Will Not Load Page

  • Thread starter Thread starter Steevo
  • Start date Start date
S

Steevo

IE6 refuses to load any page on the internet. It used to work, although it
has become tempremental, sometimes working, others not. At the moment it is
only IE6 that will not access the internet, although in the past Getright
and OE have also had trouble. I have no firewalls running and cannot find
any restrictions on IE6's internet access. Any ideas?

Many Thanks
 
It may be a HOSTS file problem.
Look also for a file named HOSTS (no extension, could be hidden) rename it
OLDHOSTS.


There's a good possibility that this is being caused by a third-party
program (adware, spyware, parasite).
Dealing with Unwanted Spyware, Parasites, Toolbars and Search Engines
http://mvps.org/winhelp2002/unwanted.htm
 
Have just tried doing that search - strangely enuff it hasn't actually come
up with any results at all. Which directory should it be in? Rather a
bizarre problem....


Thanks for the help
 
Steevo said:
Have just tried doing that search - strangely enuff it hasn't actually come
up with any results at all. Which directory should it be in?
Click to expand...

Please leave some context in your replies.
Also please disclose your OS. It makes it much easier to make
appropriate suggestions.

HOSTS may be hidden, so make sure your search allows you to see
all files. Also the one that matters does not have an extension so make
sure that you are not looking for a pattern with an extension.

FWIW my XPsp1 doesn't have HOSTS but if it did it would be here:
D:\WINDOWS\system32\drivers\etc


Good luck

Robert Aldwinckle
---
 
Robert Aldwinckle said:
Please leave some context in your replies.
Also please disclose your OS. It makes it much easier to make
appropriate suggestions.

HOSTS may be hidden, so make sure your search allows you to see
all files. Also the one that matters does not have an extension so make
sure that you are not looking for a pattern with an extension.

FWIW my XPsp1 doesn't have HOSTS but if it did it would be here:
D:\WINDOWS\system32\drivers\etc


Good luck

Robert Aldwinckle
Click to expand...

Thanks for the reply Robert, sorry for not posting my OS, I am using XP Home
(without SP1). I have tried searching including hidden files although have
come up with very little. After following the directory you suggested the
only files I have found (containing hosts in the filename) are:

hosts.20030803-112425.backup - BACKUP File
hosts.ics - iCalendar File
lmhosts.sam - SAM File

None of these seem to be the HOSTS file you are referring to, unless of
course the iCalendar File should be it and has wrongly been associated with
another program. Could this be an option?


Many Thanks
 
....
I am using XP Home (without SP1).
Click to expand...

In that case there is another way of testing if you have a HOSTS file without
knowing where it came from.

E.g. if you had an entry for localhost in your HOSTS file you might
see it by using the following command in a command window:

ipconfig /displaydns | find /i "localhost"

That would show up even when you weren't connected and before
your DNS had done any lookups for you.

hosts.20030803-112425.backup - BACKUP File
Click to expand...

Do you have any idea what was going on at the time implied by that file's
extension? Do a search by date and see if it gives you any clues.

There has been an indication that hijackers can somehow move the
HOSTS file to a different directory. I don't know if they back up the
existing HOSTS file before doing that but perhaps they would.
OTOH perhaps this file represents a previous attempt (in August)
to do exactly what you are now trying to do? ;)
hosts.ics - iCalendar File ....
None of these seem to be the HOSTS file you are referring to, unless of
course the iCalendar File should be it and has wrongly been associated with
another program. Could this be an option?
Click to expand...

I suspect that the .ics is a coincidental suffix. If you drag that file to an
open Notepad window you will probably see a previous version of your
HOSTS file, possibly something very close to the original HOSTS.SAM
(sample, which typically contains only an entry for 127.0.0.1 localhost).
Do the date created/modified (from Properties) give you any clues about
its origin?


I'm beginning to think we are chasing a red herring with HOSTS.
How about including some more details about your problem
and the way that you connect (e.g. especially whether you use DHCP
and whether you are using a dial-up or broadband service).


HTH

Robert
---
 
Robert Aldwinckle said:
...

I'm beginning to think we are chasing a red herring with HOSTS.
How about including some more details about your problem
and the way that you connect (e.g. especially whether you use DHCP
and whether you are using a dial-up or broadband service).


HTH

Robert
Click to expand...

I can't really tell you very much more about the problem, it only started to
occur within the last week (i'm afraid i can't tell exactly when or whether
it was due to something i installed). The computer connects to the internet
via a dial-up connection and shares it with my laptop which is connected via
a switch to it. On my laptop i can use thing internet as normal whereas on
the the computer which dials up (the one with the problem) it can access
email and download using download managers but internet explorer will not
open web pages.

Many thanks for your help
 
I am having the same problem. It just started in the last week. I found a temporary work around and it is only temporary. I noticed my user profiles that were set as "Limited" were the ones whose browser would not open. On the other hand, the profiles set as "Computer Administrator" browser's will open. The problem with this is now passwords can be changed, deleted and settings changed by users that I do not want to be able to make those changes.

Your thoughts and suggestions are appreciated!

John
 
Back
Top