Tag Archives: Unknown Error

SmoothWall – Allowing Windows Updates and Windows Activation

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KB ID 0000441 

Problem

I’ve had fun this week installing a new virtual environment for a client with a SmoothWall firewall. It took a call to SmoothWall support for me to get Windows updates to work, then after activating a few 2008 R2 servers via phone, I was motivated to get online activation running as well.

Windows Activation Error – (We are being blocked by the SmoothWall Proxy).

A problem occurred when Windows tried to activate. Error Code 0x8004FE33

Windows Update Error – (We are being blocked by the SmoothWall Proxy).

A error occurred while checking for new updates for your computer Code 80072EFD

Solution

1. Connect to the web management console of the SmoothWall. Select Guardian > User defined categories.

2. Select the “User Defined Categories” tab.

3. Give the Category a name > Set Filter type to “Content and URL filtering” > Copy and paste in the domains listed below > Then click “Add”.

Domains Required for Windows Update

[box]

windowsupdate.microsoft.com
update.microsoft.com
c.microsoft.com
download.windowsupdate.com
genuine.microsoft.com

[/box]

Domains Required for Windows Activation

[box]

sls.microsoft.com
wer.microsoft.com
connect.microsoft.com
go.microsoft.com
sls.microsoft.com
crl.microsoft.com
microsoft.com

[/box]

Note: These are the top level domains.

4. Select the “Filters” tab > Give it a name > Set the filter type to “Content and URL filtering” > Expand “Good” content > Tick “Software Updates”.

5. Scroll down and expand “User Defined” > Locate the user defined category you created in step 3 and tick it > Click Add.

6. Select the Policy tab > Groups = All groups > Change the filter to the one you created in step 4 > Time period = Always >Action = Allow > Tick “Enabled” > Add.

7. From the menu select Guardian > Authentication > Settings.

8. Scroll down to the “Do not require authentication for these domains….” section > Paste in the domains you also pasted in in step 3 > Click “Save and Restart”.

 

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NA

Windows Update Error 80072EFD

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KB ID 0000440 

Problem

While attempting to run a Windows Update you see the following error.

Code 80072EFD Windows Update encountered an unknown error. Get help with this error.

Solution

Note: There seems to be a few causes of this error, but in my case it was the proxy server.

1. Assuming you have a proxy set in your web browser settings (Internet Options > Connections > LAN Settings > Set proxy settings accordingly). Note: Your proxy may be using a different port to the one shown.

2. To fix it you need to have “un-proxied” and access (without authentication) to the following addresses:

http://windowsupdate.microsoft.com http://update.microsoft.com http://c.microsoft.com http://download.windowsupdate.com http://genuine.microsoft.com

3. If this machine with the update problem has access to the internet (without going through the proxy) you can simply add these addresses as “Exeptions” by pressing the advanced button above.

4. If the proxy is the only machine with internet acess and you cannot do that, then you need to allow access in the settings on your proxy server.

5. Once done, updates should resume.

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SmoothWall – Allowing Windows Updates and Windows Activation

Windows Update Error – 80243004

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KB ID 0000643

Problem

Seen on Server 2008, when attempting to run Windows update.

Code 80243004 Windows Update encountered an unknown error

Solution

Without a doubt the strangest fix I’ve ever seen!

1. Right click the Taskbar > Properties > Taskbar Tab > Customize.

2. Tick the box that says “Always show all icons and notifications on the taksbar” > OK.

3. Retry your Windows updates.

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NA

Windows Update Error C8000710

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KB ID 0000769 

Problem

Seen when attempting to perform windows update.

Solution

If you didn’t already know, then your problems have just got bigger, this error indicates there’s not enough room on the drive.

Find Out What’s Filled up the Hard Drive

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NA

Outlook Error 0x800CCC0F – Using POP3 To Exchange – Behind a Cisco CSC (Trend InterScan) Module

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KB ID 0000642 

Problem

I upgraded a clients firewall and CSC software a couple of weeks ago, and ever since “some” users saw the following errors,

Error 0x800CCC0F

Task ‘{email address} – Sending’ reports error (0x800CCC0F): #The connection to the server was interrupted. If the problem continues, contact your server administrator or Internet service provider (ISP).’

Eventually it would time out altogether with the following error,

Error 0x800CCC0B

Task ‘{email address} – Sending’ reported error (0x800CCC0B): ‘Unknown Error 0x800CCC0B’

Solution

All I could discern from Googling the error, was that the AV (In this case the Trend Micro InterScan for Cisco CSC SSM), in the Cisco CSC Module) was probably the culprit.

I tried stopping the POP3 Service on the CSC that did NOT fix the error.

I confirmed that the CSC module was the root cause of the problem, by disabling the entire module with the following command on the Cisco ASA firewall;

[box]hw-module module 1 shutdown[/box]

Warning: If you do this, your CSC settings must be set to “csc fail-open” or web and email traffic will stop! Once you have confirmed this IS the problem you can re-enable the module with the following command.

[box]hw-module module 1 reset[/box]

I tried from my office and it worked fine, I could not replicate the error, I tried from various servers and Citrix box’s from other clients who kindly let me test from their network. Still I could not replicate the error! I went home and that was the first time I could see the same error their users were seeing. Sadly this led me on a wild goose chase, (I use Outlook 2007 at home and Outlook 2010 everywhere else so I (wrongly) assumed that was the problem).

Breakthrough!

As I could now replicate the error, I could at least do some testing, I attempted a send/receive and looked at the CSC Logging.

Note: To view CSC Logging, connect to the ASDM > Monitoring > Logging > Trend Micro Content Security > Continue > Enter the password > OK > View.

Every time it failed, I saw my public IP being logged with a RejectWithErrorCide-550 and RBL-Fail,QIL-NA. At last something I could work with.

This error indicates a problem with the Email Reputation system, I logged into the CSC web management console > and located this.

Then I disabled the ‘SMTP Anti-spam (Email Reputation)’, and everything started to work.

Conclusion

I understand the need for this system, but the nature of POP3 email clients, dictates they can connect in from anywhere, usually from a home ISP account on a DHCP address. I know from experience that major ISP’s IP ranges get put in RBL block lists (I checked by popping my IP in here, and sure enough it was blocked).

If you are going to use POP3 then you need to leave this system disabled, but to be honest, if you have Exchange, simply swap over to Outlook Anywhere and stop using POP3.

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Special thanks to Jenny Ames for her patience while I fought with this over a number of days.