Anilrgowda

question
I made the all too common mistake of leaving my young kid in the computer room alone. I come back and now I have several issues that I've tried to unsuccessfully fix. I'll list what I can here but as I've been working on these things for 2 days, I'm bound to forget something. I use Windows XP (plain, not with SP2, though I have SP2 through downloads).

1. Windows Firewall does not start up as it used to.
- Tried turning it on through the Control Panel - Windows Firewall. Error Message: "Windows Firewall settings cannot be displayed because the associated service not running. Do you want to start the windows firewall/internet connection sharing (ICS) service?" If i select Yes, I get "Windows cannot start the ICS service."
- Same error occurs when I go through the Security Center.
- Trying to start the service manually results in this error: "Could not start the windows firewall connection sharing (ICS) service on Local Computer. Error 1068: The dependency service or group failed to start."

2. I use Avast! as my anti-virus program. It used to boot up with the computer, but now it won't. I've tried reinstalling but no good.

3. Can't get to a Services properties. I can click properties button and do it by the right click menu but nothing happens.

4. Can't copy and paste in IE and in explorer windows.

5. Can't drag and drop icons on the desktop or in any explorer windows. I can select them but can't move them around.

6. No matter how what I open, it does not show up on the task bar. task bar has the Clock, Quick Launch, and a whole bunch of blank space in between. If I had 6 applications up and running I'd only know of one of them due to it being up. Other than that, you have to alt-tab to see what's open.

7. System Restore does not work. Just does not work.a If you try to start the service manually, you get: "Could not start the windows firewall connection sharing (ICS) service on Local Computer. Error 1068: The dependency service or group failed to start."

8. No Sound.

I can get on the net, but i'm afraid to since i have no protection. I can even still use filesharing with my other computer.
I've run several virus scans in safe mode and anti-spyware. I've come up clean each time. Used PCTools to clean up the registry, too. Checked nic card to see if it was being recognized, it was. Checked sound card for the same, it was recognized, too. It appears all my "Devices are working properly".

I've used the Windows XP Repair option with the CD. I've done the chkdsk /R 3 times, no luck. I would love to be able to reinstall windows xp but I can't afford to lose my files. Is there a way to do that?

I know I am forgetting to mention things that are not right or things I've tried but hopefully this can start a good discussion.

Solution
http://64.233.187.104/search?q=cache:RvvW15zwwV0J:www.updatexp.com/support-files/cryptographic-service-error.pdf+Could+not+start+the+remote+procedure+call+(RPC)+service+on+Local+computer.+Error+5:+Access+is+denied&hl=en&gl=us&ct=clnk&cd=2

You will need to use your XP CD to boot the computer into the Recovery Console, then type the command: Enable RPCSS Service_Auto_StartNow press the Enter key to submit the command. Now type: exit and press Enter to restart the computer.

Here are 2 links that discuss the XP Home and the Administrator account.

http://windowsxp.mvps.org/admins.htm

http://www.kellys-korner-xp.com/win_xp_passwords.htm

"After you log on as an administrator to a computer that is not a member of a domain, when you double-click User Accounts in Control Panel to change the password for the built-in Administrator account, the Administrator account may not appear in the list of user accounts. Consequently, you cannot change its password.

This behavior can occur because the "<<< Administrator account logon option appears only in Safe mode >>>" if more than one account is created on the system. The Administrator account is available in Normal mode only if there are no other accounts on the system. To work around this behavior:........"

Googling the expression "xp home administrator" returns about a zillion hits discussing this fact.

monkton

I have the exact same problem, running xp pro sp2, and the solution didn't help me. the problem started after a startup, immediately after avast had auto-updated and I was starting firefox. the computer gave me a bsod and i had a tough time getting to run a chkdsk. when it finally did, this problem is what i was faced with.

i also can't find internet explorer in add/remove programs, and the only instance of IE at all in program files is ie6, even though i'd been using ie7 for some time now. i can't get a new copy of ie7 to install as it says it can't verify the interity of the file update.inf because cryptographic service isn't running. i also can't get microsoft update to work...it just hangs.

i can't use nero to backup my files to cds or dvds - when i try it says i have a COM problem.

the screen is running at its lowest possible setting, even though hardware wizard shows my ati graphics card is installed (i can't actually look at its properties, though - nor the properties for anything else).

i can't search

Also, when I tried typing the command specified in recovery console, it said the only options were service_boot_start, service_system_start, service_auto_start, and service_demand_start. i tried _start_, _boot start and _demand start so far, and neither have had any effect.

Any ideas what's going on here, or how i can fix it?

ssadist

Hi,

I had the same problem on my pc after makin a system restore to a previous restoration point. Is the problem resolved? Could you post the solution for the problem?

Thanks in advance