To help troubleshoot this problem, go to Start > Run and type cmd then click OK. In the command prompt window that opens, type ipconfig /all then hit the enter key. Write down the output from this command or select it and save it to a txt file, then copy this output into a reply to this message.

Also, find the file on your computer named hosts (note that the file has no extension and is not the file named hosts.sam and it is usually located in the folderC:\Windows\drivers\etc folder).  Open the file in notepad and see if yahoo.com is listed there.  If it is close the hosts file and rename to hosts.old.   If this is the case, then some spyware or hijacker has compromised your computer and should scan for and remove all spyware.

Steve

Steve -

Thanks for the prompt reply.  Here is the output from the ipconfig /all command:

Windows IP Configuration

        Host Name . . . . . . . . . . . . : OurNewDell4600
        Primary Dns Suffix  . . . . . . . :
        Node Type . . . . . . . . . . . . : Hybrid
        IP Routing Enabled. . . . . . . . : No
        WINS Proxy Enabled. . . . . . . . : No
        DNS Suffix Search List. . . . . . : hsd1.ca.comcast.net.

Ethernet adapter Local Area Connection:

        Connection-specific DNS Suffix  . : hsd1.ca.comcast.net.
        Description . . . . . . . . . . . : Intel(R) PRO/100 VE Network Connection
        Physical Address. . . . . . . . . : 00-0C-F1-94-F2-8C
        Dhcp Enabled. . . . . . . . . . . : Yes
        Autoconfiguration Enabled . . . . : Yes
        IP Address. . . . . . . . . . . . : 67.172.113.122
        Subnet Mask . . . . . . . . . . . : 255.255.248.0
        Default Gateway . . . . . . . . . : 67.172.112.1
        DHCP Server . . . . . . . . . . . : 68.87.76.10
        DNS Servers . . . . . . . . . . . : 204.127.202.4
                                            216.148.227.68
        Lease Obtained. . . . . . . . . . : Saturday, October 15, 2005 2:48:26 PM
        Lease Expires . . . . . . . . . . : Wednesday, October 19, 2005 6:30:27AM

Also, here are the contents of the hosts file (I found no reference to yahoo.com):

# Copyright (c) 1993-1999 Microsoft Corp.
#
# This is a sample HOSTS file used by Microsoft TCP/IP for Windows.
#
# This file contains the mappings of IP addresses to host names. Each
# entry should be kept on an individual line. The IP address should
# be placed in the first column followed by the corresponding host name.
# The IP address and the host name should be separated by at least one
# space.
#
# Additionally, comments (such as these) may be inserted on individual
# lines or following the machine name denoted by a '#' symbol.
#
# For example:
#
#      102.54.94.97     rhino.acme.com          # source server
#       38.25.63.10     x.acme.com              # x client host

127.0.0.1       localhost

My fingers are crossed. 

Thanks again, Alan

Steve -

I tried your last suggestion, and I still have the same problem.  Any other ideas?

Thanks again

Everything looks good in both the ipconfig output and the hosts file.  Try opening the command prompt window again and this time type ipconfig /flushdns and see if that helps.

Steve

Normally it is the dns server located at your isp.  The only time this wouldn't apply is if the URL of the web site is listed in the hosts file on your computer, in which case the URL would be directed to the IP address listed in your hosts file.  Your hosts file is not doing this, so you are not reaching the dns server at your isp.

The only thing I can suggest at this point is to reset your network.  Shut down everything, then wait 5 minutes.  Turn on the modem and wait another 5 minutes.  Then turn on the computer. 

Do you have any third party firewalls (McAfee, Norton, Zone Alarm) installed that might be blocking dns? 

Steve

Anyone: What translates a URL address into an IP number address?  Is it software on our, i.e., sending computer, or does the translation take place on the ISP's server? 

I'm still trying to figure out why I can get on the Internet using an IP address but not using a URL.

Thanks for any help.

I tried 5+5 minute shutdown to reset my network, but with the same result.

I do indeed have a third party firewall: Norton Internet Security 2005 with Spyware version.  However, I have turned it off in several trials and used the Windows firewall instead.  And the problem persists.

It just occurred to me that the blank address line in IE might be a clue.  It seems to me that IE may return the "page cannot be displayed" message because the URL it is trying to follow is the characters "                    ". 

This leads me to the question: "What is it that puts the link into the address field?.

BTW, I tried typing and pasting in the URL without success.  The only way I'm able to get on the internet is by repeated tries.  Lately, the second try works; but every once in awhile, it takes three tries.  Weird...

Thanks again for any help,

Alan

Steve -

I'll try your latest suggestions.

I guess the spyware detection feature of Norton is too wimpy to detect this.

Thanks for your reply.  I appreciate it.

Alan

Steve -

I down-loaded and ran the scans from Ad-Aware and Spybot, and removed the garbage they found.  It wasn't much though.  However, I was not able to get the updates for either program.  I kept getting the "program is not responding" message in the task manager window.

I also posted my problem on the HihackThis site, but I haven't received a response yet.

If I insisted on the Comcast technician bringing a laptop to my home and trying to get on the internet through my  modem, would that make any sense?

Thanks for the support, Alan

Try downloading and running lspfix from Here.

Steve

Thanks for the response.

I downloaded and ran the LSP-Fix program, and I still had the same problem.

Two Comcast technicians just left here.  They were able to access the internet with their laptop hooked to my modem and cable, so that should eliminate a DNS server problem as the cause. 

They also downloaded and installed the Mozilla browser, and the same problem remained.  That should eliminate Internet Explorer as a culprit.

So here I am stuck again.

Any other ideas?

Alan

Have you tried using System Restore ot restore your computer to a state it was in prior to having the problem?  Have you tried compeletely uninstalling Norton Internet Security to see if it is causing the problem (sometimes disabling the product still leaves residuals running)? 

Steve

Steve -

You nailed it.  I completely uninstalled NIS, and the problem disappeared.

I reinstalled NIS, and the problem reappeared.  I tried this three times.

What still puzzles me is that I have been running NIS successfully for almost two years without changing any settings.  The only changes that occurred were initiated by Norton via their "Live Update" feature.

Thank you very much for your help.  Now I'll have more time to spend on the golf course!

Alan