Browser continuously goes off line when pressing ENTER at URL

[news.rcn.com]

I have suddenly stopped being able to use my browser (IE6):
Pressing enter on a URL puts a check mark in WORK OFFLINE in the file menu
and the browser starts asking me if I want to connect to my dialup
connection (I have an always-on broadband connection). Unchecking the line
doesnt seem to improve things (it did at first but now never works AND
sometimes
the browser thinks about it for about ten seconds before it puts the check
mark in WORK OFFLINE):

Curiously I discovered that clicking on a link DOES work and at the moment I
am having to go to
every URL I want to access by entering the link in google and clicking on
the link (which is usually created)

I tried complaining to the cable-modem ISP and it was they who diagnosed
this mysterious check mark:
I removed it and the browser/connection started working properly but as I
say, never for long.
But sometimes when I remove it all that happens is that it reappears as soon
as I press ENTER on trying to access the URL again.

(Outlook Express seems to think it is offline most of the time as well.
Outlook doesnt seem to suffer from this problem)

I did a virus check and it doesn't appear to be a virus. Is this a known
problem and/or does anyone know what is causing this?

I did turn off the DNS and DCHP services but it did nothing. AdAware and
Spybot reveal nothing on this

Eventually I got so exasperated with Internet Explorer and with the people
at the Microsoft forums not having any idea about this that that I installed
Firefox

Even more annoyingly, Firefox does the same thing: This seems to be some
problem with either with a trojan or with the OS, Windows XP Pro SP1

 

[Chris MacKinnon]

Have you tried re-installing IE after completely wiping off any trace from
your HD? If not than try this and then install WinXP SP2. What ISP are you
with?

 

[Rebecca]

I have suddenly stopped being able to use my browser (IE6):
Pressing enter on a URL puts a check mark in WORK OFFLINE in the file
menu and the browser starts asking me if I want to connect to my
dialup connection (I have an always-on broadband connection).
Unchecking the line doesnt seem to improve things (it did at first
but now never works AND sometimes
the browser thinks about it for about ten seconds before it puts the
check mark in WORK OFFLINE):

Curiously I discovered that clicking on a link DOES work and at the
moment I am having to go to
every URL I want to access by entering the link in google and
clicking on the link (which is usually created)

I tried complaining to the cable-modem ISP and it was they who
diagnosed this mysterious check mark:
I removed it and the browser/connection started working properly but
as I say, never for long.
But sometimes when I remove it all that happens is that it reappears
as soon as I press ENTER on trying to access the URL again.

(Outlook Express seems to think it is offline most of the time as
well. Outlook doesnt seem to suffer from this problem)

I did a virus check and it doesn't appear to be a virus. Is this a
known problem and/or does anyone know what is causing this?

I did turn off the DNS and DCHP services but it did nothing. AdAware
and Spybot reveal nothing on this

Eventually I got so exasperated with Internet Explorer and with the
people at the Microsoft forums not having any idea about this that
that I installed Firefox

Even more annoyingly, Firefox does the same thing: This seems to be
some problem with either with a trojan or with the OS, Windows XP Pro
SP1

Sounds self-inflicted. Been ****ing around with things you don't understand?
Services?

Clean Install.

 

[DH]

Sounds self-inflicted. Been ****ing around with things you don't understand?
Services?

Clean Install.

Possible *new* spyware ?? try SpySubtract, it found stuff that all of the other
stuff failed to find, including various CWS Trojans...

I have noticed a recent spate of similar probs, all sorted by judicious use of
Spybot, Pest Patrol and CWShredder (now SpySubtract).

hth

DH

 

[Dennis Pogson]

I have suddenly stopped being able to use my browser (IE6):
Pressing enter on a URL puts a check mark in WORK OFFLINE in the file
menu and the browser starts asking me if I want to connect to my
dialup connection (I have an always-on broadband connection).
Unchecking the line doesnt seem to improve things (it did at first
but now never works AND sometimes
the browser thinks about it for about ten seconds before it puts the
check mark in WORK OFFLINE):

Curiously I discovered that clicking on a link DOES work and at the
moment I am having to go to
every URL I want to access by entering the link in google and
clicking on the link (which is usually created)

I tried complaining to the cable-modem ISP and it was they who
diagnosed this mysterious check mark:
I removed it and the browser/connection started working properly but
as I say, never for long.
But sometimes when I remove it all that happens is that it reappears
as soon as I press ENTER on trying to access the URL again.

(Outlook Express seems to think it is offline most of the time as
well. Outlook doesnt seem to suffer from this problem)

I did a virus check and it doesn't appear to be a virus. Is this a
known problem and/or does anyone know what is causing this?

I did turn off the DNS and DCHP services but it did nothing. AdAware
and Spybot reveal nothing on this

Eventually I got so exasperated with Internet Explorer and with the
people at the Microsoft forums not having any idea about this that
that I installed Firefox

Even more annoyingly, Firefox does the same thing: This seems to be
some problem with either with a trojan or with the OS, Windows XP Pro
SP1

If your browser is looking for a dial-up connection, you must have such a
connection enabled in your accessories\communications\dial-up-networking
folder. Delete it and see if this cures the problem, also delete any spare
unused accounts in your mail programme.

 

[Andrew]

In comp.sys.laptops news.rcn.com <news.rnc.com> wrote:
: I have suddenly stopped being able to use my browser (IE6):
: Pressing enter on a URL puts a check mark in WORK OFFLINE in the file menu
: and the browser starts asking me if I want to connect to my dialup
: connection (I have an always-on broadband connection). Unchecking the line
: doesnt seem to improve things (it did at first but now never works AND
: sometimes
: the browser thinks about it for about ten seconds before it puts the check
: mark in WORK OFFLINE):

: Curiously I discovered that clicking on a link DOES work and at the moment I
: am having to go to
: every URL I want to access by entering the link in google and clicking on
: the link (which is usually created)

: I tried complaining to the cable-modem ISP and it was they who diagnosed
: this mysterious check mark:
: I removed it and the browser/connection started working properly but as I
: say, never for long.
: But sometimes when I remove it all that happens is that it reappears as soon
: as I press ENTER on trying to access the URL again.

: (Outlook Express seems to think it is offline most of the time as well.
: Outlook doesnt seem to suffer from this problem)

: I did a virus check and it doesn't appear to be a virus. Is this a known
: problem and/or does anyone know what is causing this?

: I did turn off the DNS and DCHP services but it did nothing. AdAware and
: Spybot reveal nothing on this

: Eventually I got so exasperated with Internet Explorer and with the people
: at the Microsoft forums not having any idea about this that that I installed
: Firefox

: Even more annoyingly, Firefox does the same thing: This seems to be some
: problem with either with a trojan or with the OS, Windows XP Pro SP1

Sounds to me like you are losing your network connection. The "work
offline?" usually comes when you get kicked off the internet and try
to access something on it.

I would first try blowing away your network connection and make a new
internet connection, just for fun.

Not sure how you are accessing the network. Do you have a wired
ethernet connection or a wireless connection?

Have you tried cycling power on your cable modem?

Andrew
--
----> Portland, Oregon, USA <----
*******************************************************************
----> http://www.bizave.com <---- Photo Albums and Portland Info
----> To Email me remove "MYSHOES" from email address
*******************************************************************

 

[news.rcn.com]

I don't dare play with uninstalling IE as it is infernally difficult AND as
the problem exists in Firefox, isn't it likely to be an OS rather than
browser problem? Something possibly I have screwed around with but ONLY
AFTER being told that setting DNS etc services to manual was a method of
curing this problem? And as it doesn't manifest itself in Outlook and there
is no real problem with the cable modem connection, I cant believe that this
is an ISP or signal problem

More likely some currently-floating-around unidentified trojan if the people
at Microsoft have no idea about it?

 

[JF]

X-No-Archive: yes

I don't dare play with uninstalling IE as it is infernally difficult

IE irradiator IERAD.ZIP from CNet or TUCOWS.

 

[Bruce Markowitz]

You may have a "dialer" virus or spyware.

 

[Andrew]

In comp.sys.laptops news.rcn.com <news.rnc.com> wrote:
: I don't dare play with uninstalling IE as it is infernally difficult AND as
: the problem exists in Firefox, isn't it likely to be an OS rather than
: browser problem?

You're right - and I wasn't the one who recommended uninstalling IE.
I suggested you blow away your internet connection and have the
network wizard re-install it (this should be very easy to do). It's
an easy thing to try if your broadband connection is setup so you get
your IP address automatically from a router. (if you have to
hand-code IP address, gateway, DNS, etc., are you sure none of that
information has changed?).

: Something possibly I have screwed around with but ONLY
: AFTER being told that setting DNS etc services to manual was a method of
: curing this problem?

You probably shouldn't have a manual setting for DNS unless your ISP
needs it that way (mine suggests that - but use my DSL modem in
bridged mode, and I have a fixed IP address).

: And as it doesn't manifest itself in Outlook and there
: is no real problem with the cable modem connection, I cant believe that this
: is an ISP or signal problem

You would get the "work offline?" message in IE if you were having a
network problem. Since I was helping someone fix a problem like that
yesterday and saw that exact message, I can tell you that that can
happen.

I would ask you these questions:

What is your IP address, or how is it assigned to your computer?
Fixed IP, or is it a local IP generated from the DSL modem/router?

If you do a "command window" and type "ipconfig" what do you see?

: More likely some currently-floating-around unidentified trojan if the people
: at Microsoft have no idea about it?

Could be, but I doubt it.

Andrew
--
----> Portland, Oregon, USA <----
*******************************************************************
----> http://www.bizave.com <---- Photo Albums and Portland Info
----> To Email me remove "MYSHOES" from email address
*******************************************************************

 

[Larry]

Try deleting all temporary internet files including the files saved for
offline viewing. I know it doesn't seem connected but I have seen some
weird problems fixed by getting rid of them. Click Tools-Internet
options-Delete files.

Cheers,

Larry
*****
news.rcn.com wrote:
: I have suddenly stopped being able to use my browser (IE6):
: Pressing enter on a URL puts a check mark in WORK OFFLINE in the file
: menu and the browser starts asking me if I want to connect to my
: dialup connection (I have an always-on broadband connection).
: Unchecking the line doesnt seem to improve things (it did at first
: but now never works AND sometimes
: the browser thinks about it for about ten seconds before it puts the
: check mark in WORK OFFLINE):
:
: Curiously I discovered that clicking on a link DOES work and at the
: moment I am having to go to
: every URL I want to access by entering the link in google and
: clicking on the link (which is usually created)
:
: I tried complaining to the cable-modem ISP and it was they who
: diagnosed this mysterious check mark:
: I removed it and the browser/connection started working properly but
: as I say, never for long.
: But sometimes when I remove it all that happens is that it reappears
: as soon as I press ENTER on trying to access the URL again.
:
: (Outlook Express seems to think it is offline most of the time as
: well. Outlook doesnt seem to suffer from this problem)
:
: I did a virus check and it doesn't appear to be a virus. Is this a
: known problem and/or does anyone know what is causing this?
:
: I did turn off the DNS and DCHP services but it did nothing. AdAware
: and Spybot reveal nothing on this
:
: Eventually I got so exasperated with Internet Explorer and with the
: people at the Microsoft forums not having any idea about this that
: that I installed Firefox
:
: Even more annoyingly, Firefox does the same thing: This seems to be
: some problem with either with a trojan or with the OS, Windows XP Pro
: SP1

 

[andy smart]

Curiously I discovered that clicking on a link DOES work

Suggesting that this is not a DNS issue? What happens if you try to ping
a domain name? My feeling is that DNS is DNS is DNS and if it works in
one bit of the browser then this is not where your problem is.


If you have always-on broadband - what dial-up connection does it think
you want to use? Any chance you have an 'old' dialup connection left
over from before you had broadband that has suddenly become default and
active again. We have issues where where users connect their laptops
both to our lan and at home via dial-up; we get very similar
circumstances when they dial-up is set to 'always dial default
connection' rather than to 'dial when network connection is not present'.

 

[jonah]

I don't dare play with uninstalling IE as it is infernally difficult AND as
the problem exists in Firefox, isn't it likely to be an OS rather than
browser problem? Something possibly I have screwed around with but ONLY
AFTER being told that setting DNS etc services to manual was a method of
curing this problem? And as it doesn't manifest itself in Outlook and there
is no real problem with the cable modem connection, I cant believe that this
is an ISP or signal problem

More likely some currently-floating-around unidentified trojan if the people
at Microsoft have no idea about it?

I very much doubt it.

If IE & Firefox try to force you to work offline this means that your
default connection has been changed or has become mis set.

Are you using a Router / NAT setup or a straight BBd Modem?

IE & Firefox look for the default connection before going on-line, if
they cannot find it you get the "do you wish to work offline message"

Outlook probably looks for any connection then uses that, I would not
know I would not touch Outlook with a barge pole.

try the following

Check your ISP IP Address, it may just be your router needs a re-set
mine did the same last week due to lightning. Command Prompt -
ipconfig

Get rid of any dialup connections you have in IE via tools > internet
options > connections you can re-install them lkater if you wish to.

Reset to factory and re-install your router / or uninstall /
re-install any BBd connection software.

Jonah

 

[news.rcn.com]

The broadband connection is setup so I get the IP address automatically
while the computer's IP address is a local IP generated from the DSL
modem/router, - ipconfig says ethernet adapter network bridge and shows the
router's correct DNS 192.168.12.1 and identifies the ISP correctly

Not sure what BBd connection software is but I do often try ipconfig
/release folowed by ipconfig /renew and it doesnt seem to make a difference
to this problem

SpySubtract found about 8 innocuous looking things like cookies but nothing
otherwise which I suspected as I had already run Sysclean

I certainly agreed that "DNS is DNS is DNS and if it works in one bit of the
browser then this is not where your problem is" which is what I thought
before I started posting along with If It Does The Same In Firefox, Then
Some IE Setting Isn't The Problem

(And my default has always been set to never dial a connection)

 

[Andrew]

In comp.sys.laptops news.rcn.com <news.rnc.com> wrote:
: The broadband connection is setup so I get the IP address automatically
: while the computer's IP address is a local IP generated from the DSL
: modem/router, - ipconfig says ethernet adapter network bridge and shows the
: router's correct DNS 192.168.12.1 and identifies the ISP correctly

: Not sure what BBd connection software is but I do often try ipconfig
: /release folowed by ipconfig /renew and it doesnt seem to make a difference
: to this problem

: SpySubtract found about 8 innocuous looking things like cookies but nothing
: otherwise which I suspected as I had already run Sysclean

: I certainly agreed that "DNS is DNS is DNS and if it works in one bit of the
: browser then this is not where your problem is" which is what I thought
: before I started posting along with If It Does The Same In Firefox, Then
: Some IE Setting Isn't The Problem

I think I agree with the guy who thinks it could be a DNS issue. You
could try typing in the IP address instead of the DNS address and see
if that changes anything. For example, to go to Google.com, try
http://216.239.53.99 . Same problem?

Andrew
--
----> Portland, Oregon, USA <----
*******************************************************************
----> http://www.bizave.com <---- Photo Albums and Portland Info
----> To Email me remove "MYSHOES" from email address
*******************************************************************

 

[news.rcn.com]

Not sure if this is a further clue as to what is going on but the browser
business has started manifesting itself in a different way: NOW it either
goes to the web site and then askes me to connect to the dial up connection
(or the broadband connection depending which one I have activated) OR it
gives me a simple connect/cancel button and then takes me to the site I am
looking for. It occasionally used to do this by itself and now it has
started doing it sometimes even when I click on a link.

(BTW it does only do this in any browser on one computer on the network
which surely tends to indicate that there is something in the OS which is
making it do this rather than something on the connection or in the router
configuration?)

 

[Gabriele Neukam]

NOW it either
goes to the web site and then askes me to connect to the dial up connection
(or the broadband connection depending which one I have activated) OR it
gives me a simple connect/cancel button and then takes me to the site I am
looking for. It occasionally used to do this by itself and now it has
started doing it sometimes even when I click on a link.

Hm. Has the user of said machine ever visited a German website? I
suspect these are the actions of one of these premium call dialers,
which are abundant over here.

Check with a program designed to detect dialers, like a-squared.

http://www.emsisoft.com/en/


Gabriele Neukam

(e-mail address removed)

 

[Andrew]

In comp.sys.laptops news.rcn.com <news.rnc.com> wrote:
: Not sure if this is a further clue as to what is going on but the browser
: business has started manifesting itself in a different way: NOW it either
: goes to the web site and then askes me to connect to the dial up connection
: (or the broadband connection depending which one I have activated) OR it
: gives me a simple connect/cancel button and then takes me to the site I am
: looking for. It occasionally used to do this by itself and now it has
: started doing it sometimes even when I click on a link.

: (BTW it does only do this in any browser on one computer on the network
: which surely tends to indicate that there is something in the OS which is
: making it do this rather than something on the connection or in the router
: configuration?)

If the connection setting or DNS setting of this particular computer
is messed up, it could act the way you describe. That wouldn't
necessarily affect other computers on the network. Did you try
blowing away the internet connection and making a new one with the
wizard?

Andrew
--
----> Portland, Oregon, USA <----
*******************************************************************
----> http://www.bizave.com <---- Photo Albums and Portland Info
----> To Email me remove "MYSHOES" from email address
*******************************************************************

 

[news.rcn.com]

This might well solve the problem but I can't figure out how to delete this
connection

I went to ALL CONNECTIONS and found one called BRIDGE which I did manage to
delete but the two remaining ones (LAN OR HIGH SPEED INTERNET and INTERNET
GATEWAY, both of which are enabled) wont disable

Meanwhile the problem has changed: Now the browser goes to the page
requested and THEN gives me the demand either to connect to the internet or
go online. (which I can easily cancel out of)

 

[Andrew]

In comp.sys.laptops news.rcn.com <news.rnc.com> wrote:
: This might well solve the problem but I can't figure out how to delete this
: connection

: I went to ALL CONNECTIONS and found one called BRIDGE which I did manage to
: delete but the two remaining ones (LAN OR HIGH SPEED INTERNET and INTERNET
: GATEWAY, both of which are enabled) wont disable

BRIDGING does what it sounds like: connects two connections. You
could use it for Internet Connection Sharing for example. Unless you
were trying to do something like that, you were right to delete it.

I'm trying to remember your original post. Do you have cable
broadband? Then a router? And this is one computer connected to the
router on the network? Or do you have the modem plugged directly into
this computer and it shares the connection to the others on the network?

Could it be that originally you had it setup differently, like the
cable modem was plugged directly into this computer? Give me some
info on how your connection is setup.

Deciper my email at the top (erase "MYSHOES" twice) and email me if
you want to continue this dialogue.

Andrew
--
----> Portland, Oregon, USA <----
*******************************************************************
----> http://www.bizave.com <---- Photo Albums and Portland Info
----> To Email me remove "MYSHOES" from email address
*******************************************************************