Can No Longer Browse (WinXP)

  • Thread starter Thread starter Shenzie
  • Start date Start date
S

Shenzie

Hello, all—

WinXP (Home, SP2) had "issues" on 5 April, and since then I can't
connect to browse via either Firefox or IE. Both browsers give
essentially the same message: Can't establish a connection to the
server. I can ping by direct numeric address and by domain name—send
four packets, receive four packets. E-mail and newsgroups work
properly. My system operates behind a Linksys NAT router. I've never
had occasion to make any NAT configuration changes to the router, from
box stock.

I use two HDs, with the other one using Win98SE. That system has no
problems connecting, my ISP (TW/Roadrunner) sees me fine, and I can find
a notebook connected to the router. As well, the notebook can connect
and browse w/o problem, which makes me conclude that the hardware is OK,
and it's a WinXP config problem.

Have searched the Internet over the last several days for as many
rational things to try as I could. (I confess that Winsocks, IPNAT,
NETSTAT, IPCONFIG, and similar are not "friends" of mine.) The last
thing I tried was from Chuck's excellent site: I enabled NetBIOS over
TCP/IP for my one-and-only LAN connection. Didn't make any difference.

The crusher in all this is that the problem occurred when I had to
disable System Restore, per a MSKB tech note. On restart after having
done that, Restore Points were available again, but only from the time
of the restart (the tech note advised that would be so)...and that first
restart was the occasion when I could no longer use a browser. So, I
can't restore to an earlier configuration. I make regular tape
archives, but to go back to a complete WinXP installation would set my
system's configuration back a couple of months. Would prefer not to do
that—and definitely want to avoid reinstalling WinXP—but I do have
access to all files in case replacing one/some would help.

Advice and counsel are welcome.

Shenzie
 
Hello, all—

WinXP (Home, SP2) had "issues" on 5 April, and since then I can't
connect to browse via either Firefox or IE. Both browsers give
essentially the same message: Can't establish a connection to the
server. I can ping by direct numeric address and by domain name—send
four packets, receive four packets. E-mail and newsgroups work
properly. My system operates behind a Linksys NAT router. I've never
had occasion to make any NAT configuration changes to the router, from
box stock.

I use two HDs, with the other one using Win98SE. That system has no
problems connecting, my ISP (TW/Roadrunner) sees me fine, and I can find
a notebook connected to the router. As well, the notebook can connect
and browse w/o problem, which makes me conclude that the hardware is OK,
and it's a WinXP config problem.

Have searched the Internet over the last several days for as many
rational things to try as I could. (I confess that Winsocks, IPNAT,
NETSTAT, IPCONFIG, and similar are not "friends" of mine.) The last
thing I tried was from Chuck's excellent site: I enabled NetBIOS over
TCP/IP for my one-and-only LAN connection. Didn't make any difference.

The crusher in all this is that the problem occurred when I had to
disable System Restore, per a MSKB tech note. On restart after having
done that, Restore Points were available again, but only from the time
of the restart (the tech note advised that would be so)...and that first
restart was the occasion when I could no longer use a browser. So, I
can't restore to an earlier configuration. I make regular tape
archives, but to go back to a complete WinXP installation would set my
system's configuration back a couple of months. Would prefer not to do
that—and definitely want to avoid reinstalling WinXP—but I do have
access to all files in case replacing one/some would help.

Advice and counsel are welcome.

Shenzie
Click to expand...

Well, Shenzie, let me introduce you to some of MY friends.

Did you try using IP addresses in Firefox / Internet Explorer? When you say "I
can ping by direct numeric address and by domain name", it sounds like DNS is
good. I would look at MTU first.
<http://nitecruzr.blogspot.com/2005/06/internet-connectivity-problems-caused.html>
http://nitecruzr.blogspot.com/2005/06/internet-connectivity-problems-caused.html

If it's not MTU, then you get to meet my good friend Mr Winsock.
<http://nitecruzr.blogspot.com/2005/05/problems-with-lsp-winsock-layer-in.html>
http://nitecruzr.blogspot.com/2005/05/problems-with-lsp-winsock-layer-in.html
 
Thx for the quick response, Chuck.

To answer the question you asked: When I type (at CMD prompt) "Ping
www.Google.com", I get on-screen notice of four packets being sent and
four being returned. Get the same indication when I type "Ping
216.239.39.99"

Thx also for the personal intro to your "friends." I'd encountered them
here and there in the last several days—many, many Google searches w/
various strings to define the problem lead to your comprehensive site.

I very much wish that I could report that I met success at some point in
following your site's instructions (in order), but I can't. None of the
analyzer/fixers flagged anything as way out of whack, and the several
CMD-prompt tests your site indicated didn't seem to flag anything
either—I got what you said one should get.

I even tried the Reg rebuild for WinXP, which went smoothly...but the
browse door is still barred to me.

Since the Linksys BEFSR41 V2 router has no problem working with a
notebook system running WinXP and the desktop system when running
Win98SE, doesn't that obviate any benefit of reconfiguring the router?
It does have the latest firmware config—I did that about six weeks ago.

As well, since TW can see my system on their network, and my system has
no problem connecting via a notebook and via the desktop w/ a different
OS, doesn't that also absolve the Motorola cable modem hardware of guilt?

I also looked up the manual uninstall routines for McAfee AV and
Firewall, which I had used a couple of years ago. There was a reg
modifier EXE for each, and also three remnant files were found in
\Windows\System and are now deleted. FWIW, until the WinXP glitch on 5
Apr, the ancient McAfee files didn't seem to be causing any grief.

I'm willing to try anything else you can advise, and I can U/L any test
results (DOS text dumps to file) that may be informative. As I said in
my earlier msg, I'm hoping to find a way to avoid making sweeping
changes to the current Registry, since my installed application array is
significant. Many of the serious applications have had updates and
patches. I've heard that a "repair install" of WinXP winds the Registry
back to a pristine condition (as opposed to the way Win98's Scanreg
/Restore would replace the current with an older one). If that's true,
then such a "repair install" would be a blow to my productivity.

Shenzie (hat in hand)
 
I had a similar problem (see thread on 4/9 titled "Failure with single web
site (detailed)". Two step solution:
1. Force machine to get new IP address (set static in router)
2. Restart the router

I hope your problem's fix is this easy.

Kevin.
 
FWLIW, my problem is solved.

The cause turned out to be a hidden driver file, left over from an
uninstalled ZoneAlarm. The file was VSDataNT.SYS. I'd uninstalled Zone
Alarm at some time in 2006 (!) and when the problem of not being able to
browse occurred on 5 Apr, I even used ZoneAlarm's instructions for a
complete manual install, including manual deletion of files and Registry
entires.

Disabling the file in the Device Manager cured the problem.

Much thanks to PChuck for his extraordinary Web site and his personal
advice here, and also to Kevin Underriner for their advice here.

Shenzie
Click to expand...

Another personal firewall problem (component of one anyway).

Thanks for updating the thread, and for the feedback.
 
FWLIW, my problem is solved.

The cause turned out to be a hidden driver file, left over from an
uninstalled ZoneAlarm. The file was VSDataNT.SYS. I'd uninstalled Zone
Alarm at some time in 2006 (!) and when the problem of not being able to
browse occurred on 5 Apr, I even used ZoneAlarm's instructions for a
complete manual install, including manual deletion of files and Registry
entires.

Disabling the file in the Device Manager cured the problem.

Much thanks to PChuck for his extraordinary Web site and his personal
advice here, and also to Kevin Underriner for their advice here.

Shenzie
 
Three final bits of follow-up:

First, I just rechecked ZoneLabs' manual uninstall instructions, and the
offending VSDataNT.sys is definitely on the list to be removed. I used
a VS*.* search string (there were eight files listed beginning w/ "VS")
for the entire \Windows folder and subordinates, and if the file was
found, then it may not have been possible to delete it due to being in
current use. If that was the case, then shame on me for forgetting to
get the system into a mode where I could delete it.

Second, it does seem more than coincidence that my WinXP system had been
working w/o any problem—even with the old ZoneAlarm driver still
installed—until precisely the time that the system restarted after I
stopped the System Restore service. Seems to me that there likely was a
Registry glitch somewhere in that series of events.

Finally, I might have seemed a bit more intelligent if the sentence I
wrote in previous msg to thank PChuck and Kevin Underriner for their
advice hadn't been one that I cobbled up badly. I really am a good
writer—just did one too many on-the-fly edits in that sentence.

As some of my RAF friends from my USAF career days would say, "Thank you
for your support. I shall keep it clean and wear it in your honour."

Shenzie
 
Back
Top