Archived from groups: uk.comp.sys.laptops,alt.comp.anti-virus,comp.sys.laptops,microsoft.public.windowsxp.perform_maintain,alt.comp.os.windows-xp (More info?)

I have suddenly stopped being able to use my browser (IE6):
Pressing enter on a URL puts a check mark in WORK OFFLINE in the file menu
and the browser starts asking me if I want to connect to my dialup
connection (I have an always-on broadband connection). Unchecking the line
doesnt seem to improve things (it did at first but now never works AND
sometimes
the browser thinks about it for about ten seconds before it puts the check
mark in WORK OFFLINE):

Curiously I discovered that clicking on a link DOES work and at the moment I
am having to go to
every URL I want to access by entering the link in google and clicking on
the link (which is usually created)

I tried complaining to the cable-modem ISP and it was they who diagnosed
this mysterious check mark:
I removed it and the browser/connection started working properly but as I
say, never for long.
But sometimes when I remove it all that happens is that it reappears as soon
as I press ENTER on trying to access the URL again.

(Outlook Express seems to think it is offline most of the time as well.
Outlook doesnt seem to suffer from this problem)

I did a virus check and it doesn't appear to be a virus. Is this a known
problem and/or does anyone know what is causing this?

I did turn off the DNS and DCHP services but it did nothing. AdAware and
Spybot reveal nothing on this

Eventually I got so exasperated with Internet Explorer and with the people
at the Microsoft forums not having any idea about this that that I installed
Firefox

Even more annoyingly, Firefox does the same thing: This seems to be some
problem with either with a trojan or with the OS, Windows XP Pro SP1

Archived from groups: uk.comp.sys.laptops,alt.comp.anti-virus,comp.sys.laptops,microsoft.public.windowsxp.perform_maintain,alt.comp.os.windows-xp (More info?)

Have you tried re-installing IE after completely wiping off any trace from
your HD? If not than try this and then install WinXP SP2. What ISP are you
with?

Archived from groups: uk.comp.sys.laptops,alt.comp.anti-virus,comp.sys.laptops,microsoft.public.windowsxp.perform_maintain,alt.comp.os.windows-xp (More info?)

news.rcn.com wrote:
> I have suddenly stopped being able to use my browser (IE6):
> Pressing enter on a URL puts a check mark in WORK OFFLINE in the file
> menu and the browser starts asking me if I want to connect to my
> dialup connection (I have an always-on broadband connection).
> Unchecking the line doesnt seem to improve things (it did at first
> but now never works AND sometimes
> the browser thinks about it for about ten seconds before it puts the
> check mark in WORK OFFLINE):
>
> Curiously I discovered that clicking on a link DOES work and at the
> moment I am having to go to
> every URL I want to access by entering the link in google and
> clicking on the link (which is usually created)
>
> I tried complaining to the cable-modem ISP and it was they who
> diagnosed this mysterious check mark:
> I removed it and the browser/connection started working properly but
> as I say, never for long.
> But sometimes when I remove it all that happens is that it reappears
> as soon as I press ENTER on trying to access the URL again.
>
> (Outlook Express seems to think it is offline most of the time as
> well. Outlook doesnt seem to suffer from this problem)
>
> I did a virus check and it doesn't appear to be a virus. Is this a
> known problem and/or does anyone know what is causing this?
>
> I did turn off the DNS and DCHP services but it did nothing. AdAware
> and Spybot reveal nothing on this
>
> Eventually I got so exasperated with Internet Explorer and with the
> people at the Microsoft forums not having any idea about this that
> that I installed Firefox
>
> Even more annoyingly, Firefox does the same thing: This seems to be
> some problem with either with a trojan or with the OS, Windows XP Pro
> SP1

If your browser is looking for a dial-up connection, you must have such a
connection enabled in your accessories\communications\dial-up-networking
folder. Delete it and see if this cures the problem, also delete any spare
unused accounts in your mail programme.


--
Digital Photo-charts for all UK areas.
Remove 'nospam' to reply.

Archived from groups: uk.comp.sys.laptops,alt.comp.anti-virus,comp.sys.laptops,microsoft.public.windowsxp.perform_maintain,alt.comp.os.windows-xp (More info?)

In comp.sys.laptops news.rcn.com <news.rnc.com> wrote:
: I have suddenly stopped being able to use my browser (IE6):
: Pressing enter on a URL puts a check mark in WORK OFFLINE in the file menu
: and the browser starts asking me if I want to connect to my dialup
: connection (I have an always-on broadband connection). Unchecking the line
: doesnt seem to improve things (it did at first but now never works AND
: sometimes
: the browser thinks about it for about ten seconds before it puts the check
: mark in WORK OFFLINE):

: Curiously I discovered that clicking on a link DOES work and at the moment I
: am having to go to
: every URL I want to access by entering the link in google and clicking on
: the link (which is usually created)

: I tried complaining to the cable-modem ISP and it was they who diagnosed
: this mysterious check mark:
: I removed it and the browser/connection started working properly but as I
: say, never for long.
: But sometimes when I remove it all that happens is that it reappears as soon
: as I press ENTER on trying to access the URL again.

: (Outlook Express seems to think it is offline most of the time as well.
: Outlook doesnt seem to suffer from this problem)

: I did a virus check and it doesn't appear to be a virus. Is this a known
: problem and/or does anyone know what is causing this?

: I did turn off the DNS and DCHP services but it did nothing. AdAware and
: Spybot reveal nothing on this

: Eventually I got so exasperated with Internet Explorer and with the people
: at the Microsoft forums not having any idea about this that that I installed
: Firefox

: Even more annoyingly, Firefox does the same thing: This seems to be some
: problem with either with a trojan or with the OS, Windows XP Pro SP1

Sounds to me like you are losing your network connection. The "work
offline?" usually comes when you get kicked off the internet and try
to access something on it.

I would first try blowing away your network connection and make a new
internet connection, just for fun.

Not sure how you are accessing the network. Do you have a wired
ethernet connection or a wireless connection?

Have you tried cycling power on your cable modem?

Andrew
--
----> Portland, Oregon, USA <----
*******************************************************************
----> http://www.bizave.com <---- Photo Albums and Portland Info
----> To Email me remove "MYSHOES" from email address
*******************************************************************

Archived from groups: uk.comp.sys.laptops,alt.comp.anti-virus,comp.sys.laptops,microsoft.public.windowsxp.perform_maintain,alt.comp.os.windows-xp (More info?)

I don't dare play with uninstalling IE as it is infernally difficult AND as
the problem exists in Firefox, isn't it likely to be an OS rather than
browser problem? Something possibly I have screwed around with but ONLY
AFTER being told that setting DNS etc services to manual was a method of
curing this problem? And as it doesn't manifest itself in Outlook and there
is no real problem with the cable modem connection, I cant believe that this
is an ISP or signal problem

More likely some currently-floating-around unidentified trojan if the people
at Microsoft have no idea about it?

Archived from groups: uk.comp.sys.laptops,alt.comp.anti-virus,comp.sys.laptops,microsoft.public.windowsxp.perform_maintain,alt.comp.os.windows-xp (More info?)

X-No-Archive: yes
In message <W-idnb4Egsfl0cnfRVn-rA@rcn.net>, news.rcn.com
<news.rnc.com@?.?.invalid> writes
>I don't dare play with uninstalling IE as it is infernally difficult

IE irradiator IERAD.ZIP from CNet or TUCOWS.

--
James Follett. Novelist. (G1LXP) http://www.jamesfollett.dswilliams.co.uk

Archived from groups: uk.comp.sys.laptops,alt.comp.anti-virus,comp.sys.laptops,microsoft.public.windowsxp.perform_maintain,alt.comp.os.windows-xp (More info?)

You may have a "dialer" virus or spyware.

On Wed, 6 Apr 2005 11:10:33 -0400, "news.rcn.com" <news.rnc.com>
wrote:

>I have suddenly stopped being able to use my browser (IE6):
>Pressing enter on a URL puts a check mark in WORK OFFLINE in the file menu
>and the browser starts asking me if I want to connect to my dialup
>connection (I have an always-on broadband connection). Unchecking the line
>doesnt seem to improve things (it did at first but now never works AND
>sometimes
>the browser thinks about it for about ten seconds before it puts the check
>mark in WORK OFFLINE):
>
>Curiously I discovered that clicking on a link DOES work and at the moment I
>am having to go to
>every URL I want to access by entering the link in google and clicking on
>the link (which is usually created)
>
>I tried complaining to the cable-modem ISP and it was they who diagnosed
>this mysterious check mark:
>I removed it and the browser/connection started working properly but as I
>say, never for long.
>But sometimes when I remove it all that happens is that it reappears as soon
>as I press ENTER on trying to access the URL again.
>
>(Outlook Express seems to think it is offline most of the time as well.
>Outlook doesnt seem to suffer from this problem)
>
>I did a virus check and it doesn't appear to be a virus. Is this a known
>problem and/or does anyone know what is causing this?
>
>I did turn off the DNS and DCHP services but it did nothing. AdAware and
>Spybot reveal nothing on this
>
>Eventually I got so exasperated with Internet Explorer and with the people
>at the Microsoft forums not having any idea about this that that I installed
>Firefox
>
>Even more annoyingly, Firefox does the same thing: This seems to be some
>problem with either with a trojan or with the OS, Windows XP Pro SP1
>
>

Archived from groups: uk.comp.sys.laptops,alt.comp.anti-virus,comp.sys.laptops,microsoft.public.windowsxp.perform_maintain,alt.comp.os.windows-xp (More info?)

In comp.sys.laptops news.rcn.com <news.rnc.com> wrote:
: I don't dare play with uninstalling IE as it is infernally difficult AND as
: the problem exists in Firefox, isn't it likely to be an OS rather than
: browser problem?

You're right - and I wasn't the one who recommended uninstalling IE.
I suggested you blow away your internet connection and have the
network wizard re-install it (this should be very easy to do). It's
an easy thing to try if your broadband connection is setup so you get
your IP address automatically from a router. (if you have to
hand-code IP address, gateway, DNS, etc., are you sure none of that
information has changed?).

: Something possibly I have screwed around with but ONLY
: AFTER being told that setting DNS etc services to manual was a method of
: curing this problem?

You probably shouldn't have a manual setting for DNS unless your ISP
needs it that way (mine suggests that - but use my DSL modem in
bridged mode, and I have a fixed IP address).

: And as it doesn't manifest itself in Outlook and there
: is no real problem with the cable modem connection, I cant believe that this
: is an ISP or signal problem

You would get the "work offline?" message in IE if you were having a
network problem. Since I was helping someone fix a problem like that
yesterday and saw that exact message, I can tell you that that can
happen.

I would ask you these questions:

What is your IP address, or how is it assigned to your computer?
Fixed IP, or is it a local IP generated from the DSL modem/router?

If you do a "command window" and type "ipconfig" what do you see?

: More likely some currently-floating-around unidentified trojan if the people
: at Microsoft have no idea about it?

Could be, but I doubt it.

Andrew
--
----> Portland, Oregon, USA <----
*******************************************************************
----> http://www.bizave.com <---- Photo Albums and Portland Info
----> To Email me remove "MYSHOES" from email address
*******************************************************************

Archived from groups: uk.comp.sys.laptops,alt.comp.anti-virus,comp.sys.laptops,microsoft.public.windowsxp.perform_maintain,alt.comp.os.windows-xp (More info?)

Try deleting all temporary internet files including the files saved for
offline viewing. I know it doesn't seem connected but I have seen some
weird problems fixed by getting rid of them. Click Tools-Internet
options-Delete files.

Cheers,

Larry
*****
news.rcn.com wrote:
: I have suddenly stopped being able to use my browser (IE6):
: Pressing enter on a URL puts a check mark in WORK OFFLINE in the file
: menu and the browser starts asking me if I want to connect to my
: dialup connection (I have an always-on broadband connection).
: Unchecking the line doesnt seem to improve things (it did at first
: but now never works AND sometimes
: the browser thinks about it for about ten seconds before it puts the
: check mark in WORK OFFLINE):
:
: Curiously I discovered that clicking on a link DOES work and at the
: moment I am having to go to
: every URL I want to access by entering the link in google and
: clicking on the link (which is usually created)
:
: I tried complaining to the cable-modem ISP and it was they who
: diagnosed this mysterious check mark:
: I removed it and the browser/connection started working properly but
: as I say, never for long.
: But sometimes when I remove it all that happens is that it reappears
: as soon as I press ENTER on trying to access the URL again.
:
: (Outlook Express seems to think it is offline most of the time as
: well. Outlook doesnt seem to suffer from this problem)
:
: I did a virus check and it doesn't appear to be a virus. Is this a
: known problem and/or does anyone know what is causing this?
:
: I did turn off the DNS and DCHP services but it did nothing. AdAware
: and Spybot reveal nothing on this
:
: Eventually I got so exasperated with Internet Explorer and with the
: people at the Microsoft forums not having any idea about this that
: that I installed Firefox
:
: Even more annoyingly, Firefox does the same thing: This seems to be
: some problem with either with a trojan or with the OS, Windows XP Pro
: SP1

Archived from groups: uk.comp.sys.laptops,alt.comp.anti-virus,comp.sys.laptops,microsoft.public.windowsxp.perform_maintain,alt.comp.os.windows-xp (More info?)

> Curiously I discovered that clicking on a link DOES work

Suggesting that this is not a DNS issue? What happens if you try to ping
a domain name? My feeling is that DNS is DNS is DNS and if it works in
one bit of the browser then this is not where your problem is.


If you have always-on broadband - what dial-up connection does it think
you want to use? Any chance you have an 'old' dialup connection left
over from before you had broadband that has suddenly become default and
active again. We have issues where where users connect their laptops
both to our lan and at home via dial-up; we get very similar
circumstances when they dial-up is set to 'always dial default
connection' rather than to 'dial when network connection is not present'.

Archived from groups: uk.comp.sys.laptops,alt.comp.anti-virus,comp.sys.laptops,microsoft.public.windowsxp.perform_maintain,alt.comp.os.windows-xp (More info?)

On Wed, 6 Apr 2005 16:54:08 -0400, "news.rcn.com" <news.rnc.com>
wrote:

>I don't dare play with uninstalling IE as it is infernally difficult AND as
>the problem exists in Firefox, isn't it likely to be an OS rather than
>browser problem? Something possibly I have screwed around with but ONLY
>AFTER being told that setting DNS etc services to manual was a method of
>curing this problem? And as it doesn't manifest itself in Outlook and there
>is no real problem with the cable modem connection, I cant believe that this
>is an ISP or signal problem
>
>More likely some currently-floating-around unidentified trojan if the people
>at Microsoft have no idea about it?
>
I very much doubt it.

If IE & Firefox try to force you to work offline this means that your
default connection has been changed or has become mis set.

Are you using a Router / NAT setup or a straight BBd Modem?

IE & Firefox look for the default connection before going on-line, if
they cannot find it you get the "do you wish to work offline message"

Outlook probably looks for any connection then uses that, I would not
know I would not touch Outlook with a barge pole.

try the following

Check your ISP IP Address, it may just be your router needs a re-set
mine did the same last week due to lightning. Command Prompt -
ipconfig

Get rid of any dialup connections you have in IE via tools > internet
options > connections you can re-install them lkater if you wish to.

Reset to factory and re-install your router / or uninstall /
re-install any BBd connection software.

Jonah

Archived from groups: uk.comp.sys.laptops,alt.comp.anti-virus,comp.sys.laptops,microsoft.public.windowsxp.perform_maintain,alt.comp.os.windows-xp (More info?)

The broadband connection is setup so I get the IP address automatically
while the computer's IP address is a local IP generated from the DSL
modem/router, - ipconfig says ethernet adapter network bridge and shows the
router's correct DNS 192.168.12.1 and identifies the ISP correctly

Not sure what BBd connection software is but I do often try ipconfig
/release folowed by ipconfig /renew and it doesnt seem to make a difference
to this problem

SpySubtract found about 8 innocuous looking things like cookies but nothing
otherwise which I suspected as I had already run Sysclean

I certainly agreed that "DNS is DNS is DNS and if it works in one bit of the
browser then this is not where your problem is" which is what I thought
before I started posting along with If It Does The Same In Firefox, Then
Some IE Setting Isn't The Problem

(And my default has always been set to never dial a connection)

Archived from groups: uk.comp.sys.laptops,alt.comp.anti-virus,comp.sys.laptops,microsoft.public.windowsxp.perform_maintain,alt.comp.os.windows-xp (More info?)

In comp.sys.laptops news.rcn.com <news.rnc.com> wrote:
: The broadband connection is setup so I get the IP address automatically
: while the computer's IP address is a local IP generated from the DSL
: modem/router, - ipconfig says ethernet adapter network bridge and shows the
: router's correct DNS 192.168.12.1 and identifies the ISP correctly

: Not sure what BBd connection software is but I do often try ipconfig
: /release folowed by ipconfig /renew and it doesnt seem to make a difference
: to this problem

: SpySubtract found about 8 innocuous looking things like cookies but nothing
: otherwise which I suspected as I had already run Sysclean

: I certainly agreed that "DNS is DNS is DNS and if it works in one bit of the
: browser then this is not where your problem is" which is what I thought
: before I started posting along with If It Does The Same In Firefox, Then
: Some IE Setting Isn't The Problem

I think I agree with the guy who thinks it could be a DNS issue. You
could try typing in the IP address instead of the DNS address and see
if that changes anything. For example, to go to Google.com, try
http://216.239.53.99 . Same problem?

Andrew
--
----> Portland, Oregon, USA <----
*******************************************************************
----> http://www.bizave.com <---- Photo Albums and Portland Info
----> To Email me remove "MYSHOES" from email address
*******************************************************************