IE OR FIREWALL stopping web access - which?? 2

[speedy987]

At present I cannot access web sites via Internet Explorer, UNLESS I change my firewall setting from "filter" to "allow all".

I have McAfee Internet security V5.0 & Win XP Home.

I checked with McAfee Tech support - they said that it looks more like I have a problem in Internet Explorer.

With my firewall, we checked pings (OK), ticking and unticking appropriate boxes in McAfee Controll Internet Programs / Configuration Assistant /etc. Then McAfee tech's recommended I Remove (delete) the firewall part of Internet security off my hard-drive. Which I did, then I had to re-install it, but only after removing any "traces" of the firewall manually. I used a CD to re-install it - then updated McAfee firewall online. Nevertheless, still the same problem - NO WEB ACCESS unless I changed the firewall setting from "filter" to "allow all".

After the above, another McAfee Tech advised I may more likely have a problem with Internet Explorer and that Deleting it and re-installing it should fix the problem.

I checked this web site and one user recommended that to save a delete and re-install - it was easier to follow a "PC Magazine" advice to go to HKEY_LOCAL_ MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Active Setup\Installed Components\{89820200-ECBD-11cf-8B85-00AA005B4383} > click on DWORD value IsInstalled and change it from 1 to 0. Close REGEDIT > then go to Windows Update and ask for an update. Windows should think IE is not there an give an update and hopefully fix any error. It didn't update "no new updates found".

My point is I don't want to delete IE and Re-install it just yet, as experience has taught me it is usually not that easy. I first want to ask any one who has had this kind of problem, if the delete and re-install of IE would be my next best option OR is there something else I should look into with my firewall first. If not will there be any problems to watch out for in the delete & re-install IE process ??

I have only 3 Internet Explorer listings on "Add or Remove Programs" (via Control Panel): "Internet Explorer Q831167" and "Wintools for I.E." and "Wintools fo I.E. [v2]".

Any assistance would be appreciated.

 

[zebratech]

Try installing Mozilla Firefox and see if you can browse with it. This will let you know if its a firewall or browser issue.



Unix IS user friendly... It's just selective about who its friends are.

 

[speedy987]

Note: I went into "run" typed in sfc /scannow and tried to repair it, it brought up "Windows File Protection" and this prompted me to install my original win XP CD, which I did, it then went into "Please wait while Windows verifies that all protected Windows files are intact and in their original versions."

This took about 10-12 mins. I re-booted to be safe. Then tried to access web pages with firewall in "filter mode" but unfortunately web pages did not load - just hung. Put firewall back into the "allow all" mode and web pages loaded OK.

Don't know if this above repair scan exercise means I.E. is OK now and that I should be looking for something else?

I went into Tools>Internet Options>General>Settings>View Objects and still found 3 "damaged" programes under "status" but I am not sure if they are relevant?

 

[speedy987]

zebratech,

Thanks!
Where can I get a good clean download of Mozilla Firefox?

Will it work parallel with IE without any problems and if I want to delete it, will it go without going into pains like regedit to get rid of it?

 

[tviman]

Google for "mozilla". I suggest you download the latest version (1.7 I believe). And yes, you can run, and use, IE and Mozilla at the same time without conflict. You'll just have to choose which one is your default browser.

There's always a better way. The fun is trying to find it!

 

[speedy987]

Thanks tviman,

And are there any other options open to me with this problem before I download Mozilla (i.e. any further checks on firewall or some corruption or some program which has adjusted my firewall (like some add-wares do)??

 

[speedy987]

tviman,

I think the latest version is Firefox 0.8 - correct me if I am wrong. Just doing some reading on it.

 

[xchefpeter]

As a TSR for Bellsouth DSL I have seen similar problems a few times. My first question is how are u connecting to the internet ist it dsl or dun? the 2nd ? is what modem or router are u using? Are u using a device with NAT? If so your problem is you have too much protection, which is why when you turnoff the software u are abel to surf

xchefpeter
A+N+MCP
Pending MCSA>MCSE>CCNA
----------------------------------
I never know my limitations until I exceed them

 

[speedy987]

xchefpeter and zebratech and tviman,

Well this is how it panned out: I downloaded two things -
Firstly, Mozilla Firefox 0.8 (standard/free) as per "zebratech" advice. I then tried to access web pages on both with firewall in "filter" mode - I could not get web access on either. I tried to access web pages on both in firewall "allow all" mode - I got access to web pages on firefox and not IE. So I thought, ha! it was IE all along. But here's the twist - you wouldn't credit it, while I was testing IE, by just clicking on my IE shotcut (which leads me to my ISP home page) I did not know that my ISP home page & e-mail service was off the air AT that very time, which also led me, incorrectly, to believe firefox had corrupted my ISP home page access.

Secondly, in "allow all" mode I then downloaded Lavasoftusa.com Ad-aware 6 which I used to clean up my hard-drive, which found 180 pieces of adware and spyware, which I nervously removed (hoping I didn't remove something I needed). I re-booted, then ran Ad-aware again, which removed some more rubbish, then re-booted again. (So much for McAfee Internet Security which missed so much of this).

Now I set firewall into the filter mode, and guess what, both IE and firefox worked in accessing web sites. So I came to the conclusion that adware and spyware had taken over certain aspects in "HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINES...." which allowed this adware/spyware to muscle in on in either IE OR my firewall (McAfee) OR BOTH.

I won't know which because of this one off/unusual ISP home page failure, which ALSO occured during my attempted process of elimination test suggested by "zebratech". (NOTE: the ISP was still working for other web access but was not giving home page and e-mail access, which I tried to access for my initial IE elimination tests via its short cut click on, thus confusing me somewhat).

xchefpeter - I am on DSL 512k with a D-Link 302G modem connected via cable to a Netcomm NP1500 Ethernet card (NIC). A single PC not networked (DHCP) - so I am not sure if it has a NAT with extra firewall (I think that only cuts in on networked computers doesn't it??) But if it was a NAT ("too much protection"), it would still be causing problems after the Ad-aware clean up, so it most likely was adware/spyware interference - possibly "Incredifind" or "bartool" or any of these 180 or so pests.

It appears that Even though McAfee Internet Security v5.0 does claim spyware/adware/trojan protection (which it does in part) - it is still mainly a firewall/anti-virus combination. McAfee do have an optional adware tool at extra cost, but I don'tknow how good it is. Anyway, I've got Lavasoftusa.com Ad-aware and it does the trick free.

zebratech - thanks for your advice - sorry it got confused by my ISP home page failure - but at least I now have Firefox 0.8 - which I think may be faster, take up less CPU, doesn't allow pop ups, (tags browsers?)(just what I read) - not sure whats better about it in practice? But its cool the way you can run both at once.

Thanks all - any more replies on this thread are welcome.