Internet connectivity problems

WinXP Media Center SP2 - IE6 - when I launch IE, I get the white "Page cannot be displayed" error. So I promptly reinstalled the NIC driver, reset the WinSock registry keys, and rebuilt the TCP/IP stack. None of this worked. I can ipconfig /release and . . . /renew without problems. I can ping an IP address without problems, but if I ping a web site (for example: ping www.yahoo.com) I get an error "Ping request could not find host %web site name%. Please check the name and try again". I have flushed the DNS via ipconfig /flushdns and that had no effect. I saw that Norton was installed, and since I've seen Norton have similar effects in the past, I removed it. No dice. I've tried using USB wireless adapter and a brand new PCI ethernet card, no dice. I have run various 'fixit' type tools including Dial-A-Fix, LSPfix, winsock XP repair, and some others, no dice. As far as I can tell, the system is free of malware, but I haven't run any scans yet. So- any ideas? Suggestions?

THANKS!

(I've decided to run a MBAM scan right now, and I'll probably go with a repair install after that unless I get a fix here)

 

dlb,

You've run them all, and I've had them work. What about in safe mode with networking? And why haven't you upgraded your IE to IE8 and your OS to SP3? Which you now probably shouldn't do until you are fixed.:wave

 

roflmao LOL Well, mainly 'cuz it's not my PC! And if I'm going to upgrade IE at all, it would be to IE7 and not IE8 unless the customer (the PCs owner) requests it. I've found IE8 to be a bit buggy, but that was some time ago so maybe it's OK now (I personally don't use IE at home or at work; the only time I use IE is if I'm working on someone's PC and they don't have an alternative browser installed, or if I'm doing Windows updates at home). And once I get this thing fixed, I plan on going to SP3.

Anyway- thanks for reminding me about safe mode w/ networking! I had forgotten to try it! LOL I'll reboot in a minute and check it out. I did run a full malware scan and it came up more-or-less clean, just some minor Hotbar and MyWeb adware.... nothing that would cripple the opening of web sites... just now I had a psuedo epiphany: I thought "what if I try to surf by typing IP addresses into the IE address bar?!?!????!!!!??!". Well, that didn't work either. I thought it would 'cuz I can ping IP addresses but not web site names.
:cry

 

:-DThat 'plains it. Thought you were too much of an old timer here to not see the upgrades.
By the way, IE8 is buggy with the full install. When I install it, and I've done plenty, it installs and when you first use it you are given multiple screens with multiple choices on how you want it set up. I've found that if I decline or say no to ALL choices given, it runs just fine. Accelerators my a**! Filters my other a**. Never have had one problem with this approach!! And I've seen or heard of plenty of probs with IE8, but maybe they are corrected now, I just got set in my ways on how to install this browser.:wave:wave
Following seas.

 

The first thing I checked was "offline mode" (a fairly worthless 'feature' IMO). As it turns out, there were numerous other deep problems that were not solveable within a decent amount of time, I even went with a repair install of Windows and it kept erroring out with "file not found" errors at the 23minute mark. I backed up the music/pics/docs, formatted, and reinstalled....

Thanks for the input everyone!