explorer.exe wants to connect to the internet?

Everytime I double click on 'My Computer' on my desk top Zone Alarm pops up a message that 'explorer.exe' wants to connect to the internet. I have 'Auto Updates" turnned off and anything else I could thing of - prefer to do it when I want. Any ideas out there as to why? The system is only a month old and I'm just getting use to WinXP Pro.

mordin

Intel P4 2.8 w/HyperThreading & 800 MHz fsb
Asus P4P800 MoBo
512 (2x256) Meg Dual Channel DDR PC3200 RAM
256 Meg GeForce 5600
Sound Blaster Audigy Gamer
DVD-Rom/CD-R Burner
120 Gig Hard Drive (replacement for a defective 120 Gig drive is on it's way back from Western Digital)

 

Check your event logs (right-click my computer then click manage and open Event Viewer). You will probably see an entry there re: the attempt to connect to the internet. One likely possibility is the pc attempting to do an internet time synch. If that's it and you don't want this to happen, open your Services list and locate Windows Time. You can stop and then set startup to disabled.

 

Windows Time is disabled.
I have uncovered that it is trying to connect to my ISP. The only thing I see odd in 'events viewer' is a warning that reads: "Your computer was not able to renew it's address from the network (from the DHCP Server) for the network card with network addess *********. The following error occurred: The semaphore timeout period has expired. Your computer will continue to try and obtain an address on it's own from the network address (DNCP) server."
It only trys to connect the 1st time I enter 'My Computer' when newly started and doesn't seem to make a difference if I allow or disallow it.

mordin

 

The error is an odd one for your configuration since you aren't likely to be running ISA server or any of several other things that can trigger this particular error.

Do you use a router-switch to connect to a broadband internet modem? If so, I'd suggest you check for a firmware update and install one if available.

Also, please do the following and post the contents of the resulting text file (C:\config.txt) to this thread.

start~run~cmd and OK, followed by
ipconfig /all > c:\config.txt

 

I don't have a router/switch, cable modem plugged into the NIC. I found out the warning was from svchost.exe run by DHCP Client and not related to the original problem. Not use to needing these extra services running to connect to the internet and I had disallowed it at that time.

I have set my system up using blackviper.com's guide. Turning off most unneeded services (kept a couple like system restore - it's come in handy). I do know that explorer.exe only tries to connect to the net the 1st time I open 'My Computer' (found out it also does it if I open the recylce bin) after starting. I can post a list of my services settings if it would help.

mordin

 

mordin - a thought occured. The next time you have the connection attempt, make sure you aren't seeing that explore.exe is the thing trying to connect rather than explorer.exe.

There were a couple of trojans that still resurface occasionally that used a file named explore.exe.

 

No it is explorer.exe ver 6.002800.122 (xp2p2.030511-1403) trying to connect to 24.153.23.66NS. ZoneAlarm's More Info does say some ligit reasons would be:

opening a new browser window - I know it's not that

accessing bookmarks from Windows Explorer - or this

using Active Desktop - ?? maybe, how do I know if it's turnned on? As far as I can tell it's not.

browsing network neighborhood - only computer

Could be these last 2, how do I check for them?

if your Windows Explorer is configured to view web content
if your Windows Explorer is configured to launch folder windows in a separate process

mordin

 

Tools~folder options~view should show you the 'launch' piece.

Not sure about the web content part but I imagine if you have it set in View to display links or any other IE-style toolbars then it will be that way.

 

ZoneAlarm

In my opinion if you dont want WinXP Explorer to access the internet and you cannot find where it is comming from, just get Zone Alarm to stop it.

Next time that Zone Alarm brings up that message, check the box that remember the settings for that program and just hit "No ".

I did that for my computer and its still running fine. Im not exactually sure why, explorer wants to access the net but in a way i dont think it really is, possibly.

The reason i say this because I've had other programs just start up in my computer asking to access the net when they really werent. Is it just say this cuz the computer is hooked up??

NeoSpawn

 

No, those programs, including Windows Explorer and Office (Word,Excel, Frontpage) actually do access the net and if you block them with your firewall, that stops them from doing so without any decrease in performance. Some programs, that are not MS, can be set from within themselves not to go online for any reason- updates etc. Spybot is a good example. Mine checks for updates online automatically when it is activated. I usually shut most things off for privacy and security reasons, but another good reason to disallow unrestricted net access would be a slow internet connection, for example, or one that you pay for by the minute. The original question Mordin had about explorer.exe requesting internet access is normal behavior for WE that all of us apparently forgot about, because our firewalls have long ago prompted to set a rule, (and I'll bet we all said no!) and we don't see it anymore.

Johanna
Who will miss Norton's "Tattletale" Globe when her subscription is up... or the comp crashes, whichever comes first.

 

Thought I had found it under Tools~folder options~view - the 1st setting is 'Automatically search for network folders and printers'. It was checked so I unchecked it, no luck explorer.exe is still trying to connect to the net.

>NeoSpawn "Next time that Zone Alarm brings up that message, check the box that remember the settings for that program and just hit "No ". "

>Johanna "The original question Mordin had about explorer.exe requesting internet access is normal behavior for WE that all of us apparently forgot about, because our firewalls have long ago prompted to set a rule, (and I'll bet we all said no!) and we don't see it anymore. "

Both are just work arounds.... I would like to know what/why it wants to connect to the net? I want control over my system. What about people not connected to the net? What kind of problems does this cause fro them?

mordin

 

Well this is a possible theory of mine that might answer your question Mordin. Remember how people were saything that WinXP sent out personal information and all that?

What if this is the situation?

In my opinion I really wouldnt worry about it to great lengths. Its windows they are probably trying to get away with something while we are like screaming and hollering at the computer saying no.

To answer your question of "What about people not connected to the net?" I dont think anything happens really. Because I use to be on a dial up and didnt have a firewall at the time. Im sure that explorer was sending some kind of info. As long as i didnt have like lawyers or FBI or CIA at my front door I really didnt care. =^_^= Now that I have DSL and the fire wall blocking explorer everything is fine and i dont give second thoughts about it.

NeoSpawn

 

Mordin
By default, all MS products attempt to connect to the internet at start up. Some connect at set intervals. What info are the computers exchanging? Whatever MS wants. Probably used to gather statistics and search for updates, but the point is, no one knows, and whatever they are doing with the connection could change at any minute if hackers took over MS servers. Paranoid? Probably. Probable? No. Possible? Absolutely. I never would have believed the World Trade Centers could colllapse a few years ago. Best to install a good firewall, and only allow traffic you initiate. IMO, Norton, despite its bloat and quirks, is the only software I know of that can override and boss MS consistently. YMMV.

Johanna

 

Neither my old system with Win98 SE or a friends running WinXP (which I reformatted and set up for him) had this problem. It is not at a set interval or right at start up. I can reboot the system and leave it for hours and nothing happens but the minute I try and open 'My Computer' or the 'Recycle Bin" Zone Alarm tells my 'explorer.exe' wants to connect to the internet. (I must check if 'My Documents" or a right click/explore on the start button does it too)

If it's gathering statistics like you say, it's an invasion of my privacy. I was not told or asked about it. It is not looking for updates because I have auto-updates turnned off.

I think, for some reason that I can't find, the computer thinks it is networked and is trying to get the info about this non-existing network. It doesn't seem to make any difference if I allow it or disallow it. For now I have Zone Alarm set to not allow it. I've been using Zone Alarm for over 4 years now and see no reason to switch to a Norton product.

mordin