Connecting to the Internet

I have a Compaq presario running Windows XP.

I just restored to factory conditions.
When I open Internet Explorer home page, I get an error message that the site cannot be opened.

In the Tools, Diagnose connections problems. They claim the firewall setting is the cause. I checked the settings and it was turned on.
In the Exceptions tab,
Network Diagnostics for Windows XP and Remote Assistance is checked.
In the Advance tab,
none of the services were checked. I tried checking,SMTP, POP3, HTTPS and HTTP. That didn't help.

Is there anything else that I can check to remove the block?

 

Are you getting the same error in another browser like Firefox? Is your system fully patched with the updates that were available up to and including 4/8/14? If you did a factory reset, you may be running IE6. The updates would include IE8 and some updates for it.

 

Thanks for your reply. I installed the Firefox browser and I'm now able to get onto the Internet.

 

If any fellow members are wondering how I installed the fox browser when I wasn't able to get onto the Internet. I saved the download to a flash card on another computer and used the flash on my computer. That works with any software as long as it's not copy protected.