Computer Help for a Dumb Person -- Please Help

Factual Questions
1

I’ve been taking advantage of Windows Update, and downloading the fixes that are recommended. This has been going on for several months and I’ve never had a problem until about 3 months ago when I downloaded ZoneAlarm, which was recommended on this board. Since then, whenever I’ve gotten a message to go to the Windows Update website and download new fixes, the Windows Update gets hung up on searching for new things to download. It doesn’t matter how long it searches for, whether 5 minutes or an hour. I imagine that ZoneAlarm may be the culprit. How can I check this out and set ZoneAlarm so the Windows Update can download fixes without messing up ZoneAlarm?

As far as I know, I have a 64mb Syncdram, a 128kb L2 Cache (600 MHz System bus), 10Gb Hard drive Ultra DMA/66, bought in 2000. I hope this means something to you computer experts out there. Please keep your explanations as basic as possible, and try not to hurt my feelings when you gently tell me that my discocombobulator needs to be stroked and held gently while being basted with a 10% saline solution.

I realize my system is old and slow, but it serves my purposes well, and I’m not going to spend over $50.00-$100.00 bucks for something that’s just annoying me. Thanks for your help.

2

Before jumping to conclusions, disable Zone Alarm and see if you can get the updates. Do you have IE or whichever browser you use set to allow server permissions? If not, do so.

3

First, right click on the ZoneAlarm icon on the bottom right of your screen. Click on “Shutdown ZoneAlarm” from the options.

Then go to the Windows update site, and try to download updates.

If this works, you know ZoneAlarm is interefering with the download. Changing a few settings within ZoneAlarm can then fix the problem.

4

Xash, if you have Zone Alarm installed, can you post instructions for turning on server permissions for a given program? I suspect that’s what is causing the OP’s problems, but I no longer use it, since XP has it’s own firewall, and it kept crashing anyway. I know it’s under Programs, and you click the green check mark next to allow server, but I’m fuzzy on the exact details.

5

I’ve got ZoneAlarm installed.

Double-click on the ZoneAlarm icon by the clock. This will bring up a window with the controls on it. Make sure you’re on “Program Control” from the list on the left. It has a list of programs with checks, question marks, and X’s by them. Find the program you want and click the box Server/Internet for it. Select “Allow,” green check mark.

That said, I doubt that’s the problem. I just ran Windows Update in Win 2000 through ZoneAlarm 3.7 without anything but Starcraft having server access. Let us know what happens with ZoneAlarm off.

6

Hmm, so far the Windows Update site has had this message for the last 10 minutes: Windows Update is looking for available updates . . .0% complete. This is after I disabled ZoneAlarm. Winsling, I think you’re right. Windows Update still isn’t doing anything. Is there anything easy I can do to troubleshoot this problem? By the way, thanks for everyone’s suggestions.

7

Hmm, so far the Windows Update site has had this message for the last 10 minutes: Windows Update is looking for available updates . . .0% complete. This is after I disabled ZoneAlarm. Winsling, I think you’re right. Windows Update still isn’t doing anything. Is there anything easy I can do to troubleshoot this problem? By the way, thanks for everyone’s suggestions.

8

Ok, now what operating system and browser are you running? Any further advice will be greatly enhanced by knowing this.

9

He probably is running Win98 – seems likely for that equipment. And Micro$oft no longer supports Win98, and I believe they have turned off the Windows Update function for it.

10

FWIW, I am still running Win98 on my home computer and Windows Update works fine. Microsoft has not turned it off.

11

Win 95 maybe, but not 98. There are millions of computers out there with 98 on them. That would be suicide for them to not support 98 anymore. Their offices would be flooded with all manner of phone calls.

Go here for the answer.

The last update for 95 was in 2000. 98 is still being updated.

12

I had this problem when setting up my aunt’s Win98SE machine a few weeks ago. No ZoneAlarm or anything but just hangs.

All I did was keep trying again. If it hung then I’d close the window and go back again and re-try the scan. Usually it would act as tho it were about to hang (get to 33% and stop a bit) and then finish up.

My answer is “jiggle the handle” i guess…

Might want to try going directly to the Windows Update page instead of clicking an icon or whatever.

http://v4.windowsupdate.microsoft.com/en/default.asp

13

Thanks for the additional suggestions. For what it’s worth,t-bonham@scc.net, I’m of the female persuasion. Also, whuckfistle, I have Windows 98. It would be great, ZipperJJ, if the Windows Update site would even get to 33%. It stays at 0%. Oh well, I’ll ask my brother the computer geek. He’ll make fun of me, but he should be able to help me.