Can't download files with IE 6

G

Guest

The setup is this: a desktop and a laptop connected to a router receiving
DSL. Both machines running windows xp-pro, SP1, updated with all MS security
patches except SP2 (chicken!); both have Norton AV and Ad-Aware (both updated
and run frequently); both have identical "Internet Options" settings.

I needed to download a file from Symantec to remedy an NAV update problem on
the laptop. When I attempted to download, a page came up that says the site
could not be connected to (error 404, I think, the one you get if you're
inadvertantly offline). None of the files available at the Symanatec site
could be accessed. (On the desktop, I had no trouble, all went smoothly.) I
tried some other download sites from the laptop. Sometimes I could download,
but sometimes I would get the same error page as before, or the small
download dialog box would open, but the download "could not be completed at
this time". Again, all the same sites allowed downloads on the desktop with
no problems.

Additonally, after giving up trying to download to the laptop, IE would
sometimes hang and could only be closed through the task manager; this did
not happen every time. None of these events took place on the desktop, which
as stated above, is running identically configured software. (At least as far
as I know)

I am able to use Outlook Express, Quicken downloads, etc. on the laptop;
only certain selected sites accessed thru IE failed. I did a Symantec online
scan and no malware was found. I was able to download a McAfee tool that
looked for the latest malware and came up clean. The quick scan from Aumha
also came up clean. NAV and Ad-Aware find nothing. I could not download an
online audit from SpySweeper, it reacted similar to the Symantec site.

I suspect that the problem is IE or one of its settings.

Any suggestions would be appreciated. Sorry for the length of the question.

Hal
 
J

Jason Brown [MSFT]

step 1: check your HOSTS file for spurious entries

c:\windows\system32\drivers\etc\hosts

step 2: if one machine can get the fle, use that to download what you need
and transfer it manually.

step 3: if norton isn't playing ball, try another AV solution.


--
Jason Brown
Microsoft GTSC, IIS

This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers no
rights.
 
G

Guest

Jason,

thanks for the response. to follow up on your suggestions:

1. contents of c:\windows\system32\drivers\etc\hosts are:
hosts 1kb
imhosts 4 kb
networks 1 kb
protocol 1 kb
services 7 kb

2. i know that the file "svchost.exe" runs in a number of instances. this is
what i find in task manager; is this a problem?

svchost.exe local service 3,384
" network service 1,896
" system 18,140
" " 3,420
" " 3,324

3. i would write off norton except that the download failures occur at other
apparently random sites also; yet, some are successful; and ALL are
successful on my desktop.


any help?

hal
 
F

Frank Saunders, MS-MVP IE/OE

What is the content of HOSTS? (Open it with Notepad.)

--
Frank Saunders, MS-MVP, IE/OE
Please respond in Newsgroup only. Do not send email
http://www.fjsmjs.com
Protect your PC
http://www.microsoft.com/security/protect/

Hal said:
Jason,

thanks for the response. to follow up on your suggestions:

1. contents of c:\windows\system32\drivers\etc\hosts are:
hosts 1kb
imhosts 4 kb
networks 1 kb
protocol 1 kb
services 7 kb

2. i know that the file "svchost.exe" runs in a number of instances.
this is what i find in task manager; is this a problem?

svchost.exe local service 3,384
" network service 1,896
" system 18,140
" " 3,420
" " 3,324

3. i would write off norton except that the download failures occur
at other apparently random sites also; yet, some are successful; and
ALL are successful on my desktop.


any help?

hal
Click to expand...

What is the content of HOSTS? (Open it with Notepad.)

--
Frank Saunders, MS-MVP, IE/OE
Please respond in Newsgroup only. Do not send email
http://www.fjsmjs.com
Protect your PC
http://www.microsoft.com/security/protect/
 
G

Guest

Frank:
the following is the contents of "host":

# 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 ENDS THE CONTENTS OF "HOST" Any help?
hal
 
J

Jason Brown [MSFT]

OK, so can you follow my second step?



--
Jason Brown
Microsoft GTSC, IIS

This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers no
rights.
 
G

Guest

Jason,
thanks for staying with me. On my good desktop, I downloaded a file from
SpySweeper that does a quickie audit of the system for malware. It worked
fine. It evidently refers back to a file of definitions on its own server.
When I tried to download to the errant laptop, I got as far as the small
download warning dialog box. Whether I tried to either open it or save it,
the same result: a smaller message box stating: "cannot download files at
this time, try later". I emailed the downloaded file from the good desktop
to the bad laptop. When I tried to open it on the laptop, it reacted just as
it had when I attempted to download directly to the laptop, i.e., "cannot
download, etc." Evidently, it couldn't get back to its site to access the
file definitions it needed. So I don't think it's a Symantec thing; I think
it's my IE

All this and yet some files download fine. What bothers me even more is
that occasionally, IE sometimes acts weird after a failed download attempt.
This happened when I attempted a file download (not a virus update) from
Symantec.
Thanks for your patience
 
J

Jason Brown [MSFT]

that message box you're talking about - it sounds lik that's generated by
this malware sweeper- is that what you're saying?


--
Jason Brown
Microsoft GTSC, IIS

This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers no
rights.
 
G

Guest

Jason,
Regarding the message boxes I get:

1. when downloading doesn't work, the most common message I get is the usual
full screen, error 404, "site not responding, can't be found, try later,
etc." This is what, for instance, I get when attempting the Symantec
download, among others.

2. the particular message box you (and I) refer to seems to be proprietary
to the malware sweeper. On the bad laptop, after clicking the desktop icon I
transferred from the good desktop, there is a momentary status box referring
to the program starting and doing it's thing, but then another small,
informational box comes up with the "...can't download at this time..."
message. It appears to be the sweeper program's own version of the Error 404
message.

Like I said before, it's the inconsistency of the whole thing; some
downloads are normal and some aren't and I can't seem to recognize a pattern.
Any help?
Hal
 
G

Guest

Jason, this is a second reply to clarify my earlier statements.

I misspoke on the contents of the page that comes up when trying to download
from Symantec. It is not the "error 404" but one that is very similar to it.


THIS IS A PASTE OF THE PAGE: (MINUS A FEW ICONS THAT DIDN'T PASTE)

The page cannot be displayed
The page you are looking for is currently unavailable. The Web site might be
experiencing technical difficulties, or you may need to adjust your browser
settings.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Please try the following:

Click the Refresh button, or try again later.

If you typed the page address in the Address bar, make sure that it is
spelled correctly.

To check your connection settings, click the Tools menu, and then click
Internet Options. On the Connections tab, click Settings. The settings should
match those provided by your local area network (LAN) administrator or
Internet service provider (ISP).
If your Network Administrator has enabled it, Microsoft Windows can examine
your network and automatically discover network connection settings.
If you would like Windows to try and discover them,
click Detect Network Settings
Some sites require 128-bit connection security. Click the Help menu and then
click About Internet Explorer to determine what strength security you have
installed.
If you are trying to reach a secure site, make sure your Security settings
can support it. Click the Tools menu, and then click Internet Options. On the
Advanced tab, scroll to the Security section and check settings for SSL 2.0,
SSL 3.0, TLS 1.0, PCT 1.0.
Click the Back button to try another link.



Cannot find server or DNS Error
Internet Explorer

THIS IS THE END OF THE PASTE

Thanks again, Hal
 
J

Jason Brown [MSFT]

Well, that's the standard error message for when a site cannot be found at
all. it's not actually a 404 - that's returned when a site is found but a
document within it is not.

what's the exact domain you're trying to connect to?
 
J

Jason Brown [MSFT]

well, given that that's an FTP link, perhaps you have FTP ports blocked? are
you running a firewall, or is your host running a firewall?


--
Jason Brown
Microsoft GTSC, IIS

This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers no
rights.
 
G

Guest

Hi Jason,
again, thanks for hanging in there. I do not have the windows firewall
activated on either the good desktop or the bad laptop; but both are
connected to the same router, which so far has provided good protection (i
think). also, all other settings, security and otherwise, as far as i know,
are identical on each computer. considering all of the above, remember that
the desktop has no problem downloading anything. your question re host
running a firewall, i don't know what that is. i do know that the "host"
file in each computer is the same: FOLLOWING IS THE PASTE:

# 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 IS THE END OF THE PASTE.

I also thought it was an ftp problem, but i couldn't download a quickie
malware audit program from SpySweeper, and that was an http: site. I also
reinstalled IE and re-downloaded all the updates, but the problem persists.
???????????
How would i find out if i have an ftp port blocked? of find out if my host
is running a firewall?
thanks again, hal
 
J

Jason Brown [MSFT]

best way to know what your hosts are blocking is to just straight up ask
them. I know a lot of hosts block incoming port 80 and 21, along with some
common filesharing ports, but I'm not sure whether they block the other way
too.

the hosts file looks fine, but I'm starting to suspect some sort of malware
piggy-backed onto your TCP/IP stack. A decent virus scanner will pick it up
if you can get one from somewhere - if you can download from a healthy
machine, burn to a CD or a thumbdrive or something, then install locally??


--
Jason Brown
Microsoft GTSC, IIS

This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers no
rights.
 
G

Guest

Jason,
if the hosts are blocking, wouldn't that prevent my desktop from downloading
also? it seems to do fine at the same sites my laptop fails at and the
settings are the same. also, on the laptop, Norton AV checks out clean, as
does Ad-aware, the aumha quickie test, and a mcafee short-list audit. also,
the online security check from norton, both the virus check and the "worm,
t-horse, malware" show no bad guys
hal
 
J

Jason Brown [MSFT]

Ah yes. I forgot you have a working machine behind the same connection. let
me just recap the thread a bit.



--
Jason Brown
Microsoft GTSC, IIS

This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers no
rights.
 

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