Hi,

For the past 3 weeks or so i have been UNABLE to log into hotmail, sign onto msn MESSENGER and purchase anything over the internet from the usual online shops; play.com etc. I have run all the usual anti spyware programs: spybot, ad aware and avast antivirus aswell as disk cleanup, defrag, and removing cookies/temporary internet files. i have a hp pavilion computer windows xp sp2, 2.80ghz 512mb ram. I cant remember for sure but i think the problem stems from me fiddling with the internet connection settings - which services use the internet for example. i think these were things like printer sharing service and .net passport network, which i think is linked to the hotmail and msn problem.

does anyone have a solution or encountered this problem before?

thanksHere's a start:

Online Virus Scan and Spyware Scan
http://www.pandasoftware.com/products/activescan.htm


1. Start
2. Settings
3. Control Panel
4. Internet Options
5. Security tab
6. Reset all 4 security zones to Default

1. Start
2. Settings
3. Control Panel
4. Internet Options
5. Privacy
6. Restore 1 Default button

1. Start
2. Settings
3. Control Panel
4. Internet Options
5. Advanced
6. Restore 1 Default button

You may need to do the following as well

1. Start
2. Settings
3. Control Panel
4. Internet Options
5. General tab
6. Remove cookies, temporary files and history

Kudos to Raptor and Fed.Go on, what settings exactly did you fiddle with? Certainly the .NET passport STUFF will be related to MS site security.

Have you tried using a different browser? If you're using IE, you should change it anyway. Try Firefox, Opera, Slimbrowser or Maxthon.hi, i tried the online security test and it identified around 30 spywares, all of which were cookies. i have cleared all pivate data in firefox and also followed the advice for IE, but the problem still stands. i fiddled with the settings for:

Internet Protocol (TCP/IP)
File and Printer Sharing for Microsoft Networks
Client for Microsoft Networks

Currently, they are all enabled (ticked), is this correct?

The problem seems to be with submitting data; transactions and logging into the hotmail account although i can still log into my yahoo account. Seems very strange. In addition, after running spybot, i found a piece of spyware named something like Disable.Microsoft.Firewall, which i removed but it turns up on every scan.

Thanks for help so farSounds like you are not completely free of malware I'm afraid. As my good friend GX1_Man would say, until that point, all bets are off.

Would you be averse to a reformat-reinstall? Starting with a clean slate is helpful, therapeutic and cures most woes (other than the woe of running MS Windows itself).looks like a dead end then?

As an intermediate computer user, i tend to experiment quite alot, after all its the best way to learn, but obviously it can lead to situations like these where there is no way out but a clean wipe of the hard drive.

I've been thinking of getting an external hard drive, to store my music and films on (as i have more than 30gb worth; too much to back up on dvds), what are the pros and cons of this, eg would any viruses be able to get onto the external hd and how easy is it to update the hd with data (would it be drag and drop like a flash drive?)

CheersQuote

looks like a dead end then?

would any viruses be able to get onto the external hd

and how easy is it to update the hd with data (would it be drag and drop like a flash drive?)

looks like a dead end then?

As an intermediate computer user, i tend to experiment quite alot, after all its the best way to learn, but obviously it can lead to situations like these where there is no way out but a clean wipe of the hard drive.

[highlight]I've been thinking of getting an external hard drive, to store my music and films on (as i have more than 30gb worth; too much to back up on dvds), [/highlight]what are the pros and cons of this, eg would any viruses be able to get onto the external hd and how easy is it to update the hd with data (would it be drag and drop like a flash drive?)

Cheers

Just remember that ALL hard drives die eventually, so not backing up to secure media like CD/DVD's will only postpone, not prevent, a total loss of data. Just a thought.

Did you not post a link a few days ago

to a site that showed how long you can Expect CD's to last, i think it said that in Perfect Conditions a cd would last 50 years , if it was a good CD

ok thanks for all the advice, i'll probably end up reformatting and getting an external hd, as the prospect of my music collection spread over several discs scares me!. In addition, it would be far easier to add the odd album or two to an HD rather than waiting for 4.7gb to burn onto a disk.

1. Would an external HD randomly die on me even if i only connected it for 30mins a week just to update?

2. Are there any programs/built in windows features which update your external HD from selected folders when you connect, similarly like an iPod would in iTunes?

3. How often do the more experienced users among you have to reformat because of viruses/spyware? or do you reformat every so often just to start again?