Unable to use Windows after updating the DAT file

[Tuppy]

Thanks for quick reply.

I just removedMcafee with "Add/remove program" in the control panel. I didn't even think to do it any other way.  The download speed problem was there before I tried to remove Mcafee.

Any idea what would have killed my download speed and what checks I can do to find the source? Only the desk top machine that was hit with the Mcafee problem is suffering?

I may have to remove Mcafee again and reinstall but without sorting my download speed I don't hold out much hope for getting the updates. Virusscan has tried again but didn't even make it to 10%?

[Peacekeeper]

1 use IE to update ie as default and try setting IE to defaults. You will have to reactivate your addons . That has helped some. Also once off again run the preinstall tool turn on windows firewall and see if the net better with Mcafee off. Reinstall mcafee and recheck.

SadieGanas

Have you tried the info here

See this for more info- http://service.mcafee.com/FAQDocument.aspx?id=TS100969

And this  one -http://service.mcafee.com/FAQDocument.aspx?lc=1033&id=TS100970

Message was edited by: Peacekeeper on 23/04/10 12:47:39 PM

[Former Member]

digitalecartoons : I'm just going through all these posts now and saw yours. If you have 5957, you're totally fine. The 5958 DAT was removed from production about an hour after all this was discovered, so you WON'T get this problem if you update as normal.

[Former Member]

Hello everyone,

   Wow, I walk away for a couple hours, and come back to a full inbox. Yikes! This is going to be a long post, but I want all the information out there for everyone! I wanted to let everyone know some status. We've got a fix out there, and it's fixing about 80% of people who use it. You can get that fix here:

http://service.mcafee.com/FAQDocument.aspx?id=TS100969

So what's up with the other 20%? Well, I've worked with some of you, I've gotten my tier 2.5 and 3 involved and they've called some of you, heck, I've gone to a friend's house and worked on their computer. Anything to get in there and find out why some of these computers aren't working after we run the fix (or aren't able to run the fix). Here's what I'm seeing:

• For some of these cases, we had a typo or just missed a step. These things happen, especially when you've been working on it for hours at a time. All I can ask is that you take a minute, slow down, and try the steps again. They work for almost every computer we run them on.
  
• If you're getting a permission error when you try to copy the fix to your computer, be SURE you are logged in as an Administrator, and you are in SAFE MODE.
  
• Some computers don't have a copy of svchost in their cache and backup folders, so the tool isn't able to pull it out and restore it. I've got some updated steps to try if this happens to you.

Here are the steps to fix this issue, including the update for the group that doesn't have success running the tool. This might require you to put in your Windows XP CD (it's got to find that file somewhere).

Finally, McAfee is working on this! Here's where we stand right now:

• In just under 1 hour after this issue began, McAfee pulled the DAT so only a small percentage of our customers got this file. A small percentage is still a lot of people though. What this means is that there are some delays when you call support, but you WILL get helped. We're not abandoning anyone!
  
• About 2 hours after the issue began, McAfee posted a fixed DAT, so if you haven't got this problem, YOU WON'T GET IT. So you can update fine now, that's taken care of.
  
• Everyone, and I mean everyone, is working around the clock to find a way to make this fix work faster, work better, and work for people who have trouble running the original fix. I know I sound like a broken record here, but we're absolutly committed to fixing every single computer with this problem, and we WILL; but it's going to take some time.
  

So that said, here are the newest steps, including the sfc restore:

Restoring SVCHOST.EXE on computers affected by DAT 5958 (For Home Users Only)

1. Start your computer in Safe Mode (When starting press F8 and pick Safe Mode).
2. Open My Computer.
3. Navigate to C:\Program Files\McAfee\VirusScan.
4. Delete the DAT folder.
5. Press the CTRL, SHIFT, and ESC keys at the same time to open Task Manager.
6. Click File, New Task (Run...).
7. Type cmd and press ENTER.
8. In the command prompt window type:
   
   copy %systemroot%\system32\dllcache\svchost.exe %systemroot%\system32\
   
   
9. Press ENTER. 
10. After the copy is completed, restart the computer.
11. After the computer restarts, right-click the M icon and manually check for an update to get the new DAT files.

If you are still unable to restore your system using the steps above, run System File Checker:

1. Click Start.
2. Click Run.
3. Type sfc /scannow, and click OK.

System File Checker will scan the system and attempt to repair the missing file. If System File Checker is unable to locate a replacement file, it may prompt  you to insert your Windows XP disk. Insert the disk to complete the repair process.

[lordofnod]

Hello McAfee community.

I had the unfortunate experience of turning on my parents' computer and seeing that it had lost the taskbar, internet connectivity is non-existent, and have made multiple attempts to restore the system using the information available on this forum.

I have made multiple attempts, using different methods to restore svchost.exe and have been unsuccessful. Somer, I have logged in as administrator, put the PC in safe mode, and inserted the Windows XP disc to restore the missing file. I am at a loss what to do. Please help.

[Former Member]

Can you try running the SFC restore? Here are the steps:

1. Click Start.
2. Click Run.
3. Type sfc /scannow, and click OK.

System File Checker will scan the system and attempt to repair the missing file. If System File Checker is unable to locate a replacement file, it may prompt  you to insert your Windows XP disk. Insert the disk to complete the repair process.

[lordofnod]

I do not have a task bar, nor do I have the start menu in safe mode. How do I scan it?

[Former Member]

Press CTRL + SHIFT + ESC at the same time and that will bring up Task Manager. Click FILE, then choose NEW TASK... That opens a run box. Type CMD and hit enter. That should get you a command prompt.

[lordofnod]

I attempted the scan, and it says, Windows File Protection could not initiate a scan of protected system files. The specific error code is 0x000006ba [The RPC server is unavailable.]

[Former Member]

Ok, it looks like your parents' computer has disabled Windows File Checking. No worries.

Using the same steps I told you before, open the task manager and get the run line up. This time, type: REGEDIT and hit enter.

Go to:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE \ SOFTWARE \ Microsoft \ Windows NT \ CurrentVersion \ Winlogon

Double-click SFCDisable and set its Value data to 0.

You'll need to restart to make this change active. Go back into safe mode and try the restore again. I'll be waiting to hear from you!