Networking Services…IPv6 and a Corrupt Database

All I wanted to do is install the Peer to Peer Networking Service for Windows XP.  A process I have done many times.  For some reason I have never installed it on my home computer (which has Windows Media Center Edition 2005), I guess because I usually use that computer to play games, rather than work ( I have a laptop which I use for developing), but have found myself doing more work on it after I got my new 22″ screen.

1st Problem:

I tried to install Peer to Peer Networking Service through the settings: Control Panel->Add or Remove Programs -> Add/Remove Windows Components ->Networking Services-> ‘Click’ Details-> Check off Peer to Peer.  I clicked ‘OK’ and it starts installing, only to stop half with the error ‘extended error has occured‘.

Great.  There always seems to be a problem when I try to do something simple.  So, after doing some research, I learned that  Peer to Peer Networking relies upon IPv6, which for some reason I didn’t have installed.  Another reason could have been that I exceeded the number of connections, where XP Pro only has 10, and XP Home has 5.  But I went with the IPv6 solution, especially since when checked in the Properties of my Network Connection, it did not come up.
Reference: http://www.neowin.net/forum/index.php?showtopic=541890

2nd Problem:

I went into  Control Panel -> Network and Internet Connections -> Network Connections ->Right Click on any of the Connections and go to ‘Properties’ -> Click ‘Install’ -> Select ‘Protocol’ -> Click ‘Add’ -> Select ‘IPv6’ -> and Click ‘OK’.  It should have installed, but didn’t, once again I got ‘extended error has occured‘.
An easy way to install IPv6 is to open up the Command Prompt and type:

C:\>netsh interface ipv6 install

Unfortunately I got the same error on the Command Prompt as well.  Which lead me to believe that at least I was on the right track on finding my error, since the message was the same, maybe a single fix will solve both problems.

Solution:

First to fix the error, open the Command Prompt and enter:

C:\>esentutl /p %windir%\security\Database\secedit.sdb

Reference: http://www.howtofixcomputers.com/forums/xp-networking/unable-install-microsoft-tcp-ip-version-6-protocol-111993.html#post478762

This will basically open and run a Windows Database Utility program to repair (what seems to be) a Windows security database.  What bothers me is that I don’t know how this error happened.  The feedback that I got was:

The database is not up-to-date. This operation may find that this database is corrupt because data from the log files has yet to be placed in the database.

Why is it not up-to-date? and why were the log files on placed in the database? It could be from a previous bad shut down, or something.  Either way, this opertation will fix the database, but recommend that you run the ‘Recovery’ operation.  I did not.

Next rerun the IPv6 command, either from Command Prompt, or from the Network Connection properties.  If you run from the Command Prompt, you should get in nice ‘Ok’ when the operation has completed successfully.  Finally going back to my original issue, installing the Peer to Peer Networking Service, attempt to install it.  In my case success!  Worked like a charm.

…now stop EXTENDING MY ERRORS!!!