IE 8 Issues (or so I am told)

[okstgrad]

Woke up this morning and suddenly had connection issues. System keeps telling me it cannot connect to the Internet using HTTP, HTTPS, or FTP. Check firewall settings for the HTTP port (80) port (443) and FTP port (21). Have contacted service provider and run through all of their suggestions as well as those at microsoft.com. Disabling Firewalls does not help! Restoring to yesterday does not help! I am using Windows XP Media and running IE8. I am currently using my daughter's laptop in an attempt to resolve the issue.

[snow]

Hi there,

 

Welcome to Extreme Tech Support - Free PC Help.

 

What is the exact error message IE is giving you when it can't connect?

 

Open up the command prompt on the affected machine by holding down the windows key, and pressing 'R'.

 

Then type in

ping www.google.com

and press enter. This will check for basic internet connectivity. Let us know the results by right-clicking on the window after the command has completed, and choosing 'Select all', and then pasting it into your next reply.

[okstgrad]

I did that earlier and I do have connectivity. I am using a different laptop to correspond b/c while it "shows" it is connected, I cannot access internet. System keeps telling me it cannot connect to the Internet using HTTP, HTTPS, or FTP. Check firewall settings for the HTTP port (80) port (443) and FTP port (21). It thinks it is a firewall issue, but this does not appear to be the case! I would GREATLY appreciate any help you can give me!!!

[snow]

If you have connectivity through ping, then the problem will be with some settings in IE8, or possibly windows.

 

First check IE's connection settings. Click 'Tools', then go to the 'Connections' tab. If there is anything in the box under 'Dial-up and Virtual Private Network Settings' then remove everything, so the box is empty.

 

Make sure 'Never dial a connection' is highlighted.

 

Now click 'LAN settings' at the bottom. Make sure nothing in here is ticked.

 

What security software do you run? Do you run both an antivirus, and a firewall?

[okstgrad]

That all checked out okay. Running Windows Firewall as well as Trend Micro Internet Security Pro. I've tried to connect w/ both turned off to no avail. I've used both for years now and this has NEVER happened. Am being told the problem lies w/ IE8. I'm on a Dell laptop w/ wireless connection if that matters any.

[okstgrad]

Uninstalled IE8....no luck! Anybody got anything that might help?

[okstgrad]

Cannot connect to Firefox either....am currently running Malwarebytes to see if that yeilds anything. HELP!!!!!

[snow]

When you pinged a web address, did you type exactly

ping www.google.com

and receive something that looked like this:

 

Pinging www.l.google.com [209.85.229.103] with 32 bytes of data:
 Reply from 209.85.229.103: bytes=32 time=31ms TTL=55
 Reply from 209.85.229.103: bytes=32 time=32ms TTL=55
 Reply from 209.85.229.103: bytes=32 time=32ms TTL=55
 Reply from 209.85.229.103: bytes=32 time=31ms TTL=55
  
 Ping statistics for 209.85.229.103:
     Packets: Sent = 4, Received = 4, Lost = 0 (0% loss),
 Approximate round trip times in milli-seconds:
     Minimum = 31ms, Maximum = 32ms, Average = 31ms

Try typing this into the address bar of your web browser:

74.125.95.104

 

And hitting enter. If google appears, then the problem is with your DNS configuration. If not, then scanning your computer for malware should be the next step.

[okstgrad]

Yes, that's what came up. Typed 74.125.95.104 in address bar w/o success. Malware scan complete, everything it found removed, still no internet access. UGH!!

[okstgrad]

Tried ping again...same results. What now??

[snow]

Ok, try re-setting winsock:

WinSock XP Fix - fix XP internet connectivity download, reviewed and rated from Spychecker.com -

 

Once you have applied the fix, re-start and try to browse to google.

[okstgrad]

Okay....ran Winsock Fix and had internet connection for one fleeting moment, but now back to the same problem PLUS a new issue! My firewall on my security software has been turned off and it will not allow me to turn it back on. You had it there for a minute and I was thrilled!! What now?

[okstgrad]

Okay, uninstalled then reinstalled firewall. Funny thing happened. Was able to get internet to come up briefly (just like it did after WinSock Fix) then back to nothing again. This is soooooo frustrating!!!:mad:

[okstgrad]

A new development! After uninstalling and reinstalling my Firewall, the message I'm now getting when I fail to connect says to contact the company that gives me Windows XP Product support or to go to Microsoft.com. on another computer. Also, I cannot connect w/ firewalls off, but I can NOW connect on IE7 and Firefox if the entire security program is disabled even though Windows Firewall is on! Contacted Trend Micro and they say I have to go through Microsoft channels since problem no longer says it is a Firewall issue. Any new ideas? Something has changed so I guess that's progress!

[snow]

From your description of what happened, I think you should try completely removing trend-micro:

Uninstalling Trend Micro PC-cillin Internet Security 2007

 

Windows firewall will not be an issue here, as it does not affect outbound traffic. I think something may have gone wrong with your install of Trend Micro.

 

If you uninstall it, re-boot, and then still find you can't connect; try running the winsock fix again.

[okstgrad]

I have Trend Micro Pro now and have used this software for YEARS. Something had to happen to cause this problem to suddenly occur. I do not want to go w/o virus software and IE is now indicating a Windows XP issue. I did not uninstall/reinstall TrendMicro completely, just the firewall section alone.

[snow]

I am not asking you to give up Trend-micro permanently, just for the time it would take to test your connection without it.

 

The only consistent thing so far is the firewall component of Trend-micro:

 

I can NOW connect on IE7 and Firefox if the entire security program is disabled even though Windows Firewall is on!

 

Okay, uninstalled then reinstalled firewall. Funny thing happened. Was able to get internet to come up briefly

 

You may have been using it for years previously, but you have been using older versions of it for years. A new update could have caused this, or some recent windows update could have conflicted with it, etc.

 

Completely removing it will tell you if it is the problem, but I'm not going to force you to do anything, just suggest what I think would help.

[okstgrad]

Oh no, I know you are only making suggestions. I updated to Pro over a year ago and this silly issue only started a few days ago. It and Widows update on their own so something certainly could have run amuck. So...turning it off isn't enough to reach a conclusion? Why the sudden change in error messages given on IE?

[snow]

No worries :)

 

Sometimes these things try to defy explanation, but I'll give it a go anyway;

 

I think what may have happened is this:

 

The system files and settings that deal with establishing network connections have been replaced or modified by your Trend-micro software. Manny firewalls and security applications do this.

 

When you ran the winsock fix it worked for a moment, probably because but undid some of these changes, but then the program put them back in place and you were back at square one, hence why it stopped working almost instantly.

 

You say that if the whole application is disabled, then you can connect. This is a good enough indication that Trend-mico is probably the source of the problem. I'm not sure why the error given by IE changed, but if firefox can't connect either then the problem remains the same.

 

The best thing to do would be to remove it completely so we can eliminate it from the list of possible causes, and then try to connect to a website.

 

You can easily re-install it afterwards if you want.

[okstgrad]

Hi Snow...I do not have an install disk so I need to get in touch w/ Trend Micro so they can give me a download code to reinstall once I uninstall! I'll get back to you when this has been accomplished. THANKS!!!

[RandyL]

Does Trend Micro Internet Security Pro have a firewall? If so are you using that and the Windows firewall?

[okstgrad]

Randy.....Yes and Yes.

[okstgrad]

:) OKAY!! Uninstalled Trend Micro Security Pro...Firefox and IE both worked fine. Reinstalled Trend Micro Security Pro (2009 edition) and Firefox and IE BOTH WORK NOW!!!!!! Should I download extra Spyware and Malware scanner(s) to prevent this from happening in the future? Suggestions??

[snow]

Great news okstgrad! Looks like we got there in the end :D

 

 

I think something happened to your install of Trend-micro, and re-installing it has reset or replaced whatever went wrong.

 

Randy makes an excellent point; you should only run one firewall at once. I would advise that you turn off the windows firewall by going to Control Panel - Windows Firewall and setting it to off.

 

Since Trend-Micro is a complete security package, you won't need any other firewalls or virus scanners.

 

As for spyware, stick to an up-to-date version of firefox with NoScript for added security;

NoScript - JavaScript/Java/Flash blocker for a safer Firefox experience! - get it! - InformAction

 

And that will eliminate 99% of ad/spyware on the web from getting at you. For the rest, Super antispyware and Malware bytes are probably the best combination at clearing it out.

[okstgrad]

Issue Resolved- THANKS!

 

Thanks for your patience and perseverance! I'm sure the fix came from a combination of things you suggested. I learned quite a bit and added some great security features to boot! I have switched to Firefox, but would like your opinion on IE8. Do you think the upgrade to IE8 had anything to do with this mess or was it probably just coincidental?