be ruined and plan accordingly by protecting yourself and being ready for arbitration. Many have gone that route and have been successful, but you must prepare.

ADVICE FOR “REPAIRED” CARS:

DOCUMENT EVERYTHING! Write notes based on every visit, every conversation, every person’s name, every comment, everything. You may need it in arbitration and/or trial. Other than that, I’m not really sure what else to suggest. If it’s not fixed after the first time, there are too many stories on this blog of it getting worse after bringing it back over and back, not to mention the headliner and trim damage. Based on my reading of this article, it looks to me like Toyota could lump this problem into a minor noise problem rather than a substantial defect, which may make it hard to win a Lemon Law case. If we could prove that this is a safety hazard (in the event of an accident), we may have a better chance at winning a trial or getting publicity. I just don’t see any way we could prove that. I think it could be proven that it hurts the value of the car, but that would probably be an uphill battle, too. For some reason, we must go through arbitration before taking Toyota to trial and those that have gone to arbitration that have commented here have gone silent, so a non-disclosure agreement must be forced upon them for any kind of settlement.

FOR 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011 CAMRY OWNERS:

Since I’ve gotten some comments about 2007-2011 roof noise, I did a little bit of research. Here is my advice for you: Toyota does know about this problem and they have a kit and instructions on how to fix it (despite what the dealer might tell you). Tell the service rep to look up this service bulletin on Toyota’s TIS website: T-SB-0088-12. It describes the problem well and gives full instructions on how to take the roof apart and fix the problem. I’ve heard that it is a very difficult job and some dealers might not want to do it. This should be covered under warranty if you are under the 36 months/36,000 miles. If the service rep is unhelpful, talk to the service manager. If they don’t help, call up Toyota corporate to complain. Just make sure to get it in the records before the warranty is up.

THE END

I found this whole situation hopeless with the roof problem that seems to be unfixable, the dash rattle that the dealer couldn’t fix, my check engine light came on and my fancy JBL touchscreen intermittently would go dark. My car is A LEMON pure and simple. I traded it in the fall of 2013 for a 2013 Ford Fusion Hybrid. The Fusion feels like a 10 year leap ahead in technology and interior design, albeit smaller inside. I feel much relief getting rid of this piece of crap. Shame on Toyota for handling this so poorly and slowly and not fixing the problem on the assembly line early.

[SOLUTION] Comcast email folders are missing

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So you created some folders in Comcast’s Xfinity mail website and now you can’t find them or they disappeared! Look very carefully to see if you have a small black triangle on the left of any of your folders:

Click on that black triangle and see if that exposes them!

Novatel DW5800 4G LTE Verizon card not working [SOLUTION]

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My client’s Dell Latitude E6420 has a Novatel DW5800 LTE card in it connecting to Verizon. After about 3 months, the connection program said it couldn’t find the device. In the Device Manager, it showed “The device cannot start. (Code 10)”.

I reinstalled the drivers, but that didn’t change anything. I reseated the card and the Code 10 went away, but the program still was having a hard time connecting to the card. It did initialize it once, but still didn’t connect. I spoke to a ProSupport technician at Dell and without any trouble he sent me out a new card. The new card worked instantly upon replacing it.

If you have this card so bad (Novatel Wireless E362, DW 5800, WRYPD, 0WRYPD), comment here!

[update 8/1/12] I find it interesting that this card is no longer available in the configuration page of the Latitude E6420 and I can’t find it alone either.

Just to make sure there isn’t confusion, here is the Novatel card:

Here is where the SIM card goes (remove the battery first):

Here is where the Novatel card goes (or other WWAN/3G/4G cards would go, which is under the bottom cover):

 

 

[ALERT] THE CREDIT UNION CENTER ALERT text message

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I just got a text in Pittsburgh: “THE CREDIT UNION CENTER ALERT: Your CARD has been DEACTIVATED. Please call 724-922-1039.”

The sender was 724-496-6087.

Please just don’t fall for it — it’s fraud plain and simple.

 

Here is one of the warning I found quickly:

https://www.fortcommunity.com/ed/alerts.htm

[SOLUTION] Toshiba NB205 netbook blinking white cursor

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I picked up a Toshiba NB205 netbook to work on from a client because immediately after the Toshiba screen it would just have a blinking white underscore in the top left of a black screen. When I searched on Google many of the top results were recommending buying restore CDs and reloading. I took out the hard drive and it booted just fine in another computer, so they are giving bad advice. I did find this discussion with so many that have had this issue:

http://forums.toshiba.com/t5/Batteries-and-Power/NB205-won-t-turn-on-properly/td-p/51431

I recommend reading the whole thing, but here are some highlights:

1. Set your laptop down on a smooth hard surface.

2. Put your left hand on the lower left of the case equidistant between the touch pad and the left edge of the case. About 1″ below the key board and press lightly, not too hard but you should feel the plastic give just a little. (sometimes I have to use my thumb to give it a little upward pull at the front edge at the same time.

3. Turn the power on with your right hand and keep your hand in place through startup…when you remove your hand do so gently.

9 times out of 10 it works on my machine, if your surface is hard and smooth (I use a glass table top, or a polished wood surface)  the pads will grip the surface and when you pull your hand away it will hold position for a good while.

I have also been able to get this to work in my lap by pressing on that general spot and lifting up gently on the front edge at the same time with my thumb. (sokoll99)

and

Step 1:

Take OUT the battery and only use the AC power.

Next squeeze in the general area right above the SD card slot (lower left)  I squeezed firm, squeezing and releasing many times as I powered on.  After about 4 times it worked. (mannyfernandez)

and

Popped the HDD out, put the laptop in the freezer for 10 minutes, reinstalled the HDD and the computer booted. Since it booted into the OS,  I took the opportunity to flash the bios with the latest. It has been working ever since.

To reitterate:

1. Download the latest Bios (win XP Self extracting ). Put it on a memory stick.

2. Remove battery and HDD and freeze computer for 10 minutes.

3. Quickly replace battery and HDD and boot computer. (charged battery is necessary to flash the bios. It has to be plugged in too.)

4. Flash the bios. (tuckerd)

 

After all this mine still wouldn’t boot, but at least it is better advice than doing a hard drive restore.

 

[SOLUTION] Your certificate is invalid for the selected group – Cisco AnyConnect VPN Client

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For a company that I work with, two users called me with the same error when trying to connect to the Cisco AnyConnect VPN Client: “Your certificate is invalid for the selected group”.  If you look in Internet Explorer’s certificates, the user’s digital certificate had disappeared (was missing). [If the certificate is still listed, check the expiration date.] After installed the certificate again, it would just disappear again. I found that the cause with a malware infection. On the Windows 7 machine, I ran MalwareBytes’ Anti-Malware, it found one infected file and some bad registry entries, but also ran HitmanPro (do a one time scan and make sure to activate a free license first) and it found two other infected running processes (one a service and one just running). HitmanPro said it would clean on reboot. After rebooting, it appeared that the malware was gone, but I would get this message after authenicting to Cisco:

The VPN client was unable to setup IP filtering. A VPN connection will not be established.

This post helped me figure out that the Base Filtering Engine was missing from the Services.  I ran into this before trying to install my prefered antivirus program, ESET NOD32, and they have a tool to repair the missing BFE here. Success!   On the Windows XP machine, it looked like Symantec had finally wiped out the malware, so I just ran MalwareBytes’ and HitmanPro to clean up the remnants — then I reinstalled the certificate.