my internet connection hell!

[Jari37]

Hi guys,

I've searched around, but can't seem to find any solutions to this problem, so I thought I'd post something.

I seem to have recently picked up some kind of infection that messes around with my internet connection. Essentially what happens is that most of the time my access to the internet is blocked - it says I'm connected, but I can't look at any sites. Sometimes I can use it ok, but then suddenly it stops, coming up with the 'can't find server' message, following which I have to disconnect then reconnect. This usually works for a few minutes, then it stops again.

Bizarrely, when it screws up, I can always access one site in my favourites - a football forum, which interestingly enough has a purely numerical address. this seems significant somehow. god alone knows why that would make any difference, but it's weird the way every other site will be blocked, except this one.

I've run AVG/spybot/trend micro anti-spyware a million times, and all I see are tracking cookies - nothing more sinister. There was a time a while ago when on the window that pops up when connecting to the internet, my username/password had been changed, by viral interference I guess. Anyway, I sorted that, but then this started happening. I've been making do for a while, disconnecting/reconnecting all the time, but suddenly I'm not able to do even that, and my internet access is consequently buggered.

I use Firefox, have a broadband connection, & use Zonealarm firewall. It used to work fine until I had that virus (whatever it was), and I suspect I half removed something which continues to haunt me.

do any of you nice people have any bright ideas?

any help much appreciated.

[pip22]

The usual procedure in such cases is to install a utility called "HijackThis" which, when you run it, detects and creates a log of everything that's running on your PC, including the malware stuff that might be running behind the scenes and screwing up your connection.

The ST & T forum, however, don't appear to have a malware section which specialises in giving advice on HijackThis logs. So I'm going to stick my neck out and direct you to a forum which does.

Read the "sticky" posts here for expert advice on this issue:

http://www.geekstogo.com/forum/Malwa...-Here-f37.html

You'll have to register if you want to post to it, of course. But I know of no better source of expert malware help.

[Jari37]

thanks v. much, but a helpful soul has already sorted this for me. my DNS thing was all wrong apparently.

cheers for the help though.

[oddjob]

Glad to hear you got it fixed, Jari37.

The advice from pip22 was excellent in that HJT can reveal things which wouldn't ordinarily come to light.

Yes, pip22, we don't have a dedicated HJT forum here (and Geeks2Go is a superb site) but I am a qualified HJT analyst so can analyse any logs posted on this site.

Another member, Jazz, can also give advice on HJT logs but I don't think he's around all that often.

So ... note for anyone who may be interested ... please post your HJT logs here and, if I'm not obviously here online, send me a PM. I pick them up regularly.

Actually, Jari37, it would be a good idea to post a HJT log here anyway so I can give your computer a "health check". It's easy to do and HJT is very quick. This is how.

Download a self-extracting copy of HijackThis from here …….

http://downloads.malwareremoval.com/hijackthis_sfx.exe

Save it to your Desktop.

Double-click on the file hijackthis_sfx.exe file and it will self-extract into its own folder ……

C:\Program Files\HijackThis

Go to this folder and run the hijackthis.exe file.

From the menu click on "Do a system scan and save a logfile".

Copy and paste the HJT logfile to this thread. More specific removal instructions will follow if any malware shows up.


OJ