[karrie-ann]

for some reason i cannot log into my yahoomail, hushmail, facebook, myspace, ebay, twitter. i was just beginning to think it had something to do with https sites vs http sites but honestly i dont know... here is the error i get in opera when i try to sign in to yahoomail:

Error!
Could not connect to remote server

You tried to access the address http://www.yahoo.com/r/l6, which is currently unavailable. Please make sure that the Web address (URL) is correctly spelled and punctuated, then try reloading the page.
Make sure your Internet connection is active and check whether other applications that rely on the same connection are working.

i can get around the web and i can get on some sites that require me to log in like a skincare forum i belong to and livevideo.

i have tried using all the different browsers i have, opera (my browser of choice), firefox, IE, chrome and they all do the same thing.

this all started last night and i dont recall doing anything weird. i have advancedsystem care it wanted to update to newer version and the IObit live wanted to update. i did that but i dont think that was the problem, but maybe it was. i did do a system restore back to the 29th and i still am having the problem. advancedsystemcare says it is not there, though there is still an icon on my desktop.

i also have avast!, malwarebytes and spybot and did scans a couple of days ago. i just did a quick scan with malwarebytes and there wasnt anything. i will do full scans again now.

i am at a loss as what i should do. i am not good with computers when the dont work...
i need to figure out why i cant access my email accounts ! ugh !!

my system is a gateway laptop m6325. it has vista home premium service pack 1.

thank you ~

~karrie

[Phantom010]

Check your HOSTS file.

It's located in C:\Windows\System32\Drivers\Etc.

Examine the content of your HOSTS file. We do not need to worry about any line that begins with an # because it is ignored by Windows. Also, the line "127.0.0.1 localhost" or "::1 localhost" can be safely ignored, because it is a standard entry.

A HOSTS file can be used to control Web page to IP address associations.

Anything else that appears in your HOSTS file without an # at the beginning, apart from the "127.0.0.1 localhost" or "::1 localhost" lines, should be viewed with suspicion when we are trying to diagnose the cause of "Page cannot be displayed" errors. The quickest way to test for HOSTS file involvement is to right click the HOSTS file, then select Rename. Add the letter X to the beginning or end of the file name and then ok your changes. By changing the name of the HOSTS file, we stop your web browser from using it, and therefore resolve any issues caused by the file.

[Phantom010]

Also,

Please click here to download and install the HijackThis installer.

Run it and select Do a system scan and save a logfile.

The log will be saved in Notepad. Copy and paste the log in your next post.

Do not fix anything

[Phantom010]

Also,

Refresh your DNS (Sometimes negative DNS may give errors on specific sites)
By following these steps:

Start >> Run >> cmd

ipconfig /release

ipconfig /flushdns

ipconfig /renew

(one at the time)

Click Start, then Run and type CMD in the dialogue box that appears, and then click OK. Type netsh winsock reset into the DOS window that appears.

Reset TCP/IP stack to installation defaults. Click Start, then Run and type CMD, then type netsh int ip reset reset.log.

[karrie-ann]

thank you Phantom010 for your help.

so this is how sad a computer user i am, i could not figure out how to view the file you said. the HOSTS file. i was able to view it using MS word, but obviously if i needed to make any changes, i wouldnt be able to do it there. but as it was, all of the entries were the 127.0.0.1 variety. all 150+ pages of them!! what the...??

then i came to find out the the desk top computer in the house is doing the same thing. so i rebooted the router and modem and it works now.

i feel so embarrassed as that is the easiest thing possible...

can you tell me a little more about the hijackthis installer? i wish i was a tech head but rather i am wreck head.

thanks again phantom~

~karrie

[Phantom010]

You're welcome!

Right-click on the HOSTS file, and click Open. A window will appear asking what to open it with; find Notepad, select it, and click OK.

Rename the HOSTS file as explained and try to browse.

[karrie-ann]

ok i did that. should i leave the file as xhosts? i see a ton of sites, most i am clueless on. are these sites i have visited? i guess i am not sure what it is that i am looking at. they all have the 127.0.0.1 code so i guess they are ok but i dont know what they are doing on my computer. i dont recognise most of the names and some sites i visit are not on the list, or atleast in a way that i recognise them.

if i leave it renamed xhosts then what does that do..?

thanks a lot ! you are super cool! it can be rough trying to get info off of tech sites when you are not technical at all. i really do appreciate it~

~karrie

[Phantom010]

can you tell me a little more about the hijackthis installer? i wish i was a tech head but rather i am wreck head.

Please click here to download and install the HijackThis installer.

Run it and select Do a system scan and save a logfile.

The log will be saved in Notepad. Copy and paste the log in your next post.

Do not fix anything

It should give me an idea of what you have in your HOSTS file.

If you leave it renamed, your web browser won't use it anymore.

If you've never edited your HOSTS file before, this is what it should look like:

# Copyright (c) 1993-1999 Microsoft Corp.
#
# This is a sample HOSTS file used by Microsoft TCP/IP for Windows.
#
# This file contains the mappings of IP addresses to host names. Each
# entry should be kept on an individual line. The IP address should
# be placed in the first column followed by the corresponding host name.
# The IP address and the host name should be separated by at least one
# space.
#
# Additionally, comments (such as these) may be inserted on individual
# lines or following the machine name denoted by a '#' symbol.
#
# For example:
#
# 102.54.94.97 rhino.acme.com # source server
# 38.25.63.10 x.acme.com # x client host
127.0.0.1 localhost

You'll notice all entries begin with “127.0.0.1”; all entries MUST begin with this. If a website is preceded by “127.0.0.1”, this means the website cannot load and is blocked. The first entry in the HOSTS file is “127.0.0.1 localhost”. Your HOSTS file MUST begin with that entry.

To add websites to your HOSTS file (to block them), use this as a guideline:

Code:

127.0.0.1 www.blockthiswebsite.com.

After you've edited your HOSTS file, save the changes made (File > Save).

[Phantom010]

I must add though, that your HOSTS file may have been modified in a legitimate way by an anti-malware program installed on your computer, or by the MVPS HOSTS file (if you have installed it), to prevent unwanted or malicious websites from loading. In this case, it could explain why you're not finding Yahoo or Facebook in the list.

If the websites listed in your HOSTS file are all advertising, malicious, or porn sites, and you are not seeing any good or legitimate ones in there, you should leave it active by renaming it hosts (delete the "X").