Comp Issues

[Sable]

Ok, I'm hoping someone can help me resolve this issue I'm having with the comp. Before I list the trouble, I've already run ad-aware and did a virus scan. Everything comes up clean. Defrag was done about half a week ago and temp files and cookies are all dumped. And we're running on Windows XP, if that helps.

My fiance and I have our own domain and I was trying to install a web calendar onto a subdomain that I host for someone. Installation is all fine and dandy, but when I click on the url or enter it manually to access this calendar, it keeps saying that the site cannot be found; but it installed perfectly.

We also play an online game called Utopia. There are times when we will log into our account and begin doing things in it, and it'll suddenly say that we have provided an incorrect password and that we need to log in again. This gets rather frustrating while trying to maintain our accounts to have to keep logging back in - even though the correct password is entered correctly the very first time.

We have a weblink bar where we keep links to our favorite sites. We now have to double click to get the sites to load - SWFans is one of those sites. There are plenty of times when we'll get the same "Site Not Found" error message, even though the URL is correct.

If anyone has any idea about what may be causing this, please post a response. Any tips, advice and help is most appreciated.

Thank you in advance.

[Milivikal k'Vik]

Is WinXP completely up to date?

http://v4.windowsupdate.microsoft.com/en/default.asp

Also, the weblink bar may or may not be a piece of spyware. Could you post a screenshot?

[Sable]

Ok, here's the link to the screen shot. I'm pretty sure the bar isn't spyware but it can't hurt to check.

And yup, we have the automatic updates and we just had new updates installed last night.

http://www.sharnyl.net/image002.jpg

[Morgan Evanar]

Whenever I go to look at the screenshot, in either FF or IE, I get this or a similar variant:

(none) 68.158.198.86 /image002.jpg 404 Mozilla/5.0 (Windows; U; Windows NT 5.1; en-US; rv:1.6) Gecko/20040206 Firefox/0.8 sharnyl.net

[Sable]

I don't understand this at all. It uploaded perfectly to our domain. I'm getting so frustrated with these issues that I want to cry, lol.

Hmm, how about now? Does it show?

Edit: Bah! I give up! I can't make the screenshot kb size any smaller than 42 kb. Is it ok to attach it then remove the attachment once you look at it?

[Marcus Telcontar]

We have a weblink bar where we keep links to our favorite sites

Get rid of it. None of them are any more than POS's. Run Firefix and use it's Bookmark Folder toolbar.

Next question - where is this domain hosted. On your local network or on a ISP?

[Sable]

Umm, I'm guessing its on a local network. Host-Domain.net is where we got it from. We've never had any trouble at all until recently. I figured that maybe, atleast for the troubles that I'm having with our domain, I'd send them a support request. I should get a response within the next twelve hours on that.

I just can't figure out what may be causing the rest of these irritating issues. I'm wondering if maybe it could be something with our ISP provider? The past few days, its been taking forever for pages to load and many times we still keep getting the site not found page when we visit our favorite sites.

We only visit SWFans, Utopia, our email, and a couple of other forums. We don't go to many sites at all.

Is there a link for this Firefix? I'd like to check it out.

[Marcus Telcontar]

Your not using Firefox?

http://www.mozilla.org

It should be manatory, before anyone asks about PC problems, they install this BEFORE asking anything. IE is the bastard child of browsers and causes far too many problems.


Umm, I'm guessing its on a local network

If you cant answer the question, then I very much doubt you are. In fact, IP tracing hints its not the case. Get onto host-domain.com for the website issues, they will be the ones who can solve that.

[Sable]

Thanks Marcus. I appreciate your help. I'm reading over this website that you linked me to. I've read plenty of posts on SWFans about using Mozilla but truth be told, I'm scared to download it. I'm afraid I'm going to screw something up. Do I want to download Mozilla 1.6? Mozilla 1.7 RC 1? or Firefox 0.8?

[Morgan Evanar]

Firefox 8 or Mozzy 1.6 :)

Edit: IE is far more likely to screw something up than Mozilla, since Mozzy is in no way connected to the operating system.

[Sable]

Ok, thanks Morgan. I have no shame in admitting freely that I am very comp/operating system illiterate so I appreciate the help, tips and links immensely. I've started the download for Firefox 0.8 and am currently reading the information provided for it on the website that Marcus was kind enough to link me to.

I'm a little confused though as to what I do with the windows explorer that came with the comp. Do I have to disable it? Remove it? Just pretend it doesn't exist and not click the desktop icon for it ever again???

[Morgan Evanar]

Pretend IE doesn't exist. You should also uninstall anything that isn't the google bar.

[Sable]

Hmm ok. Download finished and I'm currently viewing the forums on this firefox thing. its a little different and takes a little getting use to, but I think I like it. Pretending that the IE icon doesn't exist won't be too hard to do. This forum loads a little differently on this firefox thing but I suppose that's to be expected. I do like that it transferred over the sites my fiance and I have bookmarked as favorites so we don't have to do that all over again.

Thanks again guys :) You're help and wisdom is most appreciated.