Windows 7 machine, fully patched, four browsers, only one can connect

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(sorry, Windows 7, not Windows 8)
Windows 7 box, 4 web browsers:
1) Internet Explorer 10 Version 10.0.9200.16576
2) Google Chrome Version 26.0.1410.43
3) Firefox 19.0.2
4) Comodo Dragon Version 26.0.2.0 (“A faster, more secure version of Chrome”)

If I attempt to load too many tabs at once, it stops working altogether. None of (1), (2) or (3) can even see Google.com. Only (4) can open any web sites, but it is absolutely fine in opening them… for a time (if I load too many tabs, it stops loading anything). The results of trying to go to http://www.google.com reports DNS-like errors:

1) Nope – “This page can’t be displayed”
2) Nope – Error 105 (net::ERR_NAME_NOT_RESOLVED): Unable to resolve the server’s DNS address.
3) Nope – “Firefox can’t find the server at http://www.google.com”
4) Yay! – Finds the Google search page just fine, and responds correctly to searches.

If all 4 of then encountered DNS issues, then it obviously would be a DNS problem, but for one of the 4 to work???

I have tried lots of things, but I am willing to try them all again, methodically, if it eventually results in satisfaction

Thank you very much in advance!

Daniel

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Do other internet based programs (email client) worked? Have you checked for malware? If so, how?

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The machine had pre-installed (before any weird activity started happening) SuperAntiSpyware and MalwareBytes Anti-Malware, as well as Microsoft Security Essentials, all ran clean, although MBAM encountered problems updating their definitions from the web, both SAS and MSE updated their definitions clean. However, using Comodo Dragon, I can visit each of the providers’ web pages to install updates (although each software package relies on its own internal systems to fetch updated virus definitions, so I can’t do that manually).

I am re-running the suites again, to double-check that malware isn’t the issue. I have considered doing a malware sweep using a LiveCD, but I haven’t yet, because of this odd and interesting situation where Comodo Dragon seems to be functioning well.

I don’t have an e-mail client installed on the machine, but although some other interenet software (uTorrent) also does not connect, as with other software programs that rely on having a connection (SpywareBlaster, definitions are current to Dec 23, 2012), some still can (the Java auto-updater, and the Adobe Flash updater both managed to make a connection and fetch updates.)

I am downloading the Microsoft Security Scanner on that box, and will give it a run, just because.

This is an odd one, for sure. I have heard of others encountering similar issues all based on the IE Internet Options, so I have opened IE 10, and have gone to Options… -> Internet Options -> Advanced -> Restore advanced settings, as well as Reset…, have selected everything for resetting, OK’d, and rebooted the machine, but no improvement.

Thank you, everyone who assists. If need be, I can reinstall the OS from scratch, but I’d rather not have to do that as I like to troubleshoot computer issues like this as a side-line, so I’d like to offer friends and family a little more hope than ‘blow it all away, Jim’.

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In an interesting act of providence, http://www.giveawayoftheday.com is offering an anti-malware suite (http://www.giveawayoftheday.com/iobit-malware-fighter-2-pro/). Although I haven’t (and won’t) install it, there are some commenters whose input I respect, who l led me to (http://www.sur-la-toile.com/RogueKiller). It didn’t find anything glaring, but a few registry keys it questioned, that I removed, then rebooted. After reboot, scanned again, and the questionable registry keys are gone, but situation not yet improved; browsers and other internet apps still reporting unable to connect. Have restarted the anti-virus sweeps again, in case those registry keys could have been hiding something. I may also try some of the other suggested off-the-beaten-path offerings, as they are least likely to have aroused the defenses of the virus/malware writers.

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It seems that some of the browsers from Comodo use their own DNS. I wonder if you may be having DNS issues. Have you tried using alternate DNS providers? You could try Google and see if that helped: https://developers.google.com/speed/public-dns/docs/using

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Tried Google’s DNS servers 8.8.8.8 and 8.8.4.4, with the same results. Currently I am using DNS servers from OpenDNS (208.67.222.222/208.67.220.220), and using nslookup and pinging google.com return favorable results.

However, you may be onto something there. I remember when I ran the RogueKiller, it noted my DNS settings, and I didn’t think anything of it. However, I just now ran it again, and noted that the DNS settings *don’t match* what I thought they should. I checked my adapter settings, and the settings there are correct for OpenDNS, but RogueKiller indicates that they are instead (64.59.168.13/64.59.168.15). I did a tracert on these addresses, and they resolve to my ISP. “ipconfig /all” now reports that my DNS is pointing to OpenDNS (I didn’t check before running the RogueKiller fix).

Is it possible that my router is redirecting my DNS requests to my ISP rather than what I am explicitly setting in my adapter configuration? I am going to let my anti- scans complete, then reboot my computer and try this all again, paying a lot closer attention to what and where those DNS settings are set to.

Thanks.

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The system DNS overrides any router DNS setting by default and there wouldn’t be any redirecting by the router to your ISP. They’re the gatekeeper so they can just capture and redirect when it gets to them. I used to have a satellite ISP and would regularly run over my measly quota of less than a gig a week so first thing they did was retard the connection to fast dialup speed, which was still way faster than our former knuckle dragging dialup connection, so the next step they took was to redirect the DNS to a limited pool where only so many connections could get through. I have a feeling a lot of us were in that pool of malcontents because about the only time connections would get through was between 3 and 4 am. That worked however! No way to go over quota if DNS is dammed by the ISP.

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You can change your router DNS settings, as well. I would try it.

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You might also want to go to Control Panel > Internet Options > Connections tab > Lan Settings button and verify that “Use a proxy server ….” is not checked,

Jerry

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I have gone into the router settings, found that there were DNS settings in there, and they were pointing to my ISP’s DNS IP address. I have changed them to be the two OpenDNS entries, and one Google (8.8.4.4) setting, and upon saving, it rebooted my router. I checked afterwards using IPConfig /all that the DNS is still the new settings.

I checked the LAN Settings, and Proxy Server is not enabled. I also turned off “Automatically detect settings”, just in case.

Rebooted the computer, still same (Chrome can’t find websites, Comodo Dragon can, haven’t checked the others).

Thanks for the ideas, guys, I’m appreciating every one of them!

Daniel

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Do you have any third party firewalls running? If so, temporarily disable them as a test. If that doesn’t work, try a clean boot:
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/929135

Jerry

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Thank for the additional suggestions. Disabled the Windows Firewall, and performed a clean boot as described in the KB article (disabled all start-up programs and non-Microsoft services), with the same results. (1), (2) and (3) browsers still cannot connect, (4) can without issues.

Am I getting to the point where re-installing Windows 7 is my only remaining option?

I am leaving the firewall disabled and will leave the box in a clean-boot state for a while, which I test other things also, to see if _anything_ has a better chance of connecting.

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I would probably try a repair install before going the full reinstall route.

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Can the browsers connect to your router?
What happens if you try to access Google via 74.125.224.72?

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ruirib: If I get that far, I’ll try a repair first, for sure.

Spaceman:

With windows firewall OFF, and antivirus turned off, running in clean-boot mode attempting to access http://74.125.224.72:

1) Internet Explorer returns “This page can’t be displayed”
2) Google Chrome does access the main Google page, and a search for “kitten” returns results, but the pages are broken (missing images, etc.), and links on the page are broken. When I choose to look for images for Kittens, only the first 20 images load, all the rest don’t.
3) Firefox has identical output to Google Chrome
4) Comodo Dragon loads everything fine, with no limit on the number of images populated, and all links from the returned Google search results return fine also.

Should I be contacting the folks at Comodo to ask then what makes their browser so great, and to ask them what could be hamstringing my other browsers?

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Since your router now correctly points to the DNS servers you’ve chosen, one quick thing to check is your internet connection setting – look to see that under the IPv4 tab it’s set to “auto DHCP”. If you’ve a local DNS cache done by OS, flush it.

And yes, I’d be interested in what Comodo does differently from the others. Is there something you can spot from settings or options? (I used and still recommend their firewall.)

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Ok, let’s try this.
Put a decent firewall on your machine such as Comodo or ZoneAlarm.
Plug your machine directly into your modem and refresh your machine’s IP address.
[You may have to reboot your modem to get it to sync.]

Does that change anything?

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You seem to have an excessive amount of security software, which might be causing some trouble. Uninstall SuperAntiSpyware, which is worthless anyway (http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2392877,00.asp).

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Thanks, all, for your continuing assistance.

kermidge: I have chedked the DNS settings, and they are as you’ve mentioned. I have “looked under the hood” of the Comodo browser, and haven’t been able to determine the source of their internet wizardry, but I haven’t resorted to disassembling the executable yet…

SpacemanSpiff: I have now installed Comodo Internet Security Premium (free), and am now 15h into a full anti- scan to see if there are any removable sources to my frustration, will keep the list apprised of my findings. I haven’t switched from the wireless card to the wired port just yet (I have been using the wireless card because my router is maxed-out at 4 in-use ports, but this weekend I will be able to free up one of them to perform this test.) Oddily enough, though, I haven’t been able to connect any of my browsers to the Internet since installing the Comodo firewall, but I want to let it finish the AV scan first, and put it through a few more reboots, before I conclude that it is making things worse rather than better. I had been running AV-free and firewall-free for the purposes of testing, which I certainly wouldn’t want to do for the future.

cloudandskye: Thanks for that link. I have had my suspicions about SuperAntiSpyware for a while now, but that link clarifies it for me. Although I don’t believe it to be the problem, I will be removing that from this computer, and other computers that I have it installed on. Again, if it provides any relief, I’ll certainly get back to this thread.

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