URL Blocked after Windows Update

[Guest]

Suddenly I cannot access a particular URL on my main desktop, but no one
else is having a problem with it. I have had several people check the site
for me, with no problems. I also attempted access on another computer; and
it worked fine. I use links to that same URL on my website; and when I
display the home page on that site (www.classic-nuts.com) on this machine,
those links are broken (mostly pictures). This is a URL that I have used
every day uneventfully for several years.

So, the problem is on this particular machine. I have checked every setting
that I can find referenced on the MS support pages. I have cleared cookies,
files and history. I even added the URL to the allowed sites in the Content
Advisor in Internet Options. Somewhere somehow, apparently this site has
been excluded from this computer, but I can't find where.

I get the same problem using either of IE6+ (page cannot be displayed) or
Netscape 7.2 (site times out) on this machine.

As best I can tell, this started earlier this week when I installed a
Windows Update that had come down via the Automatic Update facility. I have
gone back to Windows Update and downloaded and installed everything that
pertains to my O/S. The Windows scan on the Microsoft Windows Update site
says there are no updates required. I installed SP2 long ago.

IBM Netvista - 1.5 GB Memory, lots of disk space free
Window XP Home Edition
IE 6+
Netscape 7.2
Windows Firewall turned off (I use Nortorn anti-virus 2006)

Offending site:
http://classic-nuts.wesgayle.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=SFNT

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks

Wes
(e-mail address removed)

 

[Don Varnau]

Hi,
The fact that Netscape is also affected points to:
1. Norton/Symantec. Try enabling the Windows firewall and disabling NIS.
2. Another third-party security/privacy/ad-blocking progra..
3. A HOSTS file. To check the HOSTS file in Windows XP...
Make sure that Windows is showing hidden files and is not hiding file
extensions for known file types then check for a HOSTS file at
[C:\Windows\System32\Drivers\etc] Open the HOSTS file with notepad. If there
are entries you wish to disable, you can put the pound sign (#) in front an
entry to disable it. Then File> Save. Or you can rename the HOSTS file to
HOSTS.OLD to disable it.
More on the HOSTS file at http://mvps.org/winhelp2002/hosts.htm and
http://www.accs-net.com/hosts/
4. The XP DNS cache. Open a Cmd window (Start> Run> CMD) Enter
ipconfig /flushdns
then clear the Temporary Internet Files and restart.

Hope this helps,
Don
[MS MVP- IE]

 

[Guest]

Thanks to all who tried to help.

This advice was certainly well thought out and appreciated. However, I
found the culprit was the fact that somehow, perhaps due to a Windows
Automatic Update, cookies had been turned off. I changed the privacy tab
under Internet Options, and my site came back to life.

Incidentally, this was suggested by a Comcast C/S Rep.

Thanks again for all the community responses.

Wes
--
23233-1434

Hi,
The fact that Netscape is also affected points to:
1. Norton/Symantec. Try enabling the Windows firewall and disabling NIS.
2. Another third-party security/privacy/ad-blocking progra..
3. A HOSTS file. To check the HOSTS file in Windows XP...
Make sure that Windows is showing hidden files and is not hiding file
extensions for known file types then check for a HOSTS file at
[C:\Windows\System32\Drivers\etc] Open the HOSTS file with notepad. If there
are entries you wish to disable, you can put the pound sign (#) in front an
entry to disable it. Then File> Save. Or you can rename the HOSTS file to
HOSTS.OLD to disable it.
More on the HOSTS file at http://mvps.org/winhelp2002/hosts.htm and
http://www.accs-net.com/hosts/
4. The XP DNS cache. Open a Cmd window (Start> Run> CMD) Enter
ipconfig /flushdns
then clear the Temporary Internet Files and restart.

Hope this helps,
Don
[MS MVP- IE]

Suddenly I cannot access a particular URL on my main desktop, but no one
else is having a problem with it. I have had several people check the site
for me, with no problems. I also attempted access on another computer; and
it worked fine. I use links to that same URL on my website; and when I
display the home page on that site (www.classic-nuts.com) on this machine,
those links are broken (mostly pictures). This is a URL that I have used
every day uneventfully for several years.

So, the problem is on this particular machine. I have checked every setting
that I can find referenced on the MS support pages. I have cleared cookies,
files and history. I even added the URL to the allowed sites in the Content
Advisor in Internet Options. Somewhere somehow, apparently this site has
been excluded from this computer, but I can't find where.

I get the same problem using either of IE6+ (page cannot be displayed) or
Netscape 7.2 (site times out) on this machine.

As best I can tell, this started earlier this week when I installed a
Windows Update that had come down via the Automatic Update facility. I have
gone back to Windows Update and downloaded and installed everything that
pertains to my O/S. The Windows scan on the Microsoft Windows Update site
says there are no updates required. I installed SP2 long ago.

IBM Netvista - 1.5 GB Memory, lots of disk space free
Window XP Home Edition
IE 6+
Netscape 7.2
Windows Firewall turned off (I use Nortorn anti-virus 2006)

Offending site:
http://classic-nuts.wesgayle.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=SFNT

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks

Wes
wes_lucas[at]attglobal.net