Cannot access any Microsoft pages or some secure sites

[Guest]

I recently upgraded from dialup to broadband internet service on 2/11/06.
Since changing the way that I access the internet I have run into problems
with my internet explorer. It goes like this.........

Cannot access ANY microsoft page - including my automatic updates. Cannot
access certain secure sites - anything to do w/a .gov or the sprintpcs
website, but CAN access my credit card sites. Can get on ebay but cannot
view any items - can see the pix but can't view them via the link.

The pages that won't load are giving me the "web page not found" server busy
try again later page. The ebay page gives me a 400-bad request error.

I cannot get to ANY microsoft page to fix this - sez its not available. *sigh

What in the world can I do????????

 

[Daniel Crichton]

AmyM wrote on Tue, 14 Feb 2006 06:13:06 -0800:

I recently upgraded from dialup to broadband internet service on 2/11/06.
Since changing the way that I access the internet I have run into problems
with my internet explorer. It goes like this.........

Cannot access ANY microsoft page - including my automatic updates. Cannot
access certain secure sites - anything to do w/a .gov or the sprintpcs
website, but CAN access my credit card sites. Can get on ebay but cannot
view any items - can see the pix but can't view them via the link.

The pages that won't load are giving me the "web page not found" server
busy try again later page. The ebay page gives me a 400-bad request
error.

This might be the answer. 400 Bad Request is often related to how virtual
hosting is handled - basically, your PC is not including the Host: header in
the outgoing HTTP requests. Assuming your browser is working correctly, this
points to the following as most likely:

(a) there's a proxy server at your ISP that is messing up the requests by
not including the headers

(b) you have some "security" software (personal firewall or "privacy"
application) on your PC that is removing HTTP headers

(c) you're using a so-called "anonymous" service for accessing the web which
is just another name for a proxy

(d) your broadband router (if you have one) is messing up the requests with
some sort of internal proxy, possibly as part of it's SPI/NAT handling.

If it's something like this, you will be able to access any sites that are
on their own IP address (and so don't need the Host: header), but nothing
else.

Check the proxy settings in IE, turn off the Automatic proxy detection if
it's enabled and see if that helps. If you lose all web access, turn it back
on again and contact your ISP - this will indicate that they're forcing all
outgoing web connections to go through their proxy.

Dan

 

[Guest]

Another question........I CAN access all these sites from work - which is
also using the same broadband connection..........what would make me unable
to get to any of Microsoft's sites - including my automatic update? Not
going thru a router, only using a cable modem (surfboard 5120).

 

[Daniel Crichton]

When you say "the same broadband connection", do you mean using the same
ISP, or the same physical telephone line at the same location?

If the former, then it could be a proxy that the ISP is running, and my
previous post suggestions should still be followed. If not, then it's your
PC.

It could be that something on your machine is stopping things from working.
I'd suggest giving it a full check with a bunch of anti-virus and
anti-malware tools, there are many posts in this group with recommendations
on which to use. Also take a look at the hosts file (located in
c:\windows\system32\drivers\etc\hosts) - if this has a lot of entries for
127.0.0.1 in it then either you're running some sort of security program
that has added all these (something like a personal firewall, or advert
blocking software), or some malicious software has done it to prevent you
accessing things like Windows Update and I'd guess a range of well-known
security sites.

Dan

AmyM wrote on Tue, 14 Feb 2006 07:08:32 -0800:

 

[Guest]

Same ISP - cable internet - locations about 5 miles away.....no phone line,
cable modem (the only difference is that we have a router here @ work).

I think it is something "evil" that I cannot detect. I have run adaware
professional, have a continuously udated version of avg antivirus, have run
all that plus spybot in safe mode and anything i have removed has still not
corrected the problem. I have currently posted a hijack this log on another
website......waiting for notification on what to remove. I am totally at a
loss tho - it seems odd that it happened the minute that we switched ISP's
yet my ISP says that it's me not them. I am inclined to believe it tho as no
problems at work and problems at home.

When I go home I will look at that file on the pc - if I do find that this
particular thing is the problem then what is it that I do to rectify it?

Thanks so much for your help. I was "infected" before about two yrs ago by
popnav due to my sister-in-law using my computer and now I am so much more
careful. Seems odd that I do the exact same things here that I do at home
and how I can get infected there is a mystery to me......*sigh

Amy