IE6 won't browse untill I allow win explorer access via sygate

Hope I've posted this to the right place.

My desktop PC is running win98 se, and I recently changed from zone alarm to sygate(free versions).

The pc is setup for 2 users, its networked via a linksys router to my laptop(XP) and I am on a cable internet connection.

One user has no problems with the internet, ie6 is allowed through sygate all works ok.

The other user, although ie6 opens it will not browse until I let windows explorer have access to the net via sygate. I have tried removing all the applications from sygate, rebooted, opened up ie, clicked on google or any other site and sygate doesn't ask to let ie6 have access, instead it wants windows explorer to have access, if I deny access then no sites will appear.

If anyone can help me get back ie, without allowing windows explorer access I would be grateful.

I found this out today, because when I logged off my husbands desktop, and I logged on mine, I opened up windows explorer,(first time in ages) then my virus checker popped up saying that I had a trojan, it had found bootconf.exe a Win32.Startpage G Trojan. I cleaned the trojan and thought I'd better checkout a few things. My home page didn't seemed to have been hijacked, I use browser hijack blaster and spyware guard.

My home page is a personal web-page that I made and is on one of my hard-drives, I tried using a blank page, but the problem browsing is still there. I have used adaware and spybot to clean any spyware, and I have repaired IE6.

Never had to allow Windows Explorer access before and I can't figure out how I got this this trojan. I thought I was pretty secure.

I did a google search but could find out how to put it right, Help!! as I don't want Windows explorer to have access to the web.

Another question, when I used Zone alarm I could set the internet to secure but let my network be less secure by giving it my ip address and subnets so I could share files and folders over my network, how do I do this in Sygate?

Any help would be gratefully accepted, as I'm stumped.

Thanks,

 

Hello morg,

The Windows Explorer question wanting to access the net: as far as I know, this is peculiar to 9X systems. For further info on what might trigger this - see this thread http://www.wilderssecurity.com/index.php?board=23;action=display;threadid=13824

I dual boot WinME and XP and only in the 9X OS does Windows Explorer want access to a IP with a lot of 5's in it - sorry to be vaque - which is a respone to a ping from the WHOIS net organization - using ZoneAlarm Pro. I have allowed/not allowed access which made no difference in general net access. On XP using Sygate - no access requested.

I'm not on a network, so can't answer that question. Here is the link to the Sygate forums http://forums.sygate.com/vb/

You might try using HighjackThis:

The link for HijackThis http://www.tomcoyote.org/hjt/ There is a tutorial as well.

There are a number of Boards to post the results besides here as well. Add-Aware has a new section for just this http://www.lavasoftsupport.com/index.php?showforum=44 or at SpywareInfo http://www.spywareinfo.com/yabbse/

Once you get a "clean" log from HJT, keep it as a baseline to compare against for the future. Very easy to spot anything new, benign or not.

Regards - Charles

 

Hello

"I use browser hijack blaster and spyware guard "

Not a good Idea
"It is recommended that potential users of Browser Hijack Blaster look at SpywareGuard instead. SpywareGuard's Browser Hijack Protection is very similar to that of Browser Hijack Blaster, but is much more advanced and will provide more protection. (SpywareGuard is also freeware.)" " "
http://www.wilderssecurity.net/bhblaster.html

Lonny

 

Hi,

I'm not trying to be wise but, if ZoneAlarm was working, and you're having all sorts of problems with Sygate, why did you change? Why don't you just change back?

Ed

 

Hi there

Thanks for all the replies.

Charles,
thanks for the links, I have checked them out,
but no one seems to have the same problem.
I have sorted the security issue with the Sygate Forum link you gave, apparently sygate sets up the network automatically.

Already checked out hijack this with another forum, all ok there.
think I must have a windows problem on my user, I have now installed the myIE2 browser and and browse using this with no problems and without having to let windows explorer have access, but I would still like to get IE working again.

Lonny, I thought two would be better than one, but maybe I will remove Browser Hijack Blaster now.

Ed, I am quite happy with Sygate, no problems, just wanted to know how to set up the network part.
I swapped from zonealrm because it was taking a long time to load up, and every-time I run scandisk there were alway problems in the logs.

Thanks again, anymore suggestions would be appreciated.

Chris

 

I believe I have duplicated this on 98SE with IE6 SP1. If the computer in question has Windows Explorer open, in the Folder View on the left side, Internet Explorer is listed, and if it is clicked, Kerio [the firewall I have] tells me that Windows Explorer is trying to access the internet. I allowed it and got my IE start page in Windows Explorer in the right pane, right where the files are usually listed. I could browse with full functions.
It is nothing viral, and should be considered normal as IE is embedded into Windows 9x. This should confirm that is not just a Sygate issue, great firewall.

 

Hey Mark,

Just to add that I got this with IE5.5 SP2 and continues w/ IE6.0 on WinME.

"as IE is embedded into Windows 9x. "

That's far truer of XP now.

To set the record straight, I wrote this to morg in my reply: "and only in the 9X OS does Windows Explorer want access to a IP with a lot of 5's in it ".

That IP address is 255 255 255 255 which is an invalid address which WHOIS used to look at the first octet of your IP address to determine user type - Private/commercial.

Regards - Charles

 

Thanks for the replies,

Mark, Windows Explorer is not open when it wants to connect to the internet. Although I do have it in folder view,( I have always
had this view without any problems) and Internet Explorer is not listed there.

As the other user of this machine also has Windows Explorer set up in Folder View and this makes no difference to him browsing with IE6, I can't see how this could be causing the problem I have.

Charles, I did check this out after reading your post, and as I had the same settings in the other user I didn't think it was relevant.
Also it does not try to connect to an IP address with lots of 255's in it. It tries to connect to the IP address of the website I am trying to view.

Although my adapter subnet address does contain that type of address.

Thanks again,

 

Try uninstalling ZoneAlarm

I had a similar problem, but the only part missing is that I hadn't installed the other firewall you mention. I had disabled ZoneAlarm, but it apparently had not relinquished control over some of the port blocking features. I had to uninstall ZoneAlarm before my problem went away.