cant display only some websites eg.google & microsoft

I have desktop Dell2400 and laptop Dell Inspiron510m both running XP pro and connecting to ADSL thru a Vigor 2200 router. The desktop is running Windows Live One Care and the laptop Zone Alarm Pro.
Frustrating problem in that some apparently random sites dont resolve and I get page cannot be displayed error. Examples of sites which I cant get to are www.microsoft.com, google.com, download.com. It doesnt help either to enter the full url or to via a hyperlink in an email or word doc. When LiveOneCare firewall is switched off everything is fine so I initially thought it was a bug in their software, however after 2 weeks of ping pong emails with 2 levels of their help desk they have decided they cant help me further. Now after loading zone alarm on the laptop I am getting the same type of errors which suggests that it is a problem in the router or a DNS problem? One feature of the problem is when I type www.google.com it comes back with a different url http:///? www.google.co.uk "Page cannot be displayed" However, I can get to google by http://64.233.167.99 but strangely pinging www.google.com works fine and faster than pinging the IP?!
I have 'no immediate threats' in Spybot S&D
I have cleared cache and cookies
I have checked the router settings and using my ISPs recommended DNS 212.30.8.150

I have posted a HijackThis logfile at http://www.forums.tomcoyote.org/index.php?showtopic=66013

However I am posting here thinking may not be Spyware?

Many thanks if anyone can help

 

HI!
I had the same problem getting to those same sites using Zone Alarm Security Suite until I uninstalled it and reinstalled it. I started from scratch allowing program access as needed.
Seems I had fiddled just enough with the settings in Zone Alarm Security Suite to cause the problems by blocking programs I shouldn't have, etc.
Perhaps you could try a clean install of Zone Alarm Pro and it would set things straight for you too.
Hope so.

 

Fixed it ! - but how and and why?

As seems to often happen with these threads the original poster answers his own question...
I found some IE tips at: (incidentally problem was identical with Firefox) http://www.microsoft.com/windows/ie/community/columns/ietopten.mspx
I looked at the host file in C:\windows\system32\drivers\etc\ but it was 'clean'
I manually deleted the cache / temporary internet files, there were loads left after Tools>options delated.
I manually deleted as much as possible from other temp folder Some couldnt be deleted, in use etc
I rebooted the router
All sites now working again!!
Now went to the other computer which was doing the same thing with a view to doing above but blow me if it isnt working now too.
So it appears that rebooting the router was the key or possibly there is a temp file which interacts with the DNS behaviour?
or old fashioned gremlins!



However I cant be sure

 

Glad you got it sorted.
I went to that same Microsoft link when I was troubleshooting my problems and it didn't help me, which is why I ended up in the Zone Alarm forums and found a few posts there that said the clean install of Zone worked...and it did work for me.
No matter how you got there...at least you're 'HOME'