This error drove me nuts! It cost me not hours but days of my time to remedy, and it's all Microsofts fault!
Firstly, my config:
3 computers networked with a basic 8 port hub/switch, sharing a dial-up connection on the main machine, all XP Pro SP2. Main machine has Marvel on-board LAN. Reinstalled XP on the lot.
Next, the problem.
Messenger Live would not work on the networked machines, well, it did on very rare occasions after I had been messing around a bit, but mostly Error 81000306 just came up. Neither did the Messenger that installs with windows. Strangely, my laptop with Messenger 7 worked well whenever I pluged it in.
I also noted that many websites would not load on the networked machines, such as the windows update website.
Now, something funny is going on....
I noticed that after a fresh install of XP on the main machine, everything worked! But only for a while, then the same damn thing started happening again! What had I just done to my fresh install of XP to cause this problem again? Only windows update, and it can't be that...
Then, "Oh yes it can...."
It had to have something to do with the network, and one of the "optional" updates under "Hardware" I had chosen was for the on-board LAN on the main machine, as shown below:
Marvell Marvell Yukon 88E8001/8003/8010 PCI Gigabit Ethernet Controller
Marvell Semiconductor - Networking - Marvell Yukon 88E8001/8003/8010 PCI Gigabit Ethernet Controller
The Solution
I tried to use "Roll back driver" in device manager, but this did not work, so I uninstalled it instead, and reinstalled it using the original LAN drivers that came with the mainboard.
Everything now works 100%, and has been stable for 3 days.
Wish I could send Microsuck the bill for my time.....
