Cannot access most Internet sites by any browser in Vista

Question

I just received my new DELL E520, but I am very disappointed. I connected it to my domestic LAN, which is connected to Internet by ADSL. I can surf the web from any WinXP computer connected to the LAN, but when I tried to browse sites from the new Vista based desktop, I can just see Google and few other files. I cannot access most sites, of any kind. It looks like the problem is the McAfee Security Center, but I cannot find a way to change the settings to see all Internet sites! I am really angry: the new Vista is even less usable that XP. Since 98, Windows usability is got worst and worst: MS introduced so many automatic mechanisms that assumes what you want to do, that you cannot do anything else but what some damned developer decided. I want to CONTROL my system, non to be controlled by it! Now I have a new PC I paid more than €1,500.00, and I cannot even navigate in Internet! Really bad.

dejudicibus · Answer

Bill, the problem cannot be my network. In that network there are other four PCs, two desktops and two laptops, 3 with WinXP Home SP2 and 1 with WinXP Pro SP2. All of them can do anything in Internet: browsing, FP, second life, whatever I need. The only desktop which has a problem is the Dell, but it is not a matter of connection, since I can access few sites: Google, IBM, and few others. I cannot access any Italian site, or French, or German, or UK. I cannot access several US sites too, as Nasa, for instance. The problem occurs with both IE and Firefox, so it is not either a problem of browser. It seems that the responsible is McAfee, but since the ZoneAlarm firewall is not yet available on Vista, I wonder if I can uninstall it. I cannot find any option related to specific sites in McAfee. Of course I also disabled protected mode in IE. No way. I am currently posting from my good old desktop I assembled myself five years ago :)

dejudicibus · Answer

I did NOT requested McAfee!!!!!!!!! It was already installed on DELL PC!

mombodog · Answer

'I did NOT requested McAfee!!!!!!!!! It was already installed on DELL PC! '   I never said you did, don't get mad at me, I was just suggesting a resolution to your problem. Good Luck with it.

GioAguilar · Answer

If you want to control the security of your computer, why did you request McAfee??? You may know There are a lot of Internet security software for free, and you will not need to use McAfee anymore, For my own experience, I HAVE NEVER used McAfee or Norton, and all the computers I've had never gave problems for spyware or virus....   So yes On this forum we have seen many McAfee problems, So you can go to MSCONFIG and disable ALL McAfee servies or just one (McAfee Redirector Service). And see how it goes...

mombodog · Answer

The problem is not Vista, it is that Horrid McAfee software, remove it, Vista is very secure on its own, the only thing you need is Anti-Virus software and here are some excellent Free ones.   http://www.download.com/Avast-Home-Edition/3000-2239_4-10019223.html  Avast   http://www.download.com/AVG-Anti-Virus-Free-Edition/3000-2239_4-10320142.html    http://home3.ca.com/Microsoft/Default.aspx?sc_lang=en-US  1 year free trial, excellent software.

Fing · Answer

@dejudicibus wrote:
I did NOT requested McAfee!!!!!!!!! It was already installed on DELL PC!

Yea, they loaded it on mine as well... Even tho I clicked the option to have "NO PRELOADED SOFTWARE!"

I removed EVERYTHING they had installed on my system. And I do mean "everything" Then reloaded Vista.

It's a much faster and seemingly happy rig now.

Oh and mobodog... I've run Mcafee's Security suite on my systems for over four years with absolutly no problems. Not a single virus or piece of malware has made it to any of my rigs without being stopped by it. and... It's even nicer right now, as my current ISP gives it to me for FREE! ;)

Fing · Answer

@mombodog wrote:
Vista is very secure on its own,

Oh mombodog.... That is the funniest line I've read here to date! ROFL.

Any IT worth their paycheck will agree that altho Vista's Security is better than XP's, it still leaves a lot to be desired.

Fing · Answer

Nope... not IT to IT.. and not helping with the problem either. I'm still trying to see if there is a setting somewhere that could be causing the problem of only being able to hit a few select websites. Can't find one either in Vista or the Mcafee software.

It is possible the preloaded Mcafee install is causing the trouble. (I didn't leave the preloaded version on my rig long enough to know if it was even working.) Removed it and loaded the latest and greatest as provided by my ISP. I hate trialware.

Try Going to Programs and features. Hi-light the Mcafee software, and hit the "uninstall" button. When it's done, restart your computer and see if the problem was corrected.

mombodog · Answer

Fing, this is a user to user forum not IT to IT, I do agree with your statement but hardly applies to home users, Most security vulnerabilities on home systems are users themselves, and there is no protection from that.   'Any IT worth their paycheck will agree that altho Vista's Security is better than XP's, it still leaves a lot to be desired'   No such thing as a bulletproof OS, or software that makes it so.

mombodog · Answer

Fing,   Here is an article about problems connecting to secure websites http://support.dell.com/support/topics/global.aspx/support/dsn/en/document?docid=211DB71FE1854A20935641FEF587ACC8&c=us&l=en&s=gen   I have encountered more problems with McAfee products than I have success's, so I am definitely bias towards it. I am basically lazy, if it is easier to remove it and find something else, I do it. I also reinstall XP when it gets to buggy, don't care what is wrong, just get it back to prime running condition asap.   I tend to go to more extreme measures for people here than I do for myself, but sometimes I advise the easy route, rip it out and find something else that works out of the box.   Also you do not know who's getting ddos'ed on any given day, sometimes connectivity for some sites returns the next day or two, most young people who post here are in a panic if things don't work 24/7/365, and want immediate answers and results.

Fing · Answer

Good article...

I'm with you on the reload bit... My install disks and I are close friends. One of my copies of XP has been reloaded so often I get to call MS every time to get it activated.

Only had this Dell for about a month. Vista has been reloaded once... Best thing I ever did for it. lol

I wonder if our friend here has had any luck getting the surfing issue corrected yet... It's hard to figure some of these things out when I can't recreate the problem at my end.

Could very well be something as simple as a firmware update for his router.

I haven't been able to locate any IE or Mcafee settings that stand out as being able to cause this issue.

ivanyshka7 · Answer

I thought that I am the only one with the same problem. I also have two older Dell desktops and one Dell laptop on my network. McAffe security center is on all of them. I also subscribed to stream TV and everything is working fine. I have problems only with my new desktop with Vista Ultimate on it. I have to tell you that I constantly search internet and I found some solutions that allowed me finally to get through. Some of the solutions require to turn off some of the Vista security features but I do not wary too much because I have double firewall(two routers).

dejudicibus · Answer

Well, the router is USR 8001 and the ADSL modem is USR 9003, but that is nit the point: they perfectly work for all the other machines: the problem is McAfee SecurityCentre first (uninstalling it and removing IE protections allowed me to surf the web by IE) and Vista itself (its TCP settings are preventing Firefox to work). You can find technical info in Bugzilla. More and more I use Vista, I would like to have ordered a preinstalled version of XP... :(

dejudicibus · Answer

Well Bill, I just uninstalled McAfee completely, activated Vista firewall (until ZoneAlarm for Vista will be available) and installed an old version of McAfee anti-virus. Now I can navigate by IE but not by Firefox. Browsing the web I found out that the problem is Vista: MS changed the TCP defaults and many Cisco devices in Internet do not comply. A fix MIGHT be to use «netsh interface tcp» command to «set global» ofa specific parameter to «disabled», but when I try Vista says that i am no authorized EVEN IF I am the desktop administrator.... I am really going to hate Vista. Even to drag and drop a file it asks me if I really am authorized to do it three times!

Windows General

Cannot access most Internet sites by any browser in Vista

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