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General discussion

Unable to display i.i.com.com images on cnet

Feb 14, 2005 4:53AM PST

I am unable to see .gif images from i.i.com.com and most of the advertising from adlog.com.com as promimently displayed on cnet web pages.

I am currently using Fire Fox browser and XP Pro SP2. However I also have the same problem when using IE6.0 SP2. I also have an older win 98 machine which displays the same problem using both browsers. I've made sure the load image option is set and the orriginating site is off. I've tried turning off the Windows firewall and tried setting security to the lowest settings all with no help. I am not using any adblock programs. I run Norton antivirus and Webroot Spysweeper. Could the problem be my ISP blocking this data?

Discussion is locked

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"Hosts"?
Feb 14, 2005 9:25PM PST

1. Most World Wide Web (WWW) Browsers running on non-Microsoft network operation systems rely on a Domain Name Server (DNS) and a Hosts file to resolve host names to IP addresses even if the Web client and the Web server are on the same subnet. Normally, Microsoft Internet Explorer does not use the DNS and HOSTS file -- but will, but usually relies on the Windows Internet Name Service (WINS), the LMHOSTS file and NetBIOS broadcasts for name resolution, when it is running on Microsoft network operating systems such as Windows.

2. The following is a list of problems which can occur if a Hosts file exist in the Windows folder which has incorrect or invalid entries, [Q219843]:

? Internet Explorer cannot open the Internet site Web address: A connection with the server could not be established

? Internet Explorer cannot open the internet site "URL: Web site the connection to the server was reset"

? "error message" - Host not found

==OR==

? A different Web site may be displayed

Note however: A Hosts file is just the tip of an iceberg. There are numerous programs you may have downloaded from the Web and use which similarly adds addresses to circumvent user access. It is not unheard of that intrusive software is also the causes this anomaly.

3. Possible resolution(s):

a. If your computer is not connected to a network or does not require a Hosts file for Domain Name System (DNS) resolution, rename the Hosts file -- at least for a test run. To rename a file, right-click the file, select rename, type the new name, and then press Enter.

b. If a system is using or is connected to a network requiring Hosts file use, edit this file and disable all lines circumventing the use of a particular Web site Internet Protocol (IP) addresse:

(1) Click Start, Find, Files Or Folders and in the Named box, type hosts

(2) In the Look In box, click My Computer, and then click Find Now.

(3) In the list of found files, double-click the Hosts file.

(4) In the Choose the program you want to use box, click Notepad.

Warning: Click to clear the Always use this program to open this file check box, and then click OK.

(5) Place a number sign (#) at the beginning of a line containing the IP address of the Web site you are unable to view/access.

(6) On the File menu, click Exit. When you are prompted to save the changes, click Yes.

c. Caveats to be aware of:

(1) Many Internet accelerator programs monitor Web sites visited and write the Web sites' corresponding IP addresses into the Hosts file. The next time one of these Web sites is visited, the site can be displayed faster because the browser does not need to use a Domain Name Server (DNS) to find the Web site's IP address.

(2) However, URL addresses are subject to change. Since entries in a Hosts file never change, a URL address may eventually refer to a server that is no longer in use and you are unable to connect.

(3) In addition. I'm sure just about everybody has accessed a Web site which was really corrupted. At the same time, corruption somewhere which a user has accessed could attempt a Host file write and cause corruption in that file as well. Remember, anything can happen on this "superhighway".

(4) The following is a list of some Internet accelerator programs:

BlazeWeb
EZsurfer98
FastNet99
Legion - The HOSTS Master
MicroSurfer
PeakJet
TurboExplorer
WebEarly
WebTurbo


(5) If a Hosts file cannot be edited because it is in use, close Internet Explorer and try again. However, a Hosts file could be in use by several other programs too. Therefore, rename the file at the MS-DOS prompt (Start, Programs, MS-DOS Prompt). In WinXP, the Hosts file must be saved by a user with administrator-level access.

Note: Save a Hosts file in c:\windows directory for Windows 9x/Me, c:\winnt\system32\drivers\etc\ for Windows NT/2000/XP Pro, or c:\windows\system32\drivers\etc\ for XP Home.

4. Supplemental reading:

a. "Internet Explorer Cannot Open the Internet Site... (Q175722)."

b. "Troubleshooting LMHOSTS Name Resolution Issues (Q180099)."

c. "Description of Hypertext Transport Protocol Error Messages (Q218155)."

d. "Cannot Gain Access to Certain Security-Enhanced Web Sites (Q246727)."

e. "Zone: Error Message When You Attempt to Connect to a Secure Zone Web Page: The Page Cannot Be Displayed (Q310731)."

f. "You Receive a "System Error 1230" Error Message When You Browse the Network (Q318332)."

g. "Welcome to Ray Marron's Hostess page!" for a free utility for maintaining Hosts files.

h. "Gorilla Design Studio", Using the Hosts file.

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Problem Solved
Feb 15, 2005 1:40AM PST

Thank you Cursorcowboy!
I have been searching for a solution to this problem for several weeks. I was able to locate the file "host" in the Windows/system32/drivers/etc directly and placed the # symbol in front of i.i.com.com entry and problem solved. I use Cnet a lot and refer to the reviews and it was almost unusable. I am more of a hardware tech on the large main frame systems and struggle with the software firmware side until I've been there and shown. I hope this posting helps others since I have seen several others get rebuffed for questions on this problem.
Again thanks.

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hosts
Apr 12, 2005 6:11AM PDT

Holy cow! What an easy fix. Now cnet.com loads just fine. Thanks.