I cannot start Orb: error message "Ooops! Orb encountered a problem and needs to close"

You are most likely experiencing a crash of Orb.exe or OrbTray.exe due to a conflict with a Layered Service Provider (LSP) DLL installed on your PC by a third-party software. It is usually an anti-virus or firewall software that puts a layer on the TCP/IP stack to protect your system against viruses and other threats. Sometimes, however, adware, spyware and other malware also use LSPs to imbed themselves in your system. Even unrelated products such as file-sharing programs may also use LSPs to silently install unwanted programs in your system.

These may result in damaging your Winsock 2 libraries and cause Orb.exe to crash in module C:\windows\system32\ws2_32.dll, or …\wshtcpip.dll, or various such LSP modules.

LSP DLLs often, but not always, have the letters “lsp” in their filenames and can usually be found in the C:\Windows\System32 folder or in the folders of the programs that installed them. Some of the common programs known to install LSPs in C:\Windows\System32 that cause Orb crashes are:

Nod32 Antivirus – which installs the imon.dll (a.k.a. Internet Monitor)
(Note that simply disabling the Internet Monitor functionality in this software is usually not sufficient and does not resolve this crash)

Venturi Wireless – a connection optimization (compression) client for using mobile phones as modems on laptops, handhelds, etc.) which installs the vlsp.dll.
(Note that if you remove the Transparency feature - C:\Program Files\Venturi2\SPI\Uninstall Transparency – of this software, it may solve the problem).

eTrust EZ Antivirus – (sometimes provided by Time Warner ISP).

CyberSitter – a parental control software which installs the lspcs.dll.

McAffee – which installs mclsp.dll, mclsphlr.dll, and gdlsphlr.dll.

Zone Labs – which installs imslsp.dll, IMsecure components for securing MSN/AIM-OSCAR/YIM protocols.

And more...- (xfire_lsp_8742.dll, iFW_Xfilter.dll, etc.)

To determine which program causes the conflict, search for such LSP DLL in your C:\Windows\System32 folder, rename it, stop and restart Orb and see if that prevents the crash

If it does prevent it, try to simply unregister that DLL: from a command prompt (Start > Run...), type regsvr32 /u yourLSP.dll (Note: to re-register the DLL, just type the same command again without the /u switch).

If that is an option for you, disable/uninstall your anti-virus software altogether, and use a program which does not cause any conflict with Orb, such as the FREE AVAST-Home antivirus software

Note: you may also try to run a free third-party LSP/Winsock 2 Repair utility such as LSPFIX.exe from http://cexx.org/lspfix.htm, or WinsockXPFix.exe (which you can download from the www.iup.edu link provided at the bottom of that page) to see if it resolves your crash issue.