Can't access certain web sites...

[Howard Woodard]

This may sound like a browser issue -- and it may be -- but I'm really thinking that it has something to do with my XP Pro configuration.

I have several machines running on a home network that shares a DSL router/modem that's connected to a 4-port ethernet swith/router. All, except for one, can access all web sites just fine. One of them cannot access certain sites -- sites like www.jcpenney.com, www.shopping.hp.com for example. I've been watching related threads on this subject for about a week and trying everything that everyone has recommended, including this one, but have had no success whatsoever.

The only thing that I have been able to figure out [I think] so far is that the sites I am having trouble with seem to be being re-directed. In the
case of www.jcpenney.com, when I enter www.jcpenney.com the machines that are working properly actually end up on ww1.jcpenney.com. On the machine I'm having trouble with I can access www1.jcpenney.com ok but when I type in www.jcpenney.com I get a "We can't find www.jcpenney.com/" error. In the case of of www.hpshopping.com, the machines that are working properly end up on www.shopping.hp.com. However, when I type the latter URL into this machine I get an error "Unable to find www.shopping.hp.com/cgi-bin/hpdirect/shopping/scripts/product_detail/product_detail_view.jsp?product_code=Q2114A%23ABA&AOID=85&c".

I suspect that it has something to do with either authentication, re-directs or scripts but can't find any difference in the way my different machines are set up.

This really is driving me nuts...

Anyone have any ideas on this?


Howard

 

[Steve Winograd [MVP]]

This may sound like a browser issue -- and it may be -- but I'm really thinking that it has something to do with my XP Pro configuration.

I have several machines running on a home network that shares a DSL router/modem that's connected to a 4-port ethernet swith/router. All, except for one, can access all web sites just fine. One of them cannot access certain sites -- sites like www.jcpenney.com, www.shopping.hp.com for example. I've been watching related threads on this subject for about a week and trying everything that everyone has recommended, including this one, but have had no success whatsoever.

The only thing that I have been able to figure out [I think] so far is that the sites I am having trouble with seem to be being re-directed. In the
case of www.jcpenney.com, when I enter www.jcpenney.com the machines that are working properly actually end up on ww1.jcpenney.com. On the machine I'm having trouble with I can access www1.jcpenney.com ok but when I type in www.jcpenney.com I get a "We can't find www.jcpenney.com/" error. In the case of of www.hpshopping.com, the machines that are working properly end up on www.shopping.hp.com. However, when I type the latter URL into this machine I get an error "Unable to find www.shopping.hp.com/cgi-bin/hpdirect/shopping/scripts/product_detail/product_detail_view.jsp?product_code=Q2114A%23ABA&AOID=85&c".

I suspect that it has something to do with either authentication, re-directs or scripts but can't find any difference in the way my different machines are set up.

This really is driving me nuts...

Anyone have any ideas on this?


Howard

The problem could be caused by bad entries in the Hosts file on the
problem machine. To edit the file, enter this command in the Start |
Run box, making sure to include the "." at the end of the command:

Windows 2000/XP:
notepad C:\Windows\System32\Drivers\Etc\Hosts.

Windows 95/98/Me:
notepad C:\Windows\Hosts.

If you find lines with the names of the sites that you can't access,
delete those lines, save the file, and try again.
--
Best Wishes,
Steve Winograd, MS-MVP (Windows Networking)

Please post any reply as a follow-up message in the news group
for everyone to see. I'm sorry, but I don't answer questions
addressed directly to me in E-mail or news groups.

Microsoft Most Valuable Professional Program
http://mvp.support.microsoft.com

 

[Howard Woodard]

Thanks Steve. The Hosts file is the original file that XP installed:

# Copyright (c) 1993-1999 Microsoft Corp.
#
# This is a sample HOSTS file used by Microsoft TCP/IP for Windows.
#
# This file contains the mappings of IP addresses to host names. Each
# entry should be kept on an individual line. The IP address should
# be placed in the first column followed by the corresponding host name.
# The IP address and the host name should be separated by at least one
# space.
#
# Additionally, comments (such as these) may be inserted on individual
# lines or following the machine name denoted by a '#' symbol.
#
# For example:
#
# 102.54.94.97 rhino.acme.com # source server
# 38.25.63.10 x.acme.com # x client host

127.0.0.1 localhost
========================================================
router/modem that's connected to a 4-port ethernet swith/router. All,
except for one, can access all web sites just fine. One of them cannot
access certain sites -- sites like www.jcpenney.com, www.shopping.hp.com for
example. I've been watching related threads on this subject for about a
week and trying everything that everyone has recommended, including this
one, but have had no success whatsoever.

The only thing that I have been able to figure out [I think] so far is

that the sites I am having trouble with seem to be being re-directed. In
theare working properly actually end up on ww1.jcpenney.com. On the machine
I'm having trouble with I can access www1.jcpenney.com ok but when I type in
www.jcpenney.com I get a "We can't find www.jcpenney.com/" error. In the
case of of www.hpshopping.com, the machines that are working properly end up
on www.shopping.hp.com. However, when I type the latter URL into this
machine I get an error "Unable to find
www.shopping.hp.com/cgi-bin/hpdirect/shopping/scripts/product_detail/product
_detail_view.jsp?product_code=Q2114A%23ABA&AOID=85&c".re-directs or scripts but can't find any difference in the way my different
machines are set up.

 

[Patrick Mann [MSFT]]

Sounds like you acquired an IE trojan that messes with your URLs. Try
running one of the many available adware/spyware detectors.

-Patrick

--
This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers no rights.
All e-mail to this account will bounce or be deleted - *use the newsgroups*.

Thanks Steve. The Hosts file is the original file that XP installed:

# Copyright (c) 1993-1999 Microsoft Corp.
#
# This is a sample HOSTS file used by Microsoft TCP/IP for Windows.
#
# This file contains the mappings of IP addresses to host names. Each
# entry should be kept on an individual line. The IP address should
# be placed in the first column followed by the corresponding host name.
# The IP address and the host name should be separated by at least one
# space.
#
# Additionally, comments (such as these) may be inserted on individual
# lines or following the machine name denoted by a '#' symbol.
#
# For example:
#
# 102.54.94.97 rhino.acme.com # source server
# 38.25.63.10 x.acme.com # x client host

127.0.0.1 localhost
========================================================
router/modem that's connected to a 4-port ethernet swith/router. All,
except for one, can access all web sites just fine. One of them cannot
access certain sites -- sites like www.jcpenney.com, www.shopping.hp.com
for
example. I've been watching related threads on this subject for about a
week and trying everything that everyone has recommended, including this
one, but have had no success whatsoever.

The only thing that I have been able to figure out [I think] so far is

that the sites I am having trouble with seem to be being re-directed. In
theare working properly actually end up on ww1.jcpenney.com. On the machine
I'm having trouble with I can access www1.jcpenney.com ok but when I type
in
www.jcpenney.com I get a "We can't find www.jcpenney.com/" error. In the
case of of www.hpshopping.com, the machines that are working properly end
up
on www.shopping.hp.com. However, when I type the latter URL into this
machine I get an error "Unable to find
www.shopping.hp.com/cgi-bin/hpdirect/shopping/scripts/product_detail/product
_detail_view.jsp?product_code=Q2114A%23ABA&AOID=85&c".re-directs or scripts but can't find any difference in the way my
different
machines are set up.

The problem could be caused by bad entries in the Hosts file on the
problem machine. To edit the file, enter this command in the Start |
Run box, making sure to include the "." at the end of the command:

Windows 2000/XP:
notepad C:\Windows\System32\Drivers\Etc\Hosts.

Windows 95/98/Me:
notepad C:\Windows\Hosts.

If you find lines with the names of the sites that you can't access,
delete those lines, save the file, and try again.
--
Best Wishes,
Steve Winograd, MS-MVP (Windows Networking)

Please post any reply as a follow-up message in the news group
for everyone to see. I'm sorry, but I don't answer questions
addressed directly to me in E-mail or news groups.

Microsoft Most Valuable Professional Program
http://mvp.support.microsoft.com

 

[Howard Woodard]

Thanks Patrick. I have Ad-Aware 6.0 and Adwatch 3.0. Ad-Aware finds a few
tracking cookies but that's it. I ran HijackThis but all of the entries
look legitimate -- at least to me.

The site(s) that are effected are sites that actually connect to a different
URL than the one you enter. For instance www.jcpenney.com connects [on my
other computers] to ww1.jcpenney.com and hpshopping.com connects to
www.shopping.hp.com. On this machine I can't connect to either URL.

Is there any way to turn something on in either IE or XP and get a more
detailed error log that may provide me with a little more info? I've got to
believe that my ISP's DNS server is working right since my other machines
work ok.

Still scratching my head in Seattle...

Howard
========================================

Sounds like you acquired an IE trojan that messes with your URLs. Try
running one of the many available adware/spyware detectors.

-Patrick

--
This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers no rights.
All e-mail to this account will bounce or be deleted - *use the newsgroups*.

Thanks Steve. The Hosts file is the original file that XP installed:

# Copyright (c) 1993-1999 Microsoft Corp.
#
# This is a sample HOSTS file used by Microsoft TCP/IP for Windows.
#
# This file contains the mappings of IP addresses to host names. Each
# entry should be kept on an individual line. The IP address should
# be placed in the first column followed by the corresponding host name.
# The IP address and the host name should be separated by at least one
# space.
#
# Additionally, comments (such as these) may be inserted on individual
# lines or following the machine name denoted by a '#' symbol.
#
# For example:
#
# 102.54.94.97 rhino.acme.com # source server
# 38.25.63.10 x.acme.com # x client host

127.0.0.1 localhost
========================================================

This may sound like a browser issue -- and it may be -- but I'm really

thinking that it has something to do with my XP Pro configuration.

I have several machines running on a home network that shares a DSL

router/modem that's connected to a 4-port ethernet swith/router. All,
except for one, can access all web sites just fine. One of them cannot
access certain sites -- sites like www.jcpenney.com, www.shopping.hp.com
for
example. I've been watching related threads on this subject for about a
week and trying everything that everyone has recommended, including this
one, but have had no success whatsoever.

The only thing that I have been able to figure out [I think] so far is

that the sites I am having trouble with seem to be being re-directed. In
the

case of www.jcpenney.com, when I enter www.jcpenney.com the machines
that

are working properly actually end up on ww1.jcpenney.com. On the machine
I'm having trouble with I can access www1.jcpenney.com ok but when I type
in
www.jcpenney.com I get a "We can't find www.jcpenney.com/" error. In the
case of of www.hpshopping.com, the machines that are working properly end
up
on www.shopping.hp.com. However, when I type the latter URL into this
machine I get an error "Unable to find
www.shopping.hp.com/cgi-bin/hpdirect/shopping/scripts/product_detail/product
_detail_view.jsp?product_code=Q2114A%23ABA&AOID=85&c".

I suspect that it has something to do with either authentication,

re-directs or scripts but can't find any difference in the way my
different
machines are set up.

This really is driving me nuts...

Anyone have any ideas on this?


Howard

The problem could be caused by bad entries in the Hosts file on the
problem machine. To edit the file, enter this command in the Start |
Run box, making sure to include the "." at the end of the command:

Windows 2000/XP:
notepad C:\Windows\System32\Drivers\Etc\Hosts.

Windows 95/98/Me:
notepad C:\Windows\Hosts.

If you find lines with the names of the sites that you can't access,
delete those lines, save the file, and try again.
--
Best Wishes,
Steve Winograd, MS-MVP (Windows Networking)

Please post any reply as a follow-up message in the news group
for everyone to see. I'm sorry, but I don't answer questions
addressed directly to me in E-mail or news groups.

Microsoft Most Valuable Professional Program
http://mvp.support.microsoft.com