Firewall screwed up XP network settings

Archived from groups: microsoft.public.windows.networking.wireless (More info?)

Hi,

I recently uninstalled NIS 2005 and embarked on a quest for better AV and
Firewall software. On the AV front I found NOD32 and stuck with it.
With the firewall it was a bit more complicated - I tried Outpost Pro and I
think that either it or the complete uninstall of NIS screwed up some of my
network settings in XP. I have since uninstalled OP and have tried, with no
luck, to solve these problems firewall-free.

Here are the three problems I encountered:
1. Windows Update would not download updates -I found it to be a problem
with the Background Intelligent Transfer Service - only a repair install of
XP solved that problem.

2. Access to my Router User interface (through IE) has become quite slow,
with pages taking their time to load. I haven't found a solution yet.

3. I use a mail tagging program called MSGTAG – and since I uninstalled NIS
/ installed Outpost Firewall Pro I can't send any messages through it. I
tried a few methods to resolve this issue and interestingly, when I connect
directly to my DSL modem through a PPPoE connection - mail is sent through
MSGTAG without a problem. On the other hand, when I send a message through
MSGTAG from another computer on the network, connected to my router - it is
sent as well...so the problem is not within the router. Even with no firewall
installed - messages still aren't being sent.

It seems as though the install / uninstall has resulted in some changes to
my network settings or protocols. Nothing I checked "on the surface" seems to
be wrong - all tcpip, dhcp settings look OK.

Are there any hidden registry settings that I've missed?
Any help you can offer will be greatly appreciated...

Much thanks in advance!