[Ham-Computers] Change User Name & Password in Router Settings: Is it more Secure?

[nn6o]

Ray,

Interesting, I've never encountered that issue before with NETSH.  And, doing
a brief search on the net, it doesn't seem like a common problem as there's
little related to what you've described.  Going further, the Remote Access
Service (remoteaccess) is set to DISABLED by default in WinXP, so there's no
reason NETSH would require it to run.  It's possible that there is some
corruption in your WinXP installation (or the network stack), the drive needs
checking (CHKDSK), or, some malware is running on your PC.  Let's utilize some
common tools to fix possible corruption issues.

First thing I'd suggest is to run a logical drive check.  To do this, open a
Command Prompt and enter the following:

  chkdsk c: /f

When prompted, answer "Y" to schedule a check at the next boot - this will
schedule a logical file structure test at the next bootup (don't reboot yet).
Next, let's clean-up the TEMP folders.  While still in the Command Prompt,
enter:

  cd %temp%

This should place you in your TEMP folder - In XP, it's usually "c:\documents
and settings\username\local settings\temp".  Verify the prompt ends in
"\temp>" - if not, enter the command again and verify.  Once you've verified
you're in the TEMP folder, we'll delete the existing contents (which could be
quite a bit if you've never emptied the TEMP folder before).

*** NOTE: Be VERY careful with the following command - typing it in the wrong
place will permanently delete files and/or render the OS inoperable. VERIFY
AGAIN that the command line prompt ends in "\temp>" - if not, do not proceed
with the "rd" command.

  rd . /s

When prompted "are you sure", press "y" to empty the folder and all
sub-folders.  The reason we use RD rather than DEL is because RD will remove
the sub-dirs - DEL will leave empty sub-dirs behind.  Now we do the same with
the system TEMP folder:

  cd \windows\temp

*** again, verify your prompt now reads "c:\windows\temp>" - if not, enter the
command again.  Do not proceed if the prompt isn't "c:\windows\temp" ***  Now
repeat the rd command from before:

  rd . /s

And press "y" when prompted.  Hopefully, your drive will be a little "lighter"
now - you can view the folder contents to verify if it's close to empty.  Some
files/folders may remain as they're currently in use by Windows - no worries.

Now it's time to reboot so Windows can perform the CHKDSK.  Reboot your PC and
let CHKDSK do it's thing - it'll take anywhere from a few seconds to several
minutes to complete, depending on drive speed and content of drive.  You can
monitor the progress if you wish, but it won't pause when finished - the
results are stored in the Windows event logs.

That's the basics - do these first, then try the NETSH... commands again.  If
you still get prompted to run NET START REMOTEACCESS, post and we'll do some
more diags.  BTW, if you know how, the next step will be a malware scan using
Malwarebytes anti-malware (MBAM).  Get it at http://malwarebytes.org, install
it (uncheck the "Pro" trial at the end), update and run a full scan.

Also, NETSH can be run by itself at the command prompt - if you do so, it
becomes a command shell that allows you to run additional NETSH commands.  See
if you get a NETSH> prompt running netsh by itself (type EXIT to get out).

73 and let us know how it goes!

  - Aaron, NN6O


p.s. In case anyone's interested, after the malware scan (and fixes) comes a
network stack repair (TCP/IP & Winsock) and possibly a system file check
(grueling on WinXP).

-----Original Message-----
From: Ham-Computers [mailto:ham-computers-bounces at mailman.qth.net] On Behalf
Of Ray, W4BYG
Sent: Thursday, March 31, 2016 8:01 AM
To: Computers (or other) used for amateur radio, communications, or
experimenting
Subject: Re: [Ham-Computers] Change User Name & Password in Router Settings:
Is it more Secure?

Aaron,
I appreciate the comprehensive reply given below.  I wasn't aware of the
"netsh" command and it's possibilities.

However I have a question regarding using WinXP.  When I enter the netsh...
command I get:

"Please use 'net start remoteaccess' to start the service".  When I do that I
get: "System error 1058 has occurred.  The service cannot be started because
it is disabled or because it has no enabled devices associated with it.

Any clue as to where to go from there to enable the service?

Your assistance is appreciated.
Ray, W4BYG


On 3/31/2016 12:38 AM, nn6o wrote:
> Hi all,

*** SNIP ***