Shortcuts to Network Connections

Hey everybody

Here's the situation I've got. I've been doing tech support for my family in Egypt. They're new to computers so I've been doing a lot of maintenance work from here using a program called Teamviewer (it allows me to monitor their computer from my own right here. I can "use" their computers from here and see the monitor. Highly recommend it.)

However, the problem is they seem to have deleted the explorer.exe file from their system. I think Avast must have killed it....

Now I know everything else is still working. We can get them to firefox and different programs through Run. But I can't get them internet. Usually what they do to access or enable the internet is hit an icon called "Connect to ISP" on their desktop to activate the connection.

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Here's what I need. If someone can give me a way to activate the connection (or at least see the network places) using something from Run that would be really helpful. "Run Network Connections" doesn't work.

If we can do that... I'm hoping I can download and run a linux package in the mean time (Since they don't have access to their windows xp cd)

Hope you guys can help.

Thanks

 

What version of Windows? Dialup or something else? Using a router? Did they look in the Vault in Avast to see if it was there?

 

Windows XP.

ADSL.

Pretty sure not in the vault, I made the mistake of setting Avast on "auto delete ".

 

To me Auto Delete on anything is a mistake. Never have a chance to get it back if need be. With an AV program, it may think that something is bad and it could be one of those false postives and you really need it. Seen that more then a few times.
Straight with a modem and no router involved?

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/314067

 

One of the first things I asked them to do was to "run firefox ", which they did. Firefox browser opened up but no active connection.

You might be right about explorer.exe file not being deleted (why do you think it hasn't been deleted? We tried to run explorer.exe and it could not be found)

Not sure. I don't know the details on their configuration and I'm pretty sure they won't know the difference. I imagine there is a router though....

What's the relevance? Er... lets say its one or the other what do you recommend I do for either scenario.

And yes. I realize the limits on uncontrolled Avs....
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But on a side note thanks a lot guys for the prompt responses.
I was initially afraid I wouldn't get any responses.

 

Eliminate the router. See if they can get on line with just the Modem. NIC Card to modem and bypass the router for now.

 

Okay I see what you're saying. God willing, I'll tell them to give it a try....

That'd be pretty sweet if that directly connected them to the net.

 

Sorry for a newb question.... but how am I supposed to go straight from computer to line?

The router is what I'm using to convert from telephone line to ethernet line aren't I?

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On a side note... can you think of any paths for me to check out the network connections for right now?

Thanks again

 

Nope. You don't convert nothing. That is done by the ISP when they hand it to you. Normally, with DSL, the company supplies a modem and a cat 5 cable. You hook your telephone line into the modem. Then you hook the cat 5 cable to your NIC card in your PC. The cat 5 cable looks like a telephone cable except that it has 4 pairs in it and a bigger plug then the phone cable has. Now, when you use a router also to connect other PC's to the DSL line, you will hook the phone line to the modem, then the cat 5 cable to a plug on the router marked for it. Then another cat 5 cable to one of the ports on the router. Wireless will just pick up the signal from the router. They make a Wired and a Wireless router. The only real difference looking at them is the Wireless one will have 1 or 2 antenna's on the back of it to broadcast the signal to the wireless card in the PC's.
How to hook up DSL to Modem:
http://www.labridge.com/site/pages/configure/my/DSL/dslhookup/default.html