80072EFD after Download Box shows up and executes. AOL 9 & wi

"Kurt" wrote in message

....
Kurt Says: Earthlink does not require, or work, with the proxy settings. I
have to uncheck the “Proxy Server� setting in order for IE to work with
Earthlink.

Be more specific about what you are doing please.
Does this mean you are using the Connections tab
in the Internet Options dialog *from* an IE Tools menu?

FWIW in NT4 I used to have so much trouble trying to change
proxy settings using that technique that I was forced to switch
to using the ostensibly indentical dialog in the Internet Properties
tool. (E.g. Run... control inetcpl.cpl) Since then, I have just
carried the practice over into XP. YMMV.


I have gotten to the habit where I delete the “Earthlink� network
connection in the control panel after I use Earthlink. When I launch
Earthlink, it builds a new connection.

Again, you are withholding details. If you are using some canned procedures
from Earthlink instead of building your own connection to it that could explain
where unwanted settings keep coming from.


....
Robert Aldwinckle Says:
....
Kurt Says: There was not anything beyond the "127.0.0.1 localhost" entry.


More importantly you need to tell us if your symptoms have changed.

E.g. are you still getting messages in your Status bar which refer
to that address?

Kurt Says: It appears as if my situation has slightly changed. I no longer
see the 127.0.0.1 like I did. I see the website URL and then I see Done when
the “Cannot find server or DNS Error� screen appears. It does not seem to
get into a loop like it did on the second attempt at the same website. I can
access https: sites like before. It seems like the FTP. Sites work, but now
I do not have the permissions to enter.

BTW if you change your HOSTS file without restarting Windows
you should flush your dnscache:

ipconfig /flushdns

Kurt Says: No Change.


If those addresses aren't coming from your HOSTS file
or your dnscache, they must be coming either from your DNS
(unlikely but testable) or some of the latest malware infiltration (pun),
which unfortunately is just the opposite, likely but untestable.


To test this I have been asking users to try some other commands:

excerpt
FYI for XPsp2 there is a new repair command for the latter possibility:

netsh winsock reset

Kurt Says: No Change.

Otherwise there is

netsh interface ip reset

Kurt Says: “One or more essential parameters were not entered� was the
response I got from the above “ netsh interface ip reset� command line.

Sorry, that was my reading of the syntax given by this help:

netsh int ip reset ?

So then, that would suggest that you try:

netsh int ip reset resetlog.txt

However, also look at this article which implies that it may be a good idea
to disable firewalls before doing that:

titleKB810606 - Error Message When You Run the "Ipconfig /Renew" Command/title


....
BTW you may get better suggestions in a newsgroup
which specializes in networking for your OS.
/excerpt

Kurt Says: There does not seem to be one here at the Microsoft community.
Do you have a suggestion.

You appear to be using the web interface to newsgroups.
Unfortunately it is impossible to tell which portal you are using.

FWIW this is the link that I use (when I need to)

http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/e...ang =en&cr=US

You can see on the left a link labeled Windows XP Networking and the Web
which would be a good one.


Do you have to use that or can you use a real NNTP newsreader
such as Outlook Express?

For the latter see if this link works for you:

news://msnews.microsoft.com/microsof...xp.network_web


That could set up an "account" for you on the microsoft news
server. You could read with it immediately but in order to post
from it you would probably have to do some personalizing
in the account's Properties dialog.

I am cross-posting there now in case someone reading there
has some immediate comments to add or questions to ask.

For their convenience here is a link to the entire thread:

http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/e...c-09bdfba9a442


HTH

Robert
---

Robert. Thanks for responding to my situation. Before I made my own
posting, I spent quite a bit of time looking at the other postings. There I
have seen your helpful advice already and I have already tried many of your
suggestions from those postings.


Robert Aldwinckle Says:

Be more specific about what you are doing please.
Does this mean you are using the Connections tab
in the Internet Options dialog *from* an IE Tools menu?

FWIW in NT4 I used to have so much trouble trying to change
proxy settings using that technique that I was forced to switch
to using the ostensibly indentical dialog in the Internet Properties
tool. (E.g. Run... control inetcpl.cpl) Since then, I have just
carried the practice over into XP. YMMV.

Again, you are withholding details. If you are using some canned procedures
from Earthlink instead of building your own connection to it that could
explain
where unwanted settings keep coming from.

Kurt Says:
- I have AOL 9.0 which is what I use the most. I am in the process of
weaning myself off of Earthlink because my employer has cut a deal with AOL
and it is quite a bit less money for me to use. I have a dial up connection.
- Earthlink has an application called TotalAccess which connects me to
Earthlink, TotalAccess also appears as a task bar with menu selections to
Earthlink features like accessing web based eMail through Internet Explorer.
My version is 2004 which I have had loaded from the day I got this PC in
December of 2003.
- Before my problem started, I would be able to use Internet Explorer with
both AOL & Earthlink with no problems. When my problem started, I was able
to do the usual trial & error troubleshooting and I am able to compare this
PC with another PC used by my wife&Kids.
- I do not have Earthlink TotalAccess on my Wife's PC. I do have AOL 9.0 &
Internet Explorer works on my Wife's PC through AOL.
* Before my problem started on my hp PC, I was able to use Internet
Explorer through AOL.
* Once I launch Earthlink's TotalAccess and make my connection and
TotalAccess launches Internet Explorer; In order to get Internet Explorer to
work with Earthlink, I have to open up the Internet Explorer Tools Options
Connections setting for no proxy server.
* Since late August, I have yet to be able to get IE to work with AOL
except for a brief moment after I ran Spyware Eliminator. The following is a
quote from my previous posting; - Internet Explorer worked briefly when I had
just completed the scan using Spy Eliminator, but before I had actually
“cleaned� the spyware it had found (called WildTangent). I had clicked on
its online help and IE launched and worked until I rebooted the next time. I
could not recreate this."
* I briefly suspected that maybe Earthlink's TotalAccess changed
somehow and might be the source of my problems for some unknown reason. I
have been deleting my Earthlink connection from the control panel's Network
Connections after I use it. Then I let earthlink totalAccess rebuild it when
I launch the TotalAccess.
* I also tried to open up (edit) this Earthlink network connection and
look it over. I do not see anything which makes me think that it uses a
proxy server.
- After using the control inetcpl.cpl command line you show above, I was
able to return to my trail & Error testing of Earthlink and AOL to see if the
problem resided there.
* I discovered that the ToolsConnectionsProxy Setting = on was being
set after Earthlink TotalAccess launched, but before I launched Internet
Explorer.
- Using the control inetcpl.cpl command line you show above; I deleted all
of my Dial-up Internet connections in the control panel's Network
Connections.
* Then I launched AOL.
Then I checked the control inetcpl.cpl command line and found no
dial up connections available.
* Then I connected to AOL.
Then I checked control inetcpl.cpl command line and found no dial
up connections available.
* Then I launched Internet Explorer.
Then I used the control inetcpl.cpl command line and found no
dial up connections available.
* Internet Explorer showed the Server or DNS not found page.
- Seeing that the proxy server setting was set after Earthlink launched and
before I launched internet explorer, I decided to look deeper into my
Earthlink - AOL programs.
* I uninstalled Earthlink Total Access and all associated programs with
Earthlink. Then I deleted all of the folders and files which the uninstall
did not get.
No Change. With my PC connected to AOL; Internet Explorer displays
"Cannot find server or DNS Error" when I try to display http: pages.
- Then I uninstalled AOL and all associated programs associated with AOL.
Then I deleted all of the AOL folders and files the uninstall did not get.
No Change. With my PC connected to AOL; Internet Explorer displays
"Cannot find server or DNS Error" when I try to display http: pages.
- Looking deeper into my Internet Explorer ToolsOptionsConnections. I did
not have any connections showing, which would be correct.
- Then I used the Internet connection wizard to establish an AOL connection.
* While doing this and going through trial & error, I have come to the
following proposition. The internet connection shown in Internet Explorer is
for connecting to the Internet when an internet connection is not present????
* Therefore I tried to connect to the internet with Internet Explorer
using my new Internet Connection. Internet explorer would try to connect
using its dialer, but would fault out with incorrect username or password.
Upon inspection of the password in the dialer box, there are 16
dots hiding the password characters. My password is only 8 characters.
^ I tried retyping my password into the Internet Explorer
ToolsOptionsConnections and it looks like it allows me too, but then shows
16 dots.
Update: No Change. With my PC connected to AOL; Internet Explorer displays
"Cannot find server or DNS Error" when I try to display http: pages.
- I have just gone to my temporary user account that I had developed for
testing. I can successfully use Internet Explorer while connected to AOL as
I describe in a previous posting. Shamefully I say I sorta lost sight of this
with all of the suggestions I have been getting.
- I focus on trying to determine why my new, temporary user account is
allowed to work and not my existing ones. I no longer care if the Windows
update site works 100% correctly as long as I can get Internet Explorer to
work while I am connected to AOL.
* I log into one of my Administrator accounts. Then I call up the
folder for my "temp" user account which is working and for my user account
which is not working. I make an empty folder for shuffling files and folders
around.
* I am able to isolate the source of the problem in my NTUSER.DAT file.
When my working user account file's NTUSER.DAT file is in my other user
account which does not work; the latter account's Internet Explorer starts
working when I am logged onto AOL.
* I did a search on "NTUSER.DAT" on the Microsoft Community site and I
am now researching avenue. One of the first things I came across is advice
to not permently copy the working NTUSER.DAT in place of the not working
NTUSER.DAT as that can create problems.
http://communities2.microsoft.com/co...3-c195ad4277eb

.....
Robert Aldwinckle Says:
.....
Kurt Says: There was not anything beyond the "127.0.0.1 localhost" entry.


More importantly you need to tell us if your symptoms have changed.

E.g. are you still getting messages in your Status bar which refer
to that address?

Kurt Says: It appears as if my situation has slightly changed. I no longer
see the 127.0.0.1 like I did. I see the website URL and then I see Done when
the “Cannot find server or DNS Error� screen appears. It does not seem to
get into a loop like it did on the second attempt at the same website. I can
access https: sites like before. It seems like the FTP. Sites work, but now
I do not have the permissions to enter.

BTW if you change your HOSTS file without restarting Windows
you should flush your dnscache:

ipconfig /flushdns

Kurt Says: No Change.


If those addresses aren't coming from your HOSTS file
or your dnscache, they must be coming either from your DNS
(unlikely but testable) or some of the latest malware infiltration (pun),
which unfortunately is just the opposite, likely but untestable.


To test this I have been asking users to try some other commands:

excerpt
FYI for XPsp2 there is a new repair command for the latter possibility:

netsh winsock reset

Kurt Says: No Change.

Otherwise there is

netsh interface ip reset

Kurt Says: “One or more essential parameters were not entered� was the
response I got from the above “ netsh interface ip reset� command line.

Sorry, that was my reading of the syntax given by this help:

netsh int ip reset ?

So then, that would suggest that you try:

netsh int ip reset resetlog.txt

However, also look at this article which implies that it may be a good idea
to disable firewalls before doing that:

titleKB810606 - Error Message When You Run the "Ipconfig /Renew"
Command/title

Kurt Says: No change. Internet Explorere does not access http: sites while
I am connected to AOL.

.....
BTW you may get better suggestions in a newsgroup
which specializes in networking for your OS.
/excerpt

Kurt Says: There does not seem to be one here at the Microsoft community.
Do you have a suggestion.

You appear to be using the web interface to newsgroups.
Unfortunately it is impossible to tell which portal you are using.

FWIW this is the link that I use (when I need to)

http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/e...ang =en&cr=US

You can see on the left a link labeled Windows XP Networking and the Web
which would be a good one.

Kurt Says: I see what you are talking about, thanks.


Do you have to use that or can you use a real NNTP newsreader
such as Outlook Express?

For the latter see if this link works for you:

news://msnews.microsoft.com/microsof...xp.network_web

Kurt Says: I am all researched out from this problem I am working on now.
Thanks for the information, but doing what I am doing is the path of least
resistance. I will remeber this for my future.


That could set up an "account" for you on the microsoft news
server. You could read with it immediately but in order to post
from it you would probably have to do some personalizing
in the account's Properties dialog.

I am cross-posting there now in case someone reading there
has some immediate comments to add or questions to ask.

For their convenience here is a link to the entire thread:

http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/e...c-09bdfba9a442


HTH

Robert
---

Kurt Says: Thanks Again!

"Kurt" wrote in message

....
useful background information snipped for brevity /

BTW I am sorry I did not respond to your earlier posts in ie6.browser.
That would have been a better place (other than network_web)
than windowsupdate NG to puzzle this out.


http://communities2.microsoft.com/co...8-f218f2d4602e


I originally entered this thread to try to help out only with the
problem you were having with proxy settings on your Earthlink
connection.

If you are using some canned procedures from Earthlink
instead of building your own connection to it that could explain
where unwanted settings keep coming from.

It sounds as if you now have a clearer understanding of what
is causing that:

* I discovered that the ToolsConnectionsProxy Setting = on was being
set after Earthlink TotalAccess launched, but before I launched Internet
Explorer.

If you were interested in creating a custom connection to Earthlink
(e.g using the setup wizard) I suspect that that might be possible.
I am less certain about what your options are for an AOL connection.
I thought that AOL users had to connect initially to AOL using
their AOL browser and subsequently could connect to the Internet
over that connection. In that case IE should be set up as if you have
a LAN connection, e.g. no dial-up connections and Never dial...
checked. Hmm... are there any proxy settings in the LAN setup too?

It sounds as if you are on track with that idea too but I'm not sure
why you keep checking for dial-up connections. Are you thinking
you need one or just concerned that one might pop up out of nowhere
and then if you weren't looking carefully you would have to go back
and figure out where it came from? g


With my PC connected to AOL; Internet Explorer displays
"Cannot find server or DNS Error" when I try to display http: pages.
....
* I am able to isolate the source of the problem in my NTUSER.DAT file.

Trying to compare NTUSER.DAT might be possible.
E.g. what I would probably try is using RegEdit to create
two separate exported versions (.reg files) which I could
then use differencing tools such as FC or windiff on.
However, that could be really tedious and I think you would
be faster trying to diagnose what's wrong with your setup
or describe your symptoms in more detail so someone
can try to help some more.

Now it looks as if what you really need is some AOL expertise.
Isn't there a Support desk available for AOL customers?
Try asking there?


Good luck

Robert
---

To Those Who May Follow: This response it to close the loop on my situation
for those who may be experiencing a similar situation.

My problem was not being able to use Internet Explorer while connected to
AOL. See my original postings for more details. I followed lots of advice
and therefore learned lots of things, but none of them resolved my problem.
In the course of troubleshooting this I discovered that a new Windows XP User
account would work. I did a comparison between a working user accound and a
non-working one and tracked it down to the user account's NTUSER.DAT file.

In researching the NTUSER.DAT file (local user registry file), there were
enough yellow flags raised against copying a new one into an existing account
that I did not try that. I started from scratch by creating new user
accounts and then migrating my files and settings from the old ones to the
new ones. Then when I felt like everything was stable, I deleted the older
user accounts. This has worked so far and it has been about two weeks.

The one older user account I could not change, or did not try, was the
original computer administrator account that a person accesses in safe mode
or by doing the ctlr+alt+del twice from a freshly booted welcome screen. I
am no longer going to use this special account except in safe mode.

I speculate that I had a case of mal-ware and was able to get rid of the
source, but not the changes to my NTUSER.DAT that it must have caused.

I had gone through all of the suggestions that MchWalte suggested (from AOL
community help but eMail directly to me), including his link to HOST Comp
Phred's "a fix to IE". After going through the "A fix for IE"; IE would only
intermittenly work as well as some of my other applications acting funny. I
did a system restore and everything went back to its starting point
successfully. "Internet Explorer Fix.. by HOST Comp Pred"

My Lessons Learned:
- Take the Mal-ware situation more serious. The anti-malware software which
appeared to do the best job was "Ad-Aware SE Personal" and "Spybot" (with the
1.3.1 DOS Exploit fix). Both can be found at www.majorgeeks.com.

- I downloaded the free McAfee Firewall Express from AOL. This is hard to
find through search and help.
http://memberselfservice.aol.com/firewall/index.adp With a firewall, I have
to approve first time outgoing request from applications. This allows me to
see and evaluate some of my applications a little closer on what they are
really doing.

- I did use my safe mode computer administrator account for
installing-uninstalling software, patches, upgrades, etc. Now I only use it
it safe mode in the interest of protecting it from cooruption since I can not
delete this account (I am assuming).

- System restore turned out to be very easy to use, if I would have known
more about how it worked and had not been afraid of it in the beginning when
I first saw my problem, I would have been a lot better off than waiting until
my last system restore point was deleted. (System restore keeps the last 14)

Good Luck to Those that have the unforunate luck to experience a similar
situation.

Thanks to all who gave their time to help.