My latest XP Home SP3 nLite CD seems to work fine except that I can't connect to the internet. I've removed a bunch of functions and services, but I can't figure out which one that causes this problem. Besides, I'm not skilled in networking issues. All I know regarding my own connection is that my computer connects directly to a network, and the only Windows service I should need running for internet, is DHCP Client (I usually run only 7-8 services). I've connected on other Windows setups with this service only. Now, DHCP Client is set to Automatic but it refuses to start. What could it possibly depend on?

Below is a part of the session file. I would really appreciate if anyone could identify a potential issus that causes my lost internet connection. Thank you very much in advance!

LA

---

;# Hardware Support #
ALI 1535 SMBus Host Controller
ALI IDE Controller
ATM Support
Bluetooth Support
CMD PCI IDE Controller
Floppy Support
Gravis Digital GamePort
Infrared
Iomega Zip drive
Joystick Support
Modem Support
Multi-port serial adapters
Multi-Processor Support
PCMCIA
Ramdisk
Secure Digital host controller
Smart Cards
Sony Memory Stick
Teletext codec
Toshiba PCI IDE Controller
USB Video Capture devices
VIA PCI IDE Controller
Video Capture
Windows CE USB Host
Windows Image Acquisition (WIA)

;# Network #
Active Directory Services
Communication tools
Comtrol Test Terminal Program
Connection Manager
FrontPage Extensions
H323 MSP
Internet Connection Wizard
Internet Information Services (IIS)
IP Conferencing
MSN Explorer
Netmeeting
NetShell Cmd-Tool
Network Diagnostic
Network Monitor Driver and Tools
NWLink IPX/SPX/NetBIOS Protocol
Outlook Express
Peer-to-Peer
Share Creation Wizard
Synchronization Manager
TAPI Application Support
Vector Graphics Rendering (VML)
Web Folders
Windows Messenger

;# Operating System Options #
.NET Framework
Administrative Templates
Application compatibility patch
Auditing Resource Dlls
Blaster/Nachi removal tool
Certificate Management
Color Schemes
Command-line tools
Disk and Profile Quota
Disk Cleanup
Document Templates
DR Watson
Extensible Storage Engine (Esent97)
FAT to NTFS converter
File and Settings Wizard
Help and Support
IExpress Wizard
Input Method Editor
Manual Install and Upgrade
MS Agent
MS XML 2.0
Private Character Editor
Remote Installation Services (RIS)
Search Assistant
Security Center
Shell Media Handler
Symbolic Debugger (NTSD)
Tour
User account pictures
Web View
Zip Folders

;# Services #
Alerter
Application Layer Gateway
Automatic Updates
Beep Driver
COM+
Distributed Link Tracking Client
Error Reporting
Extensible Authentication Protocol Service
Fax Service
Health Key and Certificate Management Service
HTTP SSL
IMAPI CD-Burning COM Service
Indexing Service
Messenger
Network Access Protection (NAP)
Network DDE
Performance Logs and Alerts
Protected Storage
QoS RSVP
Quality of Service (QoS)
Remote Registry
Removable Storage
Route Listening Service
RPC Locator
Secondary Logon
Service Advertising Protocol
Simple TCP/IP Services
System Event Notification (SENS)
System Monitor
System Restore Service
Terminal Services
Uninterruptible Power Supply
Volume Shadow Copy
Windows Time
Wired AutoConfig

So have you set your IP manually ? Or do you have no IP at all ? Is the network card correctly installed ? Can you ping anything ?

Thanks for your reply.



I never do anything to set my IP. After a fresh install, I install a software firewall, plug in the network cable and then the connection works. My IP is always the same.

I did remove some drivers, but none of them seem to be network related (well, ISDN and Modems are, but I've always removed the previously, without problems):

;# Drivers #
Cameras and Camcorders
Display Adapters
IBM PS/2 TrackPoint
IBM ThinkPad
ISDN
Logitech WingMan
Microsoft SideWinder
Modems
Portable Audio
Scanners
Serial Pen Tablet
Sony Jog Dial
Sound Controllers
Tape drives
Toshiba DVD decoder card

Didn't try ping.

Currently I've reinstalled a full copy of Windows over the nLited one, so I can't really try.

LA

Update:

As I was tweaking my XP (full, not the nLited), I managed to reproduce the problem with tests and a bit of luck. Here's the thing:

I couldn't start the DHCP Client service. The following message was returned:

"Could not start the DHCP Client service on Local Computer.
Error 1068: The dependency service or group failed to start."

I found out (probably no secret...) that it depends on NetBios over Tcpip. However, I've always had this service disabled, so why didn't DHCP Client start? The answer, or rather the solution, lies in Windows Worms Doors Cleaner 1.4.1. See attached image: chose "Yes" and DHCP Client will work. Chose "No" and DHCP Client will not work.

However, this all applies to a full installation of XP. So the real question is, how does this apply to my nLited XP? Could it possibly be "NWLink IPX/SPX/NetBIOS Protocol" under "Network"? Or anything else?

LA

EDIT: I kept NetBIOS, now it all works.