Need computer help

[greenfeather]

This is probably the wrong place to ask, but I have a computer problem. I know there are computer forums, but I don't know where to start because there are so many. If anyone can at least point me to the right forum...

My daughter's internet browser comes up a blank screen. We've checked all the connections, cables, router, etc. The other computers in the same house get the internet just fine. The LAN house connection between her computer & mine works just fine. I'm not getting any message that her ethernet card is bad. Just a blank screen. (control panel in her computer does not indicate an internet connection.)

Neither me nor my sons nor their computer geek friends can figure out the problem. They say "get a new computer."

I must be old fashioned because I would rather find the reason for problems and fix them rather than just spending them away by buying new stuff.

[Pinemarten]

If it has a 'rollback' feature in the operating system(windows) you may be able to try that.

(This thread may belong in Off-Topic Babbling, it may be moved)

[greenfeather]

If it has a 'rollback' feature in the operating system(windows) you may be able to try that.

(This thread may belong in Off-Topic Babbling, it may be moved)

Is that the same as "system restore"?

[Tinaa]

Moved to OTB. I think you may find some good help here.

[Pinemarten]

Yes, but I assume it has been tried.
Have you tried the browser to look at the local disc. Probably C:

There is another thread that has a command that will check your files with your windows disc. I will find it and post it here.

[Pinemarten]

Found it. It is from a computer wise member named amok.


"Select Start -> Run
type in the following text
sfc /scannow
press OK.

This is a basic System File Checker, which checks components on the computer and compares them to what is present on the disk to ensure integrity. Since OE is a system component it will check this as well. This scan (depending on the computer) can take anywhere from 10-30 minutes to peform."

[Cylinder]

For Win 9X:

Click Start->Run. Type "command" and click OK

For Win 2000/XP/NT:

Click Start->Run. Type "cmd" and click OK.

Type 'ping 127.0.0.1' and hit enter. This just verifies that TCP-IP is installed and is responding. If the command times out, you should uninstall and reinstall TCP-IP from your network CP.

type 'ipconfig /all' and hit enter. Look for the line that says "Default Gateway" and write down the IP address. Type 'ping [ip address]' substituting the address above. If this fails you do not have connectivity to the gateway.

BTW, how does this computer connect to the net?

Do another ipconfig and look for the DNS servers. Try pinging them in the same manner as above. If that fails, you have DNS server issues. If that's the case, try pinging 209.191.93.52. Do those tests and check back in here.

[Pinemarten]

Do his stuff first. He is wiser than I.

[greenfeather]

For Win 9X:

Click Start->Run. Type "command" and click OK

For Win 2000/XP/NT:

Click Start->Run. Type "cmd" and click OK.

Type 'ping 127.0.0.1' and hit enter. This just verifies that TCP-IP is installed and is responding. If the command times out, you should uninstall and reinstall TCP-IP from your network CP.

type 'ipconfig /all' and hit enter. Look for the line that says "Default Gateway" and write down the IP address. Type 'ping [ip address]' substituting the address above. If this fails you do not have connectivity to the gateway.

BTW, how does this computer connect to the net?

It uses a cable modem which is connected to a router, which has a total of 4 outlets. It gets the in-house connection with my computer just fine. But no 'network connection' icon comes up in Control Panel.

There are several other computers in the house, all of which get the internet just fine.

Do another ipconfig and look for the DNS servers. Try pinging them in the same manner as above. If that fails, you have DNS server issues. If that's the case, try pinging 209.191.93.52. Do those tests and check back in here.

Thanks for all your help. I've tried all these Pings and they seem to come back fine. A 'ping" tests an internet connection? Or would it come back fine if only the house connection (LAN) worked?

I also reinstalled Firefox. Still not working. an empty Firefox window comes up. I also opened an Explorer browser. It gave me a message "can't find server or DNS Error".

I should mention that this machine also has other problems. It's an 'E-machines' and I think it runs Windows ME...can't tell for sure because at present it has frozen up (as usual). I think it's full of worms & viruses. All kinds of weird messages come up every time it boots up. It's terribly slow. I have run Symantec on it, but not able to find the problem.

My next approach is to look for another cable. Could a bad cable be the problem? Still, why would the local network be OK but not the internet? Or is it a Firefox problem?

Simply stumped.

[Cylinder]

Ping is a tool that simply asks another computer to verify it's on the network by sending a single packet back to the requester.

Try pinging something by name such as 'ping www.yahoo.com' if this fails, you have an issue with your name server (the "phone book" computer that translates domain names to IP addresses.) If it passes you have an issue with your browser. The cable in all likelihood is fine.

Other computers connecting through your router can access the net, right?

[Cylinder]

I've tried all these Pings and they seem to come back fine. A 'ping" tests an internet connection? Or would it come back fine if only the house connection (LAN) worked?

The 209.x.x.x address is outside your local network. In fact, it's the IP that resolves for www.yahoo.com. If that ping works, thde computer is reaching the wider internet by number at least. Plug those number in a browser and see if it opens the page or not. If it does, you have a DNS issue.

[Cylinder]

You can also do the same test in a single step with the 'tracert' command (say trace route) but posting the results on a public message board is a very bad idea.

[greenfeather]

Ping is a tool that simply asks another computer to verify it's on the network by sending a single packet back to the requester.

Try pinging something by name such as 'ping www.yahoo.com' if this fails, you have an issue with your name server (the "phone book" computer that translates domain names to IP addresses.) If it passes you have an issue with your browser. The cable in all likelihood is fine.

Other computers connecting through your router can access the net, right?

Yes they can.
I didn't try these new pings yet...can't get to the computer right now..but to comment: All the earlier pings came back OK (IP, DNS), I reinstalled the browser Mozilla Firefox, and I still got a firefox window with a blank screen. I also tried to open an Internet Explorer icon on the same computer and got a message "can't find server or DNS error."

I can't find anyplace on control panel where I can find or reset a DNS. I'm wondering if there is a piece of software that controls internet access... back in the old daze (1993) you could get in and look at all your programs...but now a lot of that stuff seems to be inaccessible.

[Musashi]

Sounds like your router might be blocking you out, maybe.

[Cylinder]

I can't find anyplace on control panel where I can find or reset a DNS. I'm wondering if there is a piece of software that controls internet access... back in the old daze (1993) you could get in and look at all your programs...but now a lot of that stuff seems to be inaccessible.

What flavor of Windows?

Start->Run->Command (or cmd)

'ipconfig /release'

'ipconfig /renew'

Chances are you're using DHCP to get your internet setting from the router.

DHCP=dynamic host configuration protocol

[Cylinder]

Sounds like your router might be blocking you out, maybe.

That's another good suggestion, though he apparently can ping a 209 ip. It could be just blocking http requests though. I really wonder (and suspect) if he has a DNS issue. If he can browse Yahoo by number, we'll know.

[Musashi]

Your DHCP suggestion is also a good (educated ) guess. I know that I have had that particular problem occasionally.

[greenfeather]

What flavor of Windows?

Start->Run->Command (or cmd)

'ipconfig /release'

'ipconfig /renew'

Chances are you're using DHCP to get your internet setting from the router.

DHCP=dynamic host configuration protocol

So what you're saying is, the router is controlling internet access, and it has blocked out ONE channel while allowing the rest of the computers?

How would I fix this?
Would shutting off the router allow it to reset itself?

[Cylinder]

So what you're saying is, the router is controlling internet access, and it has blocked out ONE channel while allowing the rest of the computers?

How would I fix this?
Would shutting off the router allow it to reset itself?

That's a guess at this point. If it were the case, you'd need to monkey with the router's settings. The next diagnostic procedure is ping by name by opening a command prompt and doing a 'ping www.yahoo.com' I'm guessing that will fail and you have a DNS issue. Bde certain that you can ping 209.191.93.52 first - I'm working on the assumption that command returned packets. If that fails and you can open 209.191.93.52 in a browser window, you definitely have a DNS issue.

[greenfeather]

That's a guess at this point. If it were the case, you'd need to monkey with the router's settings. The next diagnostic procedure is ping by name by opening a command prompt and doing a 'ping www.yahoo.com' I'm guessing that will fail and you have a DNS issue. Bde certain that you can ping 209.191.93.52 first - I'm working on the assumption that command returned packets. If that fails and you can open 209.191.93.52 in a browser window, you definitely have a DNS issue.

Thanks. I'll try this tomorrow. I'll try resetting the thing too. i'll let you all know what happens.

[Cylinder]

Your DHCP suggestion is also a good (educated ) guess. I know that I have had that particular problem occasionally.

That's why I like to use short DHCP leases. I figure it at least gives a chance (however slight) of a self-corrected fault.

[Jeff Root]

On the chance that the problem has a cause entirely different
from what most of the others have been guessing... Can you open
a web page in your cache? If not, the problem is in Windows, not
the Internet connection.

-- Jeff, in Minneapolis

[SeanF]

But no 'network connection' icon comes up in Control Panel.

This makes me think there's something much different than anyone's suspected yet.

Are you sure those pings are coming back okay, greenfeather? When you bring up a command prompt and type, for example, "ping 127.0.0.1," you should get back four lines that say something like "Reply from 127.0.0.1: bytes=32 time<1ms TTL=128"

Also, you mentioned several weird error message that come up at boot. Do any of them seem to relate to the network or TCP/IP in any way?

[Antice]

It uses a cable modem which is connected to a router, which has a total of 4 outlets. It gets the in-house connection with my computer just fine. But no 'network connection' icon comes up in Control Panel.

There are several other computers in the house, all of which get the internet just fine.



Thanks for all your help. I've tried all these Pings and they seem to come back fine. A 'ping" tests an internet connection? Or would it come back fine if only the house connection (LAN) worked?

I also reinstalled Firefox. Still not working. an empty Firefox window comes up. I also opened an Explorer browser. It gave me a message "can't find server or DNS Error".

I should mention that this machine also has other problems. It's an 'E-machines' and I think it runs Windows ME...can't tell for sure because at present it has frozen up (as usual). I think it's full of worms & viruses. All kinds of weird messages come up every time it boots up. It's terribly slow. I have run Symantec on it, but not able to find the problem.

My next approach is to look for another cable. Could a bad cable be the problem? Still, why would the local network be OK but not the internet? Or is it a Firefox problem?

Simply stumped.

The fact that you can access the other computers on your network suggests to me that the problems are localized to the software.
Some viruses and malware can cause the kind of trouble you are experiencing
1st try doing a safe mode virus scan.
Preferably use another computer to scan this one over the net by axessing the hidden \\"insert computer-name here"\c$ (use start -> run and just type it in and press enter)
this can take some time, but might help. make sure you use a newly updated virus checker.

2.nd you can also try free software like adaware and spybot to scan for malware and adware programs that might interfere with your browser.
(i recommend using ccleaner as well)

3'rd you can check your hostfile for unwanted redirects.
just do a search for it. I'ts either called lmhost or host (depending on windows version)
it should look like this:

# Copyright (c) 1993-1999 Microsoft Corp.
#
# This is a sample HOSTS file used by Microsoft TCP/IP for Windows.
#
# This file contains the mappings of IP addresses to host names. Each
# entry should be kept on an individual line. The IP address should
# be placed in the first column followed by the corresponding host name.
# The IP address and the host name should be separated by at least one
# space.
#
# Additionally, comments (such as these) may be inserted on individual
# lines or following the machine name denoted by a '#' symbol.
#
# For example:
#
# 102.54.94.97 rhino.acme.com # source server
# 38.25.63.10 x.acme.com # x client host

127.0.0.1 localhost

just remove all the entries except the one shown here.

as a last resort. just do a quick and dirty format + reinstall of windows.
this one always work

Good luck.

[Pinemarten]

Just a silly thought, but would trying to send and receive email on the faulty sys resolve whether it is browser software or network hardware?
Software update and MSN messenger type apps may also by-pass any browser issues.

[Antice]

Just a silly thought, but would trying to send and receive email on the faulty sys resolve whether it is browser software or network hardware?
Software update and MSN messenger type apps may also by-pass any browser issues.

That would depend on the source of the problem.
with host redirects your e-mail program might not be able to resolve the ip address of the mail server.
The blank page in mozilla is default behavior for undefined browser problems. (404 compliant pages etc.)

some viruses when removed from the system leaves behind a trail of broken software. in such cases the total format+reinstall is the fastest way to get up and running again. (plus it resolves all the issues of quarantining the machine in question).

I've usually been able to restore most systems to full working order within 2 - 3 hours instead of spending days fixing every little broken program. this is why one should use backup on the stuff that counts.
(a full backup of OS files just after installing everything can reduce the reinstall time to as little as 10 minutes)

note. as long as you can send and receive ping, then the hardware is OK.
the ping to localhost 127.0.0.1 is there to test whether your network interface is working. Your computer sends a tiny information packet to itself, then it returns it to itself again. sending a ping to another machine tests whether there is a link between these two machines. the OP said he could access other machines on his internal network, so i suspect that normal lmhost look-ups work properly. a faulty ip configuration can cause DNS errors, while leaving the lmhost look-ups okay.
If using DHCP then using the ipconfig release / renew might do the trick.
if using manual IP config then copying a working setup from one of the other machines on the home network might help.
Make sure none of the machines use the same ip address thou. That might cause just the kind of trouble being expressed in the OP.

[Pinemarten]

greenfeather,

I feel my knowledge on the problem is dwarfed by other wise members in the thread. Don't follow my solutions without an okay from them.

Antice and others,

I did a re-install recently with XPSP2. The downloaded Windows updates were about 70-80MB and their install took some time; as well as involving 3-6 reboots.
The OP may wish to consider this. I don't think the re-install was needed on my sys.

I mentioned a sys restore earlier. I still assume it had been tried.

I also posted this advice from amok:

"Select Start -> Run
type in the following text
sfc /scannow
press OK.

This is a basic System File Checker, which checks components on the computer and compares them to what is present on the disk to ensure integrity. Since OE is a system component it will check this as well. This scan (depending on the computer) can take anywhere from 10-30 minutes to perform."

[greenfeather]

On the chance that the problem has a cause entirely different
from what most of the others have been guessing... Can you open
a web page in your cache? If not, the problem is in Windows, not
the Internet connection.

-- Jeff, in Minneapolis

no web page opens at all and I get a blank Explorer page with a message saying 'cannot find server'.

[greenfeather]

This makes me think there's something much different than anyone's suspected yet.

Are you sure those pings are coming back okay, greenfeather? When you bring up a command prompt and type, for example, "ping 127.0.0.1," you should get back four lines that say something like "Reply from 127.0.0.1: bytes=32 time<1ms TTL=128"

Yes, I get 4 lines with "reply" in them.

Also, you mentioned several weird error message that come up at boot. Do any of them seem to relate to the network or TCP/IP in any way?

One of them is 'windows installer' and there is also 'HPProduct Assistant' and it tries to open Symantic too. It can't actually open these and it asks for a missing disc.

A while back, we uninstalled something called "spy sheriff', which I believe is some kind of virus. This might have screwed up our startup sequence and put out these bogus messages.

[greenfeather]

Just a silly thought, but would trying to send and receive email on the faulty sys resolve whether it is browser software or network hardware?
Software update and MSN messenger type apps may also by-pass any browser issues.

If it was browser software, another browser should be able to connect. Neither Firefox nor IE would connect. There is no other email app on this computer; we use Hotmail. I installed a new version of Firefox, this did not solve the problem. (I transferred the new firefox via the local network with the other house computers... this LAN works fine.)