Odd computer issues...

[tear2wo]

lol thats what i figured. wasnt sure if u had another computer.

u might have some mal ware or something . run malware bytes n c if that fixes the problem . system restore almost never works.

[Bullhorn7]

Id check task manager and see if any processes are taking up an ungodly amount of cpu usage or just shouldnt be there period. Youl find alot of viruses like that.

[deevergote]

Yeah, I checked the task manager for anything I didn't recognize. Nothing stood out, and anything I wasn't sure of checked out as normal.

I ran HijackThis too, and got rid of one thing. Everything else was good.

[Accrdwgnguy]

He's running Firefox, and if he had a proxy set he wouldn't be getting any sites. Sounds like an issue with https sites not loading. Clear your file cache in firefox. tools>options>advanced>network tab>under offline storage click clear now. Also while in the network tab you can check proxy by clicking the settings button and set it to No Proxy.

[deevergote]

The same issues with certain sites not loading occur within IE as well. I haven't tried Chrome yet, but I will later on today.

[h22sparkle]

Sometimes you have remember deev that aol is constantly being re-vamped with new things and more options. So as it under-goes more and more construction you can expect that at different times of the day especially when they dont tell you. Its happened to me before nothing to be worried about. Now it it happens often just re-check the connection and re-check the computers speed processer through the performance task manager it helps.

[deevergote]

Thanks Mike.

Yeah, I've tried downloadinhg new software, updating everything, even had my AIM software do the "auto configure" thing. What gets me is that it will connect with my secondary name, but it won't let me sign on with my usual deevergote name! (by the way, before it crashed, I saw your IMs to me... for whatever reason it was hiding you! )

[deevergote]

Ok, I tried in Safari to open aim.com. I got an unknown error message:
kCFErrorDomainWinSock:10054

I Googled it, and all I've been able to find were other complaints about not being able to get on secure sites. One of them mentioned an Avast update, which is quite possibe (since I am indeed running Avast... and it wouldn't be the first time that program messed with me!)

Other than that, I can't seem to find any help. It's all Windows guys like me that finally resorted to trying Apple's browser when all the common Windows browsers didn't help... and Safari is the only one that gives any error information. All of the forums I see where people are asking about this say "you're asking about Apple software on a Windows forum!"... idiot elitists...

[Ander]

Have you tried turning off the web shield on Avast?

[Masamune]

Couple things I'm thinking:

Malware - you did the scans for this with MWB and HJT, give Superantispyware a try.

Proxy settings - Mentioned and already checked on, so it couldn't be this

Avast - Ditch avast and try a different AV program. AVG or Microsoft Security Essentials are good alternatives. It sounds very much like this is your problem.

System Restore - system restore fixes your system files, not your personal files. I would still back up your documents just in case, but system restore is not the same as restoring an image of your computer.

[deevergote]

Well... I reset my modem and router. And that fixed it.

I have absolutely NO idea what could've been going on, but I'm glad everything is working as it should again! My AIM is working, secure sites are working again, etc...

Oddly enough, I discovered this when I lost the ability to connect to ANY site, and figured it'd be a good time to run ComboFix (which takes quite a while...)

I fired up my phone to find something entertaining to watch in the meantime, and it told me that I didn't have a network connection. Network detection was on, and it was seeing my router... but not connecting. Reset everything, and boom. Connected. Tried to access the previously inaccessible stuff on the computer, and that was all good too!

Thanks for the help guys. I guess it's not a virus afterall!

I may still replace Avast, though... it's never been all that great to me, and the few times it alerted me to a virus, I still ended up being infected anyway. At least it told me that I had something to get rid of... but geez... isn't the point of it to STOP those things?