USB Mouse in Windows XP Safe Mode

Huh? Now that I posted, your last post suddenly appeared.  VERY strange!

Well, the whole issue with the PassShow malware download that happened today got me thinking. Part of the fix to remove it was to reset my Firefox browser to default settings. The default connection setting for internet I think is "Use System Proxy Settings", which may be default connection settings provided by my ISP. After resetting Firefox, that was the proxy setting selected. But when FF reset for me, all of a sudden I couldn't connect to any server with Firefox....every page tab to every website started giving "Unable to Connect to Server" msgs. It was like my router crashed. So I called my ISP support, and the guy told me to select "Auto-Detect Proxy Settings", and Firefox worked again. But now IE and Chrome can not connect to any server, so I guess I'll have to go into them and adjust their settings....

Also another thing: while I was trying to update the driver for the Logitech SetPoint management software, I found a download but it used a downloader software called SoftonicDownloader. I guess it's sort of a type of torrent file downloader. But when I tried to run the downloader program, it said that I wasn't connected to the internet, even though I am...

So definitely something is all screwy with my internet connection settings. There may be some firewalls also operating, although if it is I never set them. I have Windows Defender disabled, and haven't downloaded Windows Essentials. Disabling the Windows Firewall in Control Panel didn't help the Quake Live game, so I don't know what else is in there in my PC messing things up. I'm just trying to get my PC's internet settings put back into order...

LOL, my entire thread is disappearing....

:emotion-2::emotion-7:

Have you rebooted the router?

I suspect you may still have malware on this system. Suggest you go to spywarehammer.com and let them help you make sure the system is clean before you put much more energy into sorting out the internet problems.

And ask Dell for the MCE Reinstall DVD asap and run sfc again.

At this time, you might consider upgrading to Windows 7, as support  for XP is ending in three months.

Hi ROHE, I did reboot the router/modem, and the same issue remains. Thanks for the tip about spywarehammer.com - I will check them out tonight. I did also contact my local ISP (Time Warner Cable), and have scheduled for a tech to visit Sunday to check my system.

One thing I did do, was visit Gibson Research Corporation's website - www.grc.com - and used their ShieldsUp program that tests PC firewalls to see if they active and working. GRC's ShieldsUp sends a signal to my PC to see if it can get past any firewall I have enabled. Anyhow, I left my firewall enabled, used the test, and it came back with a positive result that my firewall was working. Then I disabled my Windows hardware firewall (found in control panel>Windows Firewall or Security Center that are both found there), and did the test again. It again came back positive that I had a firewall somehow blocking the signal.

So I guess I still have some firewall active, but don't know how to locate it? Typically you have the hardware firewall (windows firewall), then after that it'd have to be a software firewall, like a feature that's included in an AV program. But I use AVG Free, and that isn't supposed to come with a firewall - only the purchased AVG has it. I have Windows Defender, but it's been totally disabled for years now, and still shows disabled. So I don't know what else would be acting as a firewall, and don't know how to pinpoint it to see. If it's truly a modem/router firewall that's somehow been enabled, hopefully the ISP tech that's coming can find it. I'll report back and update on what he/she finds out, if anything...

The E310 is compatible with Windows 7 and 8, and Windows 8.1 32-bit. I recommend Windows 7, because it has the best UI;  Newegg frequently offers Win7 Home Premium for $80 and eBay sellers have it for even less.

My E310 is configured with Windows 8.1 32-bit, 4gb RAM, a 120gb SSD and an HIS 6450 PCIe-x1 video card. You don't have to run the upgrade adviser, because it has been confirmed that the E310 can do all these things.

If you have a router. it probably has a firewall, either software or hardware, built in.

If FF connects but the others don't, then there's likely an incorrect setting somewhere in the XP Network control panel or in the browsers. And/or, you have malware.

Well, I will consider this as my final update to this issue:

I finally got a support person with ID to contact me. I allowed him to access my PC using an app called TeamViewer, and he solved my issue. It turns out what RoHe said above was the issue - somehow my settings for Windows Internet Explorer was totally scrambled, and this caused all my connectivity issues. I guess my PC's internal Windows connectivity - whether I use Firefox, Chrome, or other browser - is somehow all tied into the settings for my IE. Anyhow, the tech corrected the issues, and even helped clean up my PC as he found over 4GB of junk .tmp files on it as well as removed about 15 unnecessary processes running, which helped my PC run smoother. Anyhow, the fix was what was needed, and I can now connect to the game server for both Quake Live as well as Steam. I also did a disc defrag to clean up my hard drive.

Thanks so much to RoHe and Rdunnhill for your help with this issue. I'm glad that this community forum was here to explain my problem to, as most of the other support sites (Logitech, Mozilla) were not very responsive. Thanks again, and cheers!

I finally got a support person with ID to contact me. I allowed him to access my PC using an app called TeamViewer,

Glad you got it sorted, but who was the support person you allowed to remote into your PC??

That makes me nervous. I suggest you run thorough scans for malware on this system asap. You might consider going to spywarehammer.com, registering there and let the experts help you look for malware, all for free.

Many of the experts at spywarehammer.com are also members of this forum so they know Dell systems well and are trustworthy. They won't remote into your system, but they'll tell you how to run the scan for yourself and they'll review the results to see if there are any problems. Be sure to read their instructions before posting over there, and include your PC model, version of Windows and a link to this thread...

Hi lacene,

Apparently there are some posts missing from this discussion, so I will do my best to understand the problem. I hope whoever connected remotely to your computer did not charge you. Dell Community does not charge for our advice in these forums, and neither does SpywareHammer. In fact, SpywareHammer has firewall/network specialists on their tech staff.

Just to add to RoHe's suggestion to post at SpywareHammer, please use your same username as here so that your registration can be approved and staff can be notified to pick up your logs as soon as possible. Help is free. They do not use remote access but will advise you step-by-step on what you can do.
Don't forget to check your email and click on the link they send you in order to confirm your registration. You will need to post two logs.
The instructions are at the top of their forum.

Good luck!

Hey Bugbatter. The Support guy from ID did not charge me at all...I corresponded with him on ID's IRC chatroom, as I was having trouble getting quick responses from the regular support method of emails. He had me download some software (TeamViewer), which he used to access my PC. I sat there and watched everything he did, as well as assisted him in some things (inputting passwords for the game, etc.). When it was all done, after he exited I uninstalled Teamviewer, which he advised me to do. And I have also done new virus scans since then. Cheers!