• We’re currently investigating an issue related to the forum theme and styling that is impacting page layout and visual formatting. The problem has been identified, and we are actively working on a resolution. There is no impact to user data or functionality, this is strictly a front-end display issue. We’ll post an update once the fix has been deployed. Thanks for your patience while we get this sorted.

I think a Host file problem (can't connect to secure sites through my ISP). Dial-up & WinXP.

L

LurkingInNC

Senior member
First, sorry cause I'm guessing this is probably very basic. But I'm fairly ignorant w.r.t. the details of XP, and after spending hours trying to figure out what's wrong still not sure how best to proceed, so here goes:

I have win XP pro (SP2 installed) and an Earthlink dial-up account (only other option out here in the sticks right now is satellite). No networking at all.

Recently I've been able to connect to my ISP and some sites, but can't connect to others. Particularly, haen't been able to connect to anything that's on a secure server. Tried using IE as well as Opera, same result.

A couple of days ago I installed The Ad Police 1.0.25 which I believe works through the Hosts file. Took it off, but things still not working. I noticed that I've got 14,500 lines in my hosts file (452 kb). I run SpyBot and Norton security, but suspect that when I installed Ad Police I put some things in my hosts file that are preventing me from accessing certain sites and now i don't know the best way to proceed.

I read about how a large hosts file can slow down performance in XP, but would like to block as much spyware/ adware as possible since my connection is so slow, about 10-15 Kbps (honestly!). Has to do with the phone equipment between where I live (out in the sticks), the nearest small town, and the nearest city where I can connect to an ISP server with a local phoone call (Durham, NC). Fortuately, the Earthlink accelerator software boosts the speed up to the equivalent of between 30-40 Kbps. Without that and multiple windows going, I don't think I'd have any hair by now (manual removal).

Any help would be greatly appreciated!
 
First off, it's probably not the host file. But you can make sure by simply renaming it and seeing if the problem goes away. You can rename it back to reactivate it.

Second, regarding Noron Internet Security. Any chance you added a firewall rule preventing SSL connections?
 
bsobel,

i've tried connecting with all firewalls & security off, so can't see that any of those settings would be the problem. will rename hosts file & try that though.

Thanks.
 
REnamed hosts file (& backup host file too, just for the heck of it) to off_host. Unfortunately you're right, still can't connect to secure sites, even with all firewalls turned off.

Now I've got 2 problems, lol.

1) why can't I access secure sites through my dial-up ISP? (was on the phone with them for a long time yesterday & they couldn't help)

2) what to do with my hosts file once I do fix 1) above. I really don't want to slow down my system with that many sites in my hosts file. What's the best thing to do about that?

Thanks for any more suggestions.
 
BTW if you want to block adware/spyware, forget twiddling with your HOSTS file. Get your system cleaned up and patched, then switch to a Limited-class user account for browsing, IM and email. How dangerous is an unloaded firearm? Eh? 😉
 
Do you notice a speed difference with the host file renamed? It only affects the speed of name resolution (when you first connect to a site). I suspect most people wouldn't notice the difference even with more entries than you have (but dont have that many here, so what is your experience?)
 
mechBgon- yep, time & date right on. btw, I didn't intentionally mess with my HOSTS file. I'm guessing it was one of the spyware utilities I'm using (ad aware & spybot) or more likely that Ad Police utility I just tried.

What are Limited-class user accounts for browsing and email? (I don't use IM) And any tips on getting my system cleaned up and patched?

bsobel- hard to say. my conection is so slow & with enough variation that I download in one window & then go back to read what I had previously downloaded in another one. Only way to stay sane. I saw the info on the slowdown in XP from a large HOSTS file (over 135 kb) in multiple technical articles. Keep in mind I've only got an Athlon 1600+ (overclocked to just under 1600 mhz actual) and only 512 MB of memory, so anything helps.
 
You can edit your HOSTS file so it contains just the usual single line:

127.0.0.1 localhost


and see if that helps. I remember dealing with my mom's old Duron and trying out the Spybot S&D HOSTS list, and it had some serious issues as a result.

Here is some basic info on Limited accounts: http://www.mechbgon.com/build/Limited.html

Basically, the difference between a Limited account and a "normal" Computer Administrator account is like the difference between driving your car from the driver's seat with your seatbelt on, versus lying on the roof and reaching in through the sunroof to steer as you push the gas & brake pedals with a yardstick 😀

Sort of. 😉
 
Oh, and for cleaning up and patching, how about

1) update Norton Internet Security, max out all of the scanning options in the antivirus component, and run a full scan. This is a current or recent version, right, not from 2003 or something?

2) scan for spyware/adware with Spybot Search & Destroy and Microsoft AntiSpyware beta.

3) patch the computer up at Windows Update, and go back repeatedly until the scans show it's got all the Critical Updates. Switch on the automagic updates feature in Control Panel > Security Center if it isn't already on.

4) if you have Microsoft Office, update it at Office Update, and again go back repeatedly (you might need three trips if you're starting with Office2000 and it needs SP1a, then SP3, then about 8 post-SP3 patches)

5) scan the system with Microsoft Baseline Security Analyzer, which you can find at Microsoft's site by searching for MBSA. If you have Office2000, then use MBSA 1.2.1 as well as MBSA 2.0, since 1.2.1 can check for missing patches on Office2000 (or pieces of it, like Word2000, Outlook2000, Excel2000, etc).

That should only take a month or so at your connection speed... 😉
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

TRENDING THREADS

Back
Top