Compuserve Help

While working on a friend's comp, I've noticed I can't access many websites. I get the typical "cannot display page" error. I downloaded Compuserve 2000 for Win XP thinking he just needed an updated program. He can access his mail, yahoo, and a few other sites. However, WindowsUpdate cannot be accessed which I desperately need to get accessed on his comp.
He had Win 98 SE and it wouldn't work. He wanted to upgrade to WinXP Pro, so he bought that and I installed. Same problem.

His older comp was a Presario 5712, but I gave him a little something better with no resolve. I've made sure ActiveX is enabled in internet options. Is there something I'm missing somewhere???

Any suggestions??

 

Do a Find for the file HOSTS, and rename it. I do not mean Hosts.Sam, this file has no extension.
A HOSTS file can be used to redirect IE from websites to nowhere. If you do find this file, open it with Notepad and see if any of the websites you tried to get to are listed there, with 127.0.0.xxx [xxx being any number] to the left.
If so, get CWShredder, Spybot and HijackThis from the links below.
Use CWShedder first, using the Fix Option, then reboot.
Use Spybot, and let it remove everything already checked off.
The use HijackThis, and post the log onto here. It will be looked at to check if something else is left over.
BTW, the IP 127.0.0.xxx is the computer itself, in other words IE may be told that the website is on the local computer, of course it isn't, so 'cannot display page' is presented.

 

Eureka!!!

Thank you Mark for the help. I found the problem late friday night.

He had parental controls set on the computer, which I was stunned when I found it. I took it off restricted and it went to the sites needed to get updates for his comp. I couldn't believe that parental controls can restrict access to windows update and the symantec site.

Learn something new every day!!!

 

I believe the parental control prevented ActiveX controls from being run, and windows update and the Symnatec scanner depends on them.
Thanks for posting back your solution!