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Question

cannot open download.cnet.com

Jun 28, 2011 1:05AM PDT

Good evening, I have a problem with the site download.cnet.comdoes not open or using Chrome, IE8 neither.This happens for many days.can you give me an explanation?thanks a lot.

Discussion is locked

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Answer
Have you tried the old url?
Jun 28, 2011 8:20AM PDT

I can never remember download.cnet.com so I just type in download.com

What error messages do you get when you try? I've just tried myself and it works fine.

Mark

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the old url still redirects to download.cnet.com
Jun 28, 2011 7:56PM PDT

Hello Max, thanks for your attention
Chrome says: "Oops! Google Chrome Could not connect todownload.cnet.com"
IE8 says: "Internet Explorer can not display the webpage".
I'm going crazy, I can not understand. Possible that only happens to me and only at that page?I follow you too long to go without ..............
Using XP SP3
Thank you.

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Hmm, next steps then
Jun 29, 2011 6:34AM PDT

Has this ever worked? If so, what has changed since it last worked, any malware damage, any Windows Updates or any other updates, any other changes, software installs or uninstalls?

If it has worked before then perhaps the easiest way to try and solve this is to try a System Restore to a date when it worked.

Apart from that, what security software are you using and is it blocking this web site?

Is download.cnet.com listed in your HOSTS file? Explanation here;
http://www.bleepingcomputer.com/tutorials/tutorial51.html

Mark

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great!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Jun 29, 2011 9:24AM PDT

Thanks Mark, it's all ok now.

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Your English is fine
Jun 29, 2011 8:49PM PDT

and so much better than any Italian I could use, Happy

Glad you found the cause, and congratulations. It is a strange one though, I wonder how CNET's Download.com got added to the Hosts file?

If you read that explanation about the Hosts file you will probably understand what it does. The browser, (any browser), will first check Hosts whenever it is asked to find any web site, and that re-direct to 127.0.0.1 is a re-direct back to your own computer, so in effect the browser was turning round and coming back home.

I wonder if you use HOSTS as a method to cut down on rogue sites, or perhaps some security application or other you have modified it?

But anyway, good work, and thanks for letting us know.

Mark

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Perhaps GMER was the cause of the problem
Jun 29, 2011 10:31PM PDT

<span id="INSERTION_MARKER">I did not know the importance of the Hosts file, nor does its possible use for security purposes. I read the article you have kindly pointed out to me and, not being just a beginner, I managed to solve the problem.<span>

<span>I use Avast and Windows firewall normally, I disabled system restore and in its place using Macrium Reflect. Never had problems with security or stability.
<span>

<span>The only thing I remember is that one or two weeks ago, I wanted to try GMER, which has changed the parameters of the internet, to the point of forcing me to restore with Reflect. This is due to a false positive of Avast that I signaled "rootkit sptd.sys".
<span>

<span>By the way, I'm using the translator of google ........... Wink

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Possibly
Jun 30, 2011 9:11PM PDT

GMER would certainly cause an alert by many anti-virus scanners because by it's very nature it is an intrusive searcher for rootkits.

Google Translator