Computer problem or something.....Help

One of my favorite forums is the Handyman Forum at http://www.handymanwire.com/ubbthreads/ubbthreads.php?Cat=
I am, or was actually, on there quite a lot. A few days(3?)ago something happened to where I can no longer access it. I can bring up the main page about 95% of the time, but when I select a specific forum, it won't load. It will idle, and eventually the main menu will be replaced by a blank screen but thats as far as it goes. The green progress bar on the bottom of the screen will get to the halfway point and sit there and thats all. I've allowed as much as 15-20 minutes for completion with no luck. No "Page cannot be displayed" message, nothing. I've tried a system restore, cleaned and de-fraged the disk and downloaded updates from Microsoft. No luck. My other forums are fine and even ones that use the same format as Handyman, such as Accurate Reloading are working. Other users are not having the trouble because the main page displays updated infoon the last post and the time of posting. I'm at a loss and this is a forum I realy miss. Any suggestions would be appreciated. I am on a 26.4 dial-up with Win XP. It also seems to be getting worse gradually. Some pages load quickly while others take a long time. But the Handyman forums will not load, period. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/help.gif

Clean out temporary internet files. Maybe clean out the cookies for that site. check your security settings.

I'm assuming that you are using IE. If you have Netscape or another browser, try loading the page with it. This could tell you if it's a problem with IE(internet explorer).


Oh...and by the way, thanks for the website, it looks like a wealth of info just waiting to be found. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif

Correct me if I'm wrong but the temporary internet files are erased as a part of disk cleanup are they not? Other than chocolate chip, I know NOTHING about cookies I'm afraid.
Correct, it is a great website. Thats why I'm bumming so badly! Lots of good folks to trade posts with in Around the Shop and the speciality forums have excellent advice on most everything. I make my living as a restoration carpenter so the site is important to me beyond just entertainment value. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/icon23.gif

Hi Tom,

You can clear your cookies by clicking on your TOOLS button at the top of your browser. Select "internet options" then click on "delete cookies". Cookies are a small text file on your computer that let some websites know who you are. They can be helpful when searching websites or logging into a website that you frequent. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif

Deleted cookies and temp files via the tool menu but still no dice I'm afraid.......

It's strange that I.E. only fails on that one site. I tried that site with I.E. and had no problems.

If you are desperate, you can download the Opera browser. I did that a few days ago, just to check it out. I also have a slow dialup connection. The Opera download file is only 3.3 MB if you use the one without the Java stuff. That's what I did, and it worked okay.

I still prefer I.E., but if it stops working, I'll use Opera. I like to have two of everything anyway. It makes troubleshooting easier. Two computers, two OS's on each computer, and two browsers on each OS.
http://www.opera.com/download/

Tom... just a thought... after you deleted the cookies and cleared the temp file, did you reboot? After you cleared your cookies, did you have to log in again here at CPF? If you didn't have to log in to CPF, then your cookies did NOT get cleared. Try it again, reboot your system and then come here. If you have to log in here, then your cookies are clear and then you can try that other site.

Hmmmm.... Mozilla doesn't have an problems with that site either. I am currently using Mozilla 1.3.

As usual, listen to Sasha.

In internet parlance, Cookies are little pieces of data that contain things like login information. They are not password files.

The cookies are gone but still no good. I did download opara but I may be in a little over my head installing it but will get to that soon.
I think this thing needs a .45 download...........

Yeah, 45 caliber is one of my favorites.

I re-installed Opera to see what happens. It's a piece of cake. Just run the .exe file you downloaded. The only thing I changed was where to put the icons. I unchecked everything except "quick launch". Suit yourself.

When you run it, you have a choice of two modes of advertisement. I suggest you make the second choice, as it seems with the first choice, it will track your browsing or purchasing habits.

Also when you run it, it will ask if you want Opera to be your default browser, or words to that effect. Just say no.

First, let me say thanks to you all for the advice.I'm out of my element with this!
Got oprah to run, but I've got the same problem. Main page loads, but, after clicking on a forum and waiting 15 min, no dice. We're talking virus here I assume.

Not necessarily a virus. Do you have any ad blocking, parental control, firewall, proxy .....software running?

You say your dialup is 26.4, I imagine that's your connection rate. Are you using any splitters? In other words, does your modem line go directly from the computer to the wall jack?

Who is the manufacturer of the computer? Did it come with Windows XP, or was XP an upgrade from another Windows operating system?

Also, who is your ISP(Internet Service Provider)?

We start here and work our way through basic settings, then a little deeper if need be.


I'll be in and out the rest of the day, but will keep an eye on this thread.

Mike

For whatits worth, I ran the spybot scan which identified 18 bugs or glitches or whatever. At this point it states that you must purchase the remove software to continue. The computer is an e-machine t1400 that had XP installed when purchased.To shed some more light possibly, about two weeks ago I was surfing thru some adult sites, which is something that I do very seldom. At some point, when I closed out all the windows, I discovered that my list of "Favorites" had been erased and replaced with a list of porn sites. I deleted those sites and re-built my favorite list from history.

Click here and tell me if this is the version of Spy-Bot you are using.

Mike

No I went via google to http://spybot-spyware.com/

You may want to use the one I gave the link for, it is free and works very well. Once installed, you will want to update it and scan your system.

Please note that you may want to un-install the version you are using and restart your computer before using the one I gave you.


We'll try this before going any further. I'll be back in about an hour or so.
Mike

Here's a free one that works well to remove spyware: Ad-aware

I ran spybot, removed threats then restarted the computer. Ran a second scan that came up no threats detected. However, the problem is still present. I got that .45 right here handy..........

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