Home network works, but browsers don't

[Rigaudon]

I've got a netgear router that has worked great for months. I installed a new hard drive on a WIN98 machine this weekend. When the install was complete, I was able to copy data from another computer to the WIN98 machine with the new hard drive (added as a slave), but none of the browsers on the WIN98 can access the internet. The other computers on the network can access the internet, and the WIN98 machine appears towork on the network, but it can't get to the internet anymore. It gets that white IE error screen.

Any ideas of what the additoin of the hard drive could affect to cause my browsers to stop working ?

Thanks !!

[degsy]

Check in Internet Options>Connections>LAN
Automatically Detect Settings should be checked.
Use Proxy Server should be unchecked.

Do you have any Software Firewalls installed?

To see if the PC can connect to the Internet try a Ping.
Open a Command Prompt and type
ping www.google.com (http://www.google.com)
then press return

If the PC connects to google then it would seem that it is a browser problem.


If it is then it may be caused by spyware or virus.
Do the usualy scans using your AV and Spyware checker.

http://security.kolla.de/
http://www.tomcoyote.org/hjt/

[quest]

you might also try setting up your internet connections so that the browser knows to use your network as your main internet connection.

[Rigaudon]

:eek: How would I do that ? I'm going to try to turn off the modem and router and let them reconnect. It's strange that this PC with WIN98 was working great with the router and after I installed a second hard drive, the browsers stopped working. I think it's a network setting or address that changed as all three browsers (IE, netscape and AOL) have stopped. AOL won't connect.

I can ping internet sites using IP addresses, but I can't ping using names.

This networking stuff is great when it works, but Microsoft products and PC products in general are useless when it comes to support for the average person. I'll definitely post this one when I find it out. I've seen this problem posted on other bulletin boards, but nothing that seems to be the clear answer. I've got a WIN95 machine that works so I'll also compare as much as possible between the two to see if anything looks different.

Thanks for any input

[Rigaudon]

Just an update for anyone else that may have this issue. I completely started all over. I formated the C: drive and completely erased everything after moving the data I cared about to another computer on the network.

I then reinstalled WIN98, and the drivers for my video, audeo and network adapter.

I then opened IE (version 4.0, boy is my computer old) and voila, I'm connected to the internet.

Something happened to Windows when I installed the second hard drive. I couldn't figure out how to get it right and there is no way I'm playing around with the registry.

By reloading everthing, the computer is now a speed demon and I can reload only what I want and now have a perfectly good internet and little kids game platform.

All is well and I learned alot.

When in doubt, format C: and reinstall to fix that spaghetti registry.

Thank you Bill Gates for a wonderful design !!:wave:

[degsy]

Adding a HDD should in no way effect in install of windows or any network settings.

Glad you got it sorted :)