Problems w/ accessing Microsoft Sites

I am not able to access Microsoft sites. Could it be that I have changed the HEADER on the Internet Explorer. If so how can I change it back. I currently have 2 computers w/ this same issue. I have to click a HYPER LINK to get Microsoft updates. I can access Microsoft on another computer thru terminal service. It is not a TRUSTED site prob. thru my NORTON. Any help in correcting this issue would be appreciated.

 

Do you have a HOSTS file (not HOSTS.sam)? If so open it and see if microsoft.com is in there preceded probably by 127.0.0.1.
Otherwise, it seems you know that many microsoft.com sites require ActiveX controls to run. Have you checked your Security settings in Internet Options?
Another posssibility is to disable your firewall.

If you mean what is in the very top (title) bar, I doubt it. That is just cosmetic as long as you changed it. However, if you want to change it
http://www.scotsnewsletter.com/best_of/ispbrnds.htm

 

I have the Host File

How do you want me to open this?

 

Wordpad.
Also see the last sentence added to my original post concerning your title bar.

 

Thanks

Thanks i will pursue this

 

I do noy have 127.0.0.1. Microsoft.com

I do noy have 127.0.0.1. Microsoft.com Do I need to add this "HOST" and If so How? Thanks for your imput

 

Any url you pair up with 127.0.0.1 will never be reached from your PC. That particular trick is used to block bad sites since 127.0.0.1 points right back at your PC and since hosts is the first place your PC looks for the ip address of a URL you try to reach.

Try putting the following in your browser address bar and see if it gets you to the Microsoft Support main page. Let us know since the success or failure will each help in solving your problem.

http://207.46.248.244/

 

I have access to Microsoft Support

I have access to Microsoft Support. thanks

 

Continued

I receive several Microsoft News Letters. I tried a LINK of one of these News Letters and received a "The page cannot be displayed." message This is the Link. http://go.microsoft.com/?linkid=691215

 

OK. That helps.

Your problem is DNS related. Without getting into a lot of detail, DNS is the internet piece that takes a name style URL like support.microsoft.com and translates it to a numeric IP address your PC can use like 207.46.248.244/.

The fact that you can get there by using the address but have trouble using the name pretty much points to that. The only question is exactly where the problem is.

You haven't mentioned your OS but if you run Win2K/2003 or XP, try this and see if you are 'cured' for the moment.
Click on the start button, then on run, put the following into the 'run' line and click on OK.

Code:

ipconfig /flushdns

and note the space after ipconfig and after it finishes (couple of seconds and a black box that appears and then closes) try again to reach a site by it's name or a normal link.

If that doesn't fix things up and if you are using a router/switch, pull the power cord from it, wait 30 seconds, and plug the cord back in. Try a link again.

If you are not using that device or if the reset doesn't work, locate the following files and rename them to filename.old
- hosts to hosts.old
- lmhosts to lmhosts.old
Try a link again.

Post back your results.

 

The problem Persits

I am using XP PRO thru a LYNKSIS BEFSR4. I did FLUSH the DNS. I also let the ROUTER I am using RESET. I also have this PROB on the
other Computer on this small network I am running at Home. This computer is running W98 2nd. I have tried accessing Microsoft Sites after the DNS FLUSH as well. This leads me tothe ROUTER settings. Anything that I could look for there? Let me thank you again for you taking your time to help me w/ this ISSUE.

 

From the XP-pro PC do the following and post the contents of the text file you will be creating to the forum. You will not see any results displayed to the screen since it will be written to c:\ipconfig.txt.

First open a cmd window (the DOS looking thing) by clicking on start then on run, typing in CMD, and pressing OK. Then

Code:

ipconfig /all > c:\ipconfig.txt

Now open c:\config.txt in notepad, then select all the contents and paste it in a reply here. Be sure to post the entire contents here just as they are in the file. Don't 'mask' anything by putting ** or similar so that 192.168.1.203 would become 192.***.*.*** because that will make the results worthless. And behind the router as you are, there is no security risk in posting all the information.

 

(sent via email)

Code:

Windows IP Configuration
Family PCI Fast Ethernet NIC
        Dhcp Enabled. . . . . . . . . . . : No
        IP Address. . . . . . . . . . . . : 192.168.1.20
        Subnet Mask . . . . . . . . . . . : 255.255.255.0
        Default Gateway . . . . . . . . . : 192.168.1.1
        DNS Servers . . . . . . . . . . . : 192.168.1.1
                                            205.152.0.5

It does look like DNS on your linksys device is having trouble.

Code:

 DNS Servers . .  : 192.168.1.1
                    205.152.0.5

192.168.1.1 is the internal IP address of your router and with that as the primary DNS server address as you have it, your PCs will check it and not look further for DNS information since the 2nd address (a DNS server at your ISP) is only for use if the first can't be reached for some reason.

Not sure exactly what might be wrong with the router's DNS feature but bypass it and see if things start working for you again on both your PCs. I'm betting on yes. If setting your Network Card's DNS as shown below does the trick, you can call your ISP and ask for the address of their secondary DNS and put that in as well or you can try to 'fix' whatever is wrong with the router. The 98 machine will have similar settings available on it's network card.

 

www.mocrosoft.com

The issue of the MICROSOFT SITES is any that have the IP address of: 204.46.134.155

 

Did you try changing the DNS settings on your network card?

Have you disabled your hosts file (if you have one) by renaming it to hosts.old?

204.46.0.0 - 204.47.255.255 belong to the EPA so it would be most odd to find Microsoft having anything on 204.46.134.155.

Note that 204.46.134.155 does not seem to be a live address for anyone just now so not surprising you couldn't reach it since there is nothing there to reach.

 

Pardon

207.46.134.155 I fat fingered it.

 

This is an example of the issue

This is an example of some of the Microsoft sites I have not been able to pull
up below. I did rename the HOSTS to HOST.old. There was no ImHosts. To change. I think we are on the right track however because there are serveral Microsoft sites off these News letters that I now have access to. is the a secure site issue. I did change the DNS settings. thanks again.


http://go.microsoft.com/?linkid=714129

 

LOL - I've been known to goof more than a few IP addresses myself. 207.46.134.155 is certainly part of the Microsoft block of addresses. Can't reach that particular one right now and most of my tools won't run thru the firewall at work (where I am now) so can't tell if it's a temporary glitch or something else.

The other file besides hosts is lmhosts (the first letter is L as in Larry).

And we may have another piece of the puzzle here.

http://go.microsoft.com/?linkid=714129 redirects to
http://www.microsoft.com/mscorp/execmail/2004/06-28antispam.asp

So if you have any sort of security setting to block that sort of redirect, you'd have problems.

 

No "lmhosts "as well. LOL

No "lmhosts "as well. LOL. I have tried this w/ y NAV down & my NORTON internet security down. Ihave reset my WEB settings and checked my LAN settings. I have lso checked w/ my ISP. All is in order. I run ad-aware on a regular basis and that is current. I have added the MICROSOFT URLs to my TRUSTED sites. Anything else I need to review?