browsers unusable

yokibitzyokibitz
edited January 2007 in Science & Tech
i'm a new member here, and although i'm an IT student, I don't know how to solve this one.. this is how the "story" goes..

i lost my broadband connection several months ago, and i was only able to settle my account yesterday.. last night, while i was browsing with mozilla firefox, the update windows icon appeared on the system tray.. i started updating, then all of a sudden, my browser wouldn't work.. i tried using IE but it won't work too.. i tried to open a window (my documents window) and typed the site address there, and it worked.. so i'm browsing now through the windows explorer, not through my regular browsers.. how do i solve or fix this problem?

thanks guys in advance and sorry for that lengthy narration..

Comments

  • mtroxmtrox Minnesota
    edited December 2006
    Wow yoki good one. Did IE7 come with that update? If so, can you just uninstall in Cntrl Panel? What if you show updates and uninstall all the ones with yesterday's date? Have you tried Sys Restore?

    Oh, don't appologize for the "lengthy narration". People who give no details tend to get little help around here.
  • mtroxmtrox Minnesota
    edited December 2006
    Oh, and just a shot but what if you go to that Set Program Access and Defaults. It's in Add/Remove if it's not on a menu somewhere. Can you reset the default browser?
  • yokibitzyokibitz
    edited December 2006
    that reply was fast, thanks dude..

    you got that one.. IE7 came with that update, but I had second thoughts and i didn't install IE7.. I've already tried doing the things that you suggested but it still does not work.. i even downloaded Opera 9.02, but it does not work too..

    i know that we'll be able to solve this.. thanks again in advance.. i think i'll enjoy my stay in this community.. thanks again..
  • mtroxmtrox Minnesota
    edited December 2006
    I might have been fast, but I've shot my wad. Somebody here will have seen it. Google around and I'll bet you find it somewhere too.
  • primesuspectprimesuspect Beepin n' Boopin Detroit, MI Icrontian
    edited December 2006
    First step is to see if it's just a problem with your browser(s), or if it's a network stack issue.

    First off, ping something like www.google.com and see if it works. Is DNS working? Does it resolve to an address? What have you tried so far?
  • edcentricedcentric near Milwaukee, Wisconsin Icrontian
    edited December 2006
    I presume that you have checked tools>options>connection settings, jsut to make sure that the DL didn't change them to something goofy.
  • yokibitzyokibitz
    edited December 2006
    primesuspect

    i have tried pinging web sites.. it works most of the times, but sometimes it does not.. i've even reinstalled my OS (windows xp), but the problem is still there..
  • primesuspectprimesuspect Beepin n' Boopin Detroit, MI Icrontian
    edited December 2006
    okay, you need to be more descriptive if I am going to able to help you. By "not working" what do you mean? Does it time out, or does it not resolve to an IP at all? Give me as much detail as possible
  • yokibitzyokibitz
    edited December 2006
    it does resolve to an IP address, though the request is timed out.. this happens sometimes., most of the time ping works just fine, but "my problem" (browsers unusable) stays..
  • mtroxmtrox Minnesota
    edited December 2006
    Yoki I'm lost on this. I didn't ask about DNS and resolving after your first post because you said:
    yokibitz wrote:
    i tried to open a window (my documents window) and typed the site address there, and it worked.. so i'm browsing now through the windows explorer, not through my regular browsers..
    ...but now it sounds like it only resolves sometimes...or it times out?
    yokibitz wrote:
    it does resolve to an IP address, though the request is timed out.. this happens sometimes., most of the time ping works just fine, but "my problem" (browsers unusable) stays..

    Does it always resolve DNS? If you go to a command prompt and do an nslookup on a URL will it always give you the IP address?
  • yokibitzyokibitz
    edited December 2006
    mtrox, it seems like this is one of the things that my school failed to teach me.. it's the first time that i've heard (or read, to be more specific) about the nslookup command.. i tried it using it (nslookup (yahoo's url here, sorry can't post links yet)) and it said something like this..

    *** Can't find server name for address 10.0.0.138: No response from server
    *** Default server are not available
    Server: UnKnown
    Address: 10.0.0.138

    *** UnKnown can't find (yahoo's url, can't post links yet): No response from server


    10.0.0.138 is the address of both my default gateway and my DNS server..
  • mtroxmtrox Minnesota
    edited December 2006
    OK so you're not resolving DNS then. Here's what it should look like. The first thing it tells you is the DNS server it's talking to, the second thing it gives you is the IP address the DNS wants to point you to for Yahoo.

    But in another thread it sounded like you resolved DNS sometimes when you pinged, but then the some of the ping packets timed out? Do you just have a problem with your ISP? Are you still browsing through Windows Explorer as you said earlier?
    yokibitz wrote:
    10.0.0.138 is the address of both my default gateway and my DNS server..
    So that's what your TCP/IP settings is showing...but is that the way its supposed to be? Is your gateway the same address as the DNS server?
  • yokibitzyokibitz
    edited December 2006
    mtrox wrote:
    But in another thread it sounded like you resolved DNS sometimes when you pinged, but then the some of the ping packets timed out?

    yes, that's right.. but i have tried pinging sites lately and i haven't experienced request timed outs..
    mtrox wrote:
    Do you just have a problem with your ISP?

    again, yes.. i was not able to pay my bill for several months, that's why they temporarily disconnected my subscription..
    mtrox wrote:
    Are you still browsing through Windows Explorer as you said earlier?

    yes, i'm still using windows explorer to browse sites..
    mtrox wrote:
    So that's what your TCP/IP settings is showing...but is that the way its supposed to be? Is your gateway the same address as the DNS server?

    well, i don't really know.. should i clear this particular issue with my ISP?
  • LeonardoLeonardo Wake up and smell the glaciers Eagle River, Alaska Icrontian
    edited December 2006
    If all else fails, you could try a Windows "repair" installation. Sorry, that's not addressing the root problem, but I'm not a networking whiz.
  • mtroxmtrox Minnesota
    edited December 2006
    yokibitz wrote:
    yes, i'm still using windows explorer to browse sites..

    That's where I scratch my head in this thing. When you say "windows explorer" I think of the window that's on top in my thumbnail here. You can see I've typed Yahoo's address in but as soon as I hit "enter" a browser is coming up and taking me to Yahoo. I'll never browse the internet through that window. When you say "windows explorer" do you mean the explorer shown on top in my thumbnail or do you mean Internet Explorer that is part of Windows?
    yokibitz wrote:
    well, i don't really know.. should i clear this particular issue with my ISP?

    Yes, ask your ISP what their DNS servers are. The only time the gateway and the DNS servers would be the same address is if you were on a business network that had their own DNS server and it happened to be on the same machine as your gateway...and even that is not too common for a business. If you are just one guy with a cable modem....it would never look that way. Your gateway would be your router and the DNS servers would be somewhere outside on the ISP.
  • primesuspectprimesuspect Beepin n' Boopin Detroit, MI Icrontian
    edited December 2006
    he may only be able to browse cached sites...
  • yokibitzyokibitz
    edited December 2006
    mtrox wrote:
    When you say "windows explorer" do you mean the explorer shown on top in my thumbnail or do you mean Internet Explorer that is part of Windows?

    yes, the window at the top, i browse through that window.. i'll open my computer, then type the url at the address bar..
  • yokibitzyokibitz
    edited December 2006
    primesuspect wrote:
    he may only be able to browse cached sites...

    what do you mean by cached sites? i'm starting to be ashamed of myself.. i'm an IT student and i don't know that stuff..
  • mtroxmtrox Minnesota
    edited December 2006
    yokibitz wrote:
    what do you mean by cached sites?

    Firefox, IE, all browsers do it. They keep web sites on your hard drive...next time you go to that site, if it sees you want to download the same thing that's already in your Temporary Internet Files, it just pulls them up off the hard drive. It's one of the many caches in your computer.

    As for the problem, I've never seen a computer browse through Windows Explorer. It's not made to display HTML.
  • ThraxThrax 🐌 Austin, TX Icrontian
    edited December 2006
    Windows explorer is built on the IE engine, which is why if you remove the IE engine, windows explorer doesn't work. It just loads up the IE renderer if a website is called.
  • yokibitzyokibitz
    edited December 2006
    thanks mtrox for the info about cached sites.. it really is very much appreciated..
    mtrox wrote:
    As for the problem, I've never seen a computer browse through Windows Explorer. It's not made to display HTML.

    to be exact, my PC uses IE when browsing, but it should be started the way i use it (open any window with address bar, then type the url..) whenever i use the internet, i always try to launch IE the natural way (double clicking its icon on the desktop), but it always displays the "page cannot be displayed" error..

    sorry for confusing you by saying that i browse through windows explorer.. i browse through IE, but it should be launched through a windows explorer window..
  • mtroxmtrox Minnesota
    edited December 2006
    I'm still trying to get a handle on what you can and can't do, but it's starting to feel a little spyware-ish....

    So let me ask:
    1. So if you just bring up either IE or FireFox you don't get to the home page?
    2. If you type a URL into the address bar of either you get "page cannot be displayed"?
    3. But if you type a URL into Windows Explorer your default browser works?
    4. If you go to Start> Run... and type a URL in that box does your default browser come up and display the site?
    5. Can you click links on web pages once you're on?
  • yokibitzyokibitz
    edited December 2006
    So if you just bring up either IE or FireFox you don't get to the home page?
    Yes
    If you type a URL into the address bar of either you get "page cannot be displayed"?
    Yes
    But if you type a URL into Windows Explorer your default browser works?
    Yes
    If you go to Start> Run... and type a URL in that box does your default browser come up and display the site?
    No
    Can you click links on web pages once you're on?
    I can click links if it will be displayed on the same window, but if it will open a new browser window, "page cannot be displayed" error will occur..


    hope these answers will help.. forgive me if my descriptions are not that clear.. i really appreciate your effort.. thanks alot..
  • mtroxmtrox Minnesota
    edited December 2006
    Yoki I can't put a thing together on this. You might want to post a HJT log over in the Spyware thread located here.

    It's so weird it makes me wonder if something nasty is in your computer. Have you done a full virus scan? Do that, then post a HJT log over there. If you don't know how to save a HJT log, go here.
  • yokibitzyokibitz
    edited January 2007
    sorry if i was not able to reply for a long time, but the good news is that my problem's finally over..

    long ago, before i lost my broadband connection, i installed zone alarm (firewall).. after i lost my internet connection, i removed it from my startup list so that it won't load automatically during start up..

    i enabled my firewall and IE worked..

    thanks guys for your effort to solve this problem.. godbless!
  • PterocarpousPterocarpous Rosie the Riveter Lives On in CA, USA! New
    edited January 2007
    yokibitz wrote:
    sorry if i was not able to reply for a long time, but the good news is that my problem's finally over..long ago, before i lost my broadband connection, i installed zone alarm (firewall).. after i lost my internet connection, i removed it from my startup list so that it won't load automatically during start up..i enabled my firewall and IE worked..thanks guys for your effort to solve this problem.. godbless!

    [slapping forehead] Firewall! This one had me going too. I couldn't for the life of me figure out why IE a-n-d Mozilla didn't work yet you were able to surf the I'net w/ Windows Explorer. I was reading this thread like a suspense novel(ette) ;D Your firewall had your I'net (browser applications) locked down. It wasn't completely disabled. If you want some help w/ becoming more familiar w/ and configuring your firewall, let us know.
  • mtroxmtrox Minnesota
    edited January 2007
    Pterocarpous wrote:
    [slapping forehead] Firewall! This one had me going too.

    And as a long time ZA user, I can tell you it's gotten progressively quirkier (it's a word, look it up damnit!!) over the last year. And when you shut it down......its not shut down.
  • PterocarpousPterocarpous Rosie the Riveter Lives On in CA, USA! New
    edited January 2007
    mtrox wrote:
    And as a long time ZA user, I can tell you it's gotten progressively quirkier (it's a word, look it up damnit!!) over the last year. And when you shut it down......its not shut down.

    ZA used to be a decent firewall but since they've ...ummmm... how to say this tactfully... DUMBED IT DOWN! (there, I said it), it's, IM(not so)HO, a poopey (it's a word, look it up damnit!! ;D ) firewall anymore.

    I strongly recommend Comodo Firewall. It's a good firewall for both the novice who needs the firewall to do the thinking for him/her and the expert who just has to control ever'thang! An' when you turn it off (set to "Allow All") it's really turned off. Best of all.... It's f-r-e-e! :woowoo: Not a crippled version of a paid version either. It's the real thang. http://www.comodogroup.com/
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