no connection when installing.

Operating system: Vista Home

A problem that just started for me but causing me some issues is when i try to download something like an antivirus program or a media booster or directX etc it downloads fine but when it goes to install it says no connection, while i'm obviously connected fine. A new one popped up a min ago i downloaded and installed the driver scanner and uniblue Registry booster from this site and when i tried to run them it said there was a problem with my host files.

any insight?

 

update:

I got the host files problem fixed via uniblues support forums. however when i try to run either program it says no connection. tho i'm obviously connected.

 

If uniblue was improperly identified in the hosts file, it's possible that the other programs are as well. What is in your hosts file? If it is redirecting these programs somewhere then then where they're supposed to go, it could still be the problem.

 

The original Vista HOSTS file will have the following executable lines as the last two lines of the file. The first line is a requirement and must read exactly as stated following.

127.0.0.1 localhost
::1 localhost

All other lines can be removed, including the lines starting with #, which are not executable lines. Unless the HOSTS file has been purposely modified by you, I'd be very suspicious of lines other than the above in a HOSTS file because they can redirect browser requests to another (usually nasty) site.

It doesn't hurt to check your HOSTS file again, just in case it is being rewritten every time you boot or perhaps even when you start a browser. As far as I know redirects caused by a bad HOSTS file will affect all browsers. I know that to be true for FF and IE.

 

well if this is how you get to the hosts file: (C:\Windows\System32\drivers\etc) in Notepad, which is what i researched on editing vistas hosts files. Then it looks like this


::1 localhost
#
#
127.0.0.1 localhost

 

OK, as long as those lines are all that's in your HOSTS file, then it is not responsible for your problem. Was worth looking at, and doesn't hurt to keep an eye on it to make sure it's not changing. Doesn't appear that it has changed lately, though. Normally the "::1 localhost" line is below the other, but I'm not sure that it matters as long as your internet seems to be working well. Some people have had problems with the "::1 localhost" line being in there at all, but your symptoms don't match theirs.

However, that doesn't mean that there's not some redirection or other dirty tricks still going on. I can't say I've ever seen a "No Connection" message when trying to install software.

It could be a very clever virus that is seeing your attempt to install an anti-virus program and is blocking that and throwing up a fake message to point you toward something that is not really a problem, thus making you think the problem is with your computer or internet connection even though there isn't. Some malware does block the installation of well-known AVs and scanners, so it wouldn't be that difficult for them to throw up a fake message, too.

A few more details from you would help a little. You've already said Vista Home. Is this a laptop or desktop? Wireless or hard wired? Can you get a screen shot of the exact message you're seeing? Is your computer running normally other than problems installing programs? Can you run programs that are already on your computer? Is boot time slower than normal? When you said in your first post "a new one popped up a minute ago." a new one what? Program update? Windows update?

This is suspiciously starting to sound like malware at work. Do you not have an AV at all? Are you using the Vista firewall and you are sure it's turned on? Do you have any on-demand scanners like SuperAntiSpyware (SAS) and MalwareBytes Anti-Malware (MBAM) and have runs scans with those? If not, you might want to run some on-line scanners. Just google "online scanners" and you'll see several. ESET and HouseCall are decent, and are a lot better than nothing at all. Run some scans and get back to us, please, along with answers to the questions in this post. If you find malware on your computer you should go to the Malware-Removal forum, work through the Run and Read Me Sticky and make a post there.

Good luck.

 

Its a lap top with a wireless connection. cable internet.
Computer seems to be running fast and i can run all the programs that already exist on the computer other than a game i play called Shot online. I posted the details of the problem i'm having with that game in the games section of these forums. "the new one" i was refering to was the hosts problem message. that was the first time it'd ever happened. Boot time is fast and has not slowed.

Vista firewall is turned on and i run Microsoft secruity essentials. 2 days ago i ran a full scan and it cured 8 viruses. yesterday i ran another full scan in safe mode and found nothing at all so it must have really cured them.

Now i'll take your advise on the malware scanners.

Oh you reminded me when u mentioned windows update, i keep installing the same 3 updates daily. can't be coincidence that i'm having a install problem and tho windows tells me that they were successfully installed usually within a few hours or after a restart those updates pop back up again.

I was downloading DirectX the first time i got the no connection error. got it again when i tried to download avg, downloaded and installed Avira but it would not download and install the updates for it.

 

I think kipfeet is on the right track here.

Because you have removed several viruses recently and Windows updates don't seem to want to install, I would suspect malware.

I would suggest doing what is recommended in the Read and Run Me First thread. Then post in the Malware forum.

 

here is the housecall and ESET attempts

 

Check Internet Explorer under Tools > Internet Options > Connections > LAN Settings and make sure NO boxes are checked.

 

no boxes checked.

 

I would recommend doing what I suggested in post 8.

 

I'm with shnerdly. Though remote, those "Windows Updates" could be faked, and every time you try installing them they download more surprises for you and block parts of your internet (either that or viruses are blocking Windows updates, too). Same thing with ESET and Housecall seemingly being blocked. Go through the Run and Readme Sticky in Malware Removal without delay.

Oh, and thanks for answering my earlier questions. That paints a better picture of your situation.