Internet Problem, please help

[anojones]

I agree with suggestions to try Firefox as a web browser, Seamonkey is similar but has other programs built in you may not need- but is an excellent web browser as well. AVG won't protect you from spyware, I find it to be a pretty good anti-virus but you should run an anti-spyware program with it. Microsoft has a free one- Windows Defender (they may have renamed it- I think you have to sign up for the Microsoft Genuine Advantage program to get it but that shouldn't be a big problem). If you do have spyware you can try to remove it with Adware or the Microsoft product- but if it finds anything the best thing to do is restore, or reinstall XP- make sure you back up any files before doing any of these things. If fact, make sure to back-up now anyway. As long as you have copies of all the software you need and back-up all your files you can just re-format and reintstall XP if you have to- it's not that bad and will save you paying someone. I've reinstalled XP on my laptop several times in the last few years, my desktop is now a Mac and I like it a lot.

 

[EddieWalker]

Thank you everyone for all your help and advice.

I went to the links and found the others that everyone provided and started downloading. Avast found 118 problems that it was able to fix. None of them were anything I recognized. But that didn't solve the problem.

I downloaded SeaMonkey and found that it loaded images much faster and more reliably. IE doesn't open picture very well, all the time. But it didn't fix the problem.

I deleted and downloaded IE7 without any improvement.

Steph came home and tried the same things. She also deleted the cookies and cache without any improvement. She reset the computer to three months ago. Nothing. She then deleted IE7 and downloaded it again. Nothing.

We went to bed last night and forgot to turn off the computer. This morning it's working again. I went right into yahoo mail and have been able to reply to my messages. I am having to sign into everything again, so it might have been the cookies.

I'm probably gonna download Firefox, but I'm also afraid to change anything right now. hahaha

Again, thank you for all the help. It's good to have these ideas for the next time it stops working!!!!!!!!!

Eddie

 

[mikim]

ya know - it's constant crap like this that will make me go to OSx for my next puter. ..... windoze and their fairy fixes......tired of it.

 

[Podunkadunk]

That's some strange stuff going on there and nothing that I can isolate to one cause...and I'm in the I.T. bidness.

I too use Yahoo as my mail server. Yesterday I couldn't get in. When I would go to check mail, it would time out and I got the same error message you got. I rebooted, nothing. This morning it worked fine. Must have been something going on with the Yahoo servers.

I swear by AVG. HOWEVER, I recently switched from HughesNet Satellite internet to DSL. In doing this I had to reconfigure my wireless router. Well, long story short, my laptop wouldn't recognize my router (as it had been doing for over a year). I tried every trick I know. Finally called one of our techie guys. After some "over the phone" troubleshooting, he discovered I had AVG freeware antivirus. In switching the router over and resetting it, AVG wasn't allowing communication with the router. I had to delete AVG and once I did, the computer immediately recognized the router. Now I'm back to running Mcaffee anti-badguy protection.

The gist of all this mumbo jumbo:

It could be a glitch with IE7...but I doubt it.

Could be AVG...?

Usually virus' are coded to not interfere with internet connections...they want you to spread the bug!

When you find the fix, be sure and post...I'm interested.

Good luck man, computer problems SUCK royally, I can attest to that!
Podunkadunk

 

[Jimbrown]

Eddie I seem to remember that you are using Hugesh net. If so they have been downloading new firmware to all of the modems over the last wek and other people had similar problems with mail for a short peiod of time.

 

[EddieWalker]

We have no idea what we did that fixed it. It could have just been Yahoo, but just about everyone we talked to had no problems with yahoo. BUT.... there were a few poeple that couldn't get on, so maybe it was yahoo????

It's working good again, so we're not touching anything. hahaha

Eddie

 

[orezok]

I think you have to sign up for the Microsoft Genuine Advantage program to get it but that shouldn't be a big problem).

Microsoft Genuine Advantage is Bill Gates latest version of Microsoft approved spyware. Bill will know just about everything there is to know about everything on your computer as soon as you sign up.

Bill ,and particularly Ballmer aren't trying to help you out, they are trying to help themselves to your info.

Beware!

 

[Harvster]

If you really want to experience computing the way it ought to be switch to Linux. Specifically Ubuntu Home Page | Ubuntu . My computer is almost eight years old and was running Windows98. Microsoft stopped supporting 98 and security fixes are no longer offered. I couldn't run some newer programs and with the antivirus running my computer, it crawled along. So, I found Ubuntu and made the change. What a difference. The interface is nearly the same and there are programs that are compatible with Office etc. There is no antivirus needed because there are no viruses in the wild that affect linux boxes. I can browse wherever I want and never worry about adware etc. because none of it affects linux. My eight year old computer now buzzes along and I can do all the things with my digital camera and other media or office apps that I couldn't do with Windows. I actually can boot into windows98 if I run across something that needs windows but for nearly everything I use Ubuntu linux and couldn't be happier. The forum over there is incredibly helpful if you do have problems and I have had questions answered often in less than 5 minutes. And of course it's completely free and updated frequently. But, even the newest versions run well on my dinosaur of a PC.

 

[rox]

Harvestor,

you have given me an idea. I have an old computer a our codo in Milwaukee. i only just keep it for when i come home nad need to check e-mail.

i think I will convert that old dinousaur to linux, why not/ It is better than throwing it out.

 

[Alan L.]

I have had good luck doing an adware scan using lavasoft's free scan program, I think its "adaware" in safe mode. Make sure you have the latest definitions downloaded and then reboot into safe mode and run the scan and delete all results.

I have stayed away from IE7 because it seems to take Microsoft about 5 years to get a product into decent working condition. Must be nice not to have any competition.