Browser problem, please help

slopemaster

Fightsback wrote: »

Yes you are using an unsupported operating system that is a severe security risk, change to a supported OS.

Is it really that bad of a risk?
(genuine Q)

I am reluctant to change because
1 I*m cheapskate and W10 costs 110 dollars
2 I*m old and I*m used to what I*ve got

esuhl

slopemaster wrote: »

My computer tells me I*m connected and that my wireless LAN card is working correctly. But now neither browser is managing to open any webpages.

If you open a command prompt again and type "ipconfig /all" and hit enter, can you copy and paste the output here?

This page tells you how to configure network connections in XP. What do you see if you follow the last set of instructions (to bring up the Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) Properties)?

http://windows.microsoft.com/en-GB/windows-xp/help/networking/manage-network-connections

slopemaster wrote: »

Is [XP] really that bad of a risk?
(genuine Q)

That depends. It can be made safer with the right software. But I wouldn't use it for banking, etc. It depends what you have to lose by getting hacked/infected. If you have no private information, no personal files, etc. and don't ever enter any personal details (logins, passwords, etc.) then what's the worst that can happen...?

The main way to get malware is by browsing unfamiliar sites. You can mitigate against that risk by running your browser in a sandbox . Have a look at Sandboxie if you're interested:
http://www.sandboxie.com/index.php?DownloadSandboxie

I think XP could be used safely, but not without some serious thought. You need to think about (and possibly change) what you do on the computer; you need to keep up-to-date with anti-malware software and run regular scans. Having a software firewall would be a good idea to flag up any network connection requests, etc.

I don't think anyone can honestly say how much of a risk using XP is. It depends on so many variables. It's riskier than using a more recent version of Windows... so it's not ideal... :-/

http://www.techradar.com/news/software/operating-systems/microsoft-just-made-windows-xp-even-less-secure-1299411

bsod

reboot machine

reboot router/check router lights

use a wired connection

system restore

having a software firewall can cause problems like this.

esuhl

Just had a thought... you could try resetting your network adaptor by running the following commands at the command prompt:

ipconfig /release
ipconfig /renew
arp -d *
nbtstat -R
nbtstat -RR
ipconfig /flushdns
ipconfig /registerdns

(Oh -- it's pretty bad advice to run any command some random person on the internet tells you to, in terms of security. So you should probably check what those commands actually do before you run them!)

slopemaster

Thank you so much for that esuhl- it seems to have found the problem, but I don't know how to fix it!

When I open a command prompt again and type "ipconfig /all" and hit enter, it just says can't find the file.

When I follow those other instructions, it ends up under "General" saying "modem deleted S2 U&SB modem #2 (COM 7)" with a big red cross.
and under "Network Mngmt"Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) Properties) it has 2 tickboxes selected. One says "get IP address automatically" and the other says "get DNS server addresses automatically".

Please note this isn't the exact wording, as I'm working with Windows in French, so I'm translating.

slopemaster

Thanks bsod

bsod wrote: »

reboot machine

Tried that many times.

bsod wrote: »

reboot router/check router lights

Tried that, all OK

bsod wrote: »

system restore.

Tried that; it wouldn't do it!

bsod wrote: »

use a wired connection.

hmm, hadn't thought of that, thanks. But means carrying computer down 2 flights of stairs, so a bit reluctant...

bsod wrote: »

having a software firewall can cause problems like this.

will try to figure out how to temporarily turn off firewall to try that

Thanks

slopemaster

esuhl wrote: »

I don't think anyone can honestly say how much of a risk using XP is. It depends on so many variables. It's riskier than using a more recent version of Windows... so it's not ideal... :-/

Thanks for taking the time to explain that; I appreciate it.
I do try to keep up-to-date with anti-malware software and run regular scan. But I also use the computer for banking. So maybe not such a brilliant idea...

slopemaster

esuhl wrote: »

Just had a thought... you could try resetting your network adaptor by running the following commands ...
(... you should probably check what those commands actually do before you run them!)

Thanks. I tried that - after checking on Wikipedia! - and, immmediately after, I was able to get to a couple of websites.
But it didn't last, and now I'm back to it saying it's connected but refusing to go anywhere.

PS when I type "ipconfig /all" correctly, (ie with the space, which I didn't notice the first time)a box does come up, but it disappears too quickly for me to read it.

esuhl

slopemaster wrote: »

Thank you so much for that esuhl- it seems to have found the problem, but I don't know how to fix it!

No worries! I'm not sure I know how to fix it either, to be honest! Just trying to narrow the problem down, really... :-/

slopemaster wrote: »

When I follow those other instructions, it ends up under "General" saying "modem deleted S2 U&SB modem #2 (COM 7)" with a big red cross.

That doesn't sound good! It might be worth reinstalling the drivers for the wifi-adaptor...

slopemaster wrote: »

...and under "Network Mngmt"Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) Properties) it has 2 tickboxes selected. One says "get IP address automatically" and the other says "get DNS server addresses automatically".

That should be fine.

slopemaster wrote: »

PS when I type "ipconfig /all" correctly, (ie with the space, which I didn't notice the first time)a box does come up, but it disappears too quickly for me to read it.

Are you typing it in the "run" box? If you type "cmd" and press enter, a command prompt window will appear. You can type the command there without it disappearing.

esuhl

slopemaster wrote: »

I do try to keep up-to-date with anti-malware software and run regular scan. But I also use the computer for banking. So maybe not such a brilliant idea...

I don't use internet banking at all, so maybe I'm not the best person to ask! But if you are going to anyway, it would be a good idea to set up a separate browser profile just for banking.

You can use one profile for general browsing (where you're most likely to encounter a malicious web page), and one profile only for banking. That way, if your browser gets infected, it hopefully won't affect your banking profile. (Of course, lots of malware will run on your system, affecting every profile. But if you're using XP you might as well try every trick in the book!)