browsers, messenger not working

[reg]

Hi all

I have recently run into a major net connection problem. Neither
Internet Explorer or Firefox are working correctly; they tell me they
fail to find my startpage. I have tried other addresses but still they
are not found. Also, msn Messenger fails to connect, as does an online
gaming service I subscribe to. I assumed it was a problem with my
broadband, but in fact my peer 2 peer programs are working away happily
(Morpheus and Limewire).

Can anyone offer a suggestion? I've tried system restore, and run anti
virus checks too, too no avail.

Any help very much appreciated.

TIA

Reg

 

[Mark Shroyer]

I have recently run into a major net connection problem. Neither
Internet Explorer or Firefox are working correctly; they tell me they
fail to find my startpage. I have tried other addresses but still they
are not found. Also, msn Messenger fails to connect, as does an online
gaming service I subscribe to. I assumed it was a problem with my
broadband, but in fact my peer 2 peer programs are working away happily
(Morpheus and Limewire).

Depending on how Morpheus and Limewire connect to their respective
networks, it may actually be a problem with your Internet connection. Many
programs - such as web browsers and IM clients - connect to servers after
first resolving their host names (say, www.google.com) into IP addresses
using a DNS server. Other programs, and I have seen this behavior before
in Peer-To-Peer applicatinos but I don't know whether Morpheus and
Limewire are examples of this, simply know the IP addresses they have to
connect to and don't rely on a DNS server to conduct their business.

So this might be a DNS problem. It could either be a configuration problem
on your machine, or a problem with the DNS servers associated with your
broadband connection.

To test whether this is a DNS problem, open the command prompt (go to Run
under the Start menu and type cmd, then press enter). First, type the
command

ping www.google.com

and press enter. You'll probably see a message to the effect of "host not
found." Next, type the command

ping 64.233.161.147

and again press enter. If you now see several lines beginning with "Reply
from 64.233.161.147", then what we're seeing is almost certainly a DNS
problem. If the ping is not successful, though, then the problem may be
something else entirely.

Let us know what you find out, and we'll continue on from there.

Mark

 

[reg]

Hi Mark

This afternoon I retried system restore and it failed again. I restored
to the current setting again, and left it there. On my desktop PC I
read your very helpful suggestions and went downstairs to try them out
on my laptop, which has been giving the difficulties. But before I got
a chance to, magically, Firefox was working, Explorer was working,
everything was back to normal! I have no explanation to offer as to
why, but write to offer you sincerest thanks for your time and
suggestions. Perhaps my wiresless router was playing up, perhaps the
restore procedure had some effect, somehow. I shall call it a modern
miracle and leave it there!

Many thanks again.