Member Avatar for chillibin

when i open internet explorer i always get page cannot be displayed. i press refresh and it opens - then some pages will open while others give me the same message. i have windows xp and am on dsl modem. i have deleted temp files and have run spybot - still no help. i tried adaware but then it said it was connected to the internet but couldnt open any pages or my email. can anyone help me?
thanks

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Dani AI

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Brief, practical diagnostics and fixes that build on comments from , , , and . Intermittent "page cannot be displayed" on an XP + DSL system is commonly caused by: corrupt network stack after spyware/ad removals, DNS or proxy/hosts problems, firewall/AV interception, modem/router issues, or wrong system time breaking secure/media connections. The replies already point to useful directions (alternate browser, winsock reset, IE defaults); the checklist below helps identify which one it is and how to fix it safely.

Basic connectivity checks (run from a command prompt to separate DNS from raw connectivity):

ping 8.8.8.8
ping example.com
nslookup example.com
tracert example.com
ipconfig /flushdns
ipconfig /release
ipconfig /renew

Interpretation notes: a successful ping to 8.8.8.8 but failed ping to example.com → DNS problem. Both fail → local link/modem/router or firewall. Tracert shows where the route drops. Flushing DNS and renewing DHCP often clears transient name or lease problems.

Other targeted steps (do these without repeating earlier commands): verify Internet Explorer has no proxy set (malware commonly sets a bogus proxy), inspect the hosts file at C:\Windows\System32\drivers\etc\hosts for unexpected redirects, temporarily disable any firewall/web‑shield to test interference, and test with another machine or browser while bypassing the router (connect directly to the modem) to rule out the router or ISP. Resetting the Winsock/catalog (as recommended) or reinstalling the network adapter driver can fix stack corruption caused by spyware removal. Also check system date/time (as notes) — wrong clock breaks TLS and DRM and can cause load failures for some sites or media.

Cautions and next steps: back up the hosts file and create a restore point before making registry or network-stack changes. If none of the above isolates the problem, repair IE settings (some have had success restoring defaults, per ), reinstall network drivers, or consider a full OS upgrade—Windows XP is unsupported and more likely to suffer stability and security issues.

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Member Avatar for shortbus

The status bar for web pages, when maximized is down by the start button. Pay close attention to what's going on there. Gives a lot of info.
Something I have just recently done, because I got sick and tired of spyware, is switch to Firefox. http://www.mozilla.org/products/firefox/
Basically all spyware is aimed at Internet Explorer. Don't use Internet Explorer and you don't get spyware.
The switch seemed a bid goofy at first but once you discover the extensions, add ons and themes, it is so much better .... and safer.

Member Avatar for NED_KELLY_GUY

HI,

I have also just started having this problem. I am seraching for a solution also. It also causes webapplications to fail like launching a movie or audio file from a new website. I can't refresh this function so it fails. All sites are accesible by hitting refresh. I have also got another problem at the same time in windows MCE that might be related. I have been told to make sure my time and date settings are correct. Have yet to try out. I'll keep you posted.

thanks

Alan

when i open internet explorer i always get page cannot be displayed. i press refresh and it opens - then some pages will open while others give me the same message. i have windows xp and am on dsl modem. i have deleted temp files and have run spybot - still no help. i tried adaware but then it said it was connected to the internet but couldnt open any pages or my email. can anyone help me?
thanks

Member Avatar for gemini4

Try the following: Go to start, choose Run, type cmd. In the black box that shows up type the following: netsh winsock reset catalog .
Restart your computer,

Member Avatar for WWW.NEWBID.NET

when i open internet explorer i always get page cannot be displayed. i press refresh and it opens - then some pages will open while others give me the same message. i have windows xp and am on dsl modem. i have deleted temp files and have run spybot - still no help. i tried adaware but then it said it was connected to the internet but couldnt open any pages or my email. can anyone help me?
thanks

It was driving me crazy also , except I used mostly Firefox. In advanced settings on IE , I just clicked restore defaults and IE and Fox have stopped having the problem........I hope it stays that way.

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