Wired/Wireless NICs Not Working - Services Set to Auto Won't Start

[Appletax]

I have an HP laptop here that belongs to a local wedding guru. It's running Windows 7 and here's the issues:

Network and Sharing Center says: Dependency services or group failed to start


There's quite a few services that are set to auto start, but cannot be started. There's several related to networking.
This made me think that a virus possibly disabled some services, especially since AVG is disabled.


The wireless NIC is displayed with a yellow warning sign in the device manager. I uninstalled it and reinstalled using HP's and even Lenovo's drivers. I get this error message:
"The device is not working properly because Windows cannot load the drivers required for this device. (Code 31)."
http://www.technibble.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=3602&stc=1&d=1392786014


The wired NIC doesn't appear. I tried to install the drivers and I receive this message:
http://www.technibble.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=3603&stc=1&d=1392786067


Some info on the wireless NIC:
http://www.technibble.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=3604&stc=1&d=1392786117


Here's what I've done:
- Reinstalled the drivers
- Ran a few commands to try to fix the services
- Ran Microsoft Fix It
- Ran Complete Internet Repair
- Since I know it could potentially be a virus that disabled the services, I am going to run rkill to see if it can fix any of the services.
- Currently running system file checker.

I see that another member had the same issue and tried TONS of things with no luck:
http://www.technibble.com/forums/showthread.php?t=45349&highlight=diagnostic+policy

It's very discouraging.

I'm thinking that a nuke and pave might be in order.


I read that the driver problem could be caused by bad hardware, so I swapped out the hard drive and installed Windows 7. The problem was non existent and the OS ran perfectly.

 

[Porthos]

If it was in front of me.

Uninstall AVG and run removal tool
Run MBAR and the fix damage tool in the MBAR folder. Update MBAR on a USB drive on another computer first.

Run windows AIO repair tool.

Post if you need any links. Ill check back in a while before I call it a night.

 

[NYJimbo]

If you haven't gone N&P yet, definitely do what Porthos said and fully remove AVG. I have seen it leave networking in all sorts of screwed up states. Also be sure to check device drivers for hidden drivers, many AV's like to put wrappers or services on things and leave them there even if you remove them (I'm looking at you SuperAntiSpyware !).

I don't see any real virus cleaning in your post. Remember that many of the virus cleaners also do some settings changes so you might have some service disabled and not see something.

So roguekiller, jrt, combofix, often find and reset or fix things.

Make sure msconfig shows a normal start and all other items look set normal.

 

[Appletax]

If it was in front of me.

Uninstall AVG and run removal tool
Run MBAR and the fix damage tool in the MBAR folder. Update MBAR on a USB drive on another computer first.

Run windows AIO repair tool.

Post if you need any links. Ill check back in a while before I call it a night.

Here's the latest stuff I've tried:

Ran rkill and it changed the startup status of several services - didn't help and the services still don't start
- Log file: http://www.technibble.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=3605&stc=1&d=1392823105


Ran system file checker - no problems


Ran AVG remover a bunch of times
- Tried x86 and 84 removers and both stopped responding and closed
- Booted to safe mode and tried it there. Once it made the screen go black and the other two times it made me restart the computer. The computer just started. I just logged in and AVG's command prompt immediately opened and then it told me it stopped working. WOW
- It seems to always stop at "Cloud care not installed..."
- The program appears to be uninstalled
- Services are still messed up
- Didn't help


Ran Norton uninstaller to get rid of any leftovers


Reinstalled the WiFi drivers
- The driver fails to load


Ran Complete Internet Repair again
- No help


Ran Malwarebytes Anti-Rootkit in safe mode w/ latest definitions
- Found nothing


Ran TDSSKiller w/ all modules enabled
- Found some unsigned drivers were found that look legitimate
- Partial log file: http://www.technibble.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=3606&stc=1&d=1392826556


Ran the network troubleshooter several times
http://www.technibble.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=3609&stc=1&d=1392833575


Ran SuperAntiSpyware
- Caused a blue screen in safe mode
- Works in regular mode
- Didn't find any potentially unwanted programs (PUP)
- It's been running for over 1 hour 40 minutes and appears to be stuck on C:\Windows\serviceprofiles\networkservice\appdata
- It's using 0-1% of the CPU and 345 MB of RAM
- I canceled it because it's apparently not doing anything

I could run Malwarebytes Antimalware, but I have doubts that it will discover anything.


Ran Windows Repair (All In One)
- Glad to see that there's two options for resetting the Windows services and repairing them
- I'm worried that this could mess up the system given that it's resetting the registry permissions.
- I backed up the registry, but don't know where it was saved or how I would use it to recover the system in the even that the program fried the computer - scary stuff.
- This looks discouraging:
http://www.technibble.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=3607&stc=1&d=1392833467

- It stopped working while it was repairing the WMI. I had to log off to get it to quit.
http://www.technibble.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=3608&stc=1&d=1392833517

- I'm rerunning the WMI repair option by itself. It stopped at the same code as before. I will give it 10 minutes to complete, otherwise I'm cancelling the process. Ten minutes later and nothing.

- The program fixed the services. They're running now. Yay, some progress!

- Uninstalled the wireless drivers and rebooted. Windows attempted to install the drivers and it failed. I tried uninstalling the drivers and software and rebooted into safe mode to run a program. It installed the drivers without failing, but the driver still doesn't work and still spits out a code 31 error.

- Here's the latest network diagnostic error message:
http://www.technibble.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=3610&stc=1&d=1392838526


At this point is there really anything else I can try? I've wasted hours and hours on this system with nothing to show for my efforts except frustration lol. A nuke and pave would set the system back to brand new and make all the problems go away There's more stuff on the system than I've ever seen before so it'll take awhile to get it back up and running.

 

[Appletax]

If you haven't gone N&P yet, definitely do what Porthos said and fully remove AVG. I have seen it leave networking in all sorts of screwed up states. Also be sure to check device drivers for hidden drivers, many AV's like to put wrappers or services on things and leave them there even if you remove them (I'm looking at you SuperAntiSpyware !).

I don't see any real virus cleaning in your post. Remember that many of the virus cleaners also do some settings changes so you might have some service disabled and not see something.

So roguekiller, jrt, combofix, often find and reset or fix things.

Make sure msconfig shows a normal start and all other items look set normal.

Man, computer repair can be so stinkin' complicated

Do you not recommend using SuperAntispyware given what you mentioned?

Device drivers shows 1 hidden network driver. I suspect it's for the NIC. I ran an unknown devices program and it didn't display it. I could keep digging if necessary.

 

[NYJimbo]

Man, computer repair can be so stinkin' complicated

Do you not recommend using SuperAntispyware given what you mentioned?

Device drivers shows 1 hidden network driver. I suspect it's for the NIC. I ran an unknown devices program and it didn't display it. I could keep digging if necessary.

SAS has not done anything important for me in quite a while. Its something I might run as a last resort but its no longer part of my normal cleanup process.


Did you go into control panel -> system -> devicemanager -> View tab at top -> show hidden devices ?

If so see if you can google its name. I almost always uninstall those hidden network drivers and reboot. I wouldn't be surprised if AVG left some crap on the machine.

But this could be many things. Corrupt drivers, registry entries, TCP/IP, wrappers, etc. So many things to try and sometimes you have to do them in a certain order or a fix attempt wont work because something else is broken.

I would uninstall ALL network drivers (including hidden stuff), if they give the option to delete during uninstall do that. Then run CCLEANER several times to clean the registry (scan for issues, fix selected, close cccleaner, repeat). Sometimes it will not get everything the first few times. Reboot then see if it will want to reinstall. Reinstall the wired driver first, skip or ignore the wifi for now. See if you can get that to work.

This stuff can drive you crazy, if its really shot then a N&P might be needed but this sounds more like some garbage around the network drivers or something in the registry related to those drivers.

 

[Appletax]

So roguekiller, jrt, combofix, often find and reset or fix things.

Make sure msconfig shows a normal start and all other items look set normal.

- The sys config was set to only load some system services and no startup items. That's so unusual!
Pic: http://www.technibble.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=3611&stc=1&d=1392842231

I set it back to normal and verified that the services are running.

- I tried re-installing the wireless drivers, but get the same old error message:
http://www.technibble.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=3612&stc=1&d=1392842275

- Info on the unknown device:
http://www.technibble.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=3613&stc=1&d=1392842327

Wide Area Network Mini Port (WAN Mini Port)
Definition - What does Wide Area Network Mini Port (WAN Mini Port) mean?
A wide area network mini port (WAN mini port) is a driver that permits alternative connection methods in Windows XP and later version of Windows such as point-to-point protocol over Ethernet (PPoE) and wireless networking making WAN setup possible.

 

[NYJimbo]

Is wired/rj45 internet working ?

 

[Mokester]

Well you have a laptop for someone who is presumably always on the go...did you run basic hardware checks? HDD specifically? I see in the OP that you swapped HDD and everything works perfectly?

Are these problems occurring on the new HDD with fresh win7 or the old HDD? Guess I'm a little confused on the post...but IF you're getting all these problems on a fresh installation of win7 on a spanking new HDD, I say just tell them get a new laptop if its not under warranty.

Also, BSOD was caused by? Did you analyze the dump? AFAIK, rkill is only used as a beginning step if removal tools will not run...it kills running processes that are preventing the tools from running and keeps them suppressed so that you can use other tools...at least thats all I've ever used it for. Run rogue killer as another member suggested.

 

[Appletax]

But this could be many things. Corrupt drivers, registry entries, TCP/IP, wrappers, etc. So many things to try and sometimes you have to do them in a certain order or a fix attempt wont work because something else is broken.

I would uninstall ALL network drivers (including hidden stuff), if they give the option to delete during uninstall do that. Then run CCLEANER several times to clean the registry (scan for issues, fix selected, close cccleaner, repeat). Sometimes it will not get everything the first few times. Reboot then see if it will want to reinstall. Reinstall the wired driver first, skip or ignore the wifi for now. See if you can get that to work.

This stuff can drive you crazy, if its really shot then a N&P might be needed but this sounds more like some garbage around the network drivers or something in the registry related to those drivers.

- I uninstalled all network drivers listed under network adapters. I ran CCleaner and fixed 1,200 registry problems. I rebooted and nothing happened other than the computer reinistalling the wireless drivers. The network adapters that were removed didn't come back.

- I removed and reinstalled the NIC drivers and go this error:
http://www.technibble.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=3614&stc=1&d=1392843944

- I can use my USB flash drive, but the device manager lists it and another device as having errors:
http://www.technibble.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=3615&stc=1&d=1392843989

 

[Appletax]

Is wired/rj45 internet working ?

I plug it in and nothing happens. Tried reinstalling the drivers but get an error message (see post above). The adapter doesn't appear in the device mangler.

 

[Appletax]

Well you have a laptop for someone who is presumably always on the go...did you run basic hardware checks? HDD specifically? I see in the OP that you swapped HDD and everything works perfectly?

Are these problems occurring on the new HDD with fresh win7 or the old HDD? Guess I'm a little confused on the post...but IF you're getting all these problems on a fresh installation of win7 on a spanking new HDD, I say just tell them get a new laptop if its not under warranty.

The problems are on the system's original HD. The hard drive's SMART status is good.

It runs perfect on the fresh install. I was able to connect to my wireless and had no driver problems. It was great.

 

[Appletax]

- I restarted the system and it decided to try to install the Ethernet drivers, which is odd given that it previously said it couldn't find it. It failed, but now the device manager lists it as a device with an error message.

Also, pressing the hardware wireless button changes the HP Wireless Assistant's status from: Wireless: Disabled, Bluetooth: Enabled to Wireless: Disabled, BlueTooth: Disabled.

http://www.technibble.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=3616&stc=1&d=1392844796

NIC error:
http://www.technibble.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=3617&stc=1&d=1392844822


The computer is kinda slow given that it has a core i7, but it's not annoyingly slow. It could definitely benefit from a full tune up and defrag.

 

[NYJimbo]

I plug it in and nothing happens. Tried reinstalling the drivers but get an error message (see post above). The adapter doesn't appear in the device mangler.

I really wish I could offer more help, but this is one of those where you have to be sitting in front of it to do all the steps in correct sequence, try things at different times, etc.

Right now I am thinking AV remnant, something still infecting the computer, registry issues, etc. Too much to do from here.

Good luck.

 

[JustInspired]

Sounds like there is still a registry permissions problem. The 'data is invalid' device manager screenshot rings a bell.
Check out this http://superuser.com/questions/7161...hen-trying-to-install-any-hardware-in-windows

 

[Appletax]

I really wish I could offer more help, but this is one of those where you have to be sitting in front of it to do all the steps in correct sequence, try things at different times, etc.

Right now I am thinking AV remnant, something still infecting the computer, registry issues, etc. Too much to do from here.

Good luck.

I understand. It's a very complicated issue.

I installed some other drivers including the chipset drive. The WAN Miniport IKEv2 device is now no longer considered an unknown device, but the driver is having issues.

"Very few people need the WAN Miniport driver. It's a Microsoft kernel-mode driver installed with Windows 7, and the Miniport itself is a virtual device, not an actual piece of hardware."

There's driver issues for:
- Wireless
- NIC
- Flash drive
- Printer
- WAN Miniport IKEv2

It's just one big nasty mess.

I'm going to run Malwarebytes and Windows AIO again and then give up.

 

[Appletax]

Sounds like there is still a registry permissions problem. The 'data is invalid' device manager screenshot rings a bell.
Check out this http://superuser.com/questions/7161...hen-trying-to-install-any-hardware-in-windows

Windows AIO repairs/resets the registry permissions, so it should fix that problem one would think.

I looked at the permissions and all the drivers are set for full control.

 

[JustInspired]

Windows AIO repairs/resets the registry permissions, so it should fix that problem one would think.

I looked at the permissions and all the drivers are set for full control.

Ok. Fair enough. It's just that the Tweaking.com AIO doesn't really give a lot of feedback of what changes were successful or not when it comes to resetting perms. If you have already checked manually, then I bow out gracefully.

You're more patient than me. After two hours that would have been halfway through a N&P.

 

[NYJimbo]

You're more patient than me. After two hours that would have been halfway through a N&P.

I think this particular repair job is one of those where you feel you are so close so you keep on it hoping for a repair.

I had one on Monday, Win 7 laptop, boots almost all the way, gets to WELCOME screen with spinning wheel but then freezes.

TRIED EVERYTHING, offline hd checks, av scans, system restores, sfc, booted to cmd prompt safe mode and managed to keep it alive with RKILL but no matter what tricks I tried (reg editing, av scans, ccleaner, msconfig, 50 things from google), gmer, etc nothing would fix it. Ram ok, hd ok, win 8 pe boot disk was fine. I wanted to keep going but I pulled back and told the customer he needed a N&P.

I will always try to put in more when I can, its the only way to really master this stuff, but sometimes even the stuff that's looks easy cant be fixed without spending more time than its worth.

 

[JustInspired]

I think this job is one of those where you feel you are so close so you keep on it hoping for a repair.

I had one on Monday, Win 7 laptop, boots almost all the way, gets to WELCOME screen with spinning wheel but then freezes.

TRIED EVERYTHING, offline hd checks, av scans, system restores, sfc, booted to cmd prompt safe mode and managed to keep it alive with RKILL but no matter what tricks I tried (reg editing, av scans, ccleaner, msconfig, 50 things from google), gmer, etc nothing would fix it. Ram ok, hd ok, win 8 pe boot disk was fine. I wanted to keep going but I pulled back and told the customer he needed a N&P.

I will always try to put in more when I can, its the only way to really master this stuff, but sometimes even the stuff that's looks easy cant be fixed without spending more time than its worth.

I know only too well the feeling of being so close or feeling like a N&P is such a defeatist thing to do. I've had stuff on the bench for days, going back and forth.
I just did a nuke and pave on a Vista PC that we sent out a week ago, feeling we had sorted the damage caused by malware. Unfortunately, there were issues that only surfaced after the customer had used the machine for a few days. Stupid things like ink level reporting on his printer software, some sites not loading properly, intermittent sound problems etc. We'd spent way too much time already trying to fix it, replacing deleted services like Security Center and others that a nuke and pave (with us eating the cost) was the only real way forward. Times like that, you wish you'd made the decision to do it earlier.