RE: Windows error messages after update

[vinod_r2]

The software was tested on Dell machines and everything went smooth.... more over not all DELL computers have this issue.. only a very few.. i was not able to find any pattern on it but if its ok with you could you try to update the dell support software or maybe even trry removing it ( I don't known how to put it back though)..

[jschuurkes]

Ok, Vinod,

I will contact DELL support.
For now I would like to thank Peter and you for your support.;)

Best regards,

Jack

[exbrit]

Glad to help, sorry it didn't solve anything.

[bengie]

Vinod,

Have read this thread because I have the same problem. Tried whatever possible but no luck.
I got a brandnew Dell XPS M1330 laptop with Vista Home premium OEM.
A trial version of McAfee was installed which did not cause any problems until I upgraded to the latest 30 day trial from the McAfee site.
Followed your suggestions even going further.
For starters I removed the Dell Support Center software (which you called suspect).
Second I shut down the Vista firewall
Third uninstalled McAfee and rebooted.
Fourth ran MCPR removal tool and rebooted. Repeated same once more.
Fifth ran search anywhere with Explorer for "McAfee" and "mcutil.dll" (referred to in error messages being the problem). Deleted any directory or file found.
Sixth Installed McAfee, straightaway in beginning of installation error message "Virusmap reporting module error, Module stopped". The installation completed succesful. After activating error message from Synchronisation Application Module.

So no changes and no luck. McAfee seems to be working OK, so I re-instated the Vista Firewall. It made no difference having the Dell Support Center software removed, so the error must be found somewhere else (in the Dell OEM Vista?).

Please notice that all three mentioned error message refer to the same problem file mcutil.exe (maybe wrong permissions?)

Hope solution is found soon

[vinod_r2]

FYI....

a solution is being formulated and will be out pretty soon.....

again,,, the file in question has nothing to do with security or any features so you are protected save an annoying VISTA error coming up once in a while...

and thanks for clearing the dell support hunch!;)

[bengie]

Further to your info,

As I already wrote, the pre-installed software (from a factory image) included a 30-day trial version of McAfee. During the first start-up of the new laptop this McAfee trial version is installed without option 'not to'.
As it seems some common or shared file is involved here which is not removed or rolled-back by all the actions as I explained the first time.
This is what came to my attention through a stupidity of myself resulting, in a corrupt partition table. With help of Dell I managed to completely remove the partiton table after which at least the harddisk became available again, allthough entirely empty.
But beause all partitons were erased (including the Dell recovery partition with the factory image) I had to re-install Vista from the recovery DVD. This OEM installation from disk does not include a McAfee application (thank god). I now installed McAfee with a version downloaded from McAfee (XS4All) and voilá.... No errors reported anymore!!!
Conclusion: Something wrong with the way McAfee is incorporated into the Dell (factory)image.

[vinod_r2]

That seems to be the area were the problem is there.. so you downloaded it from the McAfee website or was is from another source?

When you open the McAfee security centre do you see the DELL logo on it?

[bengie]

The McAfee I have installed now is an official and registered McAfee installation provided for free via my ISP www.xs4all.nl. They have an agreement with McAfee but no service. When I call for upgrade/extension I get re-directed to xs4all. No other logo's.
I can't recall if the copy (30-day free trial) which was installed by Dell had a Dell logo or not, but I would not expect so. After removing this one (including all the extra work-arounds) any installation (30-day trial downloaded from McAfee and Full version via ISP) was resulting in the 3 errors.
Only after the crash, HDD formatting and installing a virgin Vista Dell OEM problems did not occur.

[vinod_r2]

So to get to the core.. you had to re-install the operating system to fix the issue. Is that correct?

[bengie]

That's correct, for other reasons I ended up formatting the HDD and I re-installed Vista from the rescue disk, which is just a bare OEM without drivers and other goodies like a free 30-day trial of McAfee, Dell Support Center, specific Dell firewall settings, etc
I am convinced that the problem lies in the Dell factory installation which has all these goodies allready included, ie most probably with registry entries and/or common files, McAfee is not aware about.
Please note, I received this brand new laptop 5 days ago, so all very new.