Specifications

Nessus Windows Troubleshooting

Installation /Upgrade Issues

Issue: The nessusd.messages log indicates nessusd started, but it hasn’t.

Solution: The “nesssud <version> started” message only indicates that the nessusd program was executed. The

message “nessusd is ready” indicates that the Nessus server is running and ready to accept connections.

Issue: I am receiving the following error when I try to install Nessus Windows:

“1607: Unable to install InstallShield Scripting Runtime”

Solution: This error code can be produced if the Windows Management Instrumentation (WMI) service has been disabled

for any reason. Please verify that the service is running.

If the WMI service is running, then this may be a problem between the Microsoft Windows Operating System settings and

the InstallShield product that is used for installing and removing Nessus Windows. There are knowledge base articles

from both Microsoft and InstallShield that detail potential causes and the resolution of the issue.

 Microsoft Knowledge Base Article ID 910816:

http://support.microsoft.com/?scid=kb;en-us;910816

 InstallShield Knowledge Base Article ID Q108340:

http://consumer.installshield.com/kb.asp?id=Q108340

Scanning Issues

Issue: A virus scan of my system reports a large number of viruses or malware in Nessus Windows.

Solution: Certain anti-virus applications may show some of the Nessus plugins as viruses. Exclude the plugins directory

from virus scans since there are no executable programs in this directory. For more information on using Nessus in

conjunction with Anti Malware software, consult the “Nessus 5 and Antivirus” document.

Issue: I am scanning an unusual device, such as a RAID controller, and the scan is aborted because Nessus has

detected it as a printer.

Solution: Disable “Safe Checks” in the scan policy before scanning the device. A scan of a printer will usually result in the

printer needing to be restarted, therefore when “Safe Checks” is set, devices detected as printers are not scanned.

Issue: SYN scans do not appear to wait for the port connection to be established in Nessus Windows.

Solution: This is correct in that the SYN scan does not establish a full TCP connect, however it does not change the scan

results.