NetScanTools 4.0 - 4.31 Support

  • How do I uninstall a trial version of NetScanTools 4.x?
    Uninstall and manual removal instructions are here.
  • We no longer support NetScanTools 4.x.
    It was replaced by the 5.x series in July 2003. The last version was 4.31.
  • Does NetScanTools 4.x run on Windows 10?
    We have no idea and we do not plan on testing it. The software was discontinued in 2003 during Windows XP which was before Vista, Windows 7, Windows 8.x.
  • Can I register a purchased version of NetScanTools 4.x?
    Yes, please visit this page.

NetScanTools 4.x Problems and Solutions

The information below is provided for historical reference only.

  • Problem (all versions): Whois queries for '.org' either fail or produce useless results. The problem was the whois servers reallocated responsibilities for reporting information. Posted February 5, 2003.
    Solution, NetScanTools Pro 4.x only: In whois setup, enter whois.pir.org in the Step One .com, .net Whois Server edit box. Then do your '.org' query. After you are done with the '.org' query, return the Step One Whois Server back to the original server.
  • Installation problem (NST all versions, Windows NT4/2000/XP only): While installing NetScanTools from a CDROM, you get most of the way through the installation, then see an error message 115 and the installation aborts. Posted 12/20/02.
    Solution: Logout and relogin as an Administrator privileges user. NetScanTools Pro requires administrative privileges for certain functions to work correctly.
  • Problem (NST all versions, Windows XP only): NetScanTools when run on Windows XP is unable to sort out NetBIOS (Windows) computer names returned to it during NetScanner sweeps. XP's netbt.sys fails for multithreaded NetBIOS name responses. For more info, see Microsoft Knowledge Base article Q317936.
    Solution: Install Windows XP Service Pack 1 or greater
  • Problem: NetScanTools 4.23 trial version crashes on Windows ME - trial or registered - what now?
    Solution:
    The trial wrapper around NetScanTools 4.23 does not interact properly with Windows ME (no other OSes are affected). The solution is to use a later version of NetScanTools and do not use Windows ME for anything.
  • Problem: the tabs -> Ping, Traceroute, NetScanner, NetBIOS, Database Tests, shows only a blank results area. There are no apparent columns and no results.
    Solution: Press the Autosize button on the affected tab.
  • Problem (all NST 4.x versions, any operating system): Incorrect reporting of TCP ports 25 (smtp) and 110 (pop3) as being active on a target system when there are not really any services running on those ports. Symptoms: Unlike normal connect responses to these ports, you do not receive any login banner data back. These ports always appear no matter what IP you are scanning even if the IP does not exist.
    Solution: You are most likely running an antivirus program like Norton Antivirus 2002 that has the capability to scan incoming and outgoing email for viruses. This is a good feature to have, however, not when you are running a port scan of another computer. Simply disable email virus scanning on your antivirus program. On Norton Antivirus 2002, this can be done by selecting Options on the main window, then selecting Email under the Internet heading and unchecking the boxes under What to scan. Certain firewalls may also produce false positives too on other ports. You may need to consult your firewall documentation for specific fixes. Port Probe (scanning) will always work best when there are no firewall or other filtering devices/software between NetScanTools and the target system.
  • Problem: NetScanTools 4.x will not start on Windows 95. There is an error message about being unable to locate ws2_32.dll or NetScanTools 4.23 may report that it cannot load nstmtspt.dll, error 1157. This is because old operating systems like Windows 95 do not include support for Winsock 2 without an upgrade. (You might also consider upgrading to a newer operating system!)
    Solution: You do not have Winsock 2 on your system, you must download and install the newest Winsock 2 update for Windows 95.
  • ANNOUNCEMENT, Friday 1/14/00. This ONLY affects downloaded trial copies of version 4.0--it DOES NOT affect CDROM copies (or version 4.02). It has come to our attention that a serious compatibility problem exists between NetScanTools 4.0 and the trial wrapper that protects the program and imposes the 30 day trial. This problem manifests itself in different ways depending on the operating system. It usually shows up when you use Port Probe or NetScanner. On Windows 95/98 you will see allocated memory growing until you see a Failed to Initialize... (0010-0016-0120). On Windows NT, virtual memory will be used until either the program crashes with either a standard crash message or a Dr. Watson dump.

    Again, we want to stress that this only affected downloaded copies of NetScanTools 4.00. There are NO known memory allocation issues in the CDROM versions of NetScanTools 4. The CDROM version 4 and downloaded version 4.02+ are VERY STABLE. NetScanTools Pro 200x was NOT affected by this issue.

    The above issue was resolved on 2/7/00.
  • Problem: NetScanTools 4.00 will not go beyond the "Try" button on Windows 95. There is an error message similar to:

    Export function: GetDiskFreeSpaceExA could not be found in dynamic library:
    KERNEL32.dll Error code: 127

    Solution: This issue was resolved in a later version.