Browsers not working - everything else fine

Cidolfas · 03-20-2007, 03:39 PM

Hey all.

I've run into an amazingly frustrating problem. I've asked "experts" to help and they're stumped. I myself work as a software developer but simply can't figure out what's going wrong.

Here's the facts: My computer is connected to the Internet via a DSL modem. (I have a router, but I disconnected it to test this problem.) I can use e-mail, FTP, SSH, BitTorrent etc. with no problems. I can even browse FTP sites using Firefox/IE. But I simply cannot access any HTTP pages. Windows Update just hangs there, and Firefox and IE come back with "server not found".

I can ping "yahoo.com" and get a response, so it isn't a DNS problem. Norton Antivirus and Ad-Aware with the latest definition files have turned up nothing. I don't use a proxy and disabled Windows Firewall. And the problem still persists. Something seems to be blocking outgoing requests to port 80.

I thought perhaps it had something to do with a VPN I installed (AT&T Global Network Client). I had this problem soon after I installed it. (Actually, it wasn't identical: before, I could use the Internet for about ten minutes after startup, until it stopped working. Now, it won't work at all.) When I uninstalled it, it went away. But it came back again with a vengeance, and nothing seems to faze it.

Any ideas that anyone can offer would be truly great. I thought about just wiping Windows and restarting, but the only restore CD I have requires a full format or nothing. X-X

I've attached a HijackThis log after using msconfig to only load System Services. (Problem still there.)

Thanks a ton for any help that can be offered!

**JamesO** · 03-21-2007, 06:02 AM

Taking a quick stab at this??

Do you have Norton AV or Internet Security?

I have had a LOT of problems with Norton blocking browsing in the past!

Usually due to content and/or parental controls causing issues.

Try flushing the DNS cache on the machine. The process may not resolve anything, but the response you get back when trying to flush the DNS cache may be more useful?

Try a system restore to see what happens?

What is up with the VPN client, do you need it? Did you remove it?

There may be a conflict with the VPN client?

JamesO

Cidolfas · 03-21-2007, 06:51 AM

-I tried restarting using msconfig so Norton didn't start up. Problem still there.
-I got rid of the VPN client; I don't really need it.
-System restore wasn't working; one of my Program Files directories had all my downloaded music/videos etc. in it and it was bigger than the maximum size, so it never saved any restore points.
I've tried flushing the DNS (I assume you mean ipconfig /flushdns). The command executed properly but didn't fix anything.

Thanks for trying. ^^;

redplumptomato · 05-11-2008, 08:11 PM

I'm having similar issues.

Funny thing is, my browsers work fine when I connect to my VPN at work! So, without VPN, it's messed up. I can use msn, torrent, anything else but, browsing turns up page cannot be displayed.. I do get my home page of google, and i can even do a search, but, going any steps further is when the browser stops working.

The only thing I have installed and have been using forever is AVG free. strange how everything is fine when i initiate a vpn connection.

DrinkWater · 05-11-2008, 08:41 PM

I have a similar browser issue, only instead of not being able to browse at all, it seems like I can only connect to certain websites. For example, I can connect to allmusic.com, pitchforkmedia, and mapquest, but I cannot connect to myspace.com, youtube, or facebook. I can get to Google's home page, but I can't get any search results to load. I'm pretty sure it's not just slow connection, because my torrents and other file transfers are going pretty fast.

LIL L · 05-12-2008, 09:20 AM

i had that same problem with firefox but it worked fine but really slow in ie. i ended up letting norton 360 go and bought bitdefender total security 2008 did a full system scan, had to restart once or twice for the very high risk threats to get deleted. my firefox would limit certain pages, it would just sit there like it loading and then say server not found. i couldn't load any results either. then i uinstalled firefox and went to user/app data and all that good stuff and deleted profiles and everything that had to do with mozilla and firefox that didn't delete with the installation. my windows update would freeze up on me asoon as i clicked search for updates so i typed in windows update in google after i reinstalled firefox and the first two results were similar along with all the other crap that poped up. i clicked on the first one and it said i have windows update installed already and that was it. the second result was like and introduction to windows update but it wasn't the offical microsoft site like the first result. it asked me if i wanted to install it and i clicked yes and it installed fine and it worked fine after that. all of the problems were fixed. i use visa home premium. let me know how this works for you.

03-21-2007, 06:02 AM	#2 (permalink)
JamesO Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Fairfax, VA USA Posts: 2,163 OS: 98SE, W2k Pro, XP Pro	Re: Browsers not working - everything else fine Taking a quick stab at this?? Do you have Norton AV or Internet Security? I have had a LOT of problems with Norton blocking browsing in the past! Usually due to content and/or parental controls causing issues. Try flushing the DNS cache on the machine. The process may not resolve anything, but the response you get back when trying to flush the DNS cache may be more useful? Try a system restore to see what happens? What is up with the VPN client, do you need it? Did you remove it? There may be a conflict with the VPN client? JamesO

03-21-2007, 06:51 AM	#3 (permalink)
Cidolfas Registered User Join Date: Mar 2007 Posts: 2 OS: WinXP	Re: Browsers not working - everything else fine -I tried restarting using msconfig so Norton didn't start up. Problem still there. -I got rid of the VPN client; I don't really need it. -System restore wasn't working; one of my Program Files directories had all my downloaded music/videos etc. in it and it was bigger than the maximum size, so it never saved any restore points. I've tried flushing the DNS (I assume you mean ipconfig /flushdns). The command executed properly but didn't fix anything. Thanks for trying. ^^;

05-11-2008, 08:11 PM	#4 (permalink)
redplumptomato Registered User Join Date: May 2008 Posts: 1 OS: Windows XP	Re: Browsers not working - everything else fine I'm having similar issues. Funny thing is, my browsers work fine when I connect to my VPN at work! So, without VPN, it's messed up. I can use msn, torrent, anything else but, browsing turns up page cannot be displayed.. I do get my home page of google, and i can even do a search, but, going any steps further is when the browser stops working. The only thing I have installed and have been using forever is AVG free. strange how everything is fine when i initiate a vpn connection.

05-11-2008, 08:41 PM	#5 (permalink)
DrinkWater Registered User Join Date: Apr 2008 Posts: 15 OS: Windows Vista	Re: Browsers not working - everything else fine I have a similar browser issue, only instead of not being able to browse at all, it seems like I can only connect to certain websites. For example, I can connect to allmusic.com, pitchforkmedia, and mapquest, but I cannot connect to myspace.com, youtube, or facebook. I can get to Google's home page, but I can't get any search results to load. I'm pretty sure it's not just slow connection, because my torrents and other file transfers are going pretty fast.

05-12-2008, 09:20 AM	#6 (permalink)
LIL L Registered User Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: NC Posts: 135 OS: xp home edition	Re: Browsers not working - everything else fine i had that same problem with firefox but it worked fine but really slow in ie. i ended up letting norton 360 go and bought bitdefender total security 2008 did a full system scan, had to restart once or twice for the very high risk threats to get deleted. my firefox would limit certain pages, it would just sit there like it loading and then say server not found. i couldn't load any results either. then i uinstalled firefox and went to user/app data and all that good stuff and deleted profiles and everything that had to do with mozilla and firefox that didn't delete with the installation. my windows update would freeze up on me asoon as i clicked search for updates so i typed in windows update in google after i reinstalled firefox and the first two results were similar along with all the other crap that poped up. i clicked on the first one and it said i have windows update installed already and that was it. the second result was like and introduction to windows update but it wasn't the offical microsoft site like the first result. it asked me if i wanted to install it and i clicked yes and it installed fine and it worked fine after that. all of the problems were fixed. i use visa home premium. let me know how this works for you.