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General discussion

All browsers give error message

Mar 28, 2005 12:02AM PST

all browsers (explorer, netscape, enigma, and slimbrowser) will not start. As soon as the browser pops up get illegal operation -invalid page fault message. W98 on older Vaio. Any Ideas?
Thanks

Discussion is locked

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Re: not being able to browse.
Mar 28, 2005 5:14AM PST

I'm inclined to think of spyware, but it's uncommon that it effects such different browsers. So I'm searching for a more basic mechanisme (the TCP-IP stack).

A few questions to get a picture.
- Can you ping? If so, only to an ip-address or also to a url?
- Do all these browsers have a (different?) home page on the net? Or do they crash with a blank home page or a home page on your hard disk also? Run Config Panel>Internet to change the homepage of IE.
- Can you email?
- Can you ftp (if you have an ftp-program installed)?
- How are you connected to Internet (dial up, cable, ADSL; any special software installed)?
- If you click on a gif or html in your Temporary Internet files, does IE (or your default browser) crash also?
- What's your virus and spyware protection?
- Hosts file corrupted? Rename it to see what happens.
- Uninstall and reinstall TCP/IP from Config Panel>Network
- Run lspfix or winsock2fix/winsockxpfix, depending on the outcome of some of the above experiments.

The solution might be hidden in the answers to some of the questions above. But just as well, it might not. However, do post back with as much information as you can collect, and any questions of course.

Kees

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Re: not being able to browse.
Mar 28, 2005 10:26AM PST

Yes I can ping and I can see the other puters at home here. This happens instantly... as soon as the browser pops up so no page is loaded it does not have time to access the net... I mean instantly! Email is in the netscape browser, both start at the same time. IE crashes just as fast. Reinstalled w98, Got 2 free browsers from my other puters, installed, they crash the same way with the same message. On a dsl line as are the other puters in the house. No spyware.
ispfix? is that on w98?
Thanks

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It's still not clear ..
Mar 28, 2005 7:08PM PST

if it is related to access of Internet or not. You don't report the outcome of any experiment I suggested with a blank homepage, a homepage on the hard disk, or opening a local html or jpg file.

Did you do a fresh reinstall of Windows 98? Or did you do an install on top of an existing install? That makes matters worse sometimes. A fresh install on a formatted hard disk would surely help, but is a last resort.

LSPFIX and WINSOCK2FIX can be found with google. They repair some aspects of the TCP/IP-protocol that aren't repaired by an uninstall/reinstall of it.

Hope this helps.


Kees

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fixed...winsock2fix
Mar 29, 2005 8:28AM PST

That did it...lspfix didnt work but this did.
Thanks